Be Happy!: QATAR ADVENTURE!

My brother and I boarded the plane bound for DOHA, Qatar last April 11, 2009….QA 647, 17:10pm (Manila time). We arrived 9hours and 30mins later at the Qatar airport at 21:30pm DOHA time (that’s 2:30am Manila time).

This was my 1st time to visit Qatar, my 1st long flight (fortunately the passengers have their own personal entertainment unit attached at every backseats of the plane’s chair; you can either watch a movie/TV series, listen to music, play games, go shopping, etc…you won’t get bored…before we knew it, we’re landing)…this is also my 1st visa approved flight.

These were our meals...fish, beef or chicken?

Ironically, the day we arrived in Qatar was also Easter Sunday… new life. It was a new beginning, a start of a new chapter in my life…it was also the 1st day of my period, hahaha.

From the airport, we boarded a taxi that took us to the apartment where my sister Jane is staying, Al Mansoura…15-20mins ride, She was still at work that’s why she wasn’t able to meet us at the airport…she arrived from work around 11pm. Don’t worry mama & papa, she has transpo…it’s what we call shuttle in Manila.

The 1st 2-3 days, we were still adjusting, time-wise…there’s 5-6 hours difference in Manila time. The apartments here are air-conditioned! Well, it has to be…temperature here can rise up to 60’C in summertime, that’s around June-August…according to the locals.

Meet Ate Jovy...she's our landlady & our Mamita here (",)..

Goofing around the living room...it's too hot to go outside! Meet the blind, the deaf, the mute & the mentally retarded....alms.alms,alms please.

The mode of transportation are Karwa buses (fixed price, near or far destinations you pay only QR3) and taxis (a bit expensive). There are a lot of private car drivers here (a sideline/extra income) offering their services wherein you can bargain the price for your fare...I just don't know how safe it is. For workers, they avail of “transpo”…it’s like shuttle/school bus service in Manila, they pay for it monthly. The employees here, specially those in sales, sometimes have split schedules (ex: 9am-1pm, then 6pm-10pm),so sometimes they go home, eat lunch, rest a liitle & go back to work later…that’s why they hire transpo services cause if they take the taxis regularly, they’ll go broke.

The locals here loves to shop. But for a stingy person like me...I haven't found a favorite yet...the prices are way too expensive for me...I'm beginning to miss MOA, Glorietta, ATC, SM and Divisoria. The 1st mall we visited was Landmark...

Next mall...the famous Villaggio Mall! It was truly beautiful...the designs are magnificent...it's like being in Venice! Look at the ceiling...it's like being outside on a clear day. And there's a lot of cute shoppers here, both male & female! Most of the shops are manned by Filipinos...so many Kabayans here...the other nationalities are Lebanese(gwapo), Jordanians, Egyptians, Indians, Syrians, Pakistans, Turkish, Morrocans, Arabs and Qataris.

Behind us is the Khalifa Stadium and tower...

And then we also visited Hyatt Plaza which is just across Villaggio. I like the mall's driveway & parking spaces. My mom would love the rides here...there's a lot of 4WDs...and gas prices are very cheap. LPG here is only QR30=P390. But it's scary driving here, there are so many reckless drivers...it seems like they don't know the word "caution" here...and we thought my brother Brian's driving is scary. (",)

We also visited the park near Villaggio/Hyatt Plaza...you can have a picnic here with your friends & family, go jogging or do a marathon, or just chill out and relax...enjoy the view! Check out the trees...they're very unique & weird-looking.

This next picture was taken when we visited City Centre Mall...that's the view going to the mall, look at the buildings' facade...very modern, very sleek...beautiful!