Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

I would have to say that we are one of the frequent visitors of the "Souq" here in Doha. We probably go there once a week to buy meat and to buy some items from the Filipino stores. Souq, is defined as: a market or part of a market or an open-air market in an Arab city. There's the "wholesale souqs" consisting of the vegetable, meat, fish and Omani souqs of the Central Market along Salwa Road. But here "Souq" is actually a general term that we use to refer the area where a number of souqs are located. Going to the "Souq", means going to any of the souqs that you'll find in the area, such as the Souq Al Ahmad, Souq Faleh, Souq Nasser Bin Saif, Souq Al Asiery (where, we're usually at), Doha Souq, Souq Al Deira, Souq Al Jabor, the Gold Souq, and the Souq Waqif. We've always wanted to visit the latter but never got the chance till yesterday.

Souq Waqif, also known as the Iranian Souq, has recently undergone a major renovation and has been tranformed into what looks like an old marketplace, in-keeping with its actual age that is about 100 years old. It is located just behind the Souq Al Ahmad. Unlike the other neighboring souqs which are all regular buildings, Souq Waqif's architecture definitely has a traditional theme, making it appear old and rustic. Being there for the first time really gives its visitors a different experience. It's like going back in time. Being there was just delightfully peaceful and tranquil. Strolling along the stone-finished pavement was actually relaxing and entertaining at the same time, as you pass by the stores that sell different merchandise: food, tools, traditional Qatari items, etc. It's also amazing to see a lot of people, Qataris and a expats alike walk the same path. It was also fun for our daughter who had her first ever donkey-ride for a fee of QR5. Every kid who saw the donkey just had to take the ride. What more, it is a great place to take photos. We spent about 2 hours there, just looking around, yet we haven't even covered 1/4 of the whole area. We just loved the experience and we swear to go back tomorrow for more. We plan to go there much earlier so that we'll have enough time to cover more area. Then we could just have dinner in one of the cafes that can be found there. Shisha or hubbly-bubbly afficionados can also spend the whole afternoon and evening in the shisha cafes in the souq. Being there was just wonderful. I never thought of it that way before yesterday, so you can say that the Souq Waqif was such a pleasant surprise.

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I've thought about it over the weekend, I even made a sketch of how I'd like it to look. Doing a makeover in a flat could be a bit tricky, especially if you have to deal with a limited area. We're still lucky though, for a 2-BR flat, I consider ours good-sized. But I've decided to go on with it anyway, I'm just too bored with the former "look" of our living room cum dining room. And today was the day to do the makeover. First I had to remove the individual drawers from the frame that holds them. There was no way I could have moved it without doing that first. I had to move one couch from the left side to the right side. Then I placed the drawers on the spot where the sofa used to be. Next, I moved the dining table to right side just below the mirror on the wall. Sounds easy huh! I tell you it's not as easy as it seems. I used all my strength in pulling, pushing and lifting the pieces of furniture. I was really exhausted by the time I finished but I was satisfied with the results. It looked better than what I have envisioned. Then to top it all, I got the best reaction from my husband. I could tell that he was very happy with the makeover that I did and I guess that's the best reward that I got after all the hardwork.

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We got the chance to visit Villagio yesterday. I have to say that nothing much has changed since the first time we went there, a few months ago. Only a few stores have opened since then, most of them are really the high end clothes stores that I only read from magazines. Of course, there is Carrefour Supermarket and the most famous of them all, the Virgin Megastore.

The mall, is probably about only 20-30% operational as majority of the stores haven't opened yet. While the faux-sky ceiling is a delight to the eyes, walking along the very spacious mall can be tiring especially because there isn't a lot a to see yet. The sky ceiling, although obviously a copied concept from Caesar's Palace or the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, is still a good thing to be carried out in the Villagio. It really makes the whole Villagio experience a little different from all the other malls here in Qatar. The interior of the Villagio is actually very pretty, very romantic. Add to that, the indoor gondola ride which is undoubtedly also a copycat of the gondola ride at the Venetian in Las Vegas. I'm sure this would attract a lot of mall-goers. Well, I would like to take that ride once it's finished.

I guess I can't wait to see the Villagio completed. It's definitely going to be very good. I feel sorry for Hyatt Plaza because once Villagio is fully-operational, it's surely going to lose a lot of regular visitors. They better pray that there isn't any indoor amusement or theme park (like Hyatt's Jungle Zone) in the Villagio or else they'll be out of business. Ii is not yet certain whether there will be any cinemas but it were to be a mall, there has to be one. I just hope that Villagio will soon be completed.

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The latest attraction at the Villagio these days is the Virgin Megastore. Yes it is just one among the chain of stores in the UK and all over the world, founded by the billionaire Richard Branson. Here in the Qatar as well as in France, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Egypt and Lebanon, the Virgin Megastores are owned by The Lagardere group.

The Virgin Megastore occupies a massive area at the Villagio. When you take the middle entrance, that is where the Carrefour is located, you'll be able to see the store from afar. Its red signage is defintely enticing, and has a "drawing effect" on anyone who ever sees it. Even if you haven't heard of the Virgin Megastores, you'll still get drawn and check it out. So did we! The place is very spacious, yet not bare. The first thing that's greet you are the books that they have on display. I believe I spent 70% of my visit there, just looking at the selection of books that they have. There are a lot of titles from different genres to choose from. But they do have a "Top 10" list for the Fiction books, which could be helpful in trying to decide which title to buy. There also is a staff on standby, ready to assist customers who are looking for particular titles. I could have spent more time there just looking at the books but I still had the videos, records and electronics section to visit. Maybe next time I can devote all of my time on the books. The store sells all sorts of dvds, from tv series, classic and new films. They also sell them in sets which is good for those who collect dvds of tv series or sitcoms. An array of records awaits all music lovers at the megastore. There is something for every music genre. They even have a lot of Arabic titles. I was looking for the record of Elliott Yamin but unfortunately they don't have it yet. I guess it was rather too early to be looking for it since it has only been released a day before yesterday.  I guess I will have to come back for that as well.

Among the electronic items that they have are laptops, game consoles, mobile phones, Ipods and other electronic accessories. However, the one that draws attention the most would be the Apple/Mac laptops. It is acually the only store here in Qatar that showcases the brand, thus making it more popular with the public.  All-in-all, the visit was pleasant. If you are looking for something to buy, whether is a book, a dvd, a record or an electronic item, going to Virgin Megastores would be a good thing. Only, don't expect that you'll be saving a lot of money when you buy your items there, as the prices of items are the same in other stores if not higher.

Virgin Megastore's contact details:
Tel: +974 4135823/4135824
Address: PO BOX 55417, Doha, Qatar
Email: vgn.vil.qa@azadea.com

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