A note for the birds ...

We fly home tomorrow & can hardly wait to be on that plane!  I thought I'd add a note about the past three months of birding & include some of my favourite photos.

This is a bit of a mosaic & I don't seem to be able to get the pictures in the right place.  Anyway, my list for Qatar now stands at 119 with plenty more ahead.  I took the photo of the Cotton Teal (below) on December 1st.  It is the first known occurrence of this bird (also know as the Cotton Pygmy-goose) in Qatar.   The others are (more or less from the top):  Black-headed Gull, Bluethroat, White Wagtail, Avocets, Little Owl, &  Greater Flamingos.

And another Saturday ...

So, it's Saturday morning again. Roger's doing his zen practice and I'm sitting near an open window listening to a few birds singing and that's all. The feeling reminds me of the quiet of the farm in Glen Nevis.... ultra-soft breezes in a quiet world. Actually, except for the traffic on the roads and the obscene crowds at the malls, Doha is quiet. I am very relaxed here, even at school where I am very busy. But things move along there and when we leave we go out to a quiet world. Roger, who drives a lot, might not agree because every time we are on the roads we are close to having an accident. Yesterday, our friend Judy was sure that someone tried to force her off the road because she's a woman. I guess assumptions can't be proven though.

We're starting our "Coming Home" List. Is there anything that anyone wants us to bring....?

Today, we're going down to the Souq Waqif (the new old souq) to look for Christmas gifts. Strangely, they do have Christmas lights and decorations etc. They are very good at getting what the ex-pats want. Ex-pats make up 80% of the population here and want their things from home. We have learned where to go for British foods and American foods... I think Canadian foods are considered American. Sometimes our favorite cheese will be there and the next 3 times it will be no where. Sour cream seems to be a problem. This week we have lots of business to do... I have to get my driver's licence and we have to go to the Liquor Distribution outlet and Roger has to apply for his exit visa for Christmas. He is pretty good now at knowing how to get places. He found a shorter, more efficient way to get to Villagio (huge mall!). This mall has Starbucks and Virgin books (the only bookstore with English books) and very high-end stores from all over the world like Monsoon and Oasis as well as very very very expensive jewelry and home stores. There is a canal inside with gondolas and gondoliers, and a skating rink... and a croissant costs over 2 dollars. Another striking thing is the huge number of EXPENSIVE stores for children. These babies are cared for by maids as their parents shop... the maids wait patiently outside stores, go in and take the bags and follow them from store to store.We went to a talk at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) last Monday by an American from seattle named Chris Jordan. He's a photographer on a mission to expose the effects of 'consumerism' and waste in the states. He takes statistics like how many aluminum cans are thrown away every minute and creates a photograph that uses that many cans. They are huge canvasses with a sad message. He had been in Doha only a day and with intense passion he asked the Qatari people to reject this SUV consumerism... to take a different path than the USA. He said they still have time to do this. But he hasn't seen the malls... the SUVs on the roads, the clothes in the stores, the garbage on the beaches and on and on. We (who are also not experts) believe that it is too late for them. One of my students said his family has 30 Toyota Landcruisers and Ferraris and Mercedes and Cadillacs and 2 private jets and private yachts and 'farms' all over the world. His father has gone for surgery in Germany. Every time we go out to eat (which is what we do with others) we spend over $150. There are less expensive places and we do try to go there. Today at the Souq we'll eat at an Iraqi restaurant that will be delicious...the best hummus we've ever had with delicious Iraqi bread....huge grilled pitas (about 1 1/2 feet in diameter). There is also an Art Gallery that we want to visit...an exhibition of Syrian artists.

6 hours later....We're back from the Souq. It wasn't at all crowded and we had a great lunch at the Iraqi restaurant...for 4 of us it was about $70. That is a marked difference from the Four Seasons Hotel last weekend where lunch cost just Roger and me over $150.00 and all I had there was a club sandwich!!! We found a few little things to bring home... very Arabic things... but it closed at around 1 pm and won't open again until 4 or 5 pm. Then it will be very very crowded. Roger took us on an expedition out to the sea about 1/2 hour away. It was so very quiet out there. We saw some Qatari girls playing in the sea wearing their abayas. They were having more fun than any young people we have seen here.Today for some reason, we've been more aware of the quiet world we live in. We live out of the city and sometimes feel isolated from the real Doha but there is much construction going on...maybe there is nothing like hills to hold the sounds in... the desert just goes on and on. It's getting dark now and we are going to watch a movie... then 3 weeks to go and we'll be home. School starts again tomorrow... then we have exams next week, then parent interviews the week after that and then we fly home!!! Hurrah. xoxoxoxoxo

Saturday morning

It's my Saturday morning (written on 8th November)(Friday here) and life feels quite normal. Roger has gone out birding with friends ( I declined the invitation). They will see Flamingos among many other species. This morning we slept in until nearly 6 am. and had good Bodum coffee (Starbucks). We really can get almost anything we want or need at the big stores here.
One, The Family Food Center, is our current favorite...we drive over when the traffic isn't at its worst and buy a bag of chips or something like milk....the other day a completely covered woman asked me for help finding some sour cream. Her English was excellent but we never found sour cream...not this week I guess. Their choice of nuts is the best we have found. That's something I suppose. It is around what we call the 'scary roundabout' though so it takes lots of courage
to make the trip and we always breath sighs of relief when we get home. We prefer here to the big malls (3 of them) that rival malls anywhere. We are actually uncomfortable going to them because they have what are called "Family Days" when the 'bachelors' who are the labour force are not allowed in. The security stops them at the door. We think we should each bring them in as a part of our 'family'. The maids and servants have to go in though to carry bags.

