Landmark Shopping Mall was today's excursion. I arrived at the early hour of 14:00 having "slept" in until 11:00. Anyone who's known me for a while will tell you that I love my sleep. However it seems in Doha that I can't really sleep in.
Anyhow, Landmark well deserves its reputation for having good shopping. The Mega Mart supermarket brought back memories of home as I browsed the food items there as there were quite a few imported goods that I recognised. They also have much better looking meat and dairy than Carrefour. The downside is that it's a bit of a hike relative to Carrefour.
I did come home with a small digital bedside clock so that I can tell the time without squinting at my watch while half asleep. Other exciting purchases include a pair of jeans. The ones that I'd bought for the trip over are ultra skinny and a little too painted-on-denim for my taste. I'm donating it to the charity bin at work. A couple of cotton shirts as they were AU$20 and even the 15%nylon/spandex/anything acrylic really makes a difference if you're out and about.
One of my more exciting purchases is a book with Arabic sayings, their literal translations and English equivalents, hence the title of this blog. For those of you playing at home it's their equivalent of every cloud has a silver lining. The book is called Unload Your Own Donkey. I'll leave you to work out what that one means.
I must admit I'm amazed at the winter wear that's coming out now (especially given they're still in Summer over here). There are fully lined 100% pure wool coats, some even lined with polar fleece. Puffy down-filled jackets and warm woolen jumpers/cardigans/vests are lining the shops. Anyone who's into fashion would be loving the cost of clothes from designer stores MNG, Miss Sixty Six etc which are retailing at about a third of the price of items in Australia. The aforementioned wool coats are retailing at approx AU$110-130. I'm definitely shopping at Landmark before we head to the UK or France at the end of the year!
The Lonely Plant's Guide to the Arabian Penninsula suggest purchases local goods to support their economy and I'm all for that. For example I bought local fruit juice (ultra sweet but with a dash of water perfect), bread (again with the sweetness). While following this purchasing theory I have however ended up with Magic Tissues which are, I believe, the love-child of lavender scented tissues and kitchen towelling. Scandalous I know. Good for all purpose cleaning but a little harsh on the nose.
I've also learnt that, as I mentioned earlier, even the smallest hint of non-natural fibers seems to make a difference. Not just in the heat but the natural fibres actually protect you better from the sun. I base this on general reading as well as getting mild sunburn through my white shirt the other day. I've since taken to wearing a light sunscreen all over even when I'm fully covered. By light sunscreen I mean SPF 4. Who'da thunk it but they sell that over here for people who are acclimatised to extended periods in the sun. I was just so used to buying sunscreen in Australia where it's SPF 15 as a minimum that I didn't read the bottle properly. Happily we have excellent sunscreen at work.
The weather today hasn't been too bad really. I mean it's still hot but it's bearable as long as you're not exerting yourself too much. I'm gradually trying to spend more time outside and with less airconditioning so that it's less of a shock everytime I leave the house.
As they say, if your head is made of wax, do not walk in the sun. (Oh come on that's an easy one!)
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2 comments:
That book sounds great. The only person who would love it more than me is Naomi :)
48 degrees! How does anyone get anything done?
Nick S.
Hee hee, I was reading this and thinking of "The Meaning of Tingo", which sits by my bed for pick-me-up reading. It is a collection of foreign words and phrases, the equivalent of which simply do not exist in English. It's great dorky reading :)
I don't think I have seen sunscreen here. But I also haven't seen over 38 degrees. But again, I mention over 90% humidity! 100% is water! Argh. But not today. It is quite lovely today, with imminent showers. I don't care, it cools down the air. Thinking of you, Sares!
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