Once in a Blue Moon

I think that the new year will be a good one.  The auspicious occasion of a rare blue moon must be a positive portent for good things to come.

Doing a little research, it appears that about every three years or so, we get two full moons in one lunar month.  Even rarer still is a blue moon at the New Year - last seen twenty years ago.

Here are some pictures of a beautiful, bright blue moon over Doha:

This is the moon over Souq Waqif - still my favourite place to haunt.

 

This is the moon over the mosque in our compound at Ain Khalid Gate.

I have a good feeling....

Food for thought

Sometimes reading the local newspaper brings it home that you are not living in your culture:

Recently, there was an article headed "Unease over men selling lingerie".  According to the journalist many Qatari people are "unhappy" that the ban on men selling lingerie has not been enforced.  Dr Al Jaber, "a famous Qatari woman who teaches Islamic jurisprudence" said: "I sincerely urge the higher-ups to take necessary steps to help protect the dignity of women".  I guess I have been in many undignified situations then - who knew?

Talking about dignity, here's a second random thought:  sometimes I feel like a "mole in a hole" up here on the second floor of our villa.  Patrick calls it my "command centre" which makes it sound a little more useful ... and dignified.  Most days I sit here at my computer typing away at the blog, sorting photos and generally trying to stay in touch with my world, while all the while the world is passing me by ... or to be more positive - a whole world is outside my window.

  
The world outside my window is worth talking about.  With temperatures in the twenties (celsius), these days the window is always open allowing me to connect with the sights and sounds of an ordinary Doha day.  I look out onto a palatial mansion whose owner has planted trees along our common perimeter and together with my birdseed, these trees provide a veritable orchestra of birdsong all day.  The other great beauty of my window is the sight of a marvelous sunset, as it faces west.  Each day around 5pm, long before hard-working husband makes it home, I sit and watch the sky spin wheels of colour ranging from flamingo pink to burnt orange, as the sun slowly dips beyond the horizon.  And then the cicadas start their rumbling and humming as the evening sky changes its palate to midnight blues, daubing bright stars like glitter and adding a moon that looks like you can touch it.  In the mornings when I sit down to check emails, I can hear the local cocks crowing at the start of a new day - when last have I heard that country sound?  Way in the background comes the faint roar of traffic on the roadway as Doha goes about its business. Best of all - the dominating sound is the one that emanates from the mosques that surround us.  With the consistency of clockwork, the muezzins call to prayer resonates through my window six times a day.  It has become familiar and expected music to my ears, and one that I shall miss in my North American backyard.

Signs in Doha

The usual and the common:

Watch out for camels and pedestrians, and even "wear seatbelts" signs - everywhere you drive.

 The unusual: an exit sign posted above a friends front door??

The confusing - which one is it to be?

The strange: This is an advert for a local phone company called "a sense of connection", but what's the smelly fish got to do with it?

 

And here's a better one: "Let's connect with kind words" - second that.

Here are some rules to follow, which you will only see if you click on the photo to enlarge - only in Qatar.

This one is a surprise in Qatar - never thought I would see that one!

No mistaking this one - at least no deciphering of funny diagrams - what's the difference between a one dimensional thobe or abaya anyway?

No accounting for spelling - signs like this everywhere, like "vella for rent" and this one:

And my all time favourite:  "If you have nothing to do, don't do it here".

See you next time!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wishing all our friends and family a merry Christmas today.

May your home be filled with happiness, your hearts with love and your day with joy,

And may the magic of Christmas light your world all through the year.

Warmest thoughts from both of us.

Health Practice in Qatar

I think it's about time I let on how good the medical system is here in Qatar.  First off, they operate under a dual system of public and private hospitals.  The Hamad and Al Rumailah are publicly funded hospitals open to everyone, where treatment is free.  Friends who have used the system have described it as pretty efficient, well-organized in terms of administration and wait times, with empathetic nursing staff and well-trained doctors from all over the world.  I heard one horror story of an MVA victim who was refused treatment without a police report and who was transferred to the private sector, but other than that - stories are good.  Apparently the policy with emergency care is that treatment must be accompanied by a police report.  A story from the Ain Khalid Nursery School - a child was bitten by another kid and prior to treatment, mom had to fill out a police report.  I guess we could debate the issues - at least treat first pending a report I would say.

