Thursday, July 5, 2012
Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil
Well after a very long period of doing all the same things, I have finally done something different...I mean how many times can you go to the mall, watch a new flick or have dinner. Sometimes that seems to be all there is to do in Doha - or at least maybe all that I do anyway. This week though, we have a world class show here in Doha called Saltimbanco - it's a Cirque du Soleil show that "explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms".
WOW! There is no other word to describe this show. It is an amazing display of strength, acrobatics, and comedy all rolled into one. The choreography and visual displays of colour are stunning.
My favorite act was a performance by a guy who was swinging from two suspended straps. He rolled himself up the straps to the ceiling and back down to the floor as well as doing some flips and acrobatics in mid-air.
The Russian Swing was another great act where the performers swung on a long board swing in a triangle frame and then flew off into a dismount and were caught by the performers on the ground.
Towards the end of the show were four bungee artists who twirled and plummeted to the delight of the entire crowd. It was really amazing to watch the synchronicity with which they performed, even when one of the artists missed the trapeeze on one of the return bounces.
Now, I know most people don't like mimes...but this show had a great one! He portrayed his actions with such exaggeration and impeccable timing with the sound effects, much to the enchantment of the audience. The improv was great as well. The mime and several other performers involved several audience members in the show even bringing them on stage in some cases. It is easy to see the amount of preparation that is involved with this type of show and the performers sure do seem to love what they do!
To be honest I didn't expect to like it as it is not the sort of event I would normally be excited to go see. All that has changed now for sure. This will not be my last Cirque show.
I guess running away and joining the Cirque doesn't have to be a bad idea!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Mamma's Adventures in Doha
I know you guys have been very patiently been waiting for another installment. I know this because several people have asked about it! Thanks for being so patient as my fall has been super busy! That being said...here's the story of Mom's visit for Eid Al-Adha.
As Eid Al Adha approached, all of my colleagues and friends were feverishly planning all the really cool places they would be heading to, and I was was scrambling to figure out what I would be doing to entertain my mother and her friends here in Doha. As most ex-pats and visitors know, once you've been on the ground for about 4 days...there isn't much else to do except eat and shop. In any case, we managed to fill 9 days and I will admit there was A LOT of shopping.
We arrived from the airport around 2am on Saturday and I was definitely ready for bed since I'd been up and running all day. The ladies, however, had other ideas. For them it was only 8pm and they were raring to go. We decided to have a drink or 9 to see if they would tire out and after 2 hours of talking (and me yawning), they were finally wound down enough to go to sleep. (Seriously, after 20 travel hours, I don't know what they had left to talk about!)
It was slow going in the morning (late morning that is) when we got up but we managed to exit the apartment around 2pm and the girls wanted to get money exchanged. So not surprisingly we headed for Villaggio Mall. We spent 7 hours wandering around, looking at Turkish mosiac lamps (and ultimately 1 was purchased), exchanging money, and having dinner. We had a great dinner at Thai Chi, a delicious Asian Fusion restaurant in the section of the food court that doesn't serve fast food. What a long day that was!
An overnight desert safari was the order of the day for Monday. We took a trip to the Inland Sea with Black Pearl Tourism Company and our guide, Hazem, couldn't have been better. Our adventure started when Hazem attempted to pick us up at the apartment. We got the overnight bags loaded into the Land Cruiser (the standard dune bashing vehicle) and 5 ladies piled in. We were all going a mile a minute...we all of us but the SUV anyway...that wasn't going anywhere! OMG! It wouldn't start. Hazem called for a replacement SUV and driver to take us until he could get the issue resolved. Hazem met us out at the Sealine Beach Resort area just as we were preparing for camel riding (you have to do it at least once for the experience).
After the camel riding, we headed out to the dunes to see what they were made of...turns out..It's Sand! Who knew? Dune bashing feels like you are on a roller coaster. The only difference is that the driver can controller the level of thrill. If you have an aggressive driver and everyone is a bit daring, it's a blast. I can say that going over the top of a dune when you can't see the sand beyond is like the crest of the 1st drop on a roller coaster. We spent a couple hours in the dunes and it was dark by the time we made it back to the camp.
At the camp we were served a catered buffet dinner of Arabic food and were able to enjoy the atmosphere of the camp or climb to the top of the dune to see what was on the other side. Our tents were traditional bedouin style - with electricity of course! Cushions for sitting and sleeping were provided and turned out to be quite comfortable. Breakfast, a climb up the dune and walk to the Arabian Gulf was the order of the morning. By then, it was time for Hazem to return us to Doha.
We visited the gold souq, three times to try to find jewelry that was not outrageously priced. I can't remember if we found jewelry there but we did find some "designer" handbags by Coach and Burberry and some others. No trip to Doha would be complete without a visit or 3 to Souq Waqif for pashminas, souvenirs and some food. (I did warn you about the shopping)
We also had an unexpected treat during their stay. We were invited to a Qatari wedding. We were all quite honored to have a glimpse of this tradition within the Qatari culture. Of course we did only get to see the Women's side of the party as men and women do not socialize together the same as we do in western culture.
