Chester on the Cornice at Doha in 2015
When I am about to visit somewhere new for the first
time alone, I search for a tour guide who can show me around. The great thing
about living in Bahrain for 12 years was that there were so many cities in the Middle
East nearby to explore. In other blogs I have covered Muscat in Oman, Dubai in
UAE but never really mentioned Qatar. A lot has been written in the press about
the place, particularly with reference to the last world cup, so it should be
remembered this is my personal blog and my personal impressions.
Chester and I take a break for Meryenda
My first visit was in 2015 and it did not get off to a
good start when my guide, Chester ( the Hooman) , overslept, leaving me
stranded at the airport, and when he did turn up he had left his mobile at home
with GPS and could not find any of the places he had promised to take me.
Chester sizing up the buildings
I had booked to stay in the Ezdan hotel which consists
of 4 huge towers containing bedrooms and apartments and then a central pool, gym,
retail and restaurants. The location was amazing, just a short walk from the Cornice
in West Bay and the facilities were superb. I was on a high floor with an
amazing view of the city and the sea.
Chester just wiping the sleep from his eyes at 10 am!
In the run up to the World Cup ( 7 years in advance of
the big day) building was already underway of new roads, a metro ( which
involved 7 of the biggest tunnelling machines in the world making tunnels under
the existing skyscrapers). They were also testing the facilities and the Ezdan
was housing the athletes and officials for the 2015 IPC Word Athletic Championships when we stayed. Their slogan was "Beyond Incredible" and
on many days I was bought to tears by the sight of blind athletes running along
the corniche or people missing limbs there to compete in a variety of events.
Chester making silly faces
Chester arranged for a friend to drive us around and
we visited the Pearl ( a bit like the Palm in Dubai) , Viaggio ( like a mall in
Venice – complete with a canal and Gondolas inside the Mall), Katara- the old
part of Doha ( but nothing there is really old, I was told they would build a
new block of apartments and then pull the old ones down rather than refurbish them)
.
Working our way around Doha's best restaurants
They had all the best brands and some unfamiliar to me
at that time like Shakespeare & Co ( which later opened in Bahrain, Dubai
and Muscat!) . One that really surprised me was Harry Ramsden’s , a British Fish and Chip shop. The original , in
Yorkshire had a chandelier and served fish , chips and Mushy peas. Sadly the
one in Doha was a poor copy ( I suspect a franchise) but I did accept their
challenge to eat their largest portion of fish ( I think 32 oz) alone in one sitting
for which I won a Tee shirt when I went with another OFW friend who I met with
several times there, Jam Sparks.
Chester and the Doha skyline
Slightly less forgettable was our 2016 Christmas Day
lunch on Banana Island . We booked in advance and turned up early for our boat
trip to the Island and were asked to sign a disclaimer which said we would not
get our money back if there was fog. I asked if this was normal or just for
this day- as we woke up to thick fog. They assured me it was just procedure so
we signed and waited and waited. More
and more people arrived and finally I want to see the manager. He explained the
island was operational but the coastguard would not let the boats go due to the
fog. I asked why they had not told us that when we arrived and refunded our
money. “ Oh no , we cant do that, you signed a disclaimer” . He then led us to
the waiting boat full of staff and shortly after we set off. We had a good day
and a nice lunch ( staring at the fig which never lifted) and then decided to
leave early as the fog started getting worse to be told “ no boats can leave due
to the coastguard”. By now people were getting really angry as people had
flights and late shifts to work and so they bought in extra security to control
the queue and eventually we headed back to the mainland. I wrote to complain
and did not even get a reply and it was only when I gave them a terrible review
on trip advisor did they promise to refund my money but it never arrived.
Needless to say I have never stayed with Antara again!
Eid 2016- The Cornice, Doha
I mentioned the Corniche earlier and in my opinion the
one in Doha is one of the best in the world. The gardens are immaculate , the
grass cut by a team of labourers and the hedges trimmed etc. The bins are
emptied and two or three street sweeping machines go up and down daily, and one
even has a power hose to wash off the chewing gum. One time I stayed there at Eid
and the grass was covered by Qatari
families in their finest robes with all their children and maids and nannies
having picnics to celebrate the end of Ramadan.
Regular TBK readers will know I love sightseeing on the top of the Big Bus in Dubai and Muscat. In Doha they have their own yellow bus which , in 2015, was constantly breaking down and arriving late at the bus stops. Chester and I waited and waited at one stop and the bus did not arrive, so we went for food and then the bus arrived so we chased it down the road holding our take out. Another time at the mall they were doing repairs on the engine and said it would be a while before we carried on. We were the only passengers on the bus each time- especially in the summer heat in Doha!
Chester asleep on the Yellow Bus as we drive down the Corniche
Surprisingly last week I saw an advert on Facebook for the Doha Bus, so 8 years later it must still be running!
The empty Doha Bus working its way through the roadworks
It was that piece on Facebook that stirred my memories of Doha, and when I asked Chester he said that he had the pictures too. As its Chester's 34th Birthday on May 18 I thought I would write him a Birthday Blog! Happy Birthday Chester!
Happy 34th Birthday Chester!
Some very confusing roadworks in Doha!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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