I was helping a friend the other day and had an opportunity to sit at Al Ahli Hospital waiting for them to go through a three hour procedure.  The hospital looks like a five-star hotel, the equipment is state-of-the-art and I don't think I have ever been as well treated as a visitor.  I was even served frequent cups of tea and coffee by a very friendly "blue lady" whose only job was to provide hot drinks to anyone on the floor.  All the staff I encountered - from the doctors, nurses, admin staff and cleaners - all seemed very happy and so accommodating. 

The service is exceptional - for example, another friend went in with a swollen knee - within two hours she had been examined by an orthopaedic surgeon, she had had both x-rays and an MRI and! miracle of miracles - the doctor sat down at the end of that to explain the results and suggest a course of treatment.

Things have really improved apparently - some years ago there wasn't the equipment or the training to deal with cancer treatments and patients were flown to Spain and other European cities to undergo radiation and surgery.  Now, everything is done here.  The good thing is that they are now into the education and preventative phase as well - just a few years ago women did not talk about breast cancer and would avoid consultations.  Today there are presentations, education and advertising - with the result that people's lives are being saved.

A problem area being addressed right now is credentials - it appears that there are unscrupulous individuals who set up in private practice here with falsified credentials, cv's and education certificates.  But they are onto them at last - credentials are being checked and if you have done the despicable, it's a 3 year jail term and a QR10,000 fine, and then deportation.  The down side - I am currently going through the process myself and it has taken 4 months already and no end in sight.

Here's to our health wherever we may live!

Blog Fodder

One thing I am impressed with in Doha is the lack of crime.  According to the latest newspaper article, Qatar has some of the lowest crime rates in the world.  This may be due to the deterrent of very harsh punishments, but I am optimistic enough to think that the majority of ex-pat workers - from the lowliest unskilled labourer to those at the top of the ladder, are honest and decent at heart.  The locals too:  here's some proof - the other day I went to the vegetable souq and had a wheelbarrow man trundle my purchases to the car.  As I neared the vehicle, I shoved my hand into my pocket to obtain the keys and unknowingly spilled a 10 riyal bill onto the road behind me.  The wheelbarrow man - who probably earns just a few riyals per day, shyly handed the money to me and in broken English told me that he had seen me drop it.  I promptly gave him the QR10 back as a tip.  His smile lit up my day and I can't be certain, but I think I saw him do a surreptitious dance on his return to the souq.  And where else would you be able to see a sight like the one above? - a shopping cart, or trolley as it is called here, full of groceries, left all alone to fend for itself, while its owner browsed in another store.

More grist for the mill: This guy has to be advertising something, most likely himself - because it sure isn't a new way to pray, as he is not even facing east. And given that I have put him in the blog...I think he succeeded.

And finally, I think this represents the ultimate in "make work".  This poor man is sweeping up desert sand! Oh, man!, what a never ending story that will be. 

Missing you all.

Dune Bashing at the Inland Sea

We have just returned from our most hair-raising adventure yet.  The canopy walk in the Amazon jungle, charging elephants in Africa, climbing Kilimanjaro, durian eating in Malaysia are all tame in comparison to what we went through on Saturday.  If someone had warned me with a video beforehand, you would have had to manhandle me into that car.  I kid you not.

To set the scene, let me tell you that Qatar is not teeming with tourist attractions and, therefore, you won't have to go far before meeting up with someone who has been to the Inland Sea on the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  It's a "must-do" for all ex-pats who head down there in droves.   Only trouble is, there are no roads at all from a certain point - only sand dunes.  And these are not baby sand dunes - they stand two and three hundred feet high.  These "mountains" have to be navigated before getting anywhere near the Inland Sea.    And I am convinced there is a secret society who have all bonded together and formed a pact that they won't tell the innocent - kind of a rite of passage.  

It all began very sedately.  There were five of us altogether and we were picked up by our tour guide in his Landcruiser - vehicle of choice for dune bashing.  He was seemingly a very unassuming, introverted type, muttering in monosyllables only when he had to.  After a very uneventful drive to a collection point, things started hotting up.  First observation was the abaya-clad lady who straddled a quad bike like a pro and took off with revving engine, abaya billowing around her looking like a big black balloon ready for take off, and her hijab straight out behind her.  She left us staring wide-eyed, choking on her dust.  Then there were the gentlemen who sailed past us on two wheels smiling like Chesire cats.  This is apparently a common past-time that has been perfected here.

