DRIVING IN DOHA - RULES FOR THE ROAD

Driving here is an extreme sport. Wish everyone would obey a few simple rules:

1) Number one is the biggest shocker---- remember, there are other cars on the road. I know, you thought the road was built just for you, but reality is there are other people in the world, and some of those people are driving cars very close to you. Be aware of their presence.

2) Pick a lane, stay in it, signal if you wish to change.

3) DO NOT tailgate, flash your lights, and/or blow your horn at someone doing the speed limit in the left lane. Often this is done while straddling the right and left lanes (see number 2), so the person in front of you isn't sure that you won't rear end them even if they move into the right lane.

4) If you do pass on the right (see #3) DO NOT immediately move into the left lane in front of the "offending" vehicle and slam on your brakes. (Just experienced this while chaperoning on a school bus. Our bus driver slammed on the brakes and we avoided a collision, but all the kids screamed. Have also experienced in my personal vehicle.)

5) Don't drive so fast - why are you in such a hurry? (There is NO WHERE TO GO!)

6) At the gas pump, turn off your car engine while having gas put in (we don't pump our own gas here). If you MUST leave the car engine on (again - see #5 about hurrying) then DO NOT move your car while gas is being pumped in! (Yes, I have seen both happen.)

7) Turn your headlights on at night (duh!). Check your tail lights once in awhile. If any lights (head or tail) are burned out, replace them.

8) Wear seat belts, or at least have your children belted in.

9) If driving a truck with cargo (like propane cylinders) make sure they are secure (have seen such cylinders fall off trucks).

10) Don't weave in and out of rush hour traffic (see #'s 2 and 5).

CAMPING AT ZIKREET

Sunset over the Persian Gulf


Ostriches roam free

Rocky Beach at Zikreet




Scouts flying kites




Beach at Zikreet








Spent Easter Weekend camping with the Boy Scouts at Zikreet, Qatar. This is a very desolate area - was nice to get away from the lights and noise of Doha. Zikreet is a nature preserve, and very close to the movie set fort we visited in November (see a previous post for pictures). Ostriches roam free here - you have to be careful of them - they have been known to attack people. We saw this one from the car, and he wasn't afraid of us! There used to be a breed of smaller ostrich that was native to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, but it is extinct. A few years ago, for reasons I cannot fathom, the Qataris introduced these ostriches.

The entire family had a great time wading in the gulf, flying kites, looking for shells and watching the Boy Scouts work on the wilderness survival merit badge. The beach here is rocky, but there is some sand. (Qatar does not have nice sandy beaches.) At night we could see the lights and natural gas flare of the oil refinery across the bay in Dukhan. There are also several military outposts near here, and some permanent Qatari tent camps. We were undisturbed, except for a Land Rover that come through our camp at 3:30 am - probably a government type patrol. Andy, Grant, and I slept out under the stars. Moon was very full, was like sleeping with a light on. Erin opted for the tent. Weather was very nice - 80's during the day and 60's at night. This is the last Qatar Boy Scout campout until fall - it is going to start getting VERY hot and humid in the next month.

Got back to Doha early on Easter Sunday. Some of the hotels here had special brunches, Easter Egg displays, etc; to celebrate. And, the new Catholic Church held services. We missed all that, but did go out to our military base for dinner. Had ham, mashed potatoes and sour cherry pie - very nice! And, great news, the PX has pork again! Picked up pork chops and pork tenderloin. I got the limit (remember, pork is rationed) of 5 packages. Plan on pork chops tonight!

BEST MUSEUM IN QATAR!

OK, so the musuem doesn't have much competition in Qatar! Still, it is a great collection of interesting art, furniture, pottery, jewelry, weapons, cars, fossils, coins and paper money, photographs, etc; from all over the world! (Even a dollar, issued by the State of Virginia during the Civil War.) Very few items are from Qatar (makes sense though - historically, and today, very few people live in Qatar) - many items from Egypt, Morrocco, India, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Oman, etc; I visited as a chaperone for Erin's 3rd grade class, and would like to go back and view the collections at my leisure (meaning, when I am not in charge of keeping 3 kids from getting "excess.") The kids enjoyed looking at everything. Problem is many items are not in cases, behind ropes, or otherwise protected from the excesses of children. We had to keep a close eye on everyone, but happy to report that everybody and everything survived our visit.