Last night after school Roger and I drove downtown (the traffic, the traffic) to the Tennis matches. The top 8 women in the world are playing here in a new stadium finished almost overnight because construction wasn't even close to being completed 2 weeks ago! They do work 24 hours, 7 days a week. Luckily Roger knew where he was going because the parking was a mess. We got lucky though and parked fairly closely to the ticket booth. Tickets were only 10 Rihals (about 3 $) because all the best seats were reserved. When we asked to buy tickets they sent us and many others in free. They had airport security inside but none of us had tickets. However, they had forgotten to let the ushers know that we didn't need tickets so we had to explain over and over again why we were allowed to find a seat and watch the matches without tickets. It was bizarre. Our seats were great. We were able to see the sweat and hear the grunts. So we watched Jancovic and Kusnetsova play and then Venus and Serena Williams...free! The tickets for the semi-finals (Saturday) and the finals (Sunday) are apparently sold out, but I think we could go down and get in easily. It was the biggest party atmosphere we have felt here. It was almost as chaotic as Trinidad but was missing the music and the rum.

We watched the election results at school with our students who were mostly Obama supporters because he will take the troops out of Iraq. They also worry a little bit about a war with Iran that would be catastrophic for the Gulf area. Their fathers are hugely wealthy businessmen mostly with holdings all over the world. A couple of them are major shareholders in Bombardier for instance and the students have spent time in Quebec with their parents. The class system is
entrenched and everyone knows and accepts their place in it. They are so amazingly aware of the need for education in order to retain their position in the world. They know that money is not going to be enough when their oil and gas supply is gone but they also know how much money they have. They talk (the students) about their 30 Land cruisers and their Rolls Royces and show us their gold watches and cell phones (over $10,000 US) and talk about never having to line up for a plane...they get driven out to the plane on the runways. It would be impossible for them to fly economy anywhere. There are so many rules and prohibitions.

This morning, I am sitting near an open window listening to the birds. It is so very quiet most of the time and now the heat is gone. It's about 25 degrees and the wind is gentle. Now, when I leave for school around 5:30 am the sky is bright pink and red and the air is, if not cool...at least not hot. The only sounds we will hear this morning are the sounds of the call to prayer. There has to be a mosque within a 5-minute walk from your home so there are many mosques within our view. A lot of people have their own mosque within their compound which also has 2 or 3 smaller homes for the wives. Each wife has her own home that is a replica of the main house. There are many things that are not a part of our culture but we are not here to change theirs. The system runs well for them. We are definitely not part of their world. It is next to impossible to become friends with one of the 'families'...to get to know them. They value their traditions and guard against change.

The situation at school is not much different from any school I've been in. The admin team is usually wrong,etc. The teachers are overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, and generally perfect!!! I try to stay under the radar as much as I can but being me I can't help getting involved in some of it. I am trying to back away from conflicts though...smiling lots. The teaching is hard. Some of my grade 12 students have reading comprehension scores at the kindergarten level! No one has a comprehension score above grade 6. They don't want 'baby' stuff to read... but they can't read text that is even newspaper level. I am working on sentence structures and verb tenses right now. It's a tough job. I do like teaching though!

I miss you all....We'll be home in less than a month now.

Camping & Camels

There is something thoroughly romantic about camping in the desert. Evenings are (relatively) mild, night skies are crystal clear, & there are no bugs. What more could one want? Sixteen of us headed west on Hallowe’en towards Dukhan & the Rasa Brouq peninsula which is said to provide the best camping in Qatar. Our convoy consisted of four SUVs (all four-wheel drive) & two saloon cars. As we turned off the highway onto the desert track that would eventually lead to the beach where we would set up camp, it was immediately clear that the saloon cars would not make it all the way. After a couple of kilometers we abandoned the cars, one with its passengers (family of four), the other with all its gear, to wait until two empty SUVs could return to pick them all up. So we traveled on, sometimes on well worn tracks & sometimes just plunging across the desert. After another half hour or so we saw a small village on the horizon with a mosque surrounded by houses & old stone huts. What a surprise when we discovered that this was a set built in 2000 by Qatar Television for the filming of a series called “The Sons of the Wolf” (“Eial al Deeb”). This soap-opera style movie was set in the Qatar of five hundred years ago & the set was designed to last ten years, with the hope that more movies would be made there. Still waiting! On we went & reached our camp site fifteen minutes later. “Camp site” is a bit of an overstatement. There are no facilities, no electricity, no water, & you have to bring your own wood if you want a fire. Eventually, everyone was reunited with their gear & we had a couple of hours to swim, set up tents, & begin preparing supper. The water of the Arabian Gulf was the best we’ve been in since we came to Qatar & we made the most of the opportunity. Food was plentiful & well cooked over the open fire (wood & charcoal) & we sat around the fire at the edge of the water & just talked & listened to a guitar. We even ate smores! The night was so pleasant & we had a great sleep, waking to a splendid sunrise which heralded a full breakfast with oranges, French toast, & very good coffee. We had to be back in Doha by noon so packed up early & shuttled back to our saloon cars. Luckily there was a GPS with us, otherwise we would have had real problems trying to find the car in the shimmering heat of the desert. Just before we rejoined the road we came across a group of camels & made the most of their tameness for some good photo ops. They are not wild & do belong to someone but spend most of their lives wandering freely over the desert. A fitting end to a wonderful trip.

