More Sushi!

We are always looking for a new sushi place to try. Here is a new one we tried recently:

                                                        Sushi Neo

We went with a large group of people to Neo. We ordered a platter of 40 pieces of mixed sushi for 220 Riyal ($60 USD). The sushi was fresh and we didn't have to wait that long. We also had duck wantons, which were very good as well.

The atmosphere is really nice and the decor is pretty. As you can see in the pictures there are various words scattered on the walls. The staff and manager were very nice and attentive. It's a great place to go. I would definitely recommend it.

It is on Salwa road one shopping center past Jarir book store, across from Nissan dealership.

Great Pedicure! Great Price!

At City Center mall there is a store called 4 You that has a pedicure/manicure place, called 4 You Beauty Room. 4 You is at the end of the mall across from The Body Shop near the escalators. If you walk into the mall through the Hotel entrance and walk toward the escalators (on the 2nd floor) it will be on your right side. Walk into the store and go to the back and it will be on your left side.

I love this hidden gem. The prices are good, they do a great job and the staff is really friendly.  A french spa pedicure is 100 Riyal ($27 USD), a regular pedicure (without the spa) is $85 Riyal ($23 USD). Plus they have spa pedicure chairs, which seem to be hard to find in Doha. There are only two though so it might be a good idea to make an appointment, just in case. 

I have already brought a few friends here and they loved it as well. Not too many people know about so most of their customers are from word of mouth. 

Vaccinations

Recently I went in search of a place to get my vaccines updated for traveling. After much searching I stumbled upon a place called Mesaimeer Clinic. It is across the road from the animal souq in the Industrial area. Services here are free to everyone, including people who only have a tourist visa. The process is a little tedious though, so make sure you give yourself ample time.

For travel vaccines: First, you wait in line at the front desk to obtain a number to see the doctor. After you speak with the doctor/nurse about the purpose of your visit he/she will fill out a form selecting the vaccines you need. If you need to go back for a vaccine series they will give you a sheet with the dates that you are to return on. You must present this sheet when you go in for the vaccines each time.

Next, you go back up to the front desk and wait in line to obtain a number to see the nurse to get your vaccines. Again, if you have to return to finish a series vaccine, make sure you have your sheet with the dates. Next time you come in you won't have to see the doctor. Just bring the vaccine sheet with the date to the front desk and obtain a number to receive your vaccine.

I went during hajj so it was very busy (it took me about 3 1/2 hours). I also went back another time when it wasn't a holiday and it took under an hour. The key is to get there when they open at 0700 during the week.

One more thing. When you walk in there is a women's entrance on the left and a separate front desk and a men's entrance on the right with a front desk. If you go with your spouse you can see each other, but there is a partition. There is also a separate waiting area with chairs and a room each for men and women to get vaccines.

The nurses there are very nice and work hard, giving vaccines constantly. This particular site sees many mothers and babies, as Qatar is beginning to more widely vaccinate the younger generations.

Most other places I went to look for vaccines either didn't have what I wanted, or only had them for children.  The vaccines that you can't get here you can potentially get at Ahli Hospital, though you'll need an appointment. It's a bit expensive without health insurance but with it I'm sure it's affordable.  

Wholesale Market St, Doha, Qatar

+974 4406 4222 ‎ · phcc.qa

Here is a link to a map of the location. 

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF-8&q=mesaimeer+health+center+doha&fb=1&hq=mesaimeer+health+center&hnear=0x3e45c534ffdce87f:0x44d9319f78cfd4b1,Doha,+Qatar&cid=0,0,811927418928760327&ei=svDBULOOJZLC9gSH0IGIDg&ved=0CJgBEPwSMAA

Hajj

 

Hajj - Pilgrimage To Mecca

The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in one's lifetime. The other four pillars of Islam are faith, prayer, Zakat (Mandatory charity by those who have the means) and fasting.  

The pilgrimage is for those Muslims that are financially and physically able. Nearly two million Muslims from all over the world meet one another from the 8th to the 12th day of the last month of the year (on the Islamic calendar).  Pilgrims wear special clothing (Ihram), two very simple unsown white garments, which take away all distinctions of wealth, status, class and culture, making everyone equal in the eyes of Allah (God).

The Hajj pilgrimage has its roots in the time of Prophet Abraham. He constructed a building in Mecca called the Kaaba with his son Ishmael as a center of worship for mankind. Since then, pilgrimage to this holy city has been occurring annually for thousands of years. The Hajj rituals are performed in the premises of the Kaaba.

BBC News Describes it best when they explain what happens during the 5 days of Hajj:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4180965.stm
Published: 2006/12/27 20:56:39 GMT------See Below.

Once in Mecca pilgrims enter the Great Mosque and walk seven times round the Kaaba (a cube-like building in the centre of the mosque) in an anti-clockwise direction. This is known as Tawaf. Pilgrims also run seven times along a passageway in the Great Mosque, commemorating a search for water by Hajar, wife of the Prophet Abraham. 

DAY 1: FIRST STEP

Pilgrims travel to Mina on 8 Dhul Hijjah (a date in the Islamic calendar) and remain there until dawn the next morning. 

DAY 2: STANDING AT ARAFAT

Pilgrims then travel to the valley of Arafat and stand in the open praising Allah and meditating.
At the end of the day, pilgrims travel to Muzdalifa where they spend the night. Pilgrims gather up stones to use the next day.

