Trip to Dukhan beach 26/9/2015

Sadly so true ... 

Before starting with our trip report i had to say a few words about a sad uncivilized view which was the first thing anyone will notice once arrived to the beach ... unfortunately your eyes will catch all kind of trash and litter humans can left behind ... plastic bags, water bottles, cans, baby diapers, and unfortunately broken glass bottles, name it and you will find it .... I really don't know how a civilized human can leave all such a mess and dirt behind him while it doesn't even require any efforts to keep the place clean ... just use one trash bag and what ever trash you produce just put it in the bag directly and just before leaving drop the trash bag in one of the many available big trash containers ... if you don't really care about the nature or the environment, don't have respect to other visitors just think about your self when you visit this place later on ... and for the view i would defiantly assume that 90% will think about a second visit to this beach ... i don't want to make this trip report a moral or environmental lesson but i really had to say some words about this behavior.

Back to the trip report .,..
As planned we prepared our self to visit the lovely beach of Dukhan as we read over the internet it has the most wonderful sun set in Qatar ... and yes in dead it was...

We started at around 1:45 PM ... and yes we started a bit late as our plan is to enjoy the sun set after a couple of hours playing on the beach ... we took Al Rayan road which continues to Dukhan high way, the beginning of the Dukhan high way waas a little bit disturbing and needed more cautions specially when Al Rayan road meets Dukhan high way as there is some road reconstruction and some detours, but after a while the high way start to be as comfy as any other high way in Qatar and with a speed limit of 120 Km -  what we liked here in Qatar that road signs are  all over the roads so you will not get lost even if you are not familiar with exact direction ... it took around one hour to reach Dukhan city ... which is really a very nice city with a lot of green plantation ... we stopped for around half hour to have some rest from the driving while we ordered pizza to take it with us for lunch ...

We followed the road signs to reach the beach in a short drive from the commercial building and the first impression was Oh my God too much crowded beach and a lot of trash and dirt all over the beach, and we were not sure if it worth the 75 km drive from Doha .... finally we located a spot were it seems to be OK to park the car set our lunch .... we cleaned were we decided to set and as i found some broken glasses i checked the surrounding area to make sure it is safe for our sons .... after having our lunch each of us starting his own activity ... my sons start playing with the sands, my wife start shooting some photos and for me directly i went to the water :)

Putting the people crowded beach and the trash a side the beach was a very nice place ... the water Crystal clear and very warm ... another feature of this beach is the shallow water as i walked for a very long distance while the water level as i believe doesn't exceed one meter ... from the beach you can spot some small fishes and if you look carefully you can spot some small black crabs and the beach is full of colorful shells making it a nice beach for the children to enjoy ...

The most wonderful moments during this trip was the sun set ... and for sure a big YES it make it worth the drive to Dukhan ...The best view of the sun set we ever see till now in Qatar was this day view ... really amazing view fro the start till the end watching the sun  diving in the sea with a great sky color make it a very remarkable memory for the whole day ...

After sun set we have some time relaxing and continued enjoying the  day for a couple of hours the we washed out and head back to Doha.

A few tips and advice to have the best of your trip:
- As always in summer a good sun block is essential
- Bring your camera ... you don't want to miss shooting the sun set
- Bring or buy all your supply from water, food, and drinks before heading into the beach as there is no service at all at the beach
- Sea shoes or a sandal will be very helpful as there is few sharp rocks in the sea and we found some broken glass
- Please collect all your trash and don't leave anything left behind ... others wants to enjoy the beach the same as you do.

Trip to Purple Island and Thakhira beach - 24-9-2015

Yesterday Me with my lovely family went for a trip to Purple island in Al Khor and enjoyed a nice time at Al Thakhira beach.

We started the trip around 8:45 AM from Bin Mahmoud, using our Nissan Sunny car, have one stop at a petrol station then heading through Al Khour coastal road (i thought it wuld be near the coast line and we will enjoy the road trip near the sea) it was a nice road with spead limit of 120 km and almot there was no traffic and a straight forward to Al Khor ... Around 9:45 we reach Al Khor and lucy for us we had all needed water and refreshment ready with us as Al Khor Mall was closed and will not be opened before 2:00 PM ... then continued our way heading through Al Thakira way untill we reached the right turn just before Al Mera  which leads to the Purple Island around 5 km asphalt narrow road ended with around 1 km dirt road to reach the parking area at the Purple Island at 10:10 AM ....

