Photo of the Month: November 2012

"Desert Gem" dramatically shows two children enjoying a camel ride in the desert, with the camel caretaker leading the way.  This photograph was adjudged as the first prize winner for the recently concluded photo contest conducted by AECOM Qatar.

Congratulations Gilbert Villamor!  Yes, he is my husband.  And I am a proud wife. :)

P.S. 

Do you have a memorable travel photograph that you wish to share?  I hope to feature them one day in my Photo of the Month blog posts.  I am just an email away.  :)

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Our Desert Safari Adventure to the Inland Sea

When my brother informed me that he will have a weekend visit here in Qatar straight from his training in Dubai, we thought of various itineraries to make his visit memorable.  It was a bit tough to make an itinerary considering that the weather during the month of September is still not very favorable for maximizing fun on a very short stay.  It could get difficult to stay outdoors during the daytime due to the hot weather.  

He asked me during one of our internet chats, "Are you bringing me to the Film City?".  Hahaha...  (If you have read one of my most recent posts, you would have probably laughed too while reading my brother's question.)

Our itineraries for the early mornings and the evenings (times when weather in Qatar is tolerable before and after the winter season) were all set.  But what do we do on a Friday when the museum is closed and the malls announce a family day?    

One day before my brother arrived, Jason, Phoebe, my husband Bong and I had a last minute decision to arrange a dune bashing adventure (otherwise known as desert safari).  We chose the Inland Sea Desert Safari tour by Qatar Ventures (http://www.qatar-ventures.com) over trying out buggy riding at Sealine, Mesaieed as each one of us wanted to give this off-road adventure a try.

Fast forward to 21 September, our driver picked us up at 2:00 PM via a Toyota Land Cruiser.  Our driver, who according to Jason is one of the best in Qatar, drove us off to Mesaieed and momentarily stopped the car by the foot of the sand dunes to release some air from the vehicle tires.  This is done to increase the size of the vehicle's footprint, thereby improving the vehicle's grip on sand during dune bashing.

Then off we went and the next (approximately) 45-minute ride left us breathless and very much awake (we were very tired and sleepy after the previous evening's nightscape shooting at West Bay followed by an early morning model shoot at the Musichouse).  We traversed various kinds of terrains and went up and down the mounds of sands while screaming at the top of our lungs (yes, even the guys became 'loud-mouthed' =P).  In the middle of the ride, our driver talked to one of us, his eyes and head off the way we were going so I told him nervously jokingly, "Eyes on the road please...".  His response was, "Which road?  There is no road."  And off he drove quickly along a slope, with our car perpendicular to the inclination of the sand dune.  

It is hard to explain what we saw and felt in words so let me show you a sample video, which resembles what we have experienced (I think the people in the video were far more 'behaved' than us though):

Video courtesy of Maius Fiskum (from Youtube.com)

Our driver gave us a very brief chance to go down the 4x4 car while on top of the sand dune and enjoy the view amidst the scorching heat of the sun.  

Photos above by Gerald Gravador

The driver finished off his dune bashing moves by reverse driving down a steep sand dune. Below is a photo that I have managed to capture as soon as I got confident that we were landing on the flat terrain safe and sound.  :)

We spent the next few hours exploring the camp, which had a typical Arabian tent, a swimming pool, huts, restrooms, showers, playgrounds, and beach.  Here are some of the our combined photos at the camp:

Photo by Gerald Gravador

Photo by Gerald Gravador

 The usual 'best friend ko doon' photo by Phoebe Mendoza

As the sun was starting to set, the caretaker herded the camel near the camp so that anyone who wanted a camel ride could hop in.  

The camels and their caretaker in front of the camp after our long 'trying-hard' Arabian talk =P

You guessed it right, I hopped in! :D   I clung tightly to the camel when we were 'starting' him up as his movements were rough and abrupt.  

Photo by Bong

I took this photograph of the camel and his caretaker with the setting sun on the background as a remembrance of my first ride on a camel. =P

We ended the night at the camp with a group shot, a dip in the 'inviting' pool (okay, that was only Phoebe, Jen and me with some attempts by Kuya Pangs), a merienda and countless stories at the hut while waiting for our driver, who arrived at around 7:30 in the evening.  He lingered a bit to drink his tea so I took the chance to ask him, "Are we going through the same route on the way back to Doha?".  He responded by saying, "No, we're going through a straight road...".

Photo by Jason Echiverri

On our way back, the Toyota Land Cruiser proved me again why it has always been my dream car since my high school days.  We had another dose of desert safari, and this time it was a bit 'tamer' off-road ride with the daylight off.

