Dec 1, 2015

Task Force Doha, Qatar ドーハ出張 -2-

While I was in Doha, I could take a day off to discover a tiny part of the city.
I am not sure about the other cities in the Middle East, but I can say, it was very different from any other countries I have visited before...  
 
Fanar - Qatar Islamic Cultural Center 
 
There are many new & fancy shopping malls in the city. You can buy everything and eat any kind of food over there (except pork and alcohol). Those places are, of course, with air-conditioning which is very nice but luck of character...  
 
One of my friends who used to work in W Guangzhou, now works in the kitchen of W Doha, took me to a place called "Souq Waqif".
 
Souq Waqif 
 
 
 
Souq Waqif 
 
 They also sell Falcons!
 
In this place, you can find everything in here from clothes, spices, paintings, souvenirs, accessories and jewelries to food. It's not as big as Istanbul's Grand Bazaar but nice thing about this place was nobody push you to buy stuff. I could just relax, take my time and walk around window shopping.

Also, because I was there at the best time of the year (in Jan) and best time of the day (6-8pm), I had no problem walking around the place.

There are many nice restaurants and cafe at the Souq, but I have tried their traditional food from the street vendors and the small tiny restaurant inside the Souq.
The BBQ grilled lamb & chicken with green leaf salad and some bread (?? something like Indian Naan bread but thinner). It was good. Much better than I have imagined, though the meat was bit too dry for my taste.

Street vendors come out and selling food at the evening

 Souq Waqif
 
Traditional Middle Eastern food
 
Many nice luxury 5star hotels in the city of Doha. Didn't have enough time to visit those hotels but I know for sure, W Doha was extremely busy. Not only for the rooms, but also their restaurants and the bars were crazy everyday. They don't have a big banquet space but busy with outside catering. They told my they are the busiest B&F operation in all W hotels in the world!!
 
Kempinski (top left), Marriott Marquis City Center (top right),
W Doha (bottom)
 
 
View of Doha at night. Office buildings and shopping malls.

 

 

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