Cirque Du Soleil - A Feast for the Senses

There was an intriguing brightly-coloured poster on the road but I have not managed to read what was written.  And then there was another one.  It read:

C-I-R-Q-U-E--D-U--S-O-L-E-I-L.   

Cirque du Soleil is performing in Doha! :)

I could barely recall the Chinese circus that I have watched from the general patronage seats of Araneta Coliseum when I was about five years old.  My husband have always wanted to watch a circus since he was a kid but have not had any chance.  Fast forward to 6 July 2012, we found ourselves with some friends inside Qatar's Aspire Dome to watch Saltimbanco of Cirque Du Soleil.

The show was very impressive and fascinating.  It awakened the child and the dreamer in me.  Why?  As an adult, I wanted things to be easier most of the time.  I would choose to buy a powdered juice drink rather than labour to extract the juices from the fruit itself.  I would choose to buy instant noodles rather than cook from scratch.  I wanted things that are easier to grasp and uncomplicated to perform.  However, when I was (physically and literally) on the edge of my seat last night while watching the Cirque du Soleil performance, the child side of me was enlivened.  How?

The show featured characters who uttered made-up languages.  As a child, I laughed while watching cartoons and shows albeit the characters speaking of words that I did not understand.  Mere actions of the characters were fun and got my imagination working.

The show featured performers who communicated through their actions and wowed the audience through their calculated moves.  As a child, I acted to demonstrate what I could not implicitly say.

The show featured performers in colorful costumes and make-ups.  The stage and the lights were flashy.  All of these created magical effects as the artists moved.  It was like I was in a dreamland.

Lastly, I found myself uttering the word "wow" so many times.  I was like a curious child as I gazed at the band players, major stage performers, supporting characters, string pullers and safety harnesses.

My most favorite acts were the Chinese Poles from the multi-coloured worms, the Adagio, the Russian Swing, Boleadoras, the Hand to Hand act by the two very strong contortionist men and 'the lady who played the trapeze' (I gave the last act the name... =P).  Camera is strictly not allowed during the show so allow me to share some photos from the Cirque du Soleil website.

Adagio

Chinese Poles

Boleadoras

Russian swing

Hand to Hand

Hand to Hand

My most favorite character of the night was Eddie, who was in a red cap, striped shorts and suspenders.      He has this capability to draw everyone's attention into him.  He has this great talent to create a sound for his every action.  He 'forced' me to use my imagination and made me laugh my heart out.

Photo from Cirque du Soleil

I have to specifically mention that the live band's original music while the artists were performing was equally enamouring.  Kumbalawe is one of my most favorite songs from their soundtrack.  Check out the song from this link:

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/saltimbanco/show/music.aspx?splash=http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/saltimbanco/media/cd/Track-1.aspx

Here are some of the photos I've taken from my camera phone during the breaktime:

The colorful stage

The crowd during the breaktime.  Notice the centre seats in white shade.  Those are for the VVIPs who were very privileged to seat on cushioned seats.

I took out my camera phone (just like most of the people did) as the performers bade farewell.

The show was indeed a feast for the senses.  The experience of watching the Saltimbanco Cirque du Soleil was well worth the price we paid for the tickets.   I also have to mention that I've only noticed that the plastic seats were uncomfortable during the breaktime, maybe because I was on the edge of my seat most of the time! =P

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” ― Franz Kafka

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Picture These: Katara

Picture these:  

Dusk introduces the evening sky.  The night scrapers start to boast their glamorous lights from afar.  You are on top of a beautiful amphitheater to witness all the dramatic scenes that are happening right in front of your eyes; the gentle warm breeze kisses your face.

I have experienced the above.  I was in Katara.

The photos above and below were taken from the Katara Cultural Village, which is branded as Qatar's largest and most multi-dimensional cultural project.  For me, it is the most interesting place in Qatar as there are plenty of activities to see and do inside.  Withal, its structures exude the beauty of Arabic architecture (which I personally find very fascinating) - with all those various geometrical art forms and the fusion of the simple and extravagant architectural details.   The village is comprised of theaters, concert halls, exhibition galleries and restaurants.  It holds the yearly Doha Tribeca Film Festival and is home to art exhibits and orchestra performances.   Should anyone wish to indulge in water sports activities, there's Katara Beach.

