Much ado about nothing

First one: there is a highrise building off West Bay that is called the Zig Zag buildings - for good reason - as it is the only tower in the world to zig this way and then zag that way.  They are considered a bit of an eyesore here, no-one really seems to like them.  In the distance, it looks like you are on some other planet; and up close - well, suffice it to say, that dusty windows, no balcony's and no shopping anywhere close, leaves me stone cold.  The trees are a nice feature, as seen from the Hyatt - oh, dear, they belong to the Hyatt.  And last, but most unfortunately, according to my Arabic sources - the word 'zig' in arabic means "to poo" (his term) and 'zag' is past tense, as in "poo'd".   Didn't anyone think about this before naming it so?

Ok, here's another one: every toilet in Qatar, and the Middle East for that matter, comes equipped with a hose.  At first, I thought this was some kind of primitive bidet, but had trouble imagining how to use it.  Aim wrong and you'd quickly regret it, what with water spouting all over your pants and knickers.  But then I kept on having to sigh with irritability, sidestep the puddles on the floor, and use the toilet paper (usually available, thankfully) to wipe down the seat.  And then I had a conversation with someone in the know:  the hose is there so that you can hose down the seat and floor area because urine is seen as unclean and to stand in it, or heaven forbid sit in it (but then who would!) is considered a no-no by religious terms.  And so now I am actually quite grateful, although as I schlep my shoes in it, I think to myself..."but it's only diluted now, so what gives?".

And then there is this:  Doha is in a constant state of construction and/or repair.  Sidewalks are always being ripped up for some or other reason, potholes are found just about on every street, and roads are ever changing to accommodate traffic that urban planning just didn't think would happen.  The result is upheaval everywhere - always having to circumnavigate around barriers on roads, or avoid the potholes.  On sidewalks, pedestrians get their daily work out hopping from one well-placed slab to the next doing their desperate best to avoid sprained ankles and tumbles into oblivion.  This picture says it all.

This sign confused everyone:  We had a fine, stately building, beautifully constructed and looking ready to perform its duties - called "Future Medical Centre" - that no-one attended until they put the next sign up to indicate that customers are welcome.  "Now open" suddenly made the name make sense - it was 'future' as in cutting edge, futuristic and forward thinking - not something that would be a medical centre down the line, in the future.

And finally, just for fun - I love these pigeons on the wall - reminds me of that song: "99 bottles of beer on the wall".

Ciao