The Times - "Ugly, unloved Doha sets out to charm the world of finance"
Reported yesterday in the Times, its quite harsh in places and i wont cut and paste the whole thing.... heres some snippets. It reads like its the reporters attempt to say why Doha will never be Dubai.
" But such is the oppressive heat, not to mention the oppressive political culture of Doha, that foreign residents cannot even find a witticism to disparage the Qatari capital. "
"As one expatriate put it: “It’s ugly and boring. My God, is it boring.” Despite all the money and free time enjoyed by locals, Doha is a destination that businessmen dread. "
"Unfortunately for a city which has ambitions to become an international financial centre, its reputation for the very opposite of cosmopolitan living is damaging its chances."
"The Qataris are so wealthy that many families never have to work, while others benefit from restrictive laws that require most businesses to be majority-owned by a citizen of the country. This has created an elite group of silent shareholders who cream profits from the toil of foreign workers."
"Doha is such an unappealing place to live that most foreign firms have had to offer staff big perks to go there. As a result, the Doha offices of most large banks, insurance companies and law firms are little more than fronts for operations in Dubai, London and New York."
Read it for yourselves on line at
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/the_gulf/article2...
I was shocked if im honest but hey don't shoot the messenger, just thought it might be worthy of a discussion.
Hi, to tell you the truth Doha is not ugly but this country needs to be develop.Doha is still tied with its cultures and traditions that's why the writer is telling like that but we have to understand that it is just an opinion..we have to respect their own opinion in order for other people to respect our opinion.
"Manila I'm coming home!"
On one hand he complains Qatar as "regulated" and then he is saying ..."but governments are becoming nervous about this sort of investment and the Qataris could find even this outlet regulated."
As for growing plants ....almost everything grows here, if you plant and water properly. Though it has to be shaded from the Sun's direct heat in the Summer.
What Doha can definately build is:
Racing & Go-karting Tracks
Presently Limited Movies & theaters:- If you take away the 15 screens of CityCentre what is left of the Movie scene here? Also there are very few Hindi movies releasing here (considering Indians, Nepalis, , Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Afghanis & even a lot of Arabs like Hindi movies). There are comparatively more English movies here.
Artificial Sand Dune pits for the kids to roll their Buggies over. Most of the kids run their buggies on the main-roads.
Anything related to "driving" the kids love here.
Also a cycling track for the enthusiast, as I see a lot of them lately, mostly riding inches away from cars speeding at 150kms.
Although there are a bit of (rock)climbing thingie in every park there is none for an adult or even for a 5 to 15yr old kid.
And can someone please set up an "Udipi-Restaurant". It would just take 1000 sqft & 5 guys.
Who is David Robertson?
I read the article and is just political statement full of you know what.... Ask Doctor Toilet!
The Red Pope of Qatar Living
Abba, Abba, Padre!
I was ok with the water park, the friendly locals and even the Grand Prix, but the bacon - you got me. :) Enjoy!
( Pork ) bacon sandwich for dinner, i would tell you lot to have one but...........thats right, you cant can you !!! HA HA HA ( EVIL LAUGH !!)
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yeah, boxes in the sky without many opportunities for playtime do not make a city. A city is people not buildings.
DG, I would kill for some black pudding right now :D
I don't go to mythical places with strange men.
-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
Wish we could solve our Doha problems so easily!
dont worry, the film will be available here soon. If not, just buy it in uk or on amazon, no dramas !!
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Yeah but "The Kingdom" is banned in Bahrain and not in Qatar. :)
All i can say is "Yay, go Bahrain !"
Lots to see, lots to do !! (Mostly) Friendly locals, V8 supercars on this weekend, Grand prix F1 and a big,new waterpark, this must be close to paradise.
Only thing that really spoils it ( sorry, Richard 123) is the amount of in yer face arrogant and ignorant Yank Navy personnel that swan around like they own the place !!