It is equally beautiful to explore Katara at daytime and at nighttime. Need proof?  Check out the photos below. :)

Katara at night:

Katara at daytime:

The first time I visited Katara was in November 2011, when the climate was very conducive to walk around and visit places.  Back then, Katara made me feel like I was wandering through Rome's Colosseum and in Morocco.

       

    

I usually do not fancy gold.  However, I love the effects of the gold-coloured mosaic tiles cladding on this mosque inside the village. 

     

And in case you have noticed these structures in one of the photos above, you might now be wondering what these are for (like I did when I saw these for the first time).   These are pigeon towers.

                        

From the amphitheater, one would readily see the Katara Beach, which spans over 1.5 kilometers.  I saw in one of their streamers that sports activities such as water skiing, parasailing, sailing, boat rides and banana rides are offered by the beach management.  We haven't tried any of these though. 

Lastly, should you get hungry while you're inside the Katara Cultural village, you may choose from their various international restaurants (just check the restaurants' opening hours before you go by visiting the website http://www.katara.net/english/the-village/restaurants/).   

We have tried one restaurant so far  - the L'wzaar seafood restaurant.  This is Katara's version of the Philippine's "dampa" restaurants where you could have any seafood of your choice and have it cooked the way you like.   I'd say that the prices of the food are very reasonable. 

Inside L'wzaar seafood restaurant -
Notice the mosaic tiles from the floor to the walls.

Pretty details on the throw pillow

Here are additional photos of the restaurant.  I have downloaded them from the Katara and L'wzaar seafood restaurant websites:

       

             

       

       

What is the meaning behind the name "Katara"?

“Catara” was the most ancient name  of the Qatar Peninsula in geographic and historical maps since 150 A.D.  However, the name “Katara” instead of "Catara" appeared in the geographical and historical maps in the early eighteenth century AD.   

According to the Katara website, it was decided to revive Qatar’s olden name to uphold Qatar's connection to ancient heritage and to honour the country's distinguished position since the dawn of history.  Thus, the birth of the Katara Cultural Village.

Where is Katara?

Katara is between West Bay and The Pearl - Qatar.

You might find the following maps useful in locating and exploring Katara:

"Your purpose is to make your audience see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt. Relevant detail, couched in concrete, colorful language, is the best way to recreate the incident as it happened and to picture it for the audience."  - Dale Carnegie

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Five at Three Sixty

He had planned to propose for marriage at the 360 Cafe, Macau Tower on our first year anniversary celebration 4 years ago.  The sudden heavy rains, though, kept us from getting to Macau Tower so we opted to spend the rest of the day at the Venetian Macau instead.

After 4 years, we've found our way to celebrate our fifth year anniversary at a revolving restaurant - the Three Sixty - 'beating the odds' this time.  The Three Sixty revolving restaurant is located at The Torch.  The Torch is also well-known as the Aspire Tower, which is actually a 300-meter giant torch that was lit during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games.  If Paris has the Eiffel Tower and New York has the Statue of Liberty, what is it for Doha?  

It's The Torch.  

To reach the Three Sixty revolving restaurant, we passed through the very impressive lobby of the hotel (I'd say the architects made use of the structural steel bracings effectively) and rode the high-speed elevator to the 47th floor.  I have to mention that the elevator ride was intense that it felt like we were in an exciting theme park ride.

  

These were the scenic views of the city during the dinner:

I was especially raving about the salad which had a slice of salmon.  This was an entree from the French set menu.

When I ate their version of the creme brulee, I was reminded of the scene from the movie Ratatouille (about how exciting the food tasted when it was paired with the different ingredients).  Every bite of the creme brulee with the different fruit toppings was interesting and cute - if it is acceptable to use the word 'cute' for food.

We were amused with how the chef did the food platings! :)

Here are our other photos of the night:

All in all, the experience was fantastic - a splendid three hundred and sixty degrees view of the Doha City without standing from our dining chairs, great service from the staff, a stimulating ambiance and good food.  I'd recommend dining at the Three Sixty at least once - if not for food, at least for the experience. :)




Rating:


5*    First Timer's Experience
5*    Ambiance
5*    Service
4.5* Food
3*    Cost

Photos by Bong and Anna

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