Thursday Night in Doha

Thai food !

Our thursday night in Doha is like a Friday night. Its the end of the week (T.A.I.T - Thank Allah its Thursday). Our favorite restaurant to eat out at is called the Thai Shack. The decor is very trailer parkish but the food is deeelicious and cheap. 7 of us went out and pigged out for under 100$. Our friends the Carlsons (David, Michalle and Nikko) taught in Bangkok and they say the food is first rate. The green curry is very good.
We left the restaurant and braved the traffic (about 30 minutes to travel 5 km ) to head to the "old souq"or Souq Wakif.

This a bit of a misnomer because the souqs were built to look old and authentic but in reality they're quite new. But never the less they are fun to walk around and there are deals to be had if you look carefully. It reminded me alot of the markets in Tiajuana in the 80's, lots of little alley ways filled with merchants who love to haggle over prices. There are hundreds of stalls that sell everything from the latest mid eastern women's fashions ...
to birds... parakeets and falcons
Then there was the candy and spice store. The proprietor in the back of the photo was encouraging us to sample everything. I think its less about getting you to buy some thing and more about getting you to just appreciate their shop.
But we weren't there to buy candy we were hunting for wall hangings, namely rugs with interesting patterns and colors. We found a great souq with an impressive selection and a manager with a sense of humor and an itch to bargain. Funny guy, kept trying add more rugs to our stack and he'd knock down the price per rug/ We had to keep telling him 3, we only want 3!
That's him on the left. It was good fun
After the haggling was done we were served tea!

Outside the souqs there are other things to do ...
There are outdoor cafes that serve a variety of juices, coffee and tea. While sit sip you smoke sheesha. It's a paste that you heat with coals, smoke through a water pipe. The pastes have more flavors than Baskins and Robbins. It's very mild you can't even feel a nicotine buzz.




There's also entertainment! Its not exactly Aerosmith but you can't help tap your toe to it.
And the locals seem to like it. I think its like a Qatari version of the Chieftains, hard to know, the lyrics are well beyond any of us.
There was a Film festival in town that night. Apparently Robert DeNiro was in attendance. The evening finished with fireworks, it was an impressive display.

This guy with the donkey was doing great business with the kids, he had customers all night. Yes, that's Baskin and Robbins behind him.
And then all of a sudden it closes, and everything just disappears. Its quite eerie walking through the maze of walkways, with no one in sight.


Here's what we have to show for our evening ...

Doha Driving

Ok, I've put it off long enough, I need to vent... The single greatest daily challenge facing new residents in Qatar is driving.

Don't get me wrong, I like to drive. But the locals will drive - you .... %$#@ crazy/bonkers/bananas/ballistic...

The locals here drive with, really, no regard to rules like speed limit, lines on roads, other drivers ect... I've never seen such an easily identifiable group of egotistical self centered individuals in my life as the "local Doha driver". They're right up there with actors and super models.

While on the road the local driver is easily spotted. They typically drive a white SUV usually a Toyota Land Cruiser with gold striping. It's not just the men, the women are every bit as aggressive.



The aggressive driving can take many forms.

• You want to pass a vehicle. You decide to pull into the left most lane (generally not the best idea), shoulder check, mirror check, there is no one in sight. Your eyes drop to the road for what seems seconds. Your eyes are snapped back to your rearview mirror by horn blasts and lights flashing. A toyota land cruiser has apparated (thanks JK Rowling) behind your vehicle. The vehicle is so close that you can see the driver's protruding nose hairs, right below the bulging eyes.
• You waiting in line behind several vehicles at a stop sign, traffic light, accident ...(pick one) when a land cruiser passes you, as well as everyone else, driving on the median and forces its way back into line at the front. No one honks... its like no big deal!
• Its not uncommon on side streets to have someone come at you in your lane as they pass a long queue of cars. They expect "you" to get out of "their way", they will flash their lights if you don't get the message right away.
  
• Driving in the middle lane is safest because people will cut you off from all directions. The middle lane gives everyone the opportunity to execute "evasive manoeuvers". My rule is drive just below the speed limit and let em' pass there is no point getting exited it happens everytime I get behind the wheel.
• If someone had a problem with road rage, they should be sent here This place would could cure anyone it in a week. You would be so bombarded with irritatating stimuli that you would totally desensitize and be ready for the relatively calm driving of downtown Toronto.
• Roundabouts are a subclassification all on their own. Its a free for all. The only rule is "keep your head up". People are ducking in and out of the round abouts from all directions. Some roundabouts have trafffic lights that flash yellow, some have no lights, some are intermittenly run by the police. Its like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get" (thanks Forest).
• I came within a hairs breath of a 6000 QR fine (1800 cdn) at least that's what the qatari traffic cop told me. I was not speeding or passing crazily, I was trying to park in mall (I could write a blog just on that experience alone). I wanted to make a left turn, the car coming towards me accelerates, I turn sooner than I want, to avoid a head-on bump (at 10km/h). I end up turning on the wrong side of a 2m long median. The other vehicle is the previously mentioned traffic cowboy. He hops and yells in broken english that I will pay this huge fine. I have been forewarned to avoid confrontation and everything will be fine. So I start this self deprecating dialogue... I am new, I didn't see, I am confused, I am stupid ... yadayada. His stone cold demeanor cracks he starts to smile ("I've got him")... I get off. Upon later reflection I realize how ridiculous the situation was and how preposterous the fine, considering all the recent near death experiences I have had with local idiots.
• Lenore says I am starting to drive like them. Not so! Last time I checked I still had a conscience.
• The video here is not meant to scare anyone, does however provide insight into the local metality. The video is two years old and things have improved. Qatar driving
  
• 
• note the people driving on the sidewalk, that happens with or without accidents.
  