Trip to Al Ruwais

There are really only three roads out of Doha: one to the north (Al Shamal: meaning “north” & also the name of the strong winter wind that occasionally blows from the north-west), one to the east which goes to Dukhan & the oilfields, & one to the south which ends up in Saudi Arabia. Last Saturday, we decided to explore the north & headed out at 08h.00 together with our friend Betty. The road is a monotonous four-lane highway that runs for 100 km to Al Ruwais, an active fishing port & our first destination. For the first 70 km there is nothing but construction on both sides, meaning many trucks & a lot of dust & sand in the air. The desert is everywhere & nowhere. Many wealthy Qataris have “farms” which can be glimpsed in the distance.

The “farm” is the Qatar version of a Canadian summer cottage & is a place to escape to at the weekend. There the comparison ends. These “farms” are luxury villas, set in extensive property & surrounded by high walls & palm trees. Some Qataris grow crops (even wheat) & dates for their own use or amusement. They own animals including camels, horses, & mini-zoos (gazelles, deer, cheetahs), as well as falcons for hunting. We did see two camels on the drive north but not where we expected to find them. Al Ruwais proved to be a bird-watcher’s delight, with huge numbers of shorebirds feeding at low tide. Among them the rare (in Qatar) Crab Plover. [In fact, it was so good that I returned next day to have a better look!] The Al Ruwais fishing port is still very active & feels much as it must have felt for the last two or three hundred years. Dhows are continually on the move, & individuals sell their catch to local buyers.

The town (population around 4,000) is very quiet & a huge contrast to Doha. It was very pleasant to spend a couple of hours just enjoying being there. After a picnic lunch, we headed along the coast road to the west to visit some of the deserted villages that can be found there. Most were deserted in the 1970s when economic conditions in Doha & the oilfields drew the inhabitants away. There is little to be seen today apart from remnants of the old buildings, the mosque tower, & piles of rubble.

There is nevertheless a romantic feel to being there & they are worth at least one visit. Al Gamel, Al Khuwair, & Al Areesh, may be abandoned but the coast is worth a visit. We were

horrified by the amount of rubbish washed ashore all along the high-tide line, mostly plastic bottles & plastic bags thrown from boats in the Arabian Gulf. So, we headed home passing the Fort at Al Zubara, which was built in 1938 & used by the military until the 1980s. It is now a museum but is closed on Saturdays!

In a Round-about Way

If you don’t understand roundabouts before you come to Doha, you certainly will very soon after arriving. If you drive here & still don’t understand roundabouts, you will probably be in a road accident pretty soon. There is one basic rule that governs precedence at roundabouts: those who are “in” the roundabout have right of way over those who are just “joining” the roundabout. Should there be any doubt as to who is “in” & who is not, then the dispute is settled by survival of the fittest, nimblest, or most aggressive. Some drivers pride themselves on split-second judgment, judging that slower vehicles “in” the roundabout will lack the speed necessary to affirm their right of way & can therefore be beaten to the draw. This version of “chicken” is okay when dealing with lumbering trucks (of which there are many) but it can be nerve-wracking if the SUV to your left is traveling faster than you thought. In any case, drivers will honk at you if (a)you thought you could beat them anyway or (b) they thought you shouldn’t be there in the first place.

This introduces a second set of rules that determine your whereabouts when you are actually “in” the roundabout. Approaching a roundabout you’ll find a number of possibilities depending on whether the road you’re on is two-lane or three-lane, & whether you intend to leave the roundabout at the first, second, or third exit. Or, worse, if you plan to go completely around & head back in the same direction you came from. This last is a real possibility because main roads in Doha are often divided by a median preventing left turns & requiring a u-turn at some point further along. If the road you are on is a two-lane, the options are relatively clear. The left lane allows you to leave the roundabout by any exit except the first. The right-hand lane allows you to leave by any exit except the third (or fourth). This at least is the theory, generally borne out by strategic arrows painted on the road surface. If your approach road is three-lane, life becomes a little more complicated. The centre lane will generally allow you to leave by the second exit &, with luck any of the others. The right-hand lane will often suggest leaving only at the first exit. The left-hand lane only at the third (or fourth). Unfortunately, in both cases (two-lane or three-lane), the theory collapses when drivers decide to cut across from the left-hand lane & attempt to leave by an exit before the one you have in mind. Chaos, honking & frequent fender-benders, are the result of this descent into anarchy. To make things even worse, some drivers decide to manufacture an additional line of traffic for themselves inside the roundabout. This happens regularly in rush hour & nerves of steel are needed to cope & emerge unscathed the other side.

Recognizing the perils of the system, the authorities have decided to add traffic lights in some places. Fines are severe for those who run red lights in Doha & CCTV cameras are universal on main roads & intersections. Lights that are green begin to blink just before turning red & most (well, almost all) drivers respect this & stop quickly. A peculiarity, however, is that some lights then turn from red to a blinking orange. This seems to mean: go if you can & remember that all the old roundabout rules of precedence now apply again. As a last resort, the police will station themselves at the roundabouts, & control the traffic flow by hand. This is by far the most effective & safe way of negotiating the roundabouts of Doha. Unfortunately, it’s also the rarest. Many Qatari drivers in powerful SUVs seem to feel, in any case, that the road really belongs to them & ignore basic rules of politeness & commonsense, weaving & bullying their way through the traffic. The consequences litter the roadsides in cautionary piles of smashed vehicles (not all of them SUVs). I pass without comment the hazards arising from those Qatari women drivers who wear the full abaya. I have yet to see one of them wearing the veil while driving but it wouldn’t altogether surprise me.

