Doha 2019

View from the Hotel 

The trip to Doha in February 2019 was to visit our customer. As a perfunctory way of saying 'thank you' , we have to be physically present to assure customers that the support from our company is on-going and we are ever ready to provide our staff and technical expertise.   

The trip from Singapore to Doha by Qatar airways takes about 7 and 1/2 hours direct. There are several other airlines offering this route but there normally will need to be a stopover at either Dubai (Emirates) or Muscat (Oman). This last trip was the direct flight and I normally try to sleep on the flight, (although the departure is normally at some ungodly hour like 2.10 am in the morning) so that I can arrive refreshed the following day. My optimism normally will be dashed and I arrive quite jetlagged (red eye) and needing of some refreshment and sleep. 

As this was a routine courtesy visit to the customer ASpire, my local agent cum partner company picked me up at around 5.30 am. Doha is a modern city and their neighbours are Saudi Arabia and Jordan. 

At Souq Waqif 

My meeting was scheduled the following day, so the first day was rather leisurely and I was basically checking and replying to emails from customers, vendors and staff. The second morning my partner met me and we did the perfunctory visit to customer to discuss any particular issues on the equipment (fortunately all was good) and subsequent followup visits or support in terms of spare parts etc.

That afternoon, I was free to roam the city, so I took a cab to the Corniche or Souq Waqif. A Souq is another name for market, or bazaar. In the old days all the vendors would assemble at the market and the daily life would centre around the Souq. Qatar has the world's highest per capita GDP and there are only 0.5 million Qataris and another 2.5 million foreign inhabitants, expatriates and workers from all over the world.  

Artist at Work 

This Souq is more like a tourist centre, housing hotels, numerous shops selling anything from pet birds, spices, restaurants, cafes and artists. It is well worth spending half a day at this iconic Souq.

  

At the entrance of the Souq

Qatar is fast aspiring to be the sporting centre for the Middle East and that is why the Aspire group of companies is employing many researchers for sports science and sport rehabilitation and their Aspire Hospital is the only FIFA approved Hospital for top football players from South America and Europe. Their facilities are truly impressive, and their bid for the FIFA World Cup 2020 was successful, so the entire city is vibrant with many worksites and construction taking place. 

Villas at Ring Road 

As it is beside the Sahara Desert, the weather in Doha fluctuates widely from day to night. In the spring time when I went, it was a cool 20 to 23 deg C. At night, that temperature drops rapidly to the mid teens.  

I once went in July and the temperature was 45 C and sometimes even 50 C. The scorching weather made many construction companies issue a stop work order from 12 to 3 pm during the summer.   

The third day I spent checking out the longest shopping centre I have ever come across, called the Villagio and it is next to the iconic Torch Hotel. A picture of the exquisite section of the Villagio shopping centre is shown below. There are many international brand of shops and restaurants there such as P.F. Chang, Paul's, Ladurie, LV, Chanel, Boss, Zegna and Hermes just to name a few.  

This year (2020), even in the midst of the worldwide pandemic crisis impacting practically every country, my company has put up a bid to set a beachhead in Doha for purposes of marketing our brand of equipment and test services. 

While we await some good news, I pray that this is indeed the correct move in this most perilous of times. 

Fortune favours the brave. I certainly hope so in my case. 

Athletic Chamber Equipment at Aspire Hospital