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It is boring and there isn't much to, His point is that financial institutions wanting to set up in the Gulf have far better options than Qatar, I mean come on people have a drive around, a less charming and hospitable place you could not hope to find.
Then again I quite like it, why well because of pay and a free house, take that away, bye bye Doha.
I have good friends here and enjoy the easy life I have, but man the things you can miss, I think I am in a state of denial about the real world, I just try and block it out of my mind.
As for his comments on the locals well, not much really needs to be said we all have our own opinions, mine are generally mixed, but the one thing I will say is compared to Oman the so called "hospitality" of the Qatari people leaves alot to be desired.
The article touches upon a very real problem, one that I think seems to be denied by everyone building a huge tower here, if your country is not one where people want to live then nothing is really going to change that.
Qatar does not need to become Dubai, but it does need to make itself a place WANT to live, not bribed, like me, to live there. More Bars,places to eat, activities such as water parks, go karting, etc etc need to be built.
You can have all the towers in the World but without the amenities no one will WANT to come here.
I hope the people in charge realise this sooner rather later, by which time Dubai and Abu Dahbi will have sucked up all the outside investment.
Oryx, yucky what happened to you. I now always check how I smell before going out!!!!
Still waiting for you to enlighten me on 'chav society'......
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Love is the answer...
I remembered what happened 2 u in Bath.
I got very verbally assaulted in Ethiopia a couple of times.
Ethiopian follows, butts into your conversation... if you don't let him join in then - the verbally abuse can be graphically sexual.
And if that is not enough he will wait with a couple of mates and go for you again. Verbal gang rape.
Never had this in Africa b4 (but then a lot of Ethiopians don't see themselves as African)
Obviously the initial objective is to be your friend and get some money...
this was a minority and Ethiopia is a beautiful country and Ethiopians I found to be very intelligent...
but you weren't alone in summer verbal abuse!
Kiwi girl come to Qatar with a positive attitude.. no Qatari is bashing you over the head to come hear and forcing you to.
Ironically I never really properly looked at trees and plants till I lived in Qatar....now i scrutinise them on holiday!
Kiwi Bird, you sound like you have the right attitude. I think you'll enjoy it here. I meet so many people who do. It is what you make it after all.
Re living in London, the only time I had a bit of a wobble was when I got spat on and my shayla (headscarf) was pulled off by a man who called me a dirty Arab. I thought I was smelling rather fragrant that day actually!!!
This summer whilst vacationing in Bath, England, a man followed myself and my family for a bit then shouted 'f#ck off you murdering Arab b#st#rds. Lovely!
However these are isolated incidents. Every country has their share of nutters. It certainly hasn't put me off England. I go there regularly on charity work and always enjoy it.
I've been to New Zealand and found it amazing. I got to know people who were all very friendly. In fact, my first bungee jump was off a bridge over a river on the South Island. Great fun. I am hoping to back with my children for a holiday again one day.
I welcome you to my country. I hope you will take the time to learn about the culture and learn some Arabic. We would appreciate that very much. If I can be of help answering questions about qatar and it's culture please ask away.
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Love is the answer...
This city lacks of soul, character among many other things.
Lonely Planet classifies it as the dullest capital of the Middle East… and all tells me that they might be right!
May I ask you what makes you live that amazingly beautiful NZ for coming here???? If I was there nothing could bring me here!
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Modi....
U must be getting between 25,000 - 35,000/ month as salary.
Mind u.... 80% of the expartrate workers get an average salary of 2500/ month. So ur calculation is absolutely wrong. The thousand u met, may be of ur class. Dont close ur eyes aganist the fact.
guys, i think Doha is not Dull, if anybody thinks Dooha is Dull that person himself is Dull who dont know how to discover, i met 1000's of ppl here in doha who saves more than 50% of there money and for that they r not even coming out of there houses, saving is good thing but with that much saving u can not enjoy life and like that way u will become dull & Bore, nothing is free in the whole world, u have to buy ur enjoyment.
country is not BORE, ppl are bore here who are trying to make country bore.
was invented by the Chinese, who also invented everything else, including golf, football and the toilet and btw, we are also all Chinese. Shame none of their invenetions caught on in their own country.