Roundabouts have yet another valuable function: as landmarks for driving & giving directions to others. This works well largely because key roundabouts are given names according to the buildings or monuments that are visible in the vicinity, assuming that you have time to look for or at them. So we have “TV Roundabout” (Al Jazeera transmitters), “Decoration Roundabout” (location of the “Qatar Décor” store), “Oryx Roundabout” (fine statue of two intertwined oryx), “Sports Roundabout” (monument erected for the 2006 Asian Games), “Arch Roundabout” (also called “Rainbow” because of the huge multi-coloured arch in the centre), “Burger King Roundabout” (no explanation needed) & many more. My favourite is “Slopey Roundabout” (also called “Tilted”) for the angle of the road surface. Now I understand what the “Doha Round” is all about.

Birding update

Just over five weeks now & the number of "new" birds is slowing down. Total to date is 77 species of which 25 are "lifers" for me. This is a photo of a Stonechat taken last Friday (17 October) at the West Doha Sewage Lagoons. The Sewage Lagoons & the Jail Ponds are still the most productive birding sites close to Doha. The birders with me are Gord (Canada), Tadj (India), & Shirley (South Africa).

Oktoberfest & Thanksgiving

Temperatures are back up (37 C today) & everyone is waiting for the cooler weather promised for late October. After that, it'll be May before we see the high 30s again. The past week has been festive to say the least. Last Wednesday, we went with Betty & Judy, to the Intercontinental Hotel where Oktoberfest was being celebrated (at 175 QR each or about $60). No expense had been spared to bring in huge amounts of German beer (& authentic beermats from Munich) as well as an "oompagh" band & singers (also from Bavaria). The event took place in a huge (permanent) tent in the hotel grounds, presumably to make the drinking more respectable! Not a Qatari to be seen, of course, but many Germans & other ex-pats of all (white) nationalities. The food was excellent, with sauerkraut, German sausages, & great desserts. Lots of singing & standing on benches arm-in-arm with complete strangers. We stayed until 10h.30 but spent the last hour sitting outside, enjoying the cooler breeze blowing in from the Arabian Gulf.

Then it was Thanksgiving & Betty decided that the Canadians should host a traditional turkey supper. So it was that 16 of us ended up at our place on Saturday evening, with roast turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes (with melted marshmallows), mashed potatoes, braised carrots, salad, & pumpkin pie. Pat added hellodollies, nanaimo bars, & an icebox cake, all made that afternoon. Now that some people have their achohol permits, we were able to have wine & beer as well. It was a wonderful evening & everyone talked about things that we feel grateful for. We really enjoyed it but also felt a little sad that we couldn't share it with everyone back home.

Sealine Resort

Unable to escape, because we still do not have exit visas, we spent the Eid holiday in Qatar & began to find our way around & get to know the place better. Our exit visas will only come when we have our residency permits. The residency permits depend on completion of medical examinations & tests. The medical tests are not available during Ramadan & Eid. So … we may get our visas in November. The other consequence of all this is that we cannot obtain our permit to buy alcohol (which depends on having residency status). We have been told we will eventually be able to buy a “family” permit (about $300, refundable) but it really depends on Pat as the salary earner. Every purchase of alcohol is logged on a government computer & nobody is allowed to spend more than 10% of their salary in any one year. Meanwhile, we have almost lost our taste for beer & wine.

We decided to treat ourselves to two days at the Sealine Resort about one hour south of Doha (http://www.qnhc.com/sealine.html).

Because we went before the end of Ramadan we were able to get a very good rate (350 Rihals or around $100 per night). Two days later the price had gone up to 1600 Rihals a night. Never worth it! We did have two great days, partly because we were just about the only ones staying there. A few others (mostly ex-pat teachers without exit visas) drove down for the day. Because it was still Ramadan, we had to eat in an inside room surrounded by curtains (so as not to offend the Muslims). The sea was unpleasantly warm & the odd small jellyfish was an added deterrent. The resort pool was fine & we spent a lot of time just lounging, swimming, & generally having a relaxing holiday. We did drive out to the sand dunes & did a little walking but were happy to be back in our air-conditioned car. During holidays (particularly Fridays), young Qataris come out to the dunes with their SUVs & drive crazily everywhere, challenging each other to “chicken & rooster”. Inevitably, there are some horrendous crashes & occasional deaths. Check out “YouTube” for “dunes, Qatar, crashes” & you’ll get a feeling for it. Luckily, our visit was during the quiet season.

To reach Sealine, we had to drive through the industrial area called Mesaaieed. This is a huge industrial area with oil, gas, chemicals, cement factories, & many, many trucks. Such is the price of the wealth of Qatar.

