On Doha’s waterfront stands this statue of of Orry Oryx, a mascot who was created for the 2016 Asian Games (which were held in Doha). An oryx is a type of antelope.
What’s the correct way to pronounce “Qatar”? Prior to my brief visit to that tiny nation on the Arabian peninsula, I’d been under the impression that the proper pronunciation was something approximating “Cutter.” But when I was aboard my Qatar Airways flight from Amman, Jordan to Doha, Qatar in January 2017, the narrator of the safety video that was played before takeoff pronounced the name of the airline as “Kah-TAHR Airways” — thus creating an uncertainty in my mind. So I chatted up a couple of the flight attendants to discuss this issue. Those FA’s, residents of the nation in question, agreed with their employer’s video and told me that they too recite the name of their homeland as “Kah-TAHR.” While internet research reveals a continued divide on this issue (see, for example, the results of this google search), I’ve adopted the pronunciation adhered to by Qatar’s flag airline — and by actual Qataris who work for that carrier.
Karaoke and sightseeing in Doha
Regardless of the right way to orally identify the world’s only country whose English name begins with the letter “Q,” I spent a couple of nights in that country — and specifically in its capital city of Doha — during the first week of this year. It was a brief pass-through, shamelessly tacked on to my itinerary in the hopes that I could add another country to my World Karaoke Tour. 🙂 Israel had become country no. 44 on that tour in the waning days of 2016; and after I failed to find karaoke during an otherwise spectacular sojourn in Jordan, it was my aspiration that Kah-TAHR or Cutter (as you prefer) would earn the distinction of becoming the 45th country in which I’d karaoked. Continue reading →
Namaste! Are you following this blog’s Facebook’s page yet? If not, you can just go here and click on the “like” button! That way, in addition to being apprised of new posts and other developments here at H-Bomb’s Worldwide Karaoke, you’ll see unique content such as photos from my travels that only appear on that Facebook page! Right now, the page has slightly more than 1,600 likes. Can you help me get to 2000?
Okay, with that out of the way, it’s time for a new featured image! Our photograph of the week comes from Hong Kong, which I named to the “Honourable Mention” list in my recent article about the cities I would most like to return to. Every night, the skyscrapers of Hong Kong’s business district present a sound and light show called “A Symphony of Lights” in which they’re illuminated in ever-changing colours, while searchlights and laser beams dance in the sky — with the whole thing synchronised to music. Here’s a snapshot in time from that sound and light show, looking across Victoria Harbour from the waterfront promenade on the Kowloon Peninsula — and as you can see, the buildings were looking particularly festive for the holidays when I went because I was there immediately after Christmas.
And as a bonus, here’s a video that I took of the Symphony of Lights show, so that you can see and hear what I experienced!
The photo and video footage aboe were taken during my trip to Hong Kong that took place from December 2009 to January 2010. During that trip, China (of which Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region) became the 15th country on my World Karaoke Tour.
Do you like watching sound and light shows when you travel?
Happy Sunday! I know I need to get better about sticking to a reasonably regular posting schedule on this blog. So I’ve started using Google Calendar to schedule writing time. Hopefully that will help.
Before I get to this week’s slightly delayed featured image (i.e., the latest installment of what is usually called “H-Bomb’s Friday Photo”), I would like to announce my latest travel-related news. For the fifth consecutive year, I’m gong to spend a New Year’s Eve overseas. I’ll be ringing in 2014 in Ireland! More on that as those plans develop.
From Europe to Asia: our latest weekly photo comes from the Far Eastern gambling mecca of Macau. About an hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong across the Pearl River Delta, Macau was a Portugese territory (and the last European colony in China) until 1999. Since then, it has been a Special Administrative Region of China. Geographically, Macau consists of a peninsula plus two islands.
The mega-hotels and casinos that you’ll find on the peninsula rival anything on the Las Vegas Strip, and even include some of the same names (such as the Wynn and the Venetian). In addition, many of those hotels are garishly illuminated at night, with those lights in ever-shifting colours:
In the photo above, you can see the Wynn (where I played some blackjack), and behind it the Grand Lisboa. Of course, there’s much more to Macau than places where you can indulge in games of chance. Reflecting its heritage, the territory boasts some outstanding examples of colonial Portugese architecture. And naturally, I sang karaoke there. 🙂
This photo was taken during my visit to Hong Kong and Macau in December 2009.
Incidentally, speaking of karaoke: as I’ve recently mentioned, I’ve now become interested in country music. The next song that I’ll be attempting in that genre is one that I think has the potential to become my new personal anthem: “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson. You can watch Mr. Nelson performing it here:
I think this song perfectly sums up my worldview, because I truly can never wait to get on the road again!
Hello there! I'm an attorney and worldwide karaoke singer who's based in New York City. So far I've sung karaoke in 67 countries around the globe, plus Easter Island - as well as all 50 U.S. states! This website chronicles my World Karaoke Tour as well as my general travel adventures. Learn more
H-Bomb's Worldwide Karaoke 