10 things we should have brought to Doha but didn't...Oops!

1. More pictures and wall hangings, this place is immense!
2. Recipe books for Lenore, you can get just about any food item here.
3. Molasses, real maple syrup, tortilla wraps, marshmallows, blueberries ... all hard to find
4. More electrical transformers to convert 240 V to 120V!
5. More sunglasses and sun screen, after all, its the desert.
6. More warm clothes, the AC is killer, especially for the gals.
7. Loose leaf paper with 3 holes not 4 (Loose leaf is really expensive)
8. Bedding and towels ... also expensive.
9. Picture frames. We should have framed everything before we left.
10. Finally... books, the selection here sucks, there's no Noble and Barnes or Chapters :(

The Mulvaney Neighborhood

I thought that it would be fun to walk you around our neighborhood and show you where everything is! Before I start, yes it is still hot 39C today and no, it hasn't rained yet, infact I am starting to forget what clouds look like.

Anyway, when you step outside our villa there is a small courtyard. Breana would like to plant a tree or two, maybe some flowers
The maid's quarters are beyond the jeep.
Looking back,there's the front entrance and my lovely wife keeping everything spic and span.
Through the not so golden arch ...
I think our place is nicer but you know 90% of all the places in Doha look like this, very boxlike with flat roofs.
Now we look right down the street...
and then left..
Our street has no name, infact we don't really have an address. When asked, the address we give is the school address. If there is a delivery our answer is... "Big Orange Villa # 9 behind the Al-Waab petrol station."
So if we head to the left and we walk to those trees in the distance you will see...
The Al-Waab Petrol Station complete with gas, market, cafeteria, pharmacy, Turkish Barber and car wash. It costs me about 18 $ to fill the jeep and 8$ for a haircut.... not bad.
Turkish barber aka The Istanbul Saloon.

The carwash is actually a jackwash meaning they jack your vehicle up and wash the underneath, which is a must after a day of "Duning". They will also detail the interior at the same time... total cost 50 QR or $ 16.50 again ... not bad.

Down the road a bit is another stripmall with our favorite take out ....
The Al-Ennabi makes humus, baba gnoush, kabobs and shwarmas (yummy chicken wrap - like a donair). There is a juice stall that makes awesome juice mixes, our favorite is avocado and strawberry, delicious! Its better than a milkshake. They don't drink alcohol here but they are very creative with what they do drink.

Back to our place... If you turn right

then walk towards the fence in the distance you will see some nice villas to your right

If you walk another 100 m you come to the Al-Saad sports complex

the soccer taining field,

The pool
And the stadium

Inside the stadium..
Just around the corner from the stadium is our local mosque
There is very limited parking and people worship every day, so if you drive by at dusk there are cars parked on the dividing line in the middle of the street, every day.

Trip to the Inland Sea

Welcome to the Inland Sea.

Well believe it or not we are now on vacation for a week! Geez, those teachers eh! We used our first day to explore southern Qatar and the inland sea, which looks more like a big salty lake.
We left Doha at 2pm and headed south (click for map), 20 SUVs in a convoy.
Once we arrived at the end of the road we had to deflate our tires to 18 psi inorder to drive in the sand. The flat tires get better traction and tend not to sink in the soft sand.
"I think it's flat enough!

Our first camel sighting! In Umm Said

And there off! All tires properly flattened, we leave the highway.


There are no landmarks on this road, thank Allah for GPS.

You know how they say " half the fun is getting there! Well this time it was true! The off road was a combination of hard pack, highway texture road mixed with "bone jarring" broken pavement, licks of sanspits and then the occasional sand dune to climb. The sand dune ascents were a hoot, you 50m between one vehicle and the next, just in case the guy ahead gets stuck, which many did!


The beauty of where we ended up is not really captured in these pictures unfortunately. The vistas were absolutely panoramic, with terrain that I had never seen before, first hand.


We settled in and swam, with lots of horseshoe crabs crawling over toes and thousands of other creatures that we wouldn't notice until later. We started our BBQ, I bought a little hibachi style grill and fired up some briquettes ( first time in 30 years). While the coals were getting ready we failed to notice the rising tide. By the time the hot dogs were on the grill the first streamers of sea water began to infiltrate our tail gate picnic. We ended up marching the BBQ to higher ground and relocating the jeep. Within ten minutes we had to move again. It didn't help that the sun had set, which made it hard to judge where the water was.... it was fun.
Rolling down the dunes..

Once the sun had truly set we were treated to an incredible star display. The Milky way was beautiful as were the shooting stars we saw. It was another magical evening!That is Saudi across the water.

This is obviously not my photo, but after sunset if you walked through the water it would light up with what looked like little fire flies. If you swished the water with your hands hundreds of little flecks of light would dance around your hands... It was incredibly cool. They are little one celled creatures called dinoflagellates.


The drive home was challenging. There was no moon, no lights of any kind. You just crossed your fingers that the guy leading the convoy knew where he was going. Going over and around dunes in the dark was ..... a thrill. It really felt good to get home, next time we camp!