School Uniforms

My wife's friend has a shop that sells school uniforms and it is in the mall that is called:

VIK Uniforms (Very Important Kid)

and the fantastic website will tell you more about their offerings than I can.

This is the Website Link

So if you are looking for school uniforms, games kit etc, this is the shop to head for. When I have been there I have been overwhelmed with the number and types of uniforms available. I feel sure that they will have the uniform for the school and the size that you require.

Jewellry Shop in the Souk near the Bus Station

This is the jewellry shop that my wife adores going to. The stock on offer is pretty extensive for a fairly small shop but the main attraction is the owner who very patiently shows you the goods and explains them to you too. This also keeps me entertained while my wife chooses things as it is good to see a master at his craft.

What is the shop called? It is: DIAMOND MAGIC JEWELLERY - Doha Jewellery & Gold Center - Doha

It is just near the bus station that is the other side of the road from Souq Waqif. Worth a visit and trying to find the exact shop.

If (or maybe it should be when) you get lost the phone number is: 4442 3948

Comfort Music

There are a resonable number of CD's in Virgin in Villaggio and a few other outlets in Doha but if you are still using CD's then you are best advised to buy what you are missing when you next go home. Alternatively have them sent over by a relative or via Aramex etc.

However, you are maybe much better advised to switch over to an MP3 player like an iPod. You can then just download to your heart's content from Apple etc. A little bit expensive but you get what you want there and then.

This can mean that some complete mugs replace their entire CD collections with digital versions as they have left some key albums in storage in the UK. Not that I would do this of course but I now have two copies of all the Beatle albums!

Do not be scared about going digital and using an Ipod. I bought one for my 50th birthday and it is a very much used present. I use the Ipod in the car (hooked into the car system), in the gym and for looking at my photos on the TV via a docking station.

Get your comfort music etc now!!!!

GNC Vitamin Shop in Villaggio Mall

This shop is situated outside Go Sport in Villaggio Mall, near to the entrance of the Mall that looks like the San Siro stadium. It is in the middle of the avenue in a sort of a cabin. It is stocked full of all sorts of vitamins, supplements etc.

My wife always go there to get such things and tries to feed me with them.

I believe that this is a chain of stores? We went there once and there was a sign on the door that read "Back in 1 Hour". From when? A tad confusing but generally they are open most of the time the mall is open. If not there is always an ice cream parlour or the food court nearby :-)

Dried Jew’s Mallow

So now you know too!!!

I had absolutely no idea what this is. However they seem to stock loads of boxes of this in Giant Supermarket in the Hyatt Mall. If you are a fan of Jew's Mallow then hurry down there now while stocks last.

This is described in Wikipedia as follows. So if you did not know what this was either, now you know!!!

The leaves of Corchorus have been a staple Egyptian food since the time of the Pharaohs and it is from there that it gains its recognition and popularity. Varieties of mallow-leaves stew with rice are a well-known Middle Eastern cuisine. The leaves of Corchorus are rich in beta-carotene, iron, calcium, and vitamin C. The plant has an antioxidant activity with a significant α-tocopherol equivalent vitamin E.

Corchorus olitorius is used mainly in the cuisines of southern Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, Corchorus capsularis in Japan and China. It has a mucilaginous (somewhat "slimy") texture, similar to okra, when cooked. The seeds are used as flavouring, and a herbal tea is made from the dried leaves.

In North Africa and the Middle East, the young leaves of Corchorus species are known in Arabic as malukhiyah and are used as green leafy vegetables. Malukhiyah is eaten widely in Egypt and some consider it the Egyptian national dish. It is featured in cuisines from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Tunisia. In Turkey and Cyprus, the plant is known as molohiya and is usually cooked into a kind of chicken stew.

In Nigerian cuisine, especially amongst the Yoruba's, it is commonly used in a stew known as ewedu, a condiment to other starch-based foods such as amala. In Sierra Leone it is known as krain krain (or crain crain) and is cooked as stew. The stew is usually eaten with rice or foofoo (a traditional food made from cassava).

In India, it is locally known as nalta sag. It is a favourite food during the summer months, especially in Sambalpur and the western part of Orissa. Usually it is lightly sautéed and eaten along with rice or rice gruel.

In the Philippines, C. olitorius is known as saluyot. It is commonly consumed as a leafy vegetable together with bamboo shoots.

In Kenya, it is used as a leafy vegetable consumed as a traditional (non-fried) stew in accompaniment with starchy foods like ugali, and is called murere or murenda.

Some special Tea Towels in Giant Supermarket

Saw these in Giant Supermarket in the Hyatt:

The top part reads:

"Have the better sop up water and decontamination. Breathe freely is better, easy to desecration and almost unable bacilli."

I am glad we cleared that up.

Cuddle Carts Sign

Probably true for some kids????

A Sign in Carrefour

I just found this amusing!!! I don't understand it, but I found it amusing!!!

Arabic Cuisine

And the spelling mistakes continue:

Lovely Bread Here!!!

This is in Carrefour at City Centre. Enticing "Industrial Bread" yummy!

Maya-la-Chocolaterie

This chocolate shop is quite big and is opposite Marks and Spencer and BHS in the Landmark Mall. Tends to have a lot of locals in it who seem to really love chocolate.

Have been there a couple of times with my wife who loves it, I find it all a bit too much. However you can get all sorts of chocolates, drinks, ice creams etc.

If you are already off of your New Year diet then head down here to boost your calories and see what you think. You can always start that diet again tomorrow!

