Arabian Family Vacation Part II - Desert Adventure

A trip to the Middle East is hardly worth the effort if you're not going to experience the desert. Since Kris and I had tried out the dune buggies a few months ago, we decided to go a different route with Rachael and Mick in town. We enlisted in the help of our friends at Gulf Adventures and signed up for the Inland Sea Safari and Dunes Discovery tour. With the temperatures rising it seemed like it was only logical to take full advantage of an air conditioned vehicle. This also meant that the four of us could enjoy the ride together, rather than taking separate ATV's or dune buggies. We'd also be able to avoid getting sandblasted when riding in an open vehicle and knew my Mom would appreciate the safety factor! We met our driver at a neutral location and were pleased to find out that we'd be riding in a new Toyota Land Cruiser. Kris has been on this type of tour a few times and hasn't been as lucky with the SUV selection. The last thing you want when trekking through the desert is a dated car that doesn't seem fit for extreme dune bashing.

Our driver, Mr. Bassam, has been a professional dune basher for 17 years. He was born and raised in Qatar, although coming from an Egyptian and Palestinian decent. He was happy to answer any questions we had and quickly put any fears to rest with the amount of experience that he was able to speak of. 

The drive is roughly 75 km south of Doha to get to the Inland Sea. But the first stop on our adventure was the camel rides! The four of us hop on and enjoy the bumpy ride, while our driver prepares the SUV for driving in the desert by letting air out of the tires.

At this juncture, if any of us weren't impressed with the bumpiness of the camel ride, it would probably be in our best interest to forego the dune experience. Once we were back in the SUV and strapped in, there was no turning back. I can only describe this dune bashing experience as the best roller coaster ride I've ever been on. Our driver had more handle than ever imaginable on the most ridicules dunes I've ever seen. We were driving completely horizontal across the dunes and dangerously close to the edge of a sheer drop off which was sometimes 5 or 6 stories high, and then dropping straight down appearing that we were going to smash our front end straight into the sand. I felt completely confident in our driver's skills and knew that he wouldn't put us in any type of danger. He knew the path of the dunes like the back of his hand. He did this every day and some times even went back to the dunes after he was done his tour for the day and drove the same path at night.

We took turns in the front seat, which of course was the best view. I've never felt my stomach drop that many times in such a short span of time. I would say that driving on sand feels somewhat similar to driving on snow. The feel of the tires trying to catch and sometimes spinning as well as the back end of the car careening into a fish tail as the driver tries to maintain control. It's an incredible skill that would take years to master.

On our drive south toward the dunes we saw a few wild camels. We asked Mr. Bassum if we'd see any wild camels out on the dunes and he said it's a possibility, but not very likely. There was a ranch about 50 km from the dunes that was home to hundreds of camels. They sometimes left the ranch to travel out for the day and made their way to the area that we were in, but then always returned to the ranch at night for food and shelter. We rounded over the top of a dune and our driver notified us that it was our lucky day. We approached the camels and they didn't seem bothered in the least bit. There were about 20-25 of them. We were even lucky enough to see 6 or 7 baby camels. 

We continued to make our way through the desert and eventually came over a hill to the magnificent view below. The striking greenish-blueish color of the water was a brilliant contrast to the shades of beige sand that we had just traveled through. The water looked beyond refreshing! 

There were a handