Qatar 2016: Souq Waqif, Shopping Haul, Doha Road TripsQatar 2016: Souq Waqif, Shopping Haul, Doha Road Trips

Monday, May 09, 2016

Qatar 2016:
Souq Waqif, Shopping Haul, Doha Road Trips


Hi Divas!!!

Welcome back to my blog. Sorry that I was M.I.A last week and didn't post any blog posts. Most of you who follow me on social media would have known I was getting my freak on in the Middle East. Well not really, I did go there to work and get my freak on, LOL! It was a quickly planned trip so I had to pack my bags in a jiffy therefore I didn't have time to schedule a post. This was my sixth trip to Qatar in the past three years and I must say it was one of my best trips. I had so much fun and have a lot of funny stories and experiences to share. Not all my stories are meant for a blog post to be read all over the world though. Some are a little private and only if we are very close you will get to hear about it ;-) It was very hot in Doha this time as it is Spring. Most of the days the temperatures reached a maximum of 45 degrees. Luckily Doha is a very generous city when it comes to free water, so I was always fully hydrated and made sure I stayed in air conditioned areas. I would love to share some of my adventures with you on my blog. I tried to add as many pictures as possible. I took a whole lot of snap chat videos on my journey and shared some on Instagram. Follow me there at @divadesle if you want to see more.


Balcony View of Doha; City Centre Traffic; Zubarah hotel; Souq Waqif at night

We did a lot of road tripping this time around due to the fact that we did shows in various schools and we weren't stuck in a theatre. So I got to see a lot more of Doha than I have ever seen in the past three years. We even travelled to Al Khor and Dukhan, which are towns situated outside of Doha. I love to see and experience new things. I sometimes think of myself as Dora the Explorer ;-) So I was totally in my element when we were road tripping across the desert. It is great to see how people live their daily lives in a place that is so different to where you come from. I absolutely loved it.


Souq Waqif stores; Souq Waqif restaurants and cafe's; Souq Diva; Souq Waqif Mosque

Recently I started calling myself the Souq Diva. I was constantly hanging out there and even made friends with the shopkeepers. They gave me discounts upon discounts and one even gifted me a free purse. Whoop! If you don't know what a souq is, basically it's a local Middle Eastern market where you can buy all sorts of goods and never pay full price for anything because you are encouraged to haggle with the shopkeeper on a price you like. The more friendly you are the more they are willing to knock off a few notes on the product you are buying. My favourite souq in Doha is Souq Waqif. The souq is a huge maize but I totally know my way around it and love shopping there. There are some lovely restaurants and quaint cafes. Plus there are ''street vendors'' that have large pots of food where you can buy a big plate of yummy biryani for QR20. The gorgeous middle eastern architecture and great vibe makes Souq Waqif a must see place if you ever find yourself in Doha.


The Pearl Plaze Andalucia; The Pearl Harbour; The Pearl yachts; The Pearl hotels and shops

My Qatari boss gave us a treat and took us to the Pearl for dinner and drinks. I had an amazing time. We had a Mediterranean cuisine with a very sexy Arabian band serenading to us all night. The Pearl is a man made island that is filled with opulence and grandeur. The island is huge and you will need a few days to see every little nook. There are many designer shops, upmarket restaurants and James Bond type cars on sale for days. To tell you the honest truth, I probably could only afford a bottle of water there. The Pearl is a place for the most fabulous, wealthiest and glamorous person. I was happy that I could feel like Beyonce for a night and enjoy the magnificence that is The Pearl!


Baskin Robbins ice cream; Zubarah burger; Zubarah mocktails; Laduree cakes
 
While travelling and trying to live like Beyonce for a day a diva can get a little hungry. Through the whole trip I probably ate most of my body weight and more. I ate so much that at the end of the trip I was screaming for a diet. The food in Doha is so good and they are very generous with food portions. There ice teas and mocktails are amazing, their burgers are juicy and there cakes are to die for. I over indulged on Baskin Robbins because that ice cream shop is nowhere to be found in Cape Town. Needless to say when I got back home I put on my running shoes and exercised for days.


Shopping haul galore!!!!

Lastly, you can't leave Doha without a massive shopping haul. My roommate and I cleaned out the souq and Villaggio mall in 10 days. I bought all the products that I can't get in South Africa. As you can see I bought all sorts of dates. Some with nuts, some plain and some chocolate covered. I went crazy at Bath and Body Works because that 3 for 2 special was calling my name. When I got to the till the shop assistant asked me: ''Is this all for you?'' I said proudly: ''Yes!''. Truth be told I went crazy for my mom too ;-) I bought scarves, purses and magnets at the souq. I had to calm myself down when I walked into Sephora because I have a tendency to lose my mind in that place. So I only bought a Lotus face mask and my beloved Too Faced Bon Bons palette. It's so beautiful!!! I also bought chocolates because I am a chocoholic. This is just some of the stuff I brought back. I couldn't fit everything in the photo but there are more stuff hiding out in my room. Hehehe ;-)


I apologise for the long blog post. I had so much to share. I love going to Qatar. I always have a lot of fun and learn and experience new things. 


Hope you enjoyed this blog post.
Lots of love.
Xxxx

You Might Also Like

14 comments

  1. I always love your insta photos of your trips... Love the haul .. Can't wait to read your review on some of the products. Happy Monday Desle xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you sweet Lynette. Wishing you an amazing week ahead! You know I love seeing your beauty photos on Instagram too ;-) xoxo

      Delete
  2. It's important to treat yourself SOUQ Desle! LOL Love it! I loved your Snaps while you were there. The architecture IS GORGEOUS! And the FOOD is amazing! Glad you had a great time and loved your shopping spree :D
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love my new name... Souq Desle ;-D Thanks Kim. I am missing the country already. I always have so much fun when I am there and I have to hide my credit card. Hehehe Xxxx

      Delete
  3. This sounds like such a great trip! I love road trips! Oh, I need a vacation!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a gorgeous place!!! And all the amazing things you brought back home :) I love buying food whenever I'm abroad :)
    xoxo

    Ileana

    http://www.novelstyleblog.com/carry-on-essentials/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha, I always buy more food than anything else. It really is beautiful in Qatar ;-)

      Delete
  5. That market sounds like the perfect place to shop! You definitely cleaned out the shops!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is amazing! I love the souq so much ;-)

      Delete
  6. Such life 😍😍😍😍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehehe, wish it could last forever!!! ;-)

      Delete
  7. Giiirl you got some good stuff! I went to the Souq in Dubai and let me tell you, I was overwhelmed! Those shop keepers came at me like flies to honey and I had to duck and weave around them. They were a bit too persistent and pushy for me, I found that in Istanbul as well but I soon got the hang of it and began haggling like it was my job! I love seeing other people's travel photos!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that some shop keepers can be super pushy and annoying. I always avoid eye contact with those ones and keep walking! I am happy to have found some really great store owners that are super sweet and very generous. Love seeing your travel photos too Erica. xoxo

      Delete

Thank you for your comment:-)