Happy Families

Souq shock for Asian bachelors
By Peter Townson (Gulf Times)

ASIAN bachelors were beaten with whips and even kicked during a heavy-handed police operation to prevent them from entering Doha’s popular souq areas yesterday.Several encounters, witnessed by Gulf Times, saw Heritage Police Officers using stick-like instruments to herd labourers away from cordoned areas along Grand Hamad Avenue.When one officer was asked why such force was being used he replied: “They are not allowed inside this family area.” He then explained that whips were being employed “because they do not understand”.Although policemen usually patrol the Grand Hamad area on Fridays, they tend to be plainclothes officers who do not carry weapons such as those on show yesterday.Shockingly, Gulf Times saw one officer using his whip on five separate occasions within a ten-minute period, even running to catch people before hitting them. Other appalled witnesses said they had seen labourers being kicked by the officers if they did not move quickly enough to exactly where they were told.Bachelors have long been turned away from this particular souq area at weekends, with policemen citing it as a “family only” area. However, yesterday there were no families on view at all with almost every person there being a single male.As on previous occasions reported by this newspaper, there appeared to be a very clear distinction made between Western, Arab and Asian bachelors, with the first two groups being allowed total access to wherever they wanted to walk – unlike the Asians who were subjected to shouting and physical abuse in some cases.One Asian man who was attempting to walk through the street that had been cordoned off by police said that he was “very angry” that he had been denied access, claiming that the police were “simply hitting people”.However, another man said it was not too much of a problem, explaining that “if you tell the police where you are intending to go then they will usually allow you to pass and go there”.As one might expect following such a hostile reaction to the influx of labourers in the area looking for something to do during their Eid vacation, yesterday’s atmosphere was incredibly tense with some passers-by left stunned and visibly disgusted by what they were witnessing.Over at the Corniche, there were fewer crowds and security guards were posted at regular intervals around the perimeter of the Rumailah Park, which has also been designated as “for families only”. However, there were a number of men being prevented from getting onto the Corniche itself. Further away from the park, towards the Movenpick Hotel, there were a few gatherings of bachelors sitting and relaxing on their day off.On the roads behind Rumailah Park more bachelors had congregated looking for an empty patch of grass to sit on in order to pass their time with friends. In some cases, the traffic police prevented more people from stopping and told them to move on.With shopping malls also denying bachelors access over the Eid holidays, it is getting increasingly hard for Asian labourers to find any place within Doha where they are welcome – away from their worksites and labour accommodation, that is.

Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo ...

Single men throng Doha Zoo Thursday, October 02, 2008
Web posted at: 10/2/2008 1:29:38
Source ::: The Peninsula/ By Nasser Al Harthy

Hundreds of single men thronged Doha Zoo on the first day of Eid as the city's popular landmarks such as the Corniche, Al Rumeillah and Al Bida parks as well as some shopping malls were strictly reserved for families.

As one would have expected, the zoo being one of rare spots open to people of all creed and gender proved to the favoured destination of single men who nowhere else to go and unwind.
Hundreds of people formed a beeline in front of the zoo and the surrounding area, hours before the gates opened. It is estimated that some 7,000 people visited the zoo on the first day of Eid with law enforcement personnel trying their best to maintain order and discipline.
The zoo is open from 2pm to 8pm throughout Eid holidays, but single men were only allowed to enter the zoo the first two days of Eid. Starting from today, the third day of celebrations, access to the zoo will be exclusively reserved for families.

Hamad Al Yazeidi, the zoo's director who was on hand to receive visitors, said he was pleased with the growing popularity of the zoo which has continued to be a magnet for the public at large over the last couple of years.

Al Yazeidi said the authorities had conducted, well ahead of Eid celebrations, a comprehensive evaluation to fix some lapses in the functioning of the park and improve the services offered.
A total of six gates for ticket sales were set up with four dedicated to families.
A large playground was demarcated especially for children where they could enjoy a variety of games and entertainments and horse rides during the days dedicated to families.
Social groups such as Qatar Diabetes Association and the Social Development Centre are also playing their part in the festivities at the park with a series of awareness campaigns on their activities so as to meet and address the largest number of visitors as possible.
Meanwhile, Doha Zoo is planning major expansion worth QR 25m with the opening of a veterinary complex to serve the park by the end of this year and an information centre that would acquaint visitors especially school children with the park's activities.
Besides, the zoo is intending to introduce several world class games soon ahead of the festivities to be held during Eid Al Adha.

Ramadan ends, Eid begins

It's Wednesday morning of our holiday. We go back to work next Tuesday. Ramadan is over and we'll finally get a chance to experience regular life in Doha. Now we can go out for a coffee or have a glass of wine in a hotel (not outside!). Yesterday, after I went in to school for a bit while Roger went to meet his student (in French), we went down to the New Old Souq (Souq Waqif) again. As we drove down, we saw hundreds of people gathering along the roads down near the water and realized with horror that we were in the middle of a big party for the beginning of Eid. The traffic is bad at the best of times but it looked very very bad as we drove and wondered how we'd ever find our way home, if the only way we knew was closed. But we found the parking (whew!) and walked through the crowds to find a Moroccan restaurant where we could sit outside. The food was different....Roger had baby camel which he said tasted like 'gamey' beef. People sit around and smoke from big 'hookahs' (called “shisha” here). The cones of tobacco smell of all kinds of flavours like strawberry, etc. Last night a Qatar woman sat beside us and smoked. One scary man stopped and stood and stared at her for at least 15 minutes. He wasn't looking at her with pleasure. She was uncovered and sitting outside smoking. She just stared him down but looked relieved when he left. Then we waited for a musical extravaganza to begin for over an hour...the musicians were still arriving when we left. There were chairs set up in the souq passages but I was the only woman in the non-Arab section. There were many women in the 'special' section for Qatari people. We actually weren't sure how the seating was designated but men in thobes (the long white gowns) and headdresses kept coming and taking chairs from our section to a different section so we guessed that they were reluctant to sit with people like us. Anyway, I'm going to try to set up a slideshow on Facebook of our latest pictures. Let me know if it works (or when it works … haven’t managed to do it yet).