DAY 3: STONING THE DEVIL

In the morning, pilgrims return to Mina and throw seven stones at pillars called Jamaraat. These represent the devil. The pillars stand at three spots where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.
Pilgrims sacrifice an animal (usually a sheep or goat). This commemorates the incident related in the Old Testament when the Prophet Abraham was about to sacrifice his son and God accepted a sheep instead. Nowadays many pilgrims pay someone to slaughter the animal on their behalf.
Pilgrims shave their heads or cut some hair from it and return to the Great Mosque at Mecca for a further Tawaf, walking around the Kaaba. They then return to Mina, where they spend the night.

DAYS 4 & 5

Pilgrims spend time in Mina, continuation of the ritual of stoning the pillars.
If a pilgrim has been unable to return to Mecca to walk around the Kaaba, he or she does so on the fourth or fifth day. 

 

Thousands of Muslims in front of one the the mosque gates.

Souq Waqif

I wanted to share a few more pictures of Souq Waqif. 

Souq Waqif, Katara Cultural Village and Heritage Village

Main walkway in Souq Waqif

Colored chicks at Souq Waqif

At Souq Waqif

My husband and I have been to Souq Waqif a few times now so I thought that I'd share a few pictures of it.  If you are just visiting Qatar or even moving here it's one place you should definitely see. There are shops for all kinds of things, a lot of it touristy but some shops have other things that you can bargain for. There are spice shops, tea shops, scarf shops, bike shops, and even an animal section. The live animal section isn't my favorite place since it's outside and the weather has been hot so the animals don't look too healthy. I'd rather go to a rescue place out here if I wanted a dog or cat personally.


 Heritage Village

During Eid (the three days after Ramadan) the Qatar Heritage Village was open.  It's usually only open a few days out of the year, on holidays. I wanted to see what it was all about so I went. It's a small fenced in area with outdoor booths near Rumeila Park near the Corniche. The Heritage Village resembles a traditional Qatari village and exhibits crafts and foods and folksong performances from the pre-oil period. There I saw Qatari women doing henna art on local people, women cooking traditional breads and muffins, a woman weaving rugs, and men making rope and mats. There was also a stage with a live performance. It was not outside (because it was very hot!) but in an air conditioned tent.

Heritage Village outside booths.

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Heritage Village

Katara Cultural Village

Another place we've been is Katara Village. The Katara Cultural Village has a beautiful amphitheater that houses the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (which I haven't been to yet, but would love to!), restaurants, a beach, art galleries and great ice cream. It's right by the ocean so the views are beautiful for a nice stroll when the weather is cooler.

Katara Village

Katara Village Amphitheater

Katar Village

Katara Village artwork

Katara Village Amphitheater

Katara Village

Katara Village artwork

Katara Village

Crafts, Sewing and Reading

 

Since I am not working yet I've been finding things to do to keep me busy and constructive.  I've been working out (I'm currently doing the Insanity workout), digital scrap booking and paper scrap booking, and I am learning how to make a quilt on the sewing machine. These are all things I never have time to do when I'm working, so it's nice to have the time to do them now.

On a hunt one day for craft supplies we went looking for several places.  We came up with two very decent art supply stores and one sewing machine/supply store. Before I tell you about these places I must explain this one thing. There are no addresses here; only P.O. boxes. When you receive directions here it is something like this: take this road and make left at the traffic light and turn left at this roundabout etc. When trying to find a specific store landmarks are the best (and maybe only) way to find what you are looking for. I usually call the store (if I can find a phone number on the internet) and ask them what is around them and if there are any specific landmarks.
Back to the art/craft supply stores that we found. Al Rawnaq has several locations but the one that I like the most is behind Souq Waqif on Ahmed bin Ali Street.  It's tucked back in a corner on a street full of other stores that is always busy with traffic and it is usually difficult to find a parking spot.  There are two levels to this store. There are a lot of hair items such as barretts, headbands and clips etc. There are scarves and ribbons and feathers as well and a minimal amount of fabrics, some local perfumes, and an array of buttons. There is also a section for knitting, and sewing. They have some basic sewing machine tools/accessories. You can get a little bit of a lot of different things here. 

The next store we found was Jarir Bookstore next to the Ramada signal. Yes it's a bookstore but it has a good supply of crafts as well. It kind of reminded us of Best Buy (a store in the US). It has a small section of movies, another of books (not many American book titles), another section of electronics, another section of crafts. The craft section has a great selection of projects such as mosaic tile designs, molding clay, tie die, drawing materials, water colors, scrapbooks etc. A great store for crafts, whoever not that great for books. 

Next we went to a sewing shop call Singer. This store is located near Doha City (the store) on Al Muthaf St near the Al Mirqab roundabout. What a great store. They have basic sewing machine supplies and tools and a few models of sewing machines (mostly Singer but also some other brands). The men there are really helpful and they are happy to show you how to do something on the sewing machine if you ask. They have some antique sewing machines in the window dating all the way back to the 1800s. This is a pretty nice little sewing shop.  

In the US scrap booking is really popular and there are many stores dedicated just to this. Here in Qatar that is not the case. The first two stores have some supplies but not everything you need to scrapbook. My advice is that you order it online (this goes for American book titles as well as there is a limited supply here). 

If you are new to Doha and are looking for crafts/sewing supplies, hopefully this helps.