It is quite obvious that the women spend a significant amount of time to prepare for an event such as this. There is the hair and makeup to be done, nails, hair removal and of course a dress to find. We did not see 2 of the same dress and every dress was fancy. In Cape Breton, you can usually count on several people wearing jeans or shorts and t-shirts or casual tops at a wedding reception. That is so NOT the case at a wedding in Qatar.
Overall, we all had a great visit and I think the gals all went home with some interesting memories and some great souvenirs...
(See Mom, I didn't mention the glass door or the speed bumps!)
We arrived from the airport around 2am on Saturday and I was definitely ready for bed since I'd been up and running all day. The ladies, however, had other ideas. For them it was only 8pm and they were raring to go. We decided to have a drink or 9 to see if they would tire out and after 2 hours of talking (and me yawning), they were finally wound down enough to go to sleep. (Seriously, after 20 travel hours, I don't know what they had left to talk about!)
It was slow going in the morning (late morning that is) when we got up but we managed to exit the apartment around 2pm and the girls wanted to get money exchanged. So not surprisingly we headed for Villaggio Mall. We spent 7 hours wandering around, looking at Turkish mosiac lamps (and ultimately 1 was purchased), exchanging money, and having dinner. We had a great dinner at Thai Chi, a delicious Asian Fusion restaurant in the section of the food court that doesn't serve fast food. What a long day that was!
An overnight desert safari was the order of the day for Monday. We took a trip to the Inland Sea with Black Pearl Tourism Company and our guide, Hazem, couldn't have been better. Our adventure started when Hazem attempted to pick us up at the apartment. We got the overnight bags loaded into the Land Cruiser (the standard dune bashing vehicle) and 5 ladies piled in. We were all going a mile a minute...we all of us but the SUV anyway...that wasn't going anywhere! OMG! It wouldn't start. Hazem called for a replacement SUV and driver to take us until he could get the issue resolved. Hazem met us out at the Sealine Beach Resort area just as we were preparing for camel riding (you have to do it at least once for the experience).
After the camel riding, we headed out to the dunes to see what they were made of...turns out..It's Sand! Who knew? Dune bashing feels like you are on a roller coaster. The only difference is that the driver can controller the level of thrill. If you have an aggressive driver and everyone is a bit daring, it's a blast. I can say that going over the top of a dune when you can't see the sand beyond is like the crest of the 1st drop on a roller coaster. We spent a couple hours in the dunes and it was dark by the time we made it back to the camp.
At the camp we were served a catered buffet dinner of Arabic food and were able to enjoy the atmosphere of the camp or climb to the top of the dune to see what was on the other side. Our tents were traditional bedouin style - with electricity of course! Cushions for sitting and sleeping were provided and turned out to be quite comfortable. Breakfast, a climb up the dune and walk to the Arabian Gulf was the order of the morning. By then, it was time for Hazem to return us to Doha.
We visited the gold souq, three times to try to find jewelry that was not outrageously priced. I can't remember if we found jewelry there but we did find some "designer" handbags by Coach and Burberry and some others. No trip to Doha would be complete without a visit or 3 to Souq Waqif for pashminas, souvenirs and some food. (I did warn you about the shopping)
We also had an unexpected treat during their stay. We were invited to a Qatari wedding. We were all quite honored to have a glimpse of this tradition within the Qatari culture. Of course we did only get to see the Women's side of the party as men and women do not socialize together the same as we do in western culture.
It is quite obvious that the women spend a significant amount of time to prepare for an event such as this. There is the hair and makeup to be done, nails, hair removal and of course a dress to find. We did not see 2 of the same dress and every dress was fancy. In Cape Breton, you can usually count on several people wearing jeans or shorts and t-shirts or casual tops at a wedding reception. That is so NOT the case at a wedding in Qatar.
Overall, we all had a great visit and I think the gals all went home with some interesting memories and some great souvenirs...
(See Mom, I didn't mention the glass door or the speed bumps!)
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Road Rules?? What's are they?
I see I have fallen behind on keeping ya'll up to date on my Qatari adventures. Since I haven't been out to see anything really cool lately I thought I'd tell you about the CRAZY driving I have witnessed recently.
To watch the drivers in Doha, you'd think there were no rules. If there are rules nobody follows them. On any given drive through the city you can see drivers racing, drifting, even making their own lanes where there weren't any before. And oh the roundabouts! Every major intersection in the city is a roundabout. If you don't know the rules...get someone else to drive!
This brings me to what I witnessed on two different days last week.
Around the middle of the week, all of us early risers at La Palace 5 strolled out and hopped on the 6:30am bus in order to be taken to the college. We were anything but wide awake. Who knew that was soon to change? We pulled off of our street onto the main road, Jawaan St, and merged (very carefully) into what can only be described as bumper to bumper traffic - three lanes deep.
Once comfortably crawling along we all settled in for our 15 minute ride to the college, some of us snoozing, others reading or talking quietly.
Suddenly, from way behind us, we hear lots of insistent, urgent honking. As the seconds tick by, the honking is louder, more insistent, and more urgent.
