THE BEAUTIFUL CORNICHE OF DOHA - PART ONE

The earlier plan was to visit the Museum of Islamic Art, the while building that was on the background. Unfortunately the premise was closed on that day so we just stopped at a spot nearby. This was one end of a stretch of a curved land overlooking a beautiful turquoise ocean with boats floating on it, and a blue sky and glittering skyscrapers in the horizon.

a new book cover - "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck :)
"The pearl is evil, Kino" suddenly I remembered a line from the novel.

the spiral minaret was another landmark of Doha

The sun was shining brightly but the blowing wind was in fact very cold. So I was actually put in two extreme situations and you could see that expression clearly on my face.







Wish I could just stay and observe the scenery longer but there were other places to visit - and another spot of the Corniche as well.

DINING OUT - QATARI STYLE

Mr. Razib wanted to let me get authentic Arab food so we settled for Al Bandar Restaurant which was situated at Souk Waqif. There were many choices of where we could be seated. At first we wanted to try the roof top but then it was too cold so we just sat on the second floor where it was much warmer. The food served, all of which I could not remember the names, came in a big portion. We even packed two pieces of uneaten bread for our breakfast the next morning.

You can always get this kind of food in Malaysia as there are many Arab restaurants operating nowadays. However, getting the chance to eat real Arab food in Souk Waqif was priceless.

(WINDOW) SHOPPING AT SOUK WAQIF IN DOHA

 
This is definitely a must visit for tourists in Doha. Souk Waqif was like a big market that sold everything under the sun, Qatari style. The place looked old and original, as distinct from the usual shopping malls. Other than shops that operated until late at night, there were also restaurants serving food of different continents and we even found a Malaysian restaurant there. (Malaysia Boleh!)

outside a pet shop, selling mostly different types of birds

and now you can see Arab women outside the pet shop

 
One good thing about Souq Waqif was that you could still do business transaction with local and real Arab people, which was different from Dubai. You had to be there, not only to see but also to experience the sweet smell that lingered in the air as you walked around the area. It could be the aroma of spices, shisha or that kind of aromatic wood like cinnamon that people burned either in the shops, or even outside.

no Malaysian food, please

 
According to Mr. Razib, the shops open only at 4:00 p.m. daily. We were there at about 8:00 p.m. We thought we were late but to our surprise, the crowd started to grow as it drew nearer to midnight.

 
Here would be the best place to buy souvenirs but I did not buy any (except some fridge magnets for my colleagues) as I had doubt the items were locally produced. And I had seen similar products in the duty free shop in Dubai Airport when I was there waiting for my connecting flight to Doha at lower prices. The bargaining skills would still come in handy here.




 
Perhaps if we had more time, we could explore more. But we were there for dinner, we were quite exhausted by that time and had to go back home to Al Khor which was an hour's drive away. The visit was a short but one it was a memorable experience shopping and dining in Qatar.

A SHORT STOP AT THE STATE MOSQUE OF QATAR

love at first sight - upon arrival

I was lucky enough that we managed to stop at this majestic building to perform the Maghrib and Isya' prayers. According to my friend, Mr. Razib, he had been here a few times but the mosque was not opened.

ablution room

the main hall

According to THIS SITE, the State Mosque of Qatar is now known as Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahab Mosque and was only officially opened about one month ago.

beautiful chandeliers everywhere

It was already dark so we had no time to explore the surrounding area. However, from my limited observation of the mosque, everything was spectacular. I just loved the many chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, not only in the main praying hall but also in the foyer of the mosque, that lit up and gave a life to the whole building.

view of Doha city when the sky was not that dark yet, from the mosque

... and now the sky had darkened

And I simply love these two pictures captured by my compact camera :)