Hi guys,
Now I know I said one a week, but having had such a great time out as a tourist today I thought I share some of the wonderful things that I saw.
The morning began with an amazing trip to the Souq Waqif, however getting there was a game of Russian roulette! I left the apartment ready for a 30min walk but instead found myself faced with with a single 4 lane interstate to walk up! No pavements, cars in every direction...including back....it was terrifying! Luckily I managed to flag down a Karwa Taxi but of course....being Qatar....he "forgot" to put the meter on! Sounds about right.....so we agreed a price of QR15 for the 20min journey and there I was at the Souq Waqif in all its glory.
Now the Souq's of Qatar are basically markets, with the Souq Waqif itself translating to the standing market. It was almost like being in a old desert city with high sandstone walls and very narrow passages! Imagine the market streets in Disneys Aladdin and you'll get the idea! But its what they sold here that made it so interesting! For one I found out where to buy a pet Falcon! And believe me there were 100's of birds....they seem to love them here! On top of that I could have bought a tortoise, turtle, cobra, massive lizard thing and the weirdest thing I have seen to date....multi-coloured birds! No kidding these cats had been died a verity of different colours; there was a blue, green and orange one, an all pink one it was so bizzare and although cruel to some degree I guess, funny in other aspects! This place just gets stranger by the day!
What was nice about the place, is that it was so relaxed, I was not being pressured to buy and could just enjoy seeing all the weird and wonderful things! There were shisha cafe's all over with many of the locals just chilling out having a coffee and smoke! There was even one guy sat with a massive sword and full set of metal armour he had just bought! There was incense in the air, chilled out arab music in the background...yeah its safe to say this was easily my favorite place so far!
After the Souq I decided to take a a trip to the Islamic Art Museum and a stroll along the cornice waterfront to West bay! I have to say, this part of the city is truly beautiful! The museum itself is an icon of Doha, and with free admissions I'd highly recommend a visit if your near! Better yet you the views you get of West Bay are outstanding!
The walk along the cornice was a long one, but very enjoyable. There was a car show going on, plenty of palm trees, the fresh sea breeze and of course the views of west bay! It was an escape from the chaos of the main city! I spent about 2 hours walking along the bay at a slow pace but it relaxed my mind and made me feel calm again!
Oh and yeah, there is a giant clam!!!!
The journey back was nothing exciting....just another crook cabbie trying to forget to turn on the meter. But I did manage to find something in a small shop that made me sooo excited!!! I found potatoes! So dinner tonight was beef sausage, veg and mash...a simple dish that I have been craving all week!!!! Anyway time to go again, have to be a responsible adult and work tomorrow..... sad face....but until next time
Goodbye,
Sean
Now I know I said one a week, but having had such a great time out as a tourist today I thought I share some of the wonderful things that I saw.
The morning began with an amazing trip to the Souq Waqif, however getting there was a game of Russian roulette! I left the apartment ready for a 30min walk but instead found myself faced with with a single 4 lane interstate to walk up! No pavements, cars in every direction...including back....it was terrifying! Luckily I managed to flag down a Karwa Taxi but of course....being Qatar....he "forgot" to put the meter on! Sounds about right.....so we agreed a price of QR15 for the 20min journey and there I was at the Souq Waqif in all its glory.
Now the Souq's of Qatar are basically markets, with the Souq Waqif itself translating to the standing market. It was almost like being in a old desert city with high sandstone walls and very narrow passages! Imagine the market streets in Disneys Aladdin and you'll get the idea! But its what they sold here that made it so interesting! For one I found out where to buy a pet Falcon! And believe me there were 100's of birds....they seem to love them here! On top of that I could have bought a tortoise, turtle, cobra, massive lizard thing and the weirdest thing I have seen to date....multi-coloured birds! No kidding these cats had been died a verity of different colours; there was a blue, green and orange one, an all pink one it was so bizzare and although cruel to some degree I guess, funny in other aspects! This place just gets stranger by the day!
What was nice about the place, is that it was so relaxed, I was not being pressured to buy and could just enjoy seeing all the weird and wonderful things! There were shisha cafe's all over with many of the locals just chilling out having a coffee and smoke! There was even one guy sat with a massive sword and full set of metal armour he had just bought! There was incense in the air, chilled out arab music in the background...yeah its safe to say this was easily my favorite place so far!
After the Souq I decided to take a a trip to the Islamic Art Museum and a stroll along the cornice waterfront to West bay! I have to say, this part of the city is truly beautiful! The museum itself is an icon of Doha, and with free admissions I'd highly recommend a visit if your near! Better yet you the views you get of West Bay are outstanding!
The walk along the cornice was a long one, but very enjoyable. There was a car show going on, plenty of palm trees, the fresh sea breeze and of course the views of west bay! It was an escape from the chaos of the main city! I spent about 2 hours walking along the bay at a slow pace but it relaxed my mind and made me feel calm again!
Oh and yeah, there is a giant clam!!!!
The journey back was nothing exciting....just another crook cabbie trying to forget to turn on the meter. But I did manage to find something in a small shop that made me sooo excited!!! I found potatoes! So dinner tonight was beef sausage, veg and mash...a simple dish that I have been craving all week!!!! Anyway time to go again, have to be a responsible adult and work tomorrow..... sad face....but until next time
Goodbye,
Sean
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