Official name is the Al Thani Family Museum (the Al Thani's are Qatar's ruling famly). Museum is located on Sheik Faisal Al Thani's farm - Erin and I went there for the Girl Scout campout but the museum wasn't open at that time. Admission is free, trick is figuring out when the museum is open.

NO PORK - BUT POOL!

By the time I got the pork ration card the PX was out of pork. Sigh. At least I am ready for the next shipment!
Weather has been very nice here, 80's and sunny. So nice today that the compound kids met at the pool after school. We have 2 pools on this compound, neither one has a heater but both have chillers (when it is 120 this summer, for days on end, the chiller is necessary!). Don't think they have turned the chiller on yet. We also have a house water chiller next to our water heater. When we first arrived the chiller was turned off, and we had no cold water (hard on laundry). Took a week or so for me to find out about the chiller and ask compound maintenance to turn it on. One thing I really miss is a garbage disposal. I have lived without one before, but much prefer life with it!
Busy weekend - big St. Patty's Day Party tomorrow (Friday)!

BOOT SCOOT

Here we are at the Texas A&M Boot Scoot. This being an oil town, there are a lot of Texans in Doha. Plus, Texas A&M has an engineering school here. This annual event is put on to raise money for various charities - including the Doha Girl Scouts (hence my involvement). I helped with the silent auction, which raised over 20,000 Riyal (that's over $5,500). We don't do the Texas Two Step, but still had a good time!

Saw "The King and I" this weekend, put on by the Doha Players. The Players are the local expat theatre group - mostly Brits, Americans and Canadians. They have been "playing" in Doha since 1954. Play was held at the campus of North Atlantic University in Doha. This is not at Education City (where Texas A&M, Cornell and Virginia Commonwealth Universities have campuses, and where Erin takes ballet lessons) so I had never been there. It is very new, and very nice. Erin and I really enjoyed the show. It's a musical, with a live orchestra, and great costumes. Grant was pretty bored by the end - with intermission it was a 3 hour production! Two little girls from our compound, friends of Erin, were in the show playing children of the King. They were so cute in the costumes!

Also went to the Friendship Festival at the American School this weekend (busy weekend). That was a very fun event with games, food, music, vendors and a silent auction (I helped again - word has gotten out that I am a fundraiser). Kids had a GREAT time!

Weather very nice here - 82 and sunny yesterday. I spent yesterday (Sunday) trying to buy pork. This being a Muslim country you can't buy it in the local grocery stores. Every once in a while, a pork shipment comes into the PX out at Camp As Aliyah (our military base here). Got the word that yesterday was one of those days, so ventured out there. Realized my pork ration card had expired, so went to get a new one. (Yes, they ration pork!) Sign outside the office stated it opened at 1 pm on Sunday. Ok, fine, I got my hair cut, did some other shopping, mailed some stuff at the APO, and ate lunch at the dining hall (BBQ pork ribs - very tasty). Checked out the pork at the PX - tenderloin and chops - looked yummy! Went back at 1 pm - office still locked up. Office next door had opened, and told me that the office I needed no longer opened on Sunday! I don't have the time to go back out today or Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday - by which time the pork will probably be gone. Oh well. (You people in the US don't know how lucky you are! Oh sure, you may have a foot of snow, but you can buy as much pork as you want anytime you want. Ditto on the cottage cheese, chocolate chips, lactaid milk, sour cream, lettuce, etc;)

DOHA ZOO

This sleeping beauty reminds me of my cat, Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell couldn't come to Doha with us - she is living with my parents.


The Zoo is the lushest, greenest, spot we've found in Doha.

As promised, here are photos from our trip to the Doha Zoo. The Zoo is very near our house - I'll probably take Erin there again over Spring Break. Cost to get in? 2 Riyal for kids and 5 Riyal for adults (there are 3.65 Riyal in a dollar - this is not a budget buster!). We went on the kid's President's Day holiday - only a holiday for the American School so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Next post will be photos from the Texas A&M Boot Scoot last weekend.

Interesting note - gas is cheap in Doha. So cheap the stations don't even post the price. We have a Chevy Trailblazer (SUV). Cost to fill up from completely empty - about $14.