You might be wondering what ever could be the issue to cause so much racket. Well, when we looked out the the window we saw the cause...a large black Land Cruiser was in between our bus and the vehicle in the next lane. (See...I told you they don't follow road rules)
As the black SUV moved its way further up towards the roundabout, another driver decided he wasn't about to let this happen. The second driver, who was driving a white Land Cruiser (this is one of the most popular vehicles in Doha), pulled out to block the area between the two lanes effectively cutting off the black Land Cruiser.
The driver of the black Land Cruiser was not about to take that sitting down. He jumped out of his truck and ran up to the white vehicle to confront the driver who wronged him. He ran up and banged on the driver's window, wildly pointing back at his vehicle, his stomach and at the hospital across the street.
It turns out his wife was in labour in the black Land Cruiser and he was trying to get her to Hamad Hospital. The second driver apologize and moved his truck. Unfortunately we didn't get an update on the labour.
The second incident happened the very next day. We made it almost all the way to the college without incident. It looked like it was going to be a good morning. That only lasted until we turned onto Arab League St. It is only a short drive from the roundabout to the college and it was during this short part of the drive that we were overtaken by a Camry (another extremely popular car in Doha) who was travelling super fast. Once the car pulled back in front of us, the driver realized that she had missed the entrance to the college that she was aiming for.
What did she do? She slammed on the brakes of course, stopped dead in the middle of the road. In order to avoid a wreck, our bus driver also had to slam on the brakes.
Once stopped, we waited for the other driver to make a U-turn so we could proceed onto the entrance gate that the buses use. She showed no sign of getting out of our way, so the bus driver decided to back up and go around. Well, she took that as a signal to also back up so we couldn't go around. Again...we sat!
One of the gentlemen on our bus decided he'd had enough and ordered the door to be opened. He jumped out and gave the woman what for! And then he came back on the bus to a round of applause and cheers!
This is only 2 of the totally un-Canadian driving instances I have seen since arriving in Doha. It has to be seen to be believed!
Until next time folks...stay safe!
Cheers!
To watch the drivers in Doha, you'd think there were no rules. If there are rules nobody follows them. On any given drive through the city you can see drivers racing, drifting, even making their own lanes where there weren't any before. And oh the roundabouts! Every major intersection in the city is a roundabout. If you don't know the rules...get someone else to drive!
This brings me to what I witnessed on two different days last week.
Around the middle of the week, all of us early risers at La Palace 5 strolled out and hopped on the 6:30am bus in order to be taken to the college. We were anything but wide awake. Who knew that was soon to change? We pulled off of our street onto the main road, Jawaan St, and merged (very carefully) into what can only be described as bumper to bumper traffic - three lanes deep.
Once comfortably crawling along we all settled in for our 15 minute ride to the college, some of us snoozing, others reading or talking quietly.
Suddenly, from way behind us, we hear lots of insistent, urgent honking. As the seconds tick by, the honking is louder, more insistent, and more urgent.
You might be wondering what ever could be the issue to cause so much racket. Well, when we looked out the the window we saw the cause...a large black Land Cruiser was in between our bus and the vehicle in the next lane. (See...I told you they don't follow road rules)
As the black SUV moved its way further up towards the roundabout, another driver decided he wasn't about to let this happen. The second driver, who was driving a white Land Cruiser (this is one of the most popular vehicles in Doha), pulled out to block the area between the two lanes effectively cutting off the black Land Cruiser.
The driver of the black Land Cruiser was not about to take that sitting down. He jumped out of his truck and ran up to the white vehicle to confront the driver who wronged him. He ran up and banged on the driver's window, wildly pointing back at his vehicle, his stomach and at the hospital across the street.
It turns out his wife was in labour in the black Land Cruiser and he was trying to get her to Hamad Hospital. The second driver apologize and moved his truck. Unfortunately we didn't get an update on the labour.
The second incident happened the very next day. We made it almost all the way to the college without incident. It looked like it was going to be a good morning. That only lasted until we turned onto Arab League St. It is only a short drive from the roundabout to the college and it was during this short part of the drive that we were overtaken by a Camry (another extremely popular car in Doha) who was travelling super fast. Once the car pulled back in front of us, the driver realized that she had missed the entrance to the college that she was aiming for.
What did she do? She slammed on the brakes of course, stopped dead in the middle of the road. In order to avoid a wreck, our bus driver also had to slam on the brakes.
Once stopped, we waited for the other driver to make a U-turn so we could proceed onto the entrance gate that the buses use. She showed no sign of getting out of our way, so the bus driver decided to back up and go around. Well, she took that as a signal to also back up so we couldn't go around. Again...we sat!
One of the gentlemen on our bus decided he'd had enough and ordered the door to be opened. He jumped out and gave the woman what for! And then he came back on the bus to a round of applause and cheers!
This is only 2 of the totally un-Canadian driving instances I have seen since arriving in Doha. It has to be seen to be believed!
Until next time folks...stay safe!
Cheers!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Flight Home From Doha
The next couple of posts will not be about an adventure in Doha but instead about the adventure of my first trip home to Canada from Doha.
