Hello! This week I received a lovely surprise when the postman delivered this parcel from the Netherlands. Woo hoo thank you Jenn, the Teen and I will enjoy everything this book has to offer during the two month summer holidays! Be sure to visit Jenn's blog Color 'n Cream to see what the work of a color wizard looks like. I love her unusual but refreshing combinations and she now sells not only completed items in her shop, but also Yarn Colour Combos. And postcards. Jenn regularly runs competitions and Mr Funky is my scoop after winning one of her competitions!
Mochi! The Teen is studying Japanese as her 6th (yip, that's right!) language and is totally enthralled by anything and everything Japanese. She has been driving me nuts over the past two years in her yearning to eat Mochi and wow, how lucky can one be. There are a few Mochi shops here in Doha and even though it is not quite a cheap eat, she is having the time of her life indulging in her favourite sweet.
This is a Mexican Coffee Bun also known as Roti Boy Buns or Buns from Papparoti. It is lip licking good! This treat originates from Malaysia and is a light aromatic bun with a buttery center and crispy coffee outer layer. This one is topped with caramel (other toppings include chocolate, toffee, cheese etc). No doubt we are frequent visitors to one of the many Papparoti shops here in Doha - t'is the new Cinnabon in my opinion!
Katara Pigeon Towers (it houses pigeons!) constructed in indigenous mud-brick style.
Pigeons, camels, horses and falcons are important animals in Arabia. Pigeons, unlike camels, horses & falcons taken along by nomadic tribes during their wanderings, are associated with settlement and domesticity and are often kept in dovecotes at family compounds. Pigeons are also prized because their cooing is said to be similar to the phrase "udhkur Allah" which means "remember God". The three pigeon towers by Katara Mosque are a beautiful tribute to this tradition and provides an air of tranquility and calmness to the general area.
Katara - I have almost no words to describe this mind blowing project and space. It is a Cultural Village, an exceptional project of hope for human interaction through art and cultural exchange. Keeping pace with the emerging global culture that emphasises the importance of diversity in human development, Katara is a place of gathering and features theaters, concert halls, exhibition galleries, museums, restaurants, a beach with water sports, art cinemas, a childhood cultural center, an amphitheater and opera house and even career advise centers and a mall for children.
According to the Katara website "the village shall be a glimpse of the future of a world where people of different cultural backgrounds overcome their national boundaries and embrace common causes to promote a united humanity. Katara is where the grace of the past meets the splendour of the future"
This is a space where one can either visit for specific reasons or simply wander around and soak up the atmosphere.
The 3275 sqm amphitheater at Katara seats 5000 people. I completely forgot to take a photo from the top of the theater, it overlooks the ocean and the views are epic to say the least.
Fancy shopping in Italy? You can do this right here in Doha. This mall features mostly shops from Germany, the UK, US and Italy and even boasts a 150 meter long indoor canal with gondolas. After being shopping deprived in South Africa, we are finally in heaven once again. The few international brands available in South Africa sadly sells old stock from seasons past.
We enjoy going to this mall as it features a fabulous indoor theme park, a go kart track (the husband is a fan and raced competitively in the UAE and also won against 150 racers at Kyalami in South Africa last year), an Olympic size ice rink which is home to the Qatar Ice Hockey League, ten pin bowling center and roller coaster.
No doubt we enjoyed hanging out at the mall this past weekend since we saw outside temperatures rising to 54 degrees Celsius (that is 129,2 degrees fahrenheit!). I managed to capture the reading at 53 degrees. It is hot, very hot. Hot. As. Hell. At 9:30 in the evening it was still 40 degrees Celsius. We love it though, the entire family dislike winter and we hope to only ever experience winter again when we go skiing, never again as a living experience.
Have a nice week! I am joining my first craft share soon and hope to tell you more about the one and only yarn store available to us in Qatar!
Cheers!
.PNG)
Now I understand why you didn't mind moving to Doha...
ReplyDeleteIt seems you really have everything there - from culture and history, to the more "down-to-earth" things as shopping malls (by the way, my gód, the photo of that mall... compared to that, Belgian malls are medieval !)...
On the other hand, 53° ?? Can you even go outside with that kind of temperatures ? (I really don't know - I think the maximum I experienced once, was 45°...and even that was scorching...)
But I get the feeling you already feel at home there...
Happy crafting this week, have a good shopping frenzy in that yarn shop !!
'n soen en 'n drukkie uit België !