There was some cars parking and some people preparing to leave while others preparing to get into the Island, after preparing the backpack with the required water and refreshments and preparing our cameras we started our way into the Island... it was really hot and my watch reads around 45 degree but the scenic view of the Mangroves and the water make you keep walking ... along the way you have to cross two running streams which will add some sort of adventure to the walk specially in our way back the stream was stronger and the water level was much higher than it was in our way in ....

At the middle of the Island - i believe- there was some nice rock formulation which was nice for some bouldering with an amazing view of the Island from the top ... unfortunately having the kids with us under the extreme sunny and hot day limit the time to enjoy the rocks and we had to start heading back to the car before getting a sun stroke....

 To conclude about Purple Island it is a very very nice place to visit in Qatar the great Mangroves - the nature green area - along with watching a lot of small fishes, a variety of crabs, and some variation of birds defiantly will make the hike enjoyable for kids and adults as well ... but it would be better to be visited in cooler days as the heat will limit your enjoyable time.

After the Purple Island we had one stop at al Mera to use the rest rooms and buy some food for the rest of the trip to Al Thakhira..

It was a short drive to Al Thakhira and direcly heading to Al Thakhira Cornish which is a very nice place equipped with shades and seats... with a nice view to the sea and the Mangroves tree in the horizon ... the water was warm which make it joyful to play and walk in the water ...and the kids enjoyed playing with sands ... we had a very nice time, enjoyed every moment at this lovely beach :)

In our way back we decided to have a look at Al Khor Cornish but we found it very crowded and doesn't look suitable for a family at that time ...

At the end it was defiantly a very very nice trip exploring some places outside Doha, and for sure we will visit the Purple Island again once the weather is cooler and for sure we will have another visit to Al Thakira to relax on the lovely Cornish ....

A memory stamped lovely day in Qatar :)

   

Step into health - Your Health in Ramadan 29/6/2015 + Garangao celebration

A bad walking day, but was a good family day at commercial bank plaza celebrating Garangao night organized by the bank, Aws had a good fun, enjoyed painting, but got freaky scared from Saud and Jood charterers which make us leave the celebration.
however at home Aws enjoyed his Garangao treats :)

Today record:
Total steps: 13451
Aerobic Steps : 4336
Total Distance (KM) : 10.7
Calories burned (kcal): 423
Fat Burned (g) : 24

من العادات الرمضانية في قطر - ليلة القرنقعوه

تكملة لموضوع العادات الرمضانية في الخليج العربي و من ضمنها قطر اليكم بعض المعلومات عن ليلة القرنقعو

قرنقعوه قرقاعوه... عطونا الله يعطيكم... بيت مكّة يودّيكم... يا مكّة يا المعمورة... يا أمّ السلاسل والذهب يا نورة... كلمات يتغنّى بها الأطفال في قطر، ومعظم دول الخليج العربي، في ليلة القرنقعوه التي توافق منتصف شهر رمضان من كلّ عام

في هذه الليلة يطوف الأطفال شوارع العاصمة القطرية الدوحة، من بعد صلاة المغرب يطرقون أبواب الجيران في الحي، حاملين في أيديهم أكياساً فارغة من القماش، ليعودوا إلى منازلهم وقد جمعوا كافة أنواع المكسّرات والحلوى فيها

وليلة القرنقعوه، عادة اجتماعية لها نسخ تشبهها في دول الخليج مع اختلاف للتسميات، ففي الإمارات يطلق عليها حق الليلة ويحتفل

 بها في منتصف شهر شعبان، وفي عُمان يطلق عليها الطَلْبة، و ليلة القرقيعان في السعودية والكويت، أما في البحرين وقطر فتُعرف بليلة القرنقعوه

يخرج الأطفال في هذه الليلة في أبهى حللهم، يرتدون الملابس التقليدية الزاهية، حيث ترتدي الفتيات الثوب الزري، وهو عبارة عن ثوب زاهي اللون مطرّز بخيوط ذهبية، يرتدينه فوق الملابس، ويضعن البخنق، وهو أيضاً قطعة من القماش تغطي رؤوسهن، وتزيّنها خيوط ذهبية على الأطراف، وعادة يكون لونه أسود، بالإضافة إلى التقلد بالحلي الخليجية. أما الأولاد فيرتدون عادة الأثواب الجديدة، ويضعون على رؤوسهم القحفية، وهي عبارة عن طاقية مطرزة يرتديها الأولاد في الخليج، وقد يرتدون كذلك السديري المطرز