Way back in September 2010, it was decided that it would be a great idea for me to go home to Canada for Christmas instead of honeybunny coming to Doha. This was for a couple of reasons - 1 - dating is frowned upon here, 2 - we would have to find him a place to "stay" and 3 - if I came to Canada, I would see more people. And so it was decided. Once I had a ticket, it seemed everyone was anxious and excited to see me and hear about my time away. (I guess those people aren't following this blog... :-( )
The anticipation started on October 1st when the countdown calendar went up on the wall in my apt. All I needed to do was get through 82 days and I could see all my friends, family and loved ones - well the ones who lived in Nova Scotia anyway! As the days were X'd off one by one, I couldn't believe how fast they were going...then it was OMG it's only 10 more days...9...8...7 and so on until 2 days before the flight.
My flight out of Doha was with Qatar Airways, who allow online check in up to 36 hours prior to departure. So, when the 36th hour prior to my flight arrived, I tried checking in online and was told "There are no flight to check-in". LOVELY! I thought, but hey...I'm in the computer biz, maybe it's a glitch...I'll try again later. And I did...and guess what...SAME THING! I continued to try for about 24 hours without success. Well, boy, was I nervous then.
So I started to talk to my co-workers to see if this was normal. One of my co-workers...the nice gent that he is...suggested that the flight was oversold. Oversold?? How can that be...there is a definite number of seats on the plane....how does one sell more seats then one has? Apparently this happens quite regular here but this is a concept I just can't conceive of....If you have only 5 apples, how can you sell 8...? So, I asked my co-worker - the nice gent - "well what should I do??" He suggested I go to the airport at least 5 hours before the flight...that should ensure that I get my seat. So that is what I did.
Okay, so now, I have my 2 suitcases and my carry on and I am at the airport...I am successfully checked through passport control and I have a boarding pass (YAY!!) so there is no way I am not getting on that flight...now all I have to do is find something to occupy myself for 5 1/2 hours...First things first, I notify honeybunny that I have a boarding pass...(he was at home as stressed as I was about me getting on the flight and making all the connections.)
Next, check out the Duty Free shop...Since I don't recall ever being in a duty free shop I can say...WOW! What an experience...there was even a Rolls Royce in there...Can you imagine the cost to get that home...?? I didn't realize until later that it was for a raffle. All the top names were represented at Duty Free - Bvlgari, D & G, Versace, Chanel, Toblerone, Lindt, Marlboro, and a very small liquor section too (impressive since it is a dry state) There were some interesting Qatar themed items too so, I made a few small purchases and then headed upstairs...
Upstairs was were I found a food court...and not a very good one at that. Nonetheless, I was bored so I tried it. The food was NOT good. I definitely wouldn't recommend this food court to anyone traveling through Doha International Airport.
After the food court, I managed to find another small duty free shop upstairs...YAY Me! They had even cooler Qatar items than they had downstairs so of course I bought some more items. I picked up a copy of Top Gear UK magazine for my 2 gear head friends and a decorative pipe as a gift. Then it was off to Costa Coffee. They make a great vanilla latte so I was all set now to settle down and wait a few more hours until my flight started to board.
After sitting and watching things going on at Doha International Airport...I finally figured out why no flight takes off on time from there. A flight to Columbo, Sri Lanka was boarding at the gate I was waiting at. It was supposed to depart at 00:50. At 1:10am it finally departed after the personnel at the gate stopped calling for people to come on that flight.
Shortly after that, my own flight started to board. Once on the plane, things went pretty smoothly. I think I was asleep before we reached our cruising altitude and I woke up in time for canberry and cheese crepes for breakfast before landing in Frankfurt. Yummy! The cool thing about an overnight flight from Doha is a great little pack that is sitting on your seat when you get on. There is the requisite blanket and pillow but then there is a little pouch on a string, something I had never seen before as Air Canada definitely doesn't provide this. Inside the pouch was a pair of burgundy cotton socks (to keep your feet warm), ear plugs, a sleep mask and a travel toothbrush with a mini toothpaste. So cool!
In Frankfurt, I waited in line for over an hour for an Air Canada agent to show up and issue my remaining boarding passes. (I suppose I can cut her some slack since we did arrive at 6:30ish in the morning.) To keep from being bored I struck up a few conversations...I met an lovely older gent from South Africa who was on his way to Dallas. He'd been waiting for a flight out of Frankfurt since the previous day because of major snow storms across Europe. We chatted for a bit. Then another nice fellow and I started talking. He'd just flown in from Doha as well. He was interviewing for a job there. He had tons of questions about life in general and how things are for women specifically, which I was happy to answer. I gave him my card so maybe he or his girlfriend will send along some questions. I know I benefitted greatly by having someone to talk to before I came over.
Next twas on to get a bacon and egg mcmuffin from McDonalds....You might think this is odd but since I can't get bacon in Doha, I made a beeline straight for the 1st place I knew I could. Alas it was not as tasty as I remember them being in Canada...
After the disappointing experience at McDonalds, on my way to the gate, I decided to take in some more retail therapy. I went to duty free and had a peak around and then I found a small kiosk that had a couple of beer tankards. One design was blue and white. It listed many city names and crests found in Germany. Another design was more plain with a white background, the German Crest and Deutchland written on it. I opted to buy the 1st one. And a mug with Frankfurt written on it as honeybunny and I have begun collecting the mugs where ever we go.