After that, it felt a little ordinary to watch ex-pats and tourists climb on a bored camel and get a slow ride for all of 20 feet.  While we were taking photos, our driver proceeded to let the air out of all the tires, flattening them to almost pancake status.  We should have known from this sinister move that boring was not part of this adventure.

One minute after climbing back into the car, the "fun" began.  Nazir appeared to have changed personalities, becoming an engine-revving, speed demon intent on getting us up and down every dune available.  If it was just the up and down I think I could have handled it better - it was when the car was at a 45 degree angle, driving across the side of the dune, and sliding down by gravity that I knew I was in trouble.

Meg and I sat at the back of the vehicle - just as well as we did not get quite the views that others did.  Husband no. 1 in the front seat probably had the worst of it, but husband no. 2 directly behind the driver could see it all as well.   Clinging to each other, Meg and I held clammy hands for dear life - I am sure I bruised the poor lady a couple of times.  Both of us emitted squeaks and squeals with every stomach jolting, back jarring contretemps.  Meg, I am sure, kept her eyes shut through a lot of it, as did I, and at the really bad moments I was grovelling my head in the seat, wishing and hoping that the "joy ride" would be over soon.  There were times when there was absolute silence from the front of the car - I have to think that the husbands hearts were in their throats as well.  There were at least a few occasions when we gave in and asked the inevitable back seat question: "Are we there yet?", praying that they would please say yes.

I don't think I will ever be able to describe the intensity of dune bashing.  The worst was driving up the hill and knowing that at the crest, we would go zooming straight down the other side at a 45 degree angle or dance along the side of the dune mountain.  At the half way point, Nazir stopped in a valley, obviously thinking that it would give us some Kodak moments of other Landcruisers sailing over a particularly grueling point. He was dealing with the wrong crowd - one look at what he proposed we should do was enough to get a resounding "no!" from the ladies.  Nazir and another driver tried to cajole us into attempting the feat by pointing out that the French lady over there, who is 88 was screaming "go, go" while she was doing it.  Patrick, in his usual dry manner, pointed out that the lady in question was "probably senile". I think Nazir was quite disappointed that he missed out on that maneuver.

On the plus side, we did have some beautiful views of Saudi Arabia across the Arabian Gulf.  The Inland Sea was interesting, but not quite what we expected - more like tidal pools than a sea.  Our final destination was a Bedouin camp where we sat in a majilis style tent and had a bbq while we watched the sunset across the ocean.  Oh, yes and we got to ride our camel at a dainty and sedate pace - nice change from the dune bashing.

I was a bit concerned at the end of the evening that we would have to do dune bashing in the dark.  After a bit of teasing by Nazir, I was thankful that he took the valley route and only a few minor dunes for the way back.  Or perhaps I had grown accustomed and my anxiety meter was lower.

What I will remember most - an outing with friends that ended with a bright crescent moon and a starry, starry night sky.

Thanks guys.

The reason for being in Doha?

These are the projects that my hard working husband has been involved in:

Five hotel towers - 48 stories each.

And the city of Lusail - not yet signed, sealed, or delivered.

Who knows???

Car Questions and Issues

Some unique and strange sights that we see as we drive around Doha:

How well can you see through these pictures I wonder?

Why are so many car seats covered in plastic?

What is the significance of smearing saffron on a car front?

 I know parking is a desperate affair, but why make a roadway into parking spots?

Is this really safe? And should I be the car directly behind it?

Why can no-one keep within the lane lines?  And while I'm at it - in a round-about, how come you can cross from the far inside lane, across another two lanes of traffic in order to zip out onto the next straight?  And if you do that, why can't you wait and do it behind me?  Oh, wait...there's a stream of cars behind me too!

Who in the world orders a tier of desserts this high?  Let's hope it gets there in one piece.

Just how many Lambourghini's, Maserati's and Ferrari's, etc are there in Doha?

And finally, can anyone tell me about "Corniche Man" happy soul that he is?

That's all, folks!

