Friday, the Holy day, our one day off. The sun erupted, bright and scorching, through a space between the to buildings outside my third floor window. 97 degrees and rising at 1:05 PM. In a month as the temps approah 120 this will be remembered as a cool day. During my first three months working in Doha some of you have received my "Dispatchs from Doha". With my entry into the blogosphere you will be entertained or bored of your own volition.
One of the many issues facing an American corporation wanting to become registered to do business in Qatar is until you are a registered businees your employees are visitors, working on re-newable 30 day tourist visas. We worker bees cannot have a local bank account which prevents signing a long-term lease for an apartment or a car. This limits where one lives and how you move from place to place.
We have been staying at Le Park Hotel. It is located in the Al Saad neighborhood, containing a mix of residential, hotels, retail and restaurants. The local retail shops and a wide variety of restaurants within easy walking distance combined with a low, low daily cost drove the decision to take up semi-permanent residence here. Never mind the ranking of 106th out of 108 hotels in Doha. The so-called gym is a joke and after 5 years of nothing except rainwater in the rooftop swimming pool, this amenity was removed from the hotel website. All this said, it is safe, clean, bug free and in a Red Roof Inn sort of way, an OK place to stay.
The hotel staff is typical, Philipino, Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese. Their English skills are limited and training is minimal. What westerners might expect for hotel services is lost on this group. One evening about 8:15 there came a knock at my door. Standing there in my boxers, I opened the door to find the two man cleaning crew wanting to clean my room. Please return tomorrow I responded.
Then one day after work I entered to find that my dirty laundry had not been taken as I had requested. What I found out was there was no master key or duplicate key for my room. To have the laundry picked up or have the room cleaned during the day required I leave my key at the front desk as I left. My disappointment showed and the young woman at the front desk said someone would come get it immediately. The next surprise was the phone ringing at 10:25 PM that night offering to bring my laundry to my room. Please, tomorrow will be just fine.
These events were topped the night before last. It was my fourth night back in Doha after a wonderful and all to short visit home. Dog tired I had gone to bed early hoping for my first good night sleep since my return. The lazy drift toward the land of nod was interupted by insistent knocking at my front door. The second and third knocks told me there was no ignoring my visitor. I cracked the door open to find the bellman.....pleese suhr, can I borrow your key?....my key? you're kidding? No suhr, I need to try it on the room next door. good news, my key doesn't open the room next door. Back to bed and hopefully sweet slumber. And it was, until just after 1 PM. I was jolted awake by the sound of pounding in the corridor. Blam, Blam, Blam, then silence, stopped as abruptly as it had started. The picture above is what I found the next morning. No master key, no duplicates, no boundaries.....
Dusty
One of the many issues facing an American corporation wanting to become registered to do business in Qatar is until you are a registered businees your employees are visitors, working on re-newable 30 day tourist visas. We worker bees cannot have a local bank account which prevents signing a long-term lease for an apartment or a car. This limits where one lives and how you move from place to place.We have been staying at Le Park Hotel. It is located in the Al Saad neighborhood, containing a mix of residential, hotels, retail and restaurants. The local retail shops and a wide variety of restaurants within easy walking distance combined with a low, low daily cost drove the decision to take up semi-permanent residence here. Never mind the ranking of 106th out of 108 hotels in Doha. The so-called gym is a joke and after 5 years of nothing except rainwater in the rooftop swimming pool, this amenity was removed from the hotel website. All this said, it is safe, clean, bug free and in a Red Roof Inn sort of way, an OK place to stay.
The hotel staff is typical, Philipino, Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese. Their English skills are limited and training is minimal. What westerners might expect for hotel services is lost on this group. One evening about 8:15 there came a knock at my door. Standing there in my boxers, I opened the door to find the two man cleaning crew wanting to clean my room. Please return tomorrow I responded.
Then one day after work I entered to find that my dirty laundry had not been taken as I had requested. What I found out was there was no master key or duplicate key for my room. To have the laundry picked up or have the room cleaned during the day required I leave my key at the front desk as I left. My disappointment showed and the young woman at the front desk said someone would come get it immediately. The next surprise was the phone ringing at 10:25 PM that night offering to bring my laundry to my room. Please, tomorrow will be just fine.
These events were topped the night before last. It was my fourth night back in Doha after a wonderful and all to short visit home. Dog tired I had gone to bed early hoping for my first good night sleep since my return. The lazy drift toward the land of nod was interupted by insistent knocking at my front door. The second and third knocks told me there was no ignoring my visitor. I cracked the door open to find the bellman.....pleese suhr, can I borrow your key?....my key? you're kidding? No suhr, I need to try it on the room next door. good news, my key doesn't open the room next door. Back to bed and hopefully sweet slumber. And it was, until just after 1 PM. I was jolted awake by the sound of pounding in the corridor. Blam, Blam, Blam, then silence, stopped as abruptly as it had started. The picture above is what I found the next morning. No master key, no duplicates, no boundaries.....
Dusty
Hmmm you are a very good writer my friend. I am impressed with your skills. I am also very happy to be able to sleep in my bed most nights. Good luck Dusty. I am looking forward to your future entries.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written. Peace and quiet at the right times is a blessing, I guess. :)
ReplyDeleteThere's only words. Our common language is the connective tissue that entwines us. Without language we are unable to express those unique inner yearnings that our egoistic hedonism vociferates. Allow me to expand. If I can't say "I love you" then that need for benevolence withers unrequited. Shakespeare understood. I think.
ReplyDelete