Next I was off to Toronto. As many of you know it isn't my favorite city to live in but I do like the airport. I find it very easy to get around and there is tons to do once you are through security. There's quite a number of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and retails stores for shopping. Also the recent renovations that have been taking place over the last number of years have made it much easier to get around. Unfortunately, on this trip, I did not have a lot of time to do any of those thing. I had to go through passport control and tell them what I had to declare, then pickup my bags, and bring them through a checkpoint to be re-scanned and loaded onto the flight to Halifax. That left me just enough time to run to a bathroom to change, so I would look presentable to honeybunny when I landed, and about 5 minutes to wait before boarding the plane. Maybe next time I will be able to have a drink or a meal between flights.
The landing in Halifax was a bit bumpy but the pilot got us there safe and sound which is the most important part.
My reunion with honeybunny, after a little more than 4 months, was terrific. He was as excited to see me as I was him and he was very thoughtful to bring me a winter coat, hat, and scarf since I didn't have one.
Keep yourself posted for my next installment. It will be a short bit about my my time at home and how I spent Christmas, and then the harrowing story of my return to Doha...
Stay Safe! :)
PS...Feel free to leave comments (even if it is to say I talk to much - I know I do!) and to click follow to be kept updated when new posts have been made. Cheers!
Way back in September 2010, it was decided that it would be a great idea for me to go home to Canada for Christmas instead of honeybunny coming to Doha. This was for a couple of reasons - 1 - dating is frowned upon here, 2 - we would have to find him a place to "stay" and 3 - if I came to Canada, I would see more people. And so it was decided. Once I had a ticket, it seemed everyone was anxious and excited to see me and hear about my time away. (I guess those people aren't following this blog... :-( )
The anticipation started on October 1st when the countdown calendar went up on the wall in my apt. All I needed to do was get through 82 days and I could see all my friends, family and loved ones - well the ones who lived in Nova Scotia anyway! As the days were X'd off one by one, I couldn't believe how fast they were going...then it was OMG it's only 10 more days...9...8...7 and so on until 2 days before the flight.
My flight out of Doha was with Qatar Airways, who allow online check in up to 36 hours prior to departure. So, when the 36th hour prior to my flight arrived, I tried checking in online and was told "There are no flight to check-in". LOVELY! I thought, but hey...I'm in the computer biz, maybe it's a glitch...I'll try again later. And I did...and guess what...SAME THING! I continued to try for about 24 hours without success. Well, boy, was I nervous then.
So I started to talk to my co-workers to see if this was normal. One of my co-workers...the nice gent that he is...suggested that the flight was oversold. Oversold?? How can that be...there is a definite number of seats on the plane....how does one sell more seats then one has? Apparently this happens quite regular here but this is a concept I just can't conceive of....If you have only 5 apples, how can you sell 8...? So, I asked my co-worker - the nice gent - "well what should I do??" He suggested I go to the airport at least 5 hours before the flight...that should ensure that I get my seat. So that is what I did.
Okay, so now, I have my 2 suitcases and my carry on and I am at the airport...I am successfully checked through passport control and I have a boarding pass (YAY!!) so there is no way I am not getting on that flight...now all I have to do is find something to occupy myself for 5 1/2 hours...First things first, I notify honeybunny that I have a boarding pass...(he was at home as stressed as I was about me getting on the flight and making all the connections.)
Next, check out the Duty Free shop...Since I don't recall ever being in a duty free shop I can say...WOW! What an experience...there was even a Rolls Royce in there...Can you imagine the cost to get that home...?? I didn't realize until later that it was for a raffle. All the top names were represented at Duty Free - Bvlgari, D & G, Versace, Chanel, Toblerone, Lindt, Marlboro, and a very small liquor section too (impressive since it is a dry state) There were some interesting Qatar themed items too so, I made a few small purchases and then headed upstairs...
Upstairs was were I found a food court...and not a very good one at that. Nonetheless, I was bored so I tried it. The food was NOT good. I definitely wouldn't recommend this food court to anyone traveling through Doha International Airport.
After the food court, I managed to find another small duty free shop upstairs...YAY Me! They had even cooler Qatar items than they had downstairs so of course I bought some more items. I picked up a copy of Top Gear UK magazine for my 2 gear head friends and a decorative pipe as a gift. Then it was off to Costa Coffee. They make a great vanilla latte so I was all set now to settle down and wait a few more hours until my flight started to board.
After sitting and watching things going on at Doha International Airport...I finally figured out why no flight takes off on time from there. A flight to Columbo, Sri Lanka was boarding at the gate I was waiting at. It was supposed to depart at 00:50. At 1:10am it finally departed after the personnel at the gate stopped calling for people to come on that flight.
Shortly after that, my own flight started to board. Once on the plane, things went pretty smoothly. I think I was asleep before we reached our cruising altitude and I woke up in time for canberry and cheese crepes for breakfast before landing in Frankfurt. Yummy! The cool thing about an overnight flight from Doha is a great little pack that is sitting on your seat when you get on. There is the requisite blanket and pillow but then there is a little pouch on a string, something I had never seen before as Air Canada definitely doesn't provide this. Inside the pouch was a pair of burgundy cotton socks (to keep your feet warm), ear plugs, a sleep mask and a travel toothbrush with a mini toothpaste. So cool!