If you're living life on the edge, you've got too much room.
THe only thing I disagree with: There is sun, way too much sand and *whisper* sex also in Qatar.
Don't forget that this is written from a business traveler point of view, who has presumably no friends or family in Qatar and may find himself staring at the ceiling of his hotel room during his stay in DOha. It is not like he can step out of his hotel and go for a walk, can he? And trust me, going to any of the malls to visit boots or whatever is not an appaling activity for tourists.
Matter of fact is that there is not much to do for visitors here, so yes, Doha is boring and yes, take a look around, it is ugly. I can understand why any business traveller will dread to visit DOha.
sorry diamongirl....I didn't mean to upset you. I am looking forward to moving to Qatar and all it has to offer. All I meant is that it's going to be way different to NZ....which is not a bad thing!!! I have read so much on this forum about it being boring, my attitude is a place will only ever be as good as the effort and attitude you put in to it.
I too lived in London for 4 years and South Africa for 2 years.I had a fantastic time in both countries and enjoyed everything they had to offer...but lets be honest I'm sure there must have been the odd moment when you had a moan and groan about life in London.
Coming to Qatar and then immediately criticising it for not being how it is in your own country seems something of a sport for many, I have noticed.
Qatar is a desert country just over 36 years old with a rich and colourful regional history and culture. It is not a western country nor does it want to be. As it is a rich country it has many of the material trappings of the western world.
If greenery is your thing, the desert is not a good fit. When I lived in London I did not complain that it was not like Qatar. I had decided to live in another country and another culture. I tried to learn as much about the place as possible whilst I lived there. I learned the language, some of the cuisine, studied the history of the region, got to know many people and learned about their lives.
Somehow some people who come to live in my country do not wish to do the same.
Shame. They're missing out.
My employees have to attend arabic clesses and cultural classes in addition to performing their job. This is mentioned in their contract. They have told me that this really helps them to enrich their experience here. _______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
you guys crack me up. I'm sitting in NZ at the moment and i'm, due to arrive in Doha at the end of the month. God i hope it's not that boring, my husband seems to be enjoying although he was cursing the banking system the other day saying how backward it is.I'm off work at the moment with 3 vomiting kids and trying to pack boxes and book flights et etc while my husband goes to work and then heads to the squash court, goes to gym and then for a swim.....funny enough he doesn't seem bored!!!I'd do anything to have some spare time to be bored, see you all soon...anyway 3 kids and boredom don't really come hand in hand.Isn't it what you make it, i'm looking forward to being closer to the rest of the world but have to say by the looks of our compound i'm going to miss my big green garden. Could they not add some colour to the buildings at least.
Yeah - she did write a book so she must be legit. :)
She sounds like the epitome of taste :)
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Love is the answer...
Oh, that girl with the HUGE you knows whose married to that Peter Andre guy. I see her in HELLO every once in a while. I don't actually know what she does. She'll show up pregnant at an awards show with hot pants, pasties and her belly hanging out. I don't get it.
pwb78...who is that?
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Love is the answer...
I think the worst British export has to be that Jordan chick. Good lord. What a mess.
what you are comparing it with, I wouldn't want to go back to UK yet, but I'd be off back to the States in a heartbeat.
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"There's this thing called being so open-minded your brains drop out". - Richard Dawkins
Are you sorry for chav society too Oryx? kellyb (I think) used that phrase today on QL and I thought it was hilarious!
Please Allah let us not turn into Dubai.
Oh well, everyone's entitled to his or her opinion. Like Greeker I also think he has not been to Qatar. A few soundbites from people and the internet and hey presto you have a piece.
