Keep Lift

After nearly 20km of dead straight busy dual carriageway through the flat grey desert, speed limit 120kmh (observed by some), a small fluorescent green sign announces "KEEP LIFT". Twenty metres later the inside lane and hard shoulder disappear behind road-work blockades. My understanding of stopping distances suggests that lift-off would indeed be the only sensible solution in the circumstances.

Hot wind

A hot wind is blowing. The temperature which has risen slowly since February is suddenly soaring. It feels as if someone has left one of those hot air hand-driers on. Sitting at the beach, I noticed that the wind direction has changed, and now instead of coming from the North and East, Iran and Iraq, it is a straight Westerly. This air has travelled over Saudi, probably the Sahara before that. Quite a thought. No wonder it's less refreshing.

Cross-dressing

From today's Gulf Times:

Preachers at mosques focused their attention during the Friday sermon on the strange phenomenon of girls dressed as boys in Arab robes and headgear and roaming in public parks in Doha, according to reports published in the local Arabic press.

They have also been noticed smoking cigarettes and hubble-bubble. This is a sign of the predominance of destructive ideas and values from the West on the minds of the youth in this country, said many of the preachers.

They also attributed this to the prevalence of chatting on the internet, blind aping of Western lifestyles and the spread of the culture of consumerism.

They called upon the authorities concerned to take stringent action against those indulging in such behaviour.

Girls roaming in public parks? Whatever next!
.

The oryx farm, Shahaniya

A few decades ago, the Arabian Oryx was all but extinct - the only remaining specimens being those held in zoos in various parts of the world. The oryx farm at Shahaniya is at the hub of the project to save this creature and I can only say it seems to be doing a pretty good job.

After a look round the centre, a talk and video filled us in on everything I could possibly have wanted to know, although I'm afraid to say it still left me slightly unclear on things like dates and numbers, so I won't go into details here. It was heartening to meet local people who are passionate about conservation in this region where oil-fuelled consumerism is king.

The organisation also runs two large reserves where the oryx, and other species of antelopey things, live in a more natural or wild habitat. These can not be visited, but the video gave an impression of suitable huge expanses of flat desert. The video was at great pains to reassure us that although these reserves took up a large amount of land, they had been strategically placed so that they didn't get in the way of building or development. Heaven forbid.

The farm is well worth a visit, but you'll need to call first - it's not open on a public drop-in basis.

Camel Race Track

I met Ros on the visit to the oryx farm and when we left there she took me for a look at the camel race track nearby. This is somewhere I've been meaning to visit for ages and it was even better to go there with someone who knew the place, not to mention someone whose company I enjoyed.

It was a bit late in the day for much action, but as we got there we saw the last few groups of camels trotting around or leaving the track after their morning's training. We were greeted heartily by all and sundry, though language barriers kept conversation to a minimum. For many, the opportunity to shake a woman's hand is a chance to good to miss.

During races, camels are 'ridden' by robotic riders - essentially, remote-controlled boxes with a short whip whisking round in a circular motion that takes in the camel's rump on each rotation. So camel races have the added spectacle of a herd of land-cruisers zooming round the inside of the track with owners controlling their robots and urging on their camels. But the training looks a much more romantic affair. Groups of camels wearing stripy blankets were shepherded round at a trot (well, this might have just been for their cool-down lap), usually with just one or two riders. I hadn't even had time to reach for my camera when the first came by, a dashing Sudanese man dressed in a deep rich blue waving his crop in flamboyant circles over his head as he greeted us.

Opposite the camel race track is a sort of Camel City, where all the stables are. Here you can wander around and will feel very welcome. Buy a whippy robot or a cart-load of camel-feed. But we didn't go... I'll save that for another time. And then there's a day at the races, although that will be harder as it's typically impossible to find out when they are on.

Return to Qatar

The beige buildings dot the beige landscape which blends into the beige sky.

Zekreet

Another Friday, another ramble. This time to Zekreet, or Zirkreet, out west near Dukhan.
More sea, sand and... Oh, sand.

Lots of fossils, remains of yesterday's rain and some ridiculously soft white stuff which crumbled like semi-dry paste when you touched it. How can this stuff have stood for so long?

From here we drove a couple of miles to a film set where a Qatari series had been made. Nobody found out anything about what or when the series was but it was quite an impressive set. A complete courtyarded house of the type I imagine would accommodate a few families. Or maybe it's more of a fortress-village. Hard to say. It would be quite habitable as all rooms and roofs are complete. Outside, a number of well-like structures (or maybe fire pits) stood around and an ostrich trotted about.

This is a good example of early air-conditioning - the wind tower. The tower opens straight into the room below so that any breeze there might be will flow into the room. Not much else to say really.

Beyond the film-set we drove down into an area surrounded by cliffs where little dwellings (also part of the set) were built against the cliff walls and on unlikely lumps of rock. Must keep an eye out for a re-run of this show!

Car buying

Choosing a car was interesting, what with browsing Qatar Living's classifieds. So many tempting vehicles...