In Frankfurt, I waited in line for over an hour for an Air Canada agent to show up and issue my remaining boarding passes. (I suppose I can cut her some slack since we did arrive at 6:30ish in the morning.) To keep from being bored I struck up a few conversations...I met an lovely older gent from South Africa who was on his way to Dallas. He'd been waiting for a flight out of Frankfurt since the previous day because of major snow storms across Europe. We chatted for a bit. Then another nice fellow and I started talking. He'd just flown in from Doha as well. He was interviewing for a job there. He had tons of questions about life in general and how things are for women specifically, which I was happy to answer. I gave him my card so maybe he or his girlfriend will send along some questions. I know I benefitted greatly by having someone to talk to before I came over.
Next twas on to get a bacon and egg mcmuffin from McDonalds....You might think this is odd but since I can't get bacon in Doha, I made a beeline straight for the 1st place I knew I could. Alas it was not as tasty as I remember them being in Canada...
After the disappointing experience at McDonalds, on my way to the gate, I decided to take in some more retail therapy. I went to duty free and had a peak around and then I found a small kiosk that had a couple of beer tankards. One design was blue and white. It listed many city names and crests found in Germany. Another design was more plain with a white background, the German Crest and Deutchland written on it. I opted to buy the 1st one. And a mug with Frankfurt written on it as honeybunny and I have begun collecting the mugs where ever we go.
Next I was off to Toronto. As many of you know it isn't my favorite city to live in but I do like the airport. I find it very easy to get around and there is tons to do once you are through security. There's quite a number of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and retails stores for shopping. Also the recent renovations that have been taking place over the last number of years have made it much easier to get around. Unfortunately, on this trip, I did not have a lot of time to do any of those thing. I had to go through passport control and tell them what I had to declare, then pickup my bags, and bring them through a checkpoint to be re-scanned and loaded onto the flight to Halifax. That left me just enough time to run to a bathroom to change, so I would look presentable to honeybunny when I landed, and about 5 minutes to wait before boarding the plane. Maybe next time I will be able to have a drink or a meal between flights.
The landing in Halifax was a bit bumpy but the pilot got us there safe and sound which is the most important part.
My reunion with honeybunny, after a little more than 4 months, was terrific. He was as excited to see me as I was him and he was very thoughtful to bring me a winter coat, hat, and scarf since I didn't have one.
Keep yourself posted for my next installment. It will be a short bit about my my time at home and how I spent Christmas, and then the harrowing story of my return to Doha...
Stay Safe! :)
PS...Feel free to leave comments (even if it is to say I talk to much - I know I do!) and to click follow to be kept updated when new posts have been made. Cheers!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Eid Al Adha and Desert Camping
I hope this post finds everyone happy, in good health and preparing for the holiday season. For me, the past week, the people of Qatar have been having a national holiday to celebrate Eid Al Adha. According to Wikipedia, Eid Al Adha, also known as Greater Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obediance to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead. In Qatar, all businesses (except retail and food service) seem to be closed for 5 business days. Many ex-pats take this time to travel abroad and see other countries for the week.
Myself, I stayed behind in Qatar. I worked a couple days and relaxed the rest. The coolest thing we did was an overnight desert camping trip to Khor Al Daid, also known as the Inland Sea. This is a popular place for everyone to go and partake of various activities. Our tour allowed us to take a short ride on a camel, spend a couple hours dune bashing, and then hit the camp site for a moonlight swim, buffet dinner, shisha, and a campfire. I have to say this little trip was an amazing experience provided to us by the Black Pearl Tour Company. The guides on the tour were very friendly and accommodating, doing everything they could to make sure that all of the guests had a good time.
Our driver, Abdullah, picked us (Us being Bonnie, Lisa, Amy and I) up in a Toyota Land Cruiser at the Grand Regency Doha at 2pm on Thursday and we set off for the night. We drove through Doha and found our way to the south to Sea Line. Sea Line is home to a beach resort and is literally the end of the road. Once you get to Sea Line you need to deflate your tires as the road is now just sand and dunes. This is where we took our camel ride. I was very excited to get on that camel, so Amy and I went first. We jumped on and I have to say I wasn't sure what to expect in how the camel got up and down off the ground...The getting up was pretty smooth though the lowering of the camel could use some practice. I thought I was going to fall off the front of the poor beast as he lowered the front of his body first and without warning. The walk was very easy to get used to. Camels have a fairly slow gait when they are walking and it seemed easier to get comfortable with than some horses I have been on. I would like to experience the gallop because I think that would be pretty exhilarating to have the wind through your hair and sand blowing around as you canter through the desert. Very exciting, very romantic, very Jewel of the Nile...but I am getting off topic here.
As many of you know, one of the first things on my list to do when I came to the desert was to ride a camel. I can now say I have done it (YAY, me). It was only a short guided walk but now I know what it is like. There are other places that you can do a camel ride similar to how we do a trail ride in Canada, so I think I will check that out sometime.