وعن معنى كلمة قرنقعوه أو قرقيعان من المرجح أن الكلمة مشتقة من الصوت الذي يحدثه الأطفال والمحتفلون بهذه المناسبة من قرقعة وقرع على الأبواب والطبلة، وقديماً أواني المطبخ

كان الاحتفال بهذه الليلة يتسم بالبساطة والمحلية، حيث كانت الأسر تكتفي بشراء المكسرات والحلويات اللازمة لتوزيعها على أطفال الأسرة، وخياطة الملابس والأكياس للأطفال، أما اليوم فتقوم مؤسسات تجارية وجمعيات خيرية بالاحتفالات الواسعة، ترافقها التغطية الاعلامية للحدث الخليجي الذي يراد به الإضاءة على التراث والتقاليد المتوارثة، وصارت ترافق هذه المناسبة نشاطات ترفيهية أخرى، منها نقش الحنّة على أكف البنات وتلوين الوجوه والألعاب الشعبية الخليجية وتوزيع الحلويات الشعبية

تزايد مؤخراً إقبال العائلات القطرية على زيارة الأماكن العامة التي تحتفل بالقرنقعوه، لكنها لم تتنازل عن الطابع التقليدي الذي يقضي أن ينتظر الكبار في بيوتهم حتى يأتي الأطفال ويقرعوا الأبواب ويطلبوا الحلوى والمكسرات، فيضعون الجفير عند الحوش ويوزعون ما فيه للأطفال، وبعدها ينطلقون إلى الاحتفالات العامة التي تتوزع في أرجاء الدوحة، تحديدا المرافق السياحية ومن أبرزها الحي الثقافي كتارا، وسوق واقف

 المعلومات مجمعة من الانترنت بتصرف 

من العادات الرمضانية في قطر - الغبقة الرمضانية

من الأمور الجميلة في الحياه خارج أرض الوطن التعرف على عادات وتقاليد الشعوب ... ومن أول رمضان لي ولعائلتي في قطر مصطلحان جديدان ومن حيث اللفظ غريبان علينا لعادات رمضانية عند أهل الخليج و هي الغبقة الرمضانية و ليلة القرنقعوه

في هذه التدوينة سأتحدث عن عادة الغبقة الرمضانية و أترك لليلة القرنقعوه تدوينة مستقلة 

الغبقة الرمضانية تقليد تاريخي اجتماعي في الخليج وهي تعتبر إحدى وجبات شهر رمضان التي تقع بين وجبة الإفطار والسحور،  حيث يحرص القطريون كباقي دول الخليج العربي على إقامة الغبقات الرمضانية في ليالي الشهر الفضيل ويدعون لها الأهل والأصدقاء ويعتبرونها فرصة لتعزيز التعارف والترابط الاجتماعي بينهم. وتقام الغبقة غالبا بين الساعة العاشرة ليلا والثانية صباحا بحيث يسهل على المدعوين تلبية الدعوة، ويفضل الخليجيون عند إحيائها ارتداء اللباس التقليدي وإبراز النواحي التراثية 

أصل كلمة غبقة

 هذه المفردة في لهجة أهل الخليج تعني العشاء الرمضاني المتأخر الذي يسبق وجبة السحور، أي أنها وليمة تؤكل عند منتصف الليل أو قبله بقليل، وهي أيضاً كلمة عربية أصيلة من حياة البادية، ويرجع أصلها إلى الغبوق، والغبوق هو حليب الناقة الذي يشرب ليلاً، وعكسه الصبوح الذي يشرب من حليب الناقة صباحاً، فيما يقول البعض، إن الغبوق وجبة خفيفة تؤكل في المساء، ولا خلاف على أن الغبقة هي وجبة رمضانية لا يمكن أن تقام في سائر أشهر السنة، وكانت في السابق تختلف نوعاً ما عما هي عليه اليوم في أشياء كثيرة، فطابعها ووجباتها كانت مختلفة، وكذلك بالنسبة إلى عدد الحضور إلا أن التسمية بقيت ومعنى اللقاء كعادة اجتماعية بقي أيضا

Step into health

What is step into health?

step into health is a dynamic program initiated by Aspire Zone Foundation, and under the supervision and management of Healthy Lifestyle Program of Aspetar.