We are having one of the teachers over for supper tonight. He also didn't go anywhere. We have been asked out to lunch on Friday by another of the teachers (to the Diplomatic Club no less). We may try to go to the City Center mall ....read article!!!!

Single men complain over ban at malls during Eid
Web posted at: 10/1/2008 1:42:44
Source ::: The Peninsula / by Raynald Rivera

DOHA • The first day of Eid Al Fitr yesterday was welcomed with a great outcry from single men as malls imposed Family Day turning one of the most festive days in the Muslim world into a day of sadness.

Visitors to the City Center Doha yesterday expressed disgust over the situation crying it's unfair. "This is incredible," said Ariel, a Filipino adding that he thought Family Day was only Friday and he was surprised to find out that it would be imposed for the entire three-day Eid holiday. The signboard at the City Center says: 'Family Day for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days of Eid from 10am to 10pm'.

"I have waited for this three-day holiday to come but my excitement suddenly turned to disappointment when I found out that the Eid holiday is Family Day for malls. Eid holiday is for everybody not just for families," Ariel added. The day also witnessed some commotion on the mall's entrance with a number of visitors complaining of the unfairness of the mall security guards in letting other singles enter the mall's premises. When asked, one guard said, "They are employees of some shops here." He also said that Qataris are allowed to enter.

A middle-aged woman along with her two children was also denied entry for some reason. "I have been waiting here for 20 minutes but they won't allow me get in," she said angrily. She could do nothing but leave.

Some single men used their old strategies of tagging with families or joining single women just to be able to access the mall.

"We have nowhere to go but the malls this Eid. How are we going to spend our four-day holiday, if they don't allow us to be in the malls?" said an Indian bachelor.

The guards refused to answer questions saying that they were not allowed to entertain any queries or receive any complaints. "If you have any complaints, you may talk to the management. We are just doing our job," the chief guard said. They gave the number of the office and this reporter has called them a number of times but nobody answered.

Holidays

We slept in until 6:00 this morning....and we're going out to the Sheraton for breakfast around 8:30...days start early here but usually end early too. (I just got my first phone call of the day to arrange drives for breakfast and it's only 7:15 am)!!! Last night we got a driver and 5 of us went down to the "New Old Souq" (Souq Waqif) ... a new market filled with shops along tunnels and alleyways which has been completely rebuilt just like the old souq. The original souq had been on this same site for centuries and was the place where the Bedu (plural of Bedouin) came to trade. Using thousands of old photos the government has recreated the market in an amazingly successful way. It looks very old, has many great restaurants (we ate at a delicious Iraqi one) of all kinds, Haagen-Dazs, Second Cup, French, Turkish, ..... The shops are full of material from around the world, clothing (Arabic), dishes, paintings, toys (like Dollarama and Walmart), touristy (more expensive) stuff, carpets, and on and on. We didn't buy anything last night. The place only really comes alive after 6 pm and goes late. We had our driver pick us up at 9 pm and were very ready to get home.We found a mall the other night (Villagio) that is bigger and nicer than any mall I've ever seen. It has stores like the Gap and H & M etc but it also has stores that are so out of my price range that I'm nervous walking past them! There is a canal inside the mall and you can have a gondola ride and there is a skating rink also...and at least two food courts with Pizza Express...etc places. There is one bakery/cafe that has wonderful bread so we'll make trips there for the bread. There is also a book store (Virgin) with English books, music, movies, computers ...huge. The ceilings are domes painted almost as ornately as the Sistine Chapel. Some of the aisles have clouds painted above that seem to move as you walk. There's a roller coaster outside too. Roger and I are going to the SEALINE resort tomorrow for 2 days. It's down near the border with Saudi Arabia. There we will finally see real sand dunes and have trips out to see them. They use dune buggys and 4x4 cars. My students say that on Friday nights a lot of the young people have races on the dunes in which people are actually killed. They play 'chicken and rooster' by driving at top speed into each other and knocking each other off the dune. Cars roll over, people are thrown out of the cars and sometimes crushed by the car rolling down over them. They suggested we not go to the Sealine Friday nights! It is illegal but.....

Last Saturday we went for a road trip with Betty C. & headed west to Dukhan ... basically a vast oilfield in the desert, ending at the coast. Much of the area is owned & controlled by Qatar Petroleum, with no photos or videos allowed. There was one great roadside sign which read: "If not safe don't do it".

Here's a little of what we saw on the way:

Birding continues

Yesterday (Tuesday), went with Gord Saunders back to the West Doha Sewage Lagoons. Quite good (total of 29 species, 7 new for my Qatar list & a grand total of 43 since 12 September). We were there between 15h.30 & 17h..30. This is what it looks like:

Driver's licence (footnote)

All is well. It took less than twenty minutes this morning to get my temporary Qatar driver's licence. Just needed the right magic document. Now we should be able to rent a car & plan some trips during the upcoming holiday (26 September to 6 October). As we do not have our exit visas yet, we have to stay inside the country. But there will be plenty to see & do.

Thursday, 18 September

We’re more than halfway through Ramadan, but it still surprises us to find out that stores are closed (except for a few hours in the morning & in the evening). We try to avoid driving after 8 p.m. when everyone comes out & things get a little crazy. One of Pat’s students has invited us to visit his family tomorrow for games & a meal. This will be our first experience of Qatari domestic life & we are excited to find out more. This will be a particularly wealthy example. Today marks the end of the week & so we’ll be going out to eat this evening with some of the teachers. I still am without a Qatari driver’s licence although the prospects are brighter &, by next week, we should be able to rent a car for the rest of the year. The thought of driving the roads of Doha is still rather daunting. I had my first birding trip on Tuesday & am up around 40 species (out of a possible 250). Birding in 38 degrees in the vicinity of the West Doha sewage lagoons has a charm of its own.

