Only in Qatar 101

In this post, and maybe some more in the future (that's why the 101, because there might still be 102, 103, and so on), I would like to point out some singularities of living in Qatar. Some of these may not be particularly unique only to Qatar, but as it is different compared to my beloved Pilipinas - anyway, I've only lived in these two countries so far.

In this post, and maybe some more in the future (that’s why the 101, because there might still be 102, 103, and so on), I would like to point out some singularities of living in Qatar. Some of these may not be particularly unique only to Qatar, but as it is different compared to my beloved Pilipinas – anyway, I’ve only lived in these two countries so far.

  1. Camels – being a desert country, I thought I would see a lot of camels around. However, this is not the case. Instead, you only see camels as exhibits in certain places. As a matter of fact, camels were already replaced by Land Cruisers on the road.
  2. Roundabouts – this country is just simply full of roundabouts. You’ll see them almost all over Doha, the capital. Did it help ease out traffic? Well maybe before, but not now with the volume level of cars and trucks swarming the city.
  3. Drainage System – obviously because of the scarcity of rain in this country, government failed or maybe just simply ignored provision for drainage system.
  4. Street Names – from the looks of it, every street has a name. However, if you ask people about the street names or mentioning the name to a taxi driver, they wouldn’t know. They’ll just give you a blank look. Obviously, they don’t know the names. Even the major roads like the C-Ring, D-Ring, etc., they are not familiar with. You’ll have to rely on the use of landmarks if you want to go from one place to another. By the way, all offices and houses have PO Boxes. That’s where postal mail will reach you.
  5. Construction Everywhere – wherever you go in the city, you’ll encounter construction going on. What’s annoying, though, is that in some cases it seems like eternity before construction is through. Just take for example the construction at the side of the road of the Toyota Tower (Al Abdulghani Tower), at the corner of C-Ring and Airport Road, since we arrived here more than 6 months ago, the construction is already going on. Until now it’s not yet finished. A friend even suggested before that it should have been finished before the start of the Asian Games, but now Asian Games is long way over, and it’s not yet done.
  6. Foreigners outnumbering the locals – going around the city, it won’t take long for you to realize that indeed foreigners outnumber the locals.
  7. Qtel – apparently they are the only telco in the country, providing telephone, mobile phone and internet connectivity. I’m just glad we already have our ADSL connection (at last!), at least I had a break from waiting long minutes over the phone for the customer service representative to pick-up, while you don’t really have a ground at which you can voice out your feedback about their service.

Well, so far those are my collection. If you are also in Qatar or maybe have been here and you want to add on the list above, just leave a comment below. More pecularities to follow as I encounter (and take note of) them in the future.

8 Comments

Jaypee March 19, 2007 Reply

Even though I haven’t been to Qatar, now I know a little bit about it. It’s always nice to learn something about new places. Great post! Thanks for sharing. 😀

deuts March 19, 2007 Reply

Sure! No problem, you’re welcome!

Boy diva March 20, 2007 Reply

Would like to add on the singularities here in Doha. The scarcity of cabs here is really annoying because it really will take so much time before you can get one. So it’s either you get a loan to buy a car for yourself (that is, if you intend to stay long here in Doha and maximize the use of your car) or you get the contact numbers of those private car owners and friendly kabayan cab drivers to drive you to your destination.

deuts March 20, 2007 Reply

so you haven’t your own car yet? You don’t intend to stay long? bwaahahahahah:)

rHacks March 21, 2007 Reply

nice post jorell! jz to add something…while I was in doha a week ago…i really felt I’m back in the Phils…bcoz of the rough roads. 😛

deuts March 21, 2007 Reply

Hahahaha! Well of course I didn’t notice that, and that you should notice that. I’ve not been to Abu Dhabi. As I’ve said, I’ve only been to the Philippines and Qatar so far.

Hindi ka man lng nagpakita sakin! 🙂 Kmusta na ang mga ex-lafarge dyan sa inyo?

rHacks March 21, 2007 Reply

We’re all doing well here. Didn’t have time to go around in Doha…dami work eh. Tsk i know bz k rin. Are you working or dakilang WEBHOST k n lng? online k yta 24/7 eh. 😛

deuts March 21, 2007 Reply

Indi naman. pag weekend baka 24/7, kaso kelangan ding matulog eh. cge regards n lng ako jan sa kanila malvar, rachel, jing, rica, gil, at saka kung sino pa jan nakalimutan ko….hehe

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