dudenogood - sorry mate. Last few days the traffic has been insane, back to where it was when I arrived in June. Summer is over, so 40 mins to travel 3km, topped last night by 20 mins to go 300ft to a roundabout. It's not all like that, but one has to be very selective about which route to use.
Be careful about where to live. West Bay is very nice (we live there, at the Dafna end), but it is very much the 'millionaires row'. We were VERY lucky with our villa. If you don't live in such an area at home, you'll be paying away for a prestigious address. Doha is a safe city, with no dodgy areas I am aware of. Focus on convenience of commuting, and I would suggest parking also. Living outside a compound is easy, we do it, but we do not have any neighbours we can talk to - but lots of nodding and smiling. The compounds are often full of Dutch, French or Scandies, so no guarantees there either.
QIS is a great school, founded by an Englishwoman to accommodate non-Brits. Her grandchildren go to school in Sydney! Bear in mind it seems to be the school of choice for the large cohort of Egyptian and Indian professionals here, and whilst lessons are in english, that might not be the language spoken in the playground.
Freehold is a bit of a myth. They are available, but only in selected hi-rise developments that won't be complete for some time yet - maybe 2008/2009.
If there's anything else, let me know.
Veni, Vici, viva.
dudenogood - sorry mate. Last few days the traffic has been insane, back to where it was when I arrived in June. Summer is over, so 40 mins to travel 3km, topped last night by 20 mins to go 300ft to a roundabout. It's not all like that, but one has to be very selective about which route to use.
Be careful about where to live. West Bay is very nice (we live there, at the Dafna end), but it is very much the 'millionaires row'. We were VERY lucky with our villa. If you don't live in such an area at home, you'll be paying away for a prestigious address. Doha is a safe city, with no dodgy areas I am aware of. Focus on convenience of commuting, and I would suggest parking also. Living outside a compound is easy, we do it, but we do not have any neighbours we can talk to - but lots of nodding and smiling. The compounds are often full of Dutch, French or Scandies, so no guarantees there either.
QIS is a great school, founded by an Englishwoman to accommodate non-Brits. Her grandchildren go to school in Sydney! Bear in mind it seems to be the school of choice for the large cohort of Egyptian and Indian professionals here, and whilst lessons are in english, that might not be the language spoken in the playground.
Freehold is a bit of a myth. They are available, but only in selected hi-rise developments that won't be complete for some time yet - maybe 2008/2009.
If there's anything else, let me know.
Veni, Vici, viva.