Saturday, 20 September

We were invited to one of my student's homes yesterday (Friday, which is their Sunday sort of), for games and a meal called Iftar. This is the meal they have when they break fast in the evening. It's hard to describe how luxurious it was. We were picked up at the school in 2 cars: one was a BMW sport car, the other a Mercedes SUV. We were welcomed by Aziz's father Mohammed and then taken into the majilis (basically a place to meet & relax; some are formal, others not ... they have at least four of them in their home) with the games, computer "lab", swimming pool, fuzzball, pool table, table tennis, fitness room, well-appointed games table (cards etc), and 4 big screen tv's (that we saw!) We played pool, blackjack, etc for a couple of hours, sat and talked to the family and other guests who arrived all through the afternoon. We also had cakes and drinks ordered (on Aziz' mobile) for us (even though they were fasting!). My friends Betty C. and Judy Higgins and I were the only women there. People arrived all afternoon...at least 20 others. About 5:30 we were all directed into their home where we sat down at 2 beautiful tables set in a huge dining room.

Before that we had waited in a 'formal majilis', a room about 50x20 feet, with chairs and sofas on all the walls, a carpet made of silk and wool on the floor, walls and ceiling covered in materials rich in colour, another big screen TV, gold and crystal goblets on a table in the middle of the room...we had to remove our shoes for this room! The carpet was shades of pink, blue, yellow, in a design that started at the outside and continued through the whole thing. We were invited to the kitchen to see the platters of food and take pictures....two huge platters were covered with saffron/lemon rice and roasted lamb on top.

All the food comes from their farm...the lamb at least. Then the dining room! The napkins might have had gold thread on them... we aren't sure but think it must have been. The guests pull the meat off with their hands (not the left hand which I did!!) and just eat and talk. During the meal the host wandered around giving us more meat and making sure all was done properly by the servants. Then we went back to the 'formal majilis' for desserts and coffee and tea. The desserts were again, unbelievably good. There was creme carmel, cheesecake, different cakes, pomegranate jelly, candies of all sorts all served on a beautiful and delicate dishes with gold designs. We sat and talked to their guests and then they drove us home in another of their 26 cars. I asked if I could have a nougat candy from one of the trays in the room and Aziz decided that I should take some home. We could barely carry it home!

The first 3 weeks of teaching have been challenging in many ways...finding the levels of the kids, figuring out what they need and how to help them. Their reading and writing skills are quite low (very low) and we aren't sure if that's the same in their first language (Arabic). The students are very very sweet and as I have only 5 students in each class it's easy to get to know them. Aziz' family is apparently one of the very old families and are considered extremely generous people (to which we can attest!). School starts at 8 am during Ramadan (7 am after Eid). The classes are short (30 mins now), 40 mins after...1st week of October. The other teachers are very nice...mostly American but a lot of Canadians! The librarian (Judy) who has been here 7 years has a Thursday morning donut and coffee club. We seem to do something every Thursday night ... like our Friday night!

I haven't seen a cloud yet! The sky is white with a slight bluish tint all day. The sunsets are lovely, pinkish-blueish...sort of what my mother would have called 'sky-blue pink'. We live in a compound built just for people working for the Qatar Foundation which is the royal family. We are in Lot 1 and our friends are in Lot 2 but they have built the most beautiful, graceful bridge to connect the lots. I walk over to meet Betty in the mornings at 6 am (4 minutes) when it's not too hot (high 30s) and when I come home (between 3 and 6 pm) it's really hot. But I walk slowly and I survive.

This week we have to get a car because next week all our friends are going away..Spain, Europe, Oman, etc. We still can't leave because we don't have exit visas yet, which we can't get until all our medical tests are done. I have had most of them done...for the medical tests, we are picked up at Education City in a bus (everyone on the bus works or is associated with the Foundation). There are about 25 people on a bus. Many of the people I went with worked at Texas A & M or Weill Cornell Medical College or Georgetown University (School of Foreign Affairs). It's a long drive in an air-conditioned bus. When we got there we each had to register. The people there don't speak English and are quite unforgiving of people who are confused and mess up their system (which is not apparent to anyone but them!). Then we are sent for blood tests...again an incomprehensible system without lines. People who push get through faster. The taking of the blood is not very gentle! Liz would be shocked. Then all the women (who have been separated from the men for a while) have to find their way to the X-ray room. There we waited in a large room on rows of chairs and watched people walk up to the front and through a door before us. So, we did the same. Behind the door is a very small room filled with many women. In that little room we have to remove our clothes, put on a suspicious- looking gown, and sort of line up to go into a much larger room with ONE x-ray machine!!! Again....much shoving...much cutting in line, much anger. I actually had to shout at a woman behind me to stop her pushing me. I felt bad doing it as she was probably coming from Sri Lanka or Nepal to be a servant and looked very sad. We actually got through it by laughing together. We met each other and have formed friendships....one woman who is from Cambridge, Ont. (her husband is doing research here) and I will get together soon.

We don't know what we'll do today...maybe go to one of the big malls because the big stores are open during the day...Carrefour etc. Most only open after 8 pm during Ramadan. Only restaurants in big hotels are open during the day...Ritz, Ramada, marriot, etc. It's still too hot to go for long walks! Bye for now. We miss the trees and clouds!