Nine Lives of "Fred" the one-eyed cat

This is a tribute to my good friend Meg who saved Fred from using up all his nine lives the other day.  She found a bedraggled, flea-ridden feline mewling outside her villa door begging to be let in.  (I think cats have a sixth sense and know who the compassionate and caring humans are, and make a bee-line for them).  Fred has already used up some of his nine lives we know, as he has lost an eye - most likely to an infection as a kitten.  On the other hand, he must also be one of the resilient ones - he has loads of personality, and is so friendly - brushing up against your leg and then flopping down and rolling onto his back waiting to be stroked and petted.

His eye didn't seem to bother him much, but it sure bothered Meg.  She enlisted my help and we set off to the nearest vet.  (Three phone calls later, and a few u-turns, we came upon the place quite by accident - typical Doha style).  He was seen by a vet who reassured us about the eye - gone, painless and adaptive.  But Meg went the extra mile - one-eyed Fred has received an innoculation and, probably to his disgust, will now be a neutered number unable to wreak anymore havoc on the neighbourhood.

We are both hoping that some well-placed adverts will get him a good home.  Unfortunately, in this part of the world, that may not be the fairy tale ending.  Stray and feral animals are everywhere.  Most folks are doing what they can to help by putting out food and water for "compound cats" - defined as cats with no specific owner, but access to sustenance in a particular compound.  Others are not so lucky, and become wildly feral and untouchable.  The problem is exacerbated by ex-pats from all over the world who indulge children in that cute, furry little bundle of fluff and eight months later Rover, the size of a horse, or Fifi the cat, about to produce her first litter, are shoved outside the gates to fend for themselves.  Or the ultimate insult - take them to QAWS for "boarding while we are on vacation" and then never return.

QAWS (Qatar Animal Welfare Society) is our answer to the SPCA here and they are doing spectacular work trying to neuter and spay all strays in a catch-and-release program.  Unfortunately, they are not considered a public charity as yet and therefore, cannot accept corporate monetary donations and rely on the goodness of people like my friend to supply food, foster care, homes, and medical attention to the likes of Fred.  So while their attempts are laudable, they are unable to get to every animal out there.  Another thing they are doing is trying to educate the public with presentations in schools and organizations which I really hope will help in the long run.

You can read more about qaws at Facebook Causes:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/346963/1888486?m=830f7398&t=1252053687

Hats off to Meg in particular, and QAWS in general.  You are making a difference.

Qatar National Day December 18

We have just had the privilege of participating (on the side lines) in Qatar's National Day celebrations.  As usual, Doha style is splendiferous - weeks before the event every esplanade is draped and wreathed in millions of fairy lights.  Celebrations began on about December 12 with camel races and dressage, as well as equestrian events and various other celebrations throughout the town.  Newspapers carried full page congratulatory messages.

We drove down to the Corniche on the evening of December 17 and were treated to the spectacle of a jubilant crowd of Qataris heralding their National Day.  Celebrations consisted mostly of driving up and down the Corniche.  It looked like the ultimate traffic jam - with a difference:  cars backed up for miles, driving at fairly sedate speeds, bumper to bumper trundling slowly past crowds of pedestrians gathered on the 8 km esplanade.  Shouted greetings were exchanged between all.  Everyone was wearing traditional dress and whole families were out in force.  (As an aside - Qatari families are generally large - there may be up to four wives, and most women will have between four and seven children each.  There were times when we saw an suv/van cruise by with all the kids sardined into the back seats - we counted eight children in one of the cars.) 

The noise level was high - honking horns like a demented opera, revving engines and music reverberating from every car.  The sights were amazing - all the windows and sunroofs were open with children and men popping up through the sunroof and standing tall, brandishing swords and daggers, or waving huge flags and little flags.   There were even men standing with the car doors open, jumping up and down while the car was driving along!  Lots had the Qatari flag (and sometimes more than one) draped and billowing over the car. Many of the cars were decorated with heart and flag stickers to symbolise their owners pride in their country.  It was all a lot of fun to watch.

The day itself dawned as a public holiday for all of us.  The entire Corniche and surrounding streets were closed off and only special parking with shuttle buses was available.  Thousands of people converged on the Bay to watch the spectacle of parades, and finally an amazing fireworks display in the evening.  The downside - driving! what else??  Streets were jammed and clogged with irate individuals battling traffic for three hours at a time, according to the newspapers.  Parking was a nightmare.  I think we did the sane thing and stayed home for the day.

Congratulations Qatar!