So are we supposed to be aiming to change ourselves into a clone of a western country? Would that be better? Aargh!!! How patronising.
We have our traditions, so what, and none even come close to being as scary as black pudding.
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Love is the answer...
we are sorry for the spice girls too
and salad cream
and barbara cartland
blame us for the right stuff. Like inventing Spagetti, French people and Waco.
The one thing im most disgusted of as a Brit was forcing "TAKE THAT" on the world. For that i hold my hands up!!! Were sorry
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I mean just look at Camilla.....I think she might have done it..what do you think???
It was actually MI5 the whole time. You really have to watch those Brits.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
CIA/Mafia/President Johnson that killed JFK...you mean it was the Brits???
They say horrible things about Doha. They have run the dollar down until it is nothing more than a worthless bit of paper. They killed President Kennedy, 9/11 was their doing.
Oh those Brits!
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
I agree a little to the reporter.. boring.. but i think it is not bad in some ways..
This is one mans opinion. Rightly or wrongly he can have it. Theres no need to turn this into an anti Brits topic. Some people just cant help themselves. If you dont agree with what the man says, contact him, his names next to the article. Just stop using every topic as an excuse to "Nation -bash" ( i made that phrase up..lol)
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speak for yourself Jasmine! dont generalise a lot of brits appreciate different countries thats we colonised them
ha ha ha
i think he is one of those that thinks dubai is so coooooollllllll .... well i have been there and wouldn't want to live there... quite happy here.
i am totally aware of that
but i can see that his nationallity has affected his opinion
thats my point...
and thanxx..
I have to agree with Timbo.
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I'd rather be here than Kuwait...:)
They aren't comparing.....they are talking about foreign businessmen wanting to visit. They are not saying UK is better, just saying people from the UK and elsewhere don't want to visit Qatar because they don't like it.
It is from the a foreigners persepective there is not a single statement on there about whether or not the qataris enjoy it because that is not relevant. It is an article for expats informing other expats of what to expect and in that respect is entirely accurate. Boring sandpit....(remember I'm an expat and this is my opinion - I don'
t like boring sandpits you see)
All about perspective
hear hear!
This is a bit of a raw nerve for me. I hate the way Brits critise the way people live here as if their way is the "right way". Its just different, thats all. Both have their good and bad points. I simply object to such poor reporting. I am not racist to Brits, however, am often ashamed to be one. I applaud their attitude to human rights, equality and freedom but not much else.
Someone might accuse you of being racist against Brits (even though you are one!).
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
ignorant, arrogant Brit. Would have expected this from the Guardian. Well, you stupid arrogant ignorant Brit, you are the reason I live in boring Doha. To get away from this pompous, small minded opinion based on the assumption that UK is in some way superior to the rest of the world and knows best. Yes, I am annoyed. jj
I have an idea.........
Lets have the 1st Doha Burning Man Festival and set fire to the now
obsolete Orry!
Bring matches and fire lights....
do you want to join us Gypsy... you can shoot it b4 we burn it.
Lets say it how it really is. I like living here because I like my job and my friends some of who are regular posters on this site. But c'mon it is dull. Its hard to be spontaneous here, there is no cafe society, you don't bump into people walking around because no one walks. I don't think Doha sucks, in fact I quite like it but it is dull.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
I think it is an accurate piece. businessmen do dread coming to Doha. Even ignoring the seedier side of Dubai there is much more to see and do as well as a much wider range of restaurants etc. Doha is backwards, it is a dustbowl and has nothing going for it versus Dubai at all.
What you doin' on Saturday?
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
but you can't really say it's entirely wrong... We DO have to be paid more to be here, but mostly to cover housing. Maybe the guy was here over Ramadan? I know it nearly did my head in...
