Qatar: Intriguing mix of old and new

It is a nation that is booming at an unbelievable rate, so whether it’s an adventurous holiday or a fancy break you’re looking for, Qatar’s got something for everyone.

MANY people had never even heard of Qatar before the country hosted the Doha Asian Games in 2006. When I told some friends I was going there recently, they still gave me a blank look, followed by the obligatory “Huh, where is that?”

The Doha skyline is changing dramatically and the West Bay area is one of the most modern.

Well, for all those not in the know, Qatar is a peninsula in the Arabian Gulf and most visits begin in its capital, Doha, a bayside city half way down the East coast. Like many cities in the region, Doha offers an intriguing mixture of ancient Arabic tradition and modern metropolitan life.

As your plane approaches the airport, you will be welcomed by the gentle turquoise and emerald hues of the Arabian Gulf, juxtaposed against a sandy desert backdrop as well as a spectacular view of the city.

First impressions are very important when visiting a new place and Doha certainly impresses with its clean environment and systematic, wide roads filled with Toyota four-wheel drive vehicles and various models of Fords and Chevrolets. People here drive fast but without the non-stop honking.

Qatar used to be a small fishing and pearling village until the 1940s when the discovery of the world’s largest known offshore gas field transformed its economy. It now has the third-largest natural gas reserve in the world which, according to National Geographic, is enough to fuel every American home for the next 100 years.

Thanks to its buzzing economy, the country is changing at an amazing pace. In just slightly more than a year since my last visit during the Asian games, I returned to find a more “mature’’ city. New buildings have sprouted like mushrooms in the downtown area as well as in the city’s West Bay area (known as New Doha), where towering cranes dot the landscape for as far as the eye can see.

Get set for the ride of your life at Khor Al Adaid.

A new and improved airport is currently being built to handle the increasing number of international flights that now make their way into the city.

This sun-kissed country offers tourists plenty to see and do: Favourites include desert and shopping escapades, water sporting activities, as well as visits to the numerous natural attractions and historical museums.

Point to note: The discerning traveller will not be disappointed as most luxury international hotel chains have found roots in Doha. There are also plenty of choices for fine dining, although one really shouldn’t miss a chance to try Arabic food like hummus (a paste made from chickpeas and sesame seeds), tabbouleh (chopped parsley, mint and crushed wheat), ghuzi (a whole roast lamb served on a bed of rice with pine-nuts) and shawarma (grilled slivers of lamb or chicken, wrapped with salad in a pocket of Arab bread). Restaurants in Qatar have dining areas with curtains that can be drawn to allow women to eat comfortably without their veils, away from the gaze of male diners.

Camels are a big deal in this desert nation and are revered as much as thoroughbred horses.

A tour of Doha should start with a stroll on the sea-front Corniche, a 7km crescent-shaped area fronting the sparkling blue waters of the Doha Bay. This is perhaps the best place to take in that wonderful mix of old and new – the rising metal and glass urban skyline to one side and the quaint wooden dhows (traditional boats) which line the quay on the other side.

Smack in the centre of the bay lies the impressive Palm Tree Island, once a barren sand bar but now a must-visit for its lovely beaches, restaurants and amusement centres.

Although rapid development is changing Qatar somewhat, it is nice to see local men and women still wearing the traditional dishdashas and abayahs, although their pockets and designer handbags often carry the latest mobile phones. Qatari women are also still known for their strong, heady perfume.

Once you’re done people watching, you should visit the Camel Market. Camels are, understandably, a big deal in this desert region, but be warned – they have a tendency to spit, so be careful and keep a good distance.

In the past, a family’s wealth was calculated by the number of camels it owned. Today, selective breeding has produced racing camels with their own inherent elegance. A well-bred race camel is as important as, well, a thoroughbred horse.

If that’s not your cup of tea, head down to the souqs (local markets) for gold, spices and clothes. Just picture the world of Aladdin and Ali Baba, Sinbad, Scheherazade and magic carpets ... well, that lovely, mystical feel is exactly what a souq offers.

A somewhat corny reminder of Qatar's early years as a pearling village.

There are several markets in the city and I went shopping in Souq Waqif (the oldest in Doha) where you can find everything from clothes to toys, as well as tools, spices, perfume, cosmetics, candy, jewellery, brass, kitchen utensils ... just about anything you want. The shopkeepers are all male though, even in the stalls which sold women’s clothes, and I thought that was a bit odd.

Another point of interest is the falcon souq where birds of prey are put up for sale. The price of the bird depends on the size of its feathers and wing span. Some falcons cost up to RM100,000.

Falcons were used originally by Bedouins to hunt game. Today, the tradition of falconry remains a major sporting activity during the hunting season from October to March.

The scenic Khor Al Adaid (an inland sea which features an inlet surrounded by giant sand dunes) is another of the city’s major attractions. Our driver met us in the hotel lobby and drove us to the outskirts of town, past the oil refineries and the new airport out to the sand dunes.

He had a blast making us scream as he drove straight up and down the steep dunes. This dose of dune bashing waslike an exhilarating roller-coaster ride!

It seemed like the dune road was leading to the middle of nowhere when we suddenly took a pit stop atop a one dune which overlooked the inland sea. I got to put my feet in the powder-fine white sand which was so fine that it produced thick clouds of white dust when a vehicle travels over it. At one point, it looked like a sandstorm was about to descend upon us but our driver quickly assured us it was just a windy day. It is anticipated that Doha will soon be as popular as Dubai as a tourist destination. There are new resorts sprouting up all over the city, everyone speaks English and there was not once in my two trips that I feat unsafe or threatened.