MB Chasis 5000 Gallon Sewage Water Tanker

By Sureshnambiar on Mon, 23/03/2009 - 6:40pm Model: 2008

Contact number: 4561445 / 5807919
Description:
2008 Model, 2 Nos. Mercedez Benz chassis with cab type Actros 3331/45/6x4, 24 tons payload, mounted on the MB chassis 5000 gallon Sewage Water Tanker with pump and hoses with excellent condition for immediate sale. Interested parties, please contact Mr. Suresh, on telephone # 4561445 or mobile # 5807919.


Tanker 8000 galon

By mercury1608 on Sun, 01/02/2009 - 3:18pm Model: 2002
Price: 60 000 QR
Contact number: 5123412
Description:
drinking water tanker 8000 Galon model 2002 in good condition


boom truck 3 ton unic crane for sale

By syed shah on Sun, 01/02/2009 - 6:27pm Model: 1984
Price: 85 000 QR
Contact number: +9745379746
Description:
mitsubishi boom truck 3 ton unic crane in a good condition.



Actually, I quite fancied that last one.
But this is what I settled on:

(A nearly-new Mitsubishi Outlander. Pictured here on our latest 'ramble')

Another amusing aspect of these ads is that in amongst the lists of leather seats, 3.6l engines, cd players etc, a few state "Accident Free". However, the majority offer "Free Accident" which is so much more appealing.

My mate Zhang Xinhua

... or maybe Qin Kai.

Out for a little jog on Friday morning, I came across a handful of people limbering up outside a hotel wearing tracksuits that announced that they were the Chinese something team. One member waved hello with a cheery smile so I stopped for a brief conversation in sign and smile language. My question was answered with a graceful swoop of a hand - divers.

Back home I googled and discovered that the world series had come to Doha, an invitation event featuring the top-placed Olympic divers. I realised that my "What sport?" question had very probably been addressed to one of China's golden boys, holder of half a dozen Olympic medals, someone who would have been mobbed outside a Beijing hotel.

But it meant that I did go to see the evening session on Saturday. Not an event I'd normally seek out, but it was rather enjoyable and not only because there's little to do in Doha. Mark and I quickly came to fancy ourselves as expert judges in between being awed specatators. Other highlights included the Mexican syncronised 10m platform buttock-wiping and the pairs of men in speedos face-to-face as they practised synch-dives on the poolside with the stilted grace of music-box wind-up ballerinas.

Doha is chasing - and getting - major sporting events. In January I went to the men's semi-finals at the tennis, watching Murray, Federer, Roddick and the Frenchman whose name I've forgotten. The cycling I've mentioned here already. Events are free or unbelievably cheap. The stands are rarely full.

Two or three years ago, Doha hosted the Asian games, so they definitely have world class facilities. I remember reading last year that there was some speculation over their Olympic bid - Doha didn't make the shortlist and one UK newspaper reported claims that this was because with the money that could be put behind the bid it would almost cerainly win. The official reason was that the proposal was to hold the games in October, outside the regular summer Olympic window. I never read any more about it, so don't know if this view was shared by others.

Anyway, part of being here and staying sane is to say yes to anything. Except maybe synchronised swimming.

Western Qatar

This week's ramble was more of a GPS car treasure hunt, which was slightly disappointing from a rambling point of view, but well worth the effort in other ways. The object was to locate certain 'earth caches' which for those interested can be logged by answering a series of questions. Mark, Alain and I opted out of all work-sheet based activities and simply soaked up the sights and enjoyed learning from the experts who luckily were in our team.

The first stop was at Zekreet Pedestals, where limestone makes some interesting formations as softer rock erodes.

From there we drove on to a meteor crater near Dukhan. It is believed that a meteorite fell here in the 1940's but the crater was only found relatively recently, when people began to look into stories told by aging Bedouins. In 1989 a piece of meteorite was found in the area. The GoogleEarth picture definitely suggests crater. (If you want to find it on GoogleEarth, the grid ref is: N 25 24.021 E 050 50.471)

At the time of the impact, the area was swamp, so there is not a big crater-like hole. However, the outer ripple of the crater was clear to see, as it is in the satellite photo. In the centre, there is a sudden profusion of plant-life - lots of little scrubby shrubs. This is apparently due to the meteorite's fall into the swamp, which caused a ripple out, then just like a stone dropped into water, a splash up. What splashed up was richer soil from deeper ground - hence the plants.

Standing in the crater, we were 8m below sea-level, which seemed rather odd in such a dry place. But there was a dampness just beneath the top crust of the sand. The (brackish) water-table is very high here and the area is prone to flooding.

By now, I was getting into the four-wheel driving, beginning to enjoy the heavy drag through the sand with soft sideways slippage. The car definitely isn't made for super heavy-duty off-road, but it was fine for this, and we topped out over the rim of the crater with what I can only immodestly call ease and control. OK, so it wasn't that high, but still....

Next, we headed towards the petroleum fields, trying to find access through to the beach. Signposts announced cheery things like 'Stripping Plant', 'De-gassing plant' and 'Sewage treatment works'. Pipelines criss-crossed the landscape. The 'beautiful' beach was strewn with litter, but we settled down for a lazy lunch. Walking away from the sea, you could hear the oil flowing through the pipes.