And guys - "set fire to the sleeping drunks and heroin addicts"? Surely not in Qatar!! There are no drunks and no drugs ;)
123 - you could try setting fire to:
ghutras
long beards
anyone who spits
anyone who crashes into my car
Everytime i have a discipline issue I offer to re-design their thobes with felt tips... that could be fun.
one of my students sprayed another one with furniture polish today... i am thinking of subsituting the can for spray paint tomorrow...that could be loads of fun!
you could shoot cats.
a guess the dullness of your life reflects the people you hang out with!
Ah come on Richard! I can do all that here!
"You don't have to like me for who I am but we'll see what you're made of by what you make of me." Ani Difranco
The bugger actually sat in DUBAI and wrote about DOHA, thanks to 'one of the disgruntled expatriate'.
As a journalist myself, i have no words to express the ignorance of a person. I think he may not have been to Doha at all. Nothing in the story says that he was here. I could very well write a similar story about Dubai sitting here in Doha, with a little help from the internet and my tiny mobile phone.
People like him make journalism a farce. I seriously think The Times need to make sure about the authenticty of their stories...
but the trailer park that I grew up in at least had a lot of distractions. You could build forts out of the junked cars, set fire to the sleeping drunks and heroin addicts and shoot the windows out of your neighbors' trailers. We had real entertainment. Face it, Doha is dull.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
I spent most of my life in a small town of 3000 people Richard. This place is great in that it has a movie theater AND a MacDonalds. :)
"You don't have to like me for who I am but we'll see what you're made of by what you make of me." Ani Difranco
Doha is boring. You have to grant the reporter that at least.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
cheeky bugger
Actually I thought it was other countries trying to cesnor Al Jazeera!
Also boring? Depends on the company you keep... I miss decent theatre etc but here I have great friends!
I am sure the Qataris who go to their farms and bbq a sheep and sit around the fire talking aren't bored either.
Weather is better here now than home
My pay is better so i can do more things / go more places
Medical treatment certainly better here
Traffic better than Dubai
Why should Qatar 'open up'? it is a bit neo-colonial attitude isn't it?
Dubai is cool because it is open...duh?
i love the fact that so many malls/hotels can be built here and there are many Qataris it doesn't touch - they just go to the desert and sit with the camels. Good on you for having the integrity to carry on your traditons. you should be respected for that not called boring
TW*T
Wow, really harsh. And very overblown as well. A quote from one "expat" about Doha being boring is supposed to speak for all of us? The coup is mentioned in the papers? Of course it isn't, it happend 12 years ago and everyone was glad the old coots gone! What does not being allowed to mention unmarried sisters names have to do with finance.
Sounds to me like someone really likes Dubai. Let him, personally I hate Dubai, it's too DisneyLand for my tastes.
"You don't have to like me for who I am but we'll see what you're made of by what you make of me." Ani Difranco
i have a business friend who visits the GCC countries regularly and his favourites are UAE and bahrain. he cant stand qatar and kuwait
and had more or less the same opinion as above but perhaps not put so harshly.
do it right - the first time!
that this guy had a bad time here. If he didnt he's really got a problem with the place huh!!![img_assist|nid=17864|title=Chicks dig Guys with skills|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=440|height=440]
Blimey - strong opinion... assume this is Times in London? i reckon you cant knock it till you've tried it. I also think that when I go back home i'll be better of financially and will have enriched my life culturally... more than sitting on the tube every blinking day!
I suppose it's all opinion, just a little harsh I think - especially for a country that is clearly growing at a rate of knots. It's not exactly thrilling here and I do miss a few nights out in the pubs and the freedom to walk down a street without being stared out - however... I dont miss the rain and cold, and I dont miss the chavs and chav society :)
Lets hope that Mr Article Writer of the Times doesn't bother to visit Qatar huh!
On second thoughts, Doha isn't exactly as bad as it is said!
The reporter probably got kicked out from Doha. LOL
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2300 QL Points!!!
Yay! Way to go Ray!
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After all those good cooments from Amnesia's.... its back to reality! :)
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2300 QL Points!!!
Yay! Way to go Ray!
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