Also, at this first stopping point you also have the option of holding a falcon on your arm and taking your picture. This service is not provided by Black Pearl Tour so you pay a little extra for it. Falconry is a very big sport in Qatar and Abdullah told us that he took his falcon out (apparently he has his own) and it took down an Oryx. The Oryx is the national animal of Qatar. It is a small antelope-like animal with antlers, approximately the size of a dog. I'd like to see that!!
After the camel ride, we headed into the dunes for about 2 hours worth of bumping, jostling, and in some cases screaming (not me but the others in my group lol!) Dune bashing is a favorite past time for nationals and ex-pats alike. The speed we traveled seemed quite fast given that we were in several inches of sand. It actually was quite a bit like going four-wheeling in the snow in Canada, as the sand has a similar consistency. Along the way we stopped at 2 different points along the inland sea for picture taking and enjoying the sunset.
The first stop was at the top of a dune looking down at a small pond like area that is connected to the inland sea. We took some great snaps and put our bare feet into the desert sand for the 1st time. It felt great, very warm.
The second stop was at the beach where we observed a most excellent sunset with an array of orange colours that were spectacular. And when you looked across the water you can see Saudi Arabia. That was pretty cool.
After our brief stop at the beach we headed to the campsite which was a pleasant surprise. The campsite had several large tents for sleeping about 15 people in each one. Thick firm form pads were provided for sleeping on and some pillows that weren't very fluffable. Once we settled into the tents, Amy, Bonnie, Lisa and I took a moonlight swim, or maybe I should say float, in the Arabian Gulf.
The buffet dinner that was provided was fabulous. There were several salads and dips, including hummus, baba ganoush, fatoush and tabbouleh. As well there was a pasta selection, seasoned basmati rice with chicken drumsticks, tandoori fish, tandoori chicken, shish kabob, chicken kabob and beef kabob. And an amazing selection of arabic style desserts to follow.
After dinner, most of the groups sat around and chatted with their own group until the campfire was started...then people started to migrate over and introduce themselves and talk of travel and what brought each of them to Doha ensued.
In the group around the fire, there were 2 newlywed couples from Syria and Lebanon, a single guy from Syria, an American couple, a woman from Malaysia, 1 guide from Pakistan and another who was Arab. Everyone was quite friendly.
A little while later the shishas came out and almost all of us around the fire tried a little. Shisha is a traditional water pipe that sits on the ground or floor, with a small tinfoil covered resevoir that holds flavoured tobacco. Typically it is a fruit flavored tobacco like grape. On top of the tinfoil, small hot coals are placed to heat the tobacco and and enhance the flavour. In order to smoke this, you would draw in through the tube attached to the shisha. My own impression of it was this...I couldn't tell when I had smoke in my mouth, there was no flavour of grape or taste of smoke, so I would draw in too much breath and end up coughing. As I am not a smoker it will not be something I become addicted to or feel the need to do on a regular basis. I would probably try it again but that will be all.
Hasam, our Arab guide and host for the evening, parked his truck near the fire and began playing Arabic music. The Syrian husband was very keen to get up and dance. He started out alone doing some traditional Syrian dancing and then some arabic dancing, all of the men except the American got up and joined him at some point or other. Almost all of us got up at some point. I, even, broke out some of my Persian dance moves (Melissa, Karen and Cindi will know the ones I am talking about) and everyone was pretty impressed that this white chick from Canada could shimmy and dance with a middle eastern flare.
Around 12:30am, with the fire dying out, we all started to wander off to bed. When I entered the tent I got a fright of some serious proportions for me. As I was choosing my mattress pad for the night I noticed a rather huge looking black beetle with white feet making its way across the mattress I had just been about to put my bag on. As I have an insane fear of small creatures with many legs and exoskeletons, I was quite freaked out. Hasam had to come and remove the creature. He did, however, mention that if I were in the desert without food, I could eat this particular variety of beetle with no problem...I said, "Thanks, I'd rather starve." Needless to say, after that I had a hard time falling asleep.
In the morning, we were all up in time to see the sunrise. It was a sight to behold. The sun rising over the Arabian Gulf is a beautiful sight. Lucky for anyone reading this, I took lots of pictures so you can experience it too!
After the sunrise was breakfast and then back to the city. Breakfast was not the event that dinner was. It was actually a little disappointing but if that is the worst part of the trip I think we did OK.
The tour as a whole can be tiring as there is a lot of action until you get to the camp and the fresh air as anyone knows will make you sleep like a baby. For anyone who gets to the Middle East this is definitely something that you should check out. Keep in mind though that you might be sharing a tent with strangers. For me this was by far the best camping trip I have ever been on.
For the pictures you can click here
Friday, November 19, 2010
Doha Bus Tour
The College of the North Atlantic arranged a bus tour for it's new employees to see some of the sites Doha has to offer on Saturday, September 4th. Our regular buses to the campus picked us up at the accommodations and took us to the campus where we all boarded other buses provided by the tour company. And then we were off on our 3 hour tour of the city on what (at the time) seemed like the hottest day in recorded history. Thank Allah for air conditioning.
Along the drive several sites were pointed out like the Aspire Center for Sports Training and Rehabilitation. This location has some really cool style architecture. Quite interesting!