Driving in the labyrinth

This evening we head off to the Traffic Department, where I obtain my temporary Qatar driver's licence. This has to be done within seven days of my arrival, otherwise I may be required to takes a driver's test. Pat has to be there to sign a letter of permission, since she is my "sponsor". Without the temporary licence, it would be impossible for me to drive & we certainly need a car. Later, when Pat has her residency status, I can apply for a permanent licence. We have a rented car (Mitsubishi Lancer) for four days (allowed under my Canadian licence). That's another story, but it took about four hours to get it sorted out. Tonight we will have the help of Mr. Mohammed, who is a "specialist" in guiding people like us through the complexities of the system. He comes highly recommended by a friend that Pat made this morning while on her way to be finger-printed (part of the residency process). We're thinking of renting a car for the year. Another friend said that when (not "if") you are involved in an accident, it's much better to have a rental car. That certainly put us off buying & later selling a second-hand vehicle, which was the way we did it in Trinidad. The driving itself is another challenge. Fast, unpredictable, & surprising are all words I'd use to describe it. Street names are difficult to see (when they are there) & the easiest way to find directions is by getting to know some of the individual roundabouts, of which there are literally hundreds. Key ones are: "Oryx Roundabout", "Burger King R/A", "Sports R/A", "Arch R/A", & many others. The best advice we were given was to head for the sea whenever we get lost. The "Corniche" is a beautiful 7 km seafront that curves around the main part of Doha & is home to some of the world's most incredible office towers (photos in a later blog). From Al Corniche, it is a relatively easy matter to find the main road you were looking for half an hour earlier, & if you're in the right lane you stand a chance of getting home.

Now we are two!

It was a joy to find Pat waiting for me at Doha airport, after a twelve-hour flight from Washington with Qatar Airways. As we approached I just finished a chapter from T. E. Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" & one phrase really stuck in my mind: "... then the heat of Arabia came out like a drawn sword and struck us speechless." And so it proved. So the past two days have been spent recovering from jet lag, meeting new friends, & struggling with the challenges of settling into our new home. Pat has already come through her first two weeks of teaching &, thanks to her old friend, Betty (with whom she taught in Ottawa), was finding her way around very well. More on all this later. Meanwhile, double click on the slide show on the right & see the photos with their titles.

On our way!

Well, we finally had word this morning from The Learning Centre (Qatar) that our visas & travel arrangements are in place. So, Pat flies out of Ottawa on Thursday evening (28th August) to Washington & then on to Doha overnight, arriving there on Friday evening. That leaves just one day before classes begin! Roger follows on 10th September (with the same itinerary).

So this is what we are leaving behind! Something to dream about when it's 50 degrees celsius in the shade & the sandstorms whirl around.

A change in our lives

“We'll be living in the Cotswolds” was what we said, “and it is great hiking country.” Many of you promised to come and we promised to have at least a floor for you to sleep on. All we had to do was rent out our house for a year. We’d done it before…without any difficulties.

But, then we had difficulties. We tried for 2 months to rent our house, advertising on Craig’s List, Kijiji, university sites, newspapers, and even Facebook. We had exactly 6 serious (seemingly interested) responses. Four couples asked to come over. One couple actually came, one couple called to say they had found another place and the other two just didn’t show up. I think I saw one of the couples drive by to check it out, slow down and drive away laughing, implying in my now-paranoid thinking…”they must be kidding….as if I could live there!”

Roger now believes that we must have been very out of touch with reality. We like our house. Other people (family and friends) say they like our house. Now we wonder if you feel sorry for us and are trying to make us feel better.

You see, we live in an area of Ottawa that is close to Vanier which is an ‘up and coming’ place. We love where we live because it is full of colour, and energy and we can bike or walk downtown and we can take our grandchildren to feed the ducks along the Rideau River and our neighbours are, for the most part kind, intelligent, interesting people.

A week ago we realized that 1) we weren’t going to rent our house, 2) we couldn’t afford to live in England, and 3) we were happy at the prospect of staying here in Ottawa and having local adventures. It also meant that we could spend more time with our grandchildren.

But, that very day, two surprising things happened. First, a friend called from her Alaskan Cruise to urge me to apply for a teaching job in Qatar where she would be teaching in September. We looked up Qatar on a map, realized where it is in the Middle East and then looked it up on a few internet sites and figured it is probably a country in the Middle East in which we could live. So, we (Roger loves the details of things like applications) applied. Then, a wonderful young couple came to see the house, loved it right away and agreed to rent it and even help us out by paying for some storage for us.

We spent a week dealing with details for renting and details for moving and interviews for the job and at the end of it we had a new and unexpected direction in our life.

So, we are going to Qatar! We will have a 2 bedroom apartment on the edge of Education City and the desert. I will be teaching grades 9-12 English to small classes of students who have identified learning problems...like dyslexia etc. I will teach Sunday to Thursday from 7 am to 3 pm. Roger has already contacted some Qatari birders and has even heard about people he knows who are teaching at one of the universities there (there are many!). He may also be able to do some tutoring in French.

An adventure awaits us. We will let everyone know our address. We will be thrilled to have visitors. Most people use Skype to call out. Roger’s Skype name is erogclark. He is also going to write a bloggy newsletter and we will send pictures. So, all being well, I'm off to Doha on 26 August (via Toronto & Washington) and Roger will follow a couple of weeks later, although the exact date will depend on immigration rules (since I'll be "sponsoring" him). More as all this unfolds.