It is frighteningly hot Ingrid! Someone in South Africa asked me whether one gets used to the heat and I said I don't think we did, not even after 8 years of living in Dubai before. I now know we actually did get used to the heat, it is not a shock to us and we know how to live so that we are not affected. Drinking lots of water is not enough as one really need those extra electrolytes - we kick off our day with an isotonic drink each, eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg and stay out of the sun as far as we can. It is possible to walk short distances in this heat (we were in fact visiting motor showrooms to investigate options for new cars) but we mostly keep to indoor spaces. It is a different heat to what hot areas in South Africa for example feel like - this is like wearing an electric blanket - it surrounds the body. It is like breathing air from one's hairdryer. The humidity is also not that high here compared to Dubai and Abu Dhabi so it is much more bearable. In fact I prefer this weather to the constant high heat and humidity of Malaysia. Have a great week - I hope the Singer Shop does not disappoint or else I will have to order yarn online in the future. xxx
DeleteYour explanation here satisfied one of my questions - whether the heat was a dry heat or whether there was any level of humidity. It gets up to 45 degrees where I live and it gets into the 50s in the north of my state but it is dry heat from the desert. I can relate to your description of 'enveloping' heat and 'breathing from one's hairdryer'. I can handle dry heat (and you are right, one does get acclimatised) but I struggle in lower temps when the humidity is high. I cannot handle the sudden changes from hot outside to freezing cold air conditioning inside and then into the heat outside again. If only buildings could set their a/c a little warmer to be comfortable and less of a shock. Do you have that problem in Doha? Also the isotonic drinks are important. 'Hydralyte' ice blocks are my friend in Summer. I can't believe that the world cup soccer is going to be held in such a hot climate.
DeleteHi Magda, Thanks for the attention! Love your photo's. Good to see you guys are enjoying yourselves and settling in! Have fun with the book!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jenn!
DeleteThis looks like an amazing place! The architecture looks so varied in age as well as style - love the cool marble you photographed in Katara, and what a mall! The gondola bit is funny, but at least it's cool and has shopping! Looking forward to your crafty projects...Chrissie x
ReplyDeleteThemed malls are quite cheesy but it does help to transport one to a totally different place given the heat and lack of greenery that comes with desert living!
DeleteGosh Magda ... that Roti Boy bun looks so different from the ones sold here in KL. Yours look more decadent! I remember when it was first introduced here ... people were queuing up at KLCC to purchase them!
ReplyDeleteYes, it can be pretty humid here ... so much rain and sun ... sigh ...
Papparoti's is super! They ONLY sell one type of bun with about 25 different drinks. That means the bun has to be awesome. I never even bought anything from Roti Boy when we lived in Penang as it didn't stand out from the other awesome food. the humidity eeeeek - rainforest experiences should be nice but it was always tedious - I sweat and sweat and even took a facecloth with me in the car to wipe my face (t'was not possible to be dainty or discreet with the sweat!)
DeleteWhen I saw the pigeon towers….. Cairo was immediately in my mind!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really like to read about your enthusiasm for Doha and I miss that kind of dry heat!!!! I remember very well that kind of "heat blanket" that surrounds you!!!!! ;oD
love and xxxxxxx, Ale
I can see how it reminds you of Cairo. Woo holy hell the summer is here in full swing though - it has been insanely hot the whole week and I just read that during May and June humidity is at its lowest. I will be singing a different tune by August and September that is for sure!
DeleteWow, not sure where to start! Firstly well done for your girl for challenging her language skills and learning her sixth language, very impressive to say the least. It looks and sounds like you are having an amazing time and I can completely understand your complete fascination with 'international shopping' in the rather fabulous looking mall, having just recently returned from SA and yes there is very little there unless you are willing to pay and arm and a leg. I suppose for us Brits a mall like that will come across as very cheesy, but for the South African within me, it sits pretty comfortably seeing we are so Mall focussed in SA. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the ethos and mission of Katara and having looked into it seems like something we should have everywhere around the world, lets hope that this vision becomes true, wouldn't it be wonderful if we can all just live in harmony with one another no matter what sex, race or religion. Enjoy your time there! xoxo
ReplyDeleteThere are some really nice arty crafty stuff to buy in South Africa but as soon as someone comes up with a nice idea or concept, then everyone follows suit and all the markets and décor shops end up selling the same over and over. Cothing and make-up shopping - pffttttt it is pathetic to say the least. I reckon the volume of chain department stores where every man and his dog seem to buy on account, is completely killing any fashion forward, high quality venture. A selection of great looking, really good quality shoes are almost impossible to find in South Africa. Even as a student I had my Portuguese friend bring me shoes from Lisbon when she visited family. I always find it so amusing when Safrican women wonder who on earth wears the clothes featured in the Vogue, Harpers Bazaar etc. Eh? Everyone does! That is what fashion forward women in the rest of the world actually wear. I am on my way to be visiting the Cheesy mall again - need to get my fix of shopping fun for the week!
DeleteLovely post....
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThanks , I have just been looking for information about this topic for ages and yours is the greatest I've discovered so far. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source? coastal homewares
ReplyDeleteHello! I could have sworn I've been to this website before but after checking through some of the post I realized it's new to me. Anyhow, I'm definitely delighted I found it and I'll be book-marking and checking back frequently!Cheap Deals in Melbourne
ReplyDelete