So today I've stood on oil and 8m under the sea. Not bad.

Al Kharara

An organised ramble to Al Kharara with Qatar Natural History Group, including a lizard expert and a plant expert as guides and a passing geologist as a fellow newbie to the group. It was fabulous to be out in the fresh air, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The stroll was very gentle, the 'sights' few and far between, but it didn't matter a bit - I can't think of a way I'd have rather spent this morning. Met some lovely people, wandered in the sun, saw a couple of lizards and found out a bit about a couple of plants.


Geologically, the area is quite interesting as it is covered with a variety of water-rounded pebbles. These were washed down into an alluvial fan by heavy rain in Saudi something like 30 million years ago. Apparently the rest of Qatar has almost nothing but limestone and it was interesting to see this evidence of so much water.



Ramblers' parking:

Featuring.... second from the right.... my new car!
Not bad for its very first outing!
Its a bit of beast - by my standards even if not by local ones - causing me huge eco-guilt, but I am finding ways to justify it. (eg living through the commute on the Mesaieed road and driving off-road to places like this). And it's damn nice to drive. Still, I was very glad to have co-drivers and navigators for this trip, thanks to the car-pooling of the group. Great company too.

This car is a bit all-singing, all dancing in a number of superfluous ways but the absolute highlight came when after an hour of driving, a tuneful little chime sounded. I looked at the dashboard to see what it might be about, to find that the odo and petrol etc display had been replaced by a picture of a cup of tea and the message that it was time for a break!!! I waited for a cup-holder to slide open with promised cup of tea, but sadly this one, much more useful, feature appears to be absent.

The inland sea

A small group of us from work went on an organised trip to the Inland Sea. It was the first time I've been out and about for months, and as such was wonderfully refreshing. Unfortunately every jolt of the Landcruiser sent shots of pain searing through my head and I quickly started to feel sick. Some of the dune driving was fairly white-knuckle, but with feeling so rough I had somewhat lost my taste for danger. Still, you have to admire what these cars can do as they zoom diagonally down the dunes seemingly only half a degree short of rolling.


Our kamikaze driver either didn't speak English or just didn't speak - hard to say which, but we did get to a point where he waved an arm across the water and said "Saudi Arabia" so I guess we were pretty much at the end of Qatar.

The inland parts of the sea were slightly unimpressive. Presumably the tide was out. But there was plenty of other sea looking prettily blue beyond the dunes. From the Saudi-spotting point we backtracked, heading North again to our camp. There are a lot of permanent camps set up together, but it all looked pleasant enough. We were right on the beach, dunes behind us and the refinery on the near horizon. The staff were lovely and the bedouin style tent made a good getaway from the wind and we spent a very pleasant evening. Then we tried to sleep. At which point any idea I'd had of spending a serene night in the desert communing with nature disappeared. It was more like sleeping at Silverstone. All night, and well into the small hours, dune buggies roared and raced round and round us. So much for a peaceful getaway. I groaned in and out of a sleep corroded by the venom I felt towards these people. Woke up rather cold, stiff and grumpy, but hey, it was another beautiful day and it was good to be out watching the sun come up.

Very glad I went - despite the night and my head I had such good time being out with nice people in a pretty cool place. But next time I'll find somewhere quieter to camp.

Not a titter

You know you're really teaching EAL kids when you do a lesson on silent k words and someone suggests 'knob' and nobody laughs. Not a titter. Not even a smirk.

Legs in lycra

The final day of the Tour of Qatar. This stage, from Mesaieed, ended with about six laps of the Corniche. Oooh, all those thighs straining at their lycra casings. But best of all - and quite unexpected - was the sound of the powerful rushing whirr of the peloton. Fantastic.

Race leaders heading North

Peloton heading South

Lycra heaven
View across the water to West Bay

Doha in a nutshell

I have the answer!

When people ask what Doha is like, the answer is, "An airport."
There are people from hundreds of countries, all corners of the world. Very few call this their homeland. There are the same shops you'd find anywhere in the world, none of them selling anything interesting. There is nothing to give a sense of place, of local character. Is this the pinnacle of globalization? Its anywhere and everywhere and nowhere. It is an airport. Possibly Dubai airport.

Mesaieed

View of new housing project from partially built school:


Scenic view from old nursery school:


Sign in Medical Centre:

Nothing like an ideal emergency.

Journey to the end of Qatar

Went for a day of exploration with the guy I met in the Irish Bar. We drove to the northern tip of the country at Al Ruwais, which boasts nothing but a fishing dock and a customs post, then left the road and followed the East coast as closely as possible heading South.


I loved the bleak barren landscape of flat rocky desert. The sea gleamed turquoise in the sun beyond the abandoned villages we came across here and there. We drove up onto what is probably Qatar's highest point - at least 10m above sea level - and looked down into clear water, seaweed and plastic bags.

We met camels sauntering across the desert, swam again at sandy beaches, lazed in the sun and generally had a great day out. In the evening, dinner in Doha's old souk. It felt so good to be outside, seeing something beyond Doha, being back in the real world.

Doha in pictures

All taken in West Bay, commercial centre and breeding ground of skyscrapers.