Qatar is a fascinating country that beckons the world to come and explore.
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The open-air markets of Australia are a bit like the Malaysian pasar malam.

I was looking for frogs to take home as souvenirs, and I found scores of them at Queensland’s Port Douglas Sunday Market. They came in all sizes and mediums – ceramic, clay, rubber, plastic, copper, stainless steel and even in paintings.

There were froggy accessories, key rings and fridge magnets, frogs in water and stuck on walls, too. Eureka! I struck gold!

A friend had kindly driven me to Port Douglas (PD) from Cairns, and what a lovely drive it was. Hugging the coast, the Captain Cook Highway offered a fantastic view of the sea and sky, and the famous Four Mile Beach.

Aboriginal fruit bowls made of leaves.

At the highest point called the Hump, I was asked to look out for hang gliders, and sure enough, I spied one taking off from a cliff and flying effortlessly in the thermals. His encased body was horizontally suspended from the glider that looked like a giant dragonfly.

PD is situated 100km north of Cairns in northern Queensland. Founded in 1877, PD was meant to serve the Hodgkinson River gold mines. Its population swelled to a record high of 12,000 at one point because of the gold fever, the mining of silver and tin, sugar cane cultivation and the logging of cedar trees. But by 1960 when all the minerals were exhausted, the population plummeted to just 100!

It was only in the 1980s that PD slowly recovered because of the flourishing tourist industry centred around the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. PD is a paradise for foreigners as well as Australians wanting to escape the cold winters.

Recently, the much-publicised tragic death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin in September 2006 off the coast of PD drew the world’s attention to this small town.

But me, I just wanted to visit the Sunday market.

As we joined the throngs of people making a beeline for the open-air market by the sea, I marvelled at how unafraid of the sun the Australians were. Shorts and sleeveless tops were the order of the day and there was not a single umbrella in sight! Even though I had brought a brolly, I did not use it for fear of sticking out like a sore thumb!

Native art

Sun visors, hats and caps, on the other hand, were more popular. In fact the first stall that attracted my attention was one manned by an Aboriginal couple hawking hats and sunshades made from long leaves.

A fat jolly man by the name of Uncle Friday sat on a low stool, dexterously twisting fronds into fruit bowls and baskets. He could create a mobile frog in five minutes, much to the delight of an admiring customer who stood close behind him to watch his every move.

Spread out before him was his display of “Unique Bush Crafts”, as he called them, a collection of practical ware and collectibles of animals and insects. Indeed this was as near as one could get to authentic Australian native art.

Another spot which made me linger for a while was an exhibition of Aboriginal paintings. Stunning portraits of native models show them in various moods: pensive, angry, worried, laughing-out happy.

The artist has his own style as his paintings all look as if they are being viewed from a windowpane trickling with rain. Each painting of a person, flower or animal draws you in like a magnet, holding your attention to study it in quiet admiration.

I also loved the copper tooling, glass staining and stainless steel depictions of Australian wildlife. The Australian tree frog is, of course, featured in all these mediums, tempting me to spend big bucks on them. I bought three small mementoes but with currency conversion rate being what it was, there wasn’t much else I could afford! So I just took lots of pictures instead.

Quenching thirsts

The drinks stalls attracted the longest queues.

One stall, Tropical Snow, offered gourmet shaved ice drinks. It had a long string of adults and children waiting patiently to quench their thirst with a tall cool drink.

I was particularly drawn to a stall owner still making use of an old-fashioned ice shaver. Hey, we are only supposed to see that in small towns in Malaysia, lah!

Remember those childhood days when we used to rush to our favourite drinks stall after school to get a five-sen ice ball? Watching this man Down Under cranking the metal handle to shave ice sure brought back fond memories. I think his patrons just loved to see him working that antiquated ice shaver because they had never seen one like it before.

Those seeking relief from aches and pains of the body and soul will find a solution here. Massage beds in tents are discreetly screened from inquisitive eyes with translucent curtains billowing in the wind.

Who would have thought they would have ice shavers in Australia?

Thai massage services vied for patrons with Swedish masseuses. A palmist read the palm of a young lady obviously having emotional insecurities amidst posters offering similar services like clairvoyance, aura reading and others.

If you feel hungry while browsing the open-air market, you couldn’t go wrong with the famous Port Douglas Mocka’s Pies, the best I have ever tasted!

Bursting with tasty minced beef from cattle grazed on the Tablelands, these homemade pies have been satisfying customers since 1969. Freshly baked, they are removed hot from the oven as each customer makes an order. As you bite into them, the delicious filling almost burns your tongue even as you suck in air to cool it down.

A pie in hand, one can continue strolling among the stalls or sit by the beach to enjoy the sea and the constant stream of gaily clad visitors walking by. I enjoyed the fashion parade of sorts, especially the girls in their mini shorts and micro skirts and the guys in their outlandish garb and freaky hairstyles.

Very much like our pasar malam in Malaysia, open-air markets seem to be mushrooming all over Australia offering great varieties of wares and services, mainly reflecting Australian culture and art.

The Port Douglas Sunday Market is situated in Anzac Park on Macrossan Street, and has 175 stalls. It is open from 7am to 2pm every Sunday.