Would I ever try it again?  I would.  After all, it is one of the craziest, most daring adventures I have embarked on.  Go and try it for yourself. :)



Photo credits to Jason, Phoebe, Gerald and Bongski
Thank you Jen for screaming with us! :)

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Epic Road Trip to Zikreet Film City: A Fun (Mis)adventure

Our night out with friends on 16 August 2012 was a prelude to my 5-day long vacation: 2 days off from work + 3 days holiday for the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr here in Qatar.  It was during the night out when the idea of going to the Film City in Zikreet (leaving Doha at 4:30 in the morning) crossed our minds; however, I thought that we were not very ready for the trip.  Setting aside our unpreparedness, we still thought of going.  Thus, our quest for the 'perfect' vehicle went on the following day.  

We had a choice between bringing two two-wheel drive cars and renting a four-wheel drive vehicle, which will accommodate the six of us.  As renting the four-wheel drive vehicle was a bit expensive and leaves us with no 'buddy car', we opted to choose bringing two two-wheel drive cars.    We've came to this decision at 10:30 in the evening - that's about six hours before our scheduled departure time from Doha!  Talking about being 'just on time'.   (Glyph, this proves that being 'just on time' is really your expertise! =P)

Around 4:30 in the morning of 18 August, we left Doha for Film City, with high hopes of having a good adventure, memorable experiences and bringing home photographs of the Film City.  Film City, by the way, is a replica of an Arabian village.  They say that it was built to serve as a set for shooting the Transformers movie.  

We took the Zikreet exit and passed by several rock formations (that looked like several plateaus to me) with the sunrise and the foggy sky as a backdrop.  The scene was picturesque that I (secretly) wanted to ask the driver to pause for a while but we went on because we wanted to arrive in our destination early.  We also passed by a farm of camels and a flock of black sheep.  I (again secretly) wanted to ask the driver to stop but I did not.  

The road was very rough and long.  My phone's GPS did not seem to show any structures along the way.  Could it be that we were on the wrong route?  One of our friends (in the other car) had a handheld GPS so we were not very worried.  In fact, we were still giggling and enjoying the road trip albeit our lack of sleep.  The only person inside our car who was too worried about the bumpy road was our driver, who drove very slowly while asking too many questions from time to time (haha! =P).  

At long last, we stopped in the middle of a desert to gather our thoughts.  The guys surveyed the area and it turned out, based on their survey and the data on the handheld GPS, that we were just two kilometers away from the Film City.  Yey!  

As the guys were figuring out how to reach the Film City, Phoebe and I started to take some photographs.  Here are some random photographs that I took during the "stopover".

While taking the photographs, I have noticed that there were some areas characterized by very loose sands (as evident in my photograph below) so I planned on telling them that we had to be very careful during driving from then on or else we'd have problems.  

However, just before I was even able to inform them, I saw that the car was stuck - twice!  Uh-oh...

Amidst the misadventure, everyone was still high-spirited, chuckling and taking everything as a joke.  Even the once very worried (and serious!) driver was grinning when I took the photo below while they were pushing the car... Haha!

The 2WD cars - after the 'retrieval' operations =P

Because of the misadventure, we've decided to retreat and search for an alternate route.  We tried two more different routes, but both seemed to be 2WD-unfriendly.  We've decided to just come back and conquer Film City some other time - maybe during the winter season.  

We had little sleep, tired and were very hungry but the day could not just end like that.  As it was still Ramadan (it was the last day before the Eid ul-Fitr), there was not much to do.  There were no open restaurants as eating/drinking publicly was not allowed.  Thus, we just opted to buy cooked food at a supermarket.  We capped off the day by gorging on food.

We ended up as very hungry 'zombies' after the misadventure..hehe

(Jason, I grabbed the photo from your wall.  Thanks.)

I have some random thoughts on this epic road trip:

1. There will always be times when things won't go our way and it's up to ourselves whether to react positively or negatively. 
2. Misadventures can be really fun when shared with friends.  We had a lot of unforgettable moments during the road trip.  We've learned new words and gained knowledge about the 'history' of Amsterdam (thanks to Jeysen =P).  It was such an epic road trip.
3. Sometimes, a seemingly smooth road is not really smooth.  Once you find out that the seemingly smooth road is not really smooth, you'll get by with a little help from your friends (sounds like Beatles).
4. When you want something, speak and go for it.  I wanted to take photos of the picturesque sceneries twice and a group jump shot once but ended up not speaking up.  Now I really regret not taking all those photographs.
5. And last but not the least, always use a 4WD automobile when traversing through a desert! =P

"Life is a journey, not a destination..." 
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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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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