The first stop on the tour was the camel market where you can purchase camels for 1 of many reasons. Camels provide provide meat for eating and milk for drinking. They are also used for racing and desert transportation (although I think that is less common now that the 4-wheel drive vehicles can go into the desert). Depending on what you want to use the camel for will determine the price but generally the starting price for any camel is about QR5000.
There were also several colours of camels which I didn't know. There is the traditional camel coloured camel (like a sand or beige colour). There were some that were a lighter colour, almost a white or maybe cream colour and then a darker brown/black colour. The camels at this market seemed very sedate, like they were resigned to their fate. And there was no spitting!
The next stop on our 3-hour tour was at the Fruit and Veggie Market where you could haggle to get the best price for almost any fruit and vegetable you could find. There was lots of selection provided by many different vendors. Some of the selection looked really great but then there was some that I can't imagine anyone would buy as it looked like it was starting to turn. Next to this market was also the fish market. We didn't explore that market but we did see some people going to their cars with boxes with big fish hanging out.
On our way to the main souq, known as the Old Souq or Souq Waqif, we had the opportunity to take some pictures of Mosques, which can be recognized by the tall minaret with the cresent at the top and also by the (usually) round wall which faces Mecca in the east.
We only had a very short time at Souq Waqif and in the hot sun I am sure that everyone was quite happy about that. The Souq is a maze of alleyways with hundreds of small shops and stalls selling a vast variety of items ranging from tourist trash to handmade furniture. If you are looking for something unique...this may well be the place.
Our next stop was the Museum of Islamic Art next to the Dhow Harbour. (The Dhow Harbour being where all the Dhow's depart from for boat tours of the harbour). Here we only had 30 minutes to explore which is definitely not enough. We all split up and everyone decided what they most wanted to see. For me it was the history section which is on level 2. Unfortunately we only got through 2 rooms and it was time to go. This is a site that we will return to and explore in depth with lots of pictures.
Finally, we drove through downtown, known as West Bay, where they have some pretty strange shaped buildings. Again, pretty cool looking architecture.
The last stop on the tour was an area called the Pearl. It is a marina based living area with condos and townhouses. This is the only area of Doha where ex-pats are permitted to purchase property. Condos in this area start at approximately QR2,000,000 (about $280,000CAD). This section of town also has some pretty swank shops including Salvatore Ferragamo and Hermes. There is even Rolls Royce and Ferrari dealerships there.
At this point we ended our tour by getting bused back to the campus and then back home again. Overall it was a nice morning where we got to see some things that we might never see without the tour. For pictures of all the places described here, click here.
Along the drive several sites were pointed out like the Aspire Center for Sports Training and Rehabilitation. This location has some really cool style architecture. Quite interesting!
The first stop on the tour was the camel market where you can purchase camels for 1 of many reasons. Camels provide provide meat for eating and milk for drinking. They are also used for racing and desert transportation (although I think that is less common now that the 4-wheel drive vehicles can go into the desert). Depending on what you want to use the camel for will determine the price but generally the starting price for any camel is about QR5000.
There were also several colours of camels which I didn't know. There is the traditional camel coloured camel (like a sand or beige colour). There were some that were a lighter colour, almost a white or maybe cream colour and then a darker brown/black colour. The camels at this market seemed very sedate, like they were resigned to their fate. And there was no spitting!
The next stop on our 3-hour tour was at the Fruit and Veggie Market where you could haggle to get the best price for almost any fruit and vegetable you could find. There was lots of selection provided by many different vendors. Some of the selection looked really great but then there was some that I can't imagine anyone would buy as it looked like it was starting to turn. Next to this market was also the fish market. We didn't explore that market but we did see some people going to their cars with boxes with big fish hanging out.
On our way to the main souq, known as the Old Souq or Souq Waqif, we had the opportunity to take some pictures of Mosques, which can be recognized by the tall minaret with the cresent at the top and also by the (usually) round wall which faces Mecca in the east.
We only had a very short time at Souq Waqif and in the hot sun I am sure that everyone was quite happy about that. The Souq is a maze of alleyways with hundreds of small shops and stalls selling a vast variety of items ranging from tourist trash to handmade furniture. If you are looking for something unique...this may well be the place.
Our next stop was the Museum of Islamic Art next to the Dhow Harbour. (The Dhow Harbour being where all the Dhow's depart from for boat tours of the harbour). Here we only had 30 minutes to explore which is definitely not enough. We all split up and everyone decided what they most wanted to see. For me it was the history section which is on level 2. Unfortunately we only got through 2 rooms and it was time to go. This is a site that we will return to and explore in depth with lots of pictures.
Finally, we drove through downtown, known as West Bay, where they have some pretty strange shaped buildings. Again, pretty cool looking architecture.
The last stop on the tour was an area called the Pearl. It is a marina based living area with condos and townhouses. This is the only area of Doha where ex-pats are permitted to purchase property. Condos in this area start at approximately QR2,000,000 (about $280,000CAD). This section of town also has some pretty swank shops including Salvatore Ferragamo and Hermes. There is even Rolls Royce and Ferrari dealerships there.
At this point we ended our tour by getting bused back to the campus and then back home again. Overall it was a nice morning where we got to see some things that we might never see without the tour. For pictures of all the places described here, click here.
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