The program promotes the concept of holistic health change to engage the people of Qatar in a self-managed lifelong program based on a moderate amount of daily physical activity, encouraging each person to walk 10,000 steps and more a day in a non-competitive, recreational and social approach.

It is a multi- interventions program using tools which set targets for physical activity and nutrition and can help individuals monitor their performance linked to an online program.

The trick to healthy living is making changes in your lifestyle to become fitter and healthier.

My Qatari driving license

Finally after a long process i got my Qatari driving license :)

As I have a valid Jordanian driving license I was eligible for two direct try to get the Qatari driving license. In Qatar all tests and application are conducted at the driving schools and administered by Qatar traffic department, for me United driving school was the best choice due to the location which is near to my house and in the way to my work area.

First I had to collect the required documents to apply for the driving test which includes:

• The company approval ( no objection letter) to get a driving license a long with a copy of the company registration card.
• A copy of my Jordanian driving license
• Two colored passport size photos
• A copy of my Qatari ID and residency permit (RP)
• Eyes test – which was done at the driving school

First day I went to the driving school around 5:00 am to register my papers and get an appointment for the theory test (Signal test) which was scheduled two days later, the registration started at 7:00 am and took me around an hour to finish.

At the signal test day I had to come also around 5:00 am but I was there may be around 4:30 am, test registration started at 6:00 am, and I got the test around 9:30 am, the test is straightforward test consist of a computerized test of a 20 multiple choice questions ( and if you study the student book you will pass it for sure) after that there was a couple of oral questions about the car engine asked by the police man who administer the test, I passed the exam and told to wait for the signed papers to be received in order to book for the next tests. I was done with the registration about 11:30 am with an appointment of 3 weeks later for my L and parallel parking tests.

During this waiting times I took two private lessons to practice the parking techniques as required by the test, each lesson was for 45 minutes with a cost of 200 QAR.

At the test day as you know by now, I had to be at the school at 5:00 am to secure a place in today’s test, which was started at 8:30 am, my turn was at 9:30 am, I cleared my L parking test and directly got the parallel parking test which was also passed easily thanks to the trainer instructions, again I had to wait for the signed paper and get an appointment for the road test (the final one) which was scheduled 3 weeks later to be on 3/5/2015.

During the waiting time a got one private lesson to check my driving against the exam objectives, got the instructor notes and get ready for the exam.

Well for the big day as usual the arrival at 5:00 am to the driving school waited till I got my turn at 9:00, i got into the testing car with a police man and two other candidates, I admit it; it is a hard and comprehensive test that test your driving capabilities in multiple scenarios, I had a funny story about this test may be I write about it in a different post ;)

At around 11:00 am I got my driving license and fold this page of my journey in Qatar J yes this process is a time consuming as you had a very long waiting times for your test, along with the very long waiting days between each test, if you are applying for the driving license you had to be prepared to give a physically and mentally stressing three days.

The brake down for the cost to get my license:

30 QAR student book fees – took me only one day to study and another day to review

30 QAR eyes test fees

50 QAR theory test fees

200 QAR driving test fees

250 QAR License issuance fees

600 QAR private lessons

Total of : 1160 QAR and a three days almost dedicated to the tests at the driving school.

Basic Life Support and first Aid Workshop

As part of Commercial bank employee care and development and To ensure that we all have the right skills and information to recognize and manage any injuries or sudden illness we had today the First Aid awareness session in partnership with Hamad Hospital International Training Centre. 

The training was very informative and useful, the concentration of the session was related to Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR for adults with hands on, along with BLS for children and infants, at the ending of the workshop we also had a lot of information on how to deal with common accidents and injuries such as burning, bleeding, … 

QCB Marathon

As part of Commercial bank participation in the National Sports Day, I participated today in the Marathon organized by QCB which was held at Doha Corniche. The race started at 9.00 am from Al-  Bidda Park and moved towards the direction of the Qatar Central Bank ending at the entrance of the Old Doha airport. This race was only for 3KM but for me after some time without any serious sport activities it was a good wakeup call for my muscles J