Lagoona Shopping Mall

The Lagoona Shopping Mall has had what the touchy feely marketeers call a soft opening in late 2011. Visited there in early November 2011 and it was easy to park as there were not too many people there, I also noticed that there was an underground car park too, however there was plenty of room on the ground level.

The Lagoona is next door to the Zig Zag Towers at the entrance to the Pearl and the road to the Ritz Carlton/Grand Hyatt Hotels.

The decor and feel inside the shopping centre is very nice. They have comfy seats for you to sit on where I can wait for my wife while she does research (thanks for this, so many shops/malls seem to think that everyone loves shopping that goes there and all I want is somewhere quiet to sit and read), the toilets also are very plush.

However, as to the shopping, for me it is the same old same old. Another Pari Gallery, another McDonalds, another chain store, and another chain store. All up market, no bookshops, no cozy coffee shop (with non smoking too for everyone) and no independent stores, curios etc. Does Doha really need another Mall like this one? Not for me.

The layout/design is good, but the shops are so so so so.

Exhibition Centre in Doha

This is a pretty big facility that is clearly visible on the right hand side of the road on your journey from West Bay out to the Pearl area. They often hold conferences and exhibitions there as well as shopping opportunities.

We have been there a couple of times but been a bit disappointed. The car park is not big enough for popular events so that you find yourself parked on rough ground if you are not early.

We visited the Book Fair but this was mainly Arabic books and the few English books were not really of much interest to me. Also, Shop the World was a bit of a disappointment too, the world seemed to mean the Middle East and China. And I did not want to buy any honey.

Has a nice Costa Coffee though, worth popping in when there is no event on as parking is very easy and it is not too crowded either.

Best to make one visit and make up your own mind.

Events Calendar at Qatar Expo

DESS Car Boot Sales

We met with some people at the Exhibition Centre at a book fair and they recommended to get cheaper English Language books (I love murder/mystery/thrillers) then you would do no better than to try DESS car boot sales that are held periodically.

DESS stands for the Doha English Speaking School and you need to check on their website for up and coming sales, not just for books but other odds and ends that you may be seeking.

DESS Website

Columbus Cafe in Villaggio

This coffee shop has a prime location between Virgin and the cinema in the dome area of Villaggio Mall. It has tables and comfy seats outside (still inside the Mall and with AC!) in the dome area too.

The coffee is generally good as is the selection of food. I don't go there too often as it is often crowded that is a good sign in some ways but off putting in others.

Suffers a bit with some people smoking there although the entire Mall is supposed to be non smoking. That too is not very endearing either, however worth a trip if you can avoid this.

Some posts on Qatar Living

Faces Beauty Store in Villaggio Mall

Whenever my after shave runs out my wife always takes me along to Faces Beauty Store that is in Villaggio alongside the Canal and next door to Marks and Spencer and near the 1882 Cafe.

This visit is always a bit of a tussle as I am keen to just get what I got last time and get out. My wife wants me to try all the proffered samples and others as well as getting some perfume for herself too. She always wins and I generally end up getting two bottles of after shave.

However, the staff try hard to show you what is being promoted and there are often free samples or gifts to be had.

Faces Beauty Store have a Facebook page

Al Sultan Textiles and Tailoring - Clothing Repairs and Alterations

This is the shop that my wife likes to go to for repairs to clothes and alterations as well. It is situated at the junction of Al Miroab Road and Al Jadeed Road that runs parallel with the Salwa Road and sort of behind the Jarir Bookshop on Salwa Road.

The shop telephone number is 4444 9257

Prices are very reasonable, they do a good job punctually. There are a few seats to sit on and watch the fun. The front of the shop is three benches with Indian men all sewing away with a big workshop in the back with sewing machines on the go.

All of the men serving have bare feet that I always find amusing, and worth going to for these matters.

Home Centre for Christmas Decorations

My wife is intent on getting a garland/wreath for our front door to celebrate the Christmas season. However we are not having much luck!

We visited Home Centre that is in Centre Point that is also called Al Asmakh Mall on Jawann Street near Sports Roundabout. We did not find a suitable garland but they did have a reasonable selection of Christmas decorations.

The usual things were stocked, artificial trees, ornaments, lights etc. Worth popping in there to see what they have as well as all the other furniture etc. that is in the store too.

The atmosphere in the Christmas part of the store was pretty uplifting too.

The Champs Elysee Christmas Shop

My wife and I visited the Christmas decorations shop called Champs Elysee in Al Miroab Street. If you are heading down the C Ring Road, go across the Ramada Crossroads towards La Cigale Hotel, you need to do a U turn at the first junction after the Ramada crossroads. Al Miroab Street is on the right after Hardees. This shop is a little way up on the left hand side.

I bought a Christmas stocking for my Mum and Dad's cat! It is full of stock when we went (early December), the usual things such as tinsel, fake Christmas trees, cards, ornaments etc.

For me the quality was not great and the prices seemed more than the goods were worth. However if you are in the area maybe you can pop in for a browse and make up your own mind?

Bombay Silk Centre, Salwa Road

This is a two storey shop along the Salwa Road that sells all manner of materials, and will also make up clothes and garments for you. This shop appears to be more for the ladies and appears to lean towards saree material etc.

It is at the Alain Complex opposite Hardees, near the second roundabout after Decoration Roundabout as you head out of Doha.

The telephone number is 4416 9348

For the gentleman waiting around for their wives there are plenty of seats to sit and wait in the shop or a few doors down there is Caribou Coffee for the longer trip :-)

Some details of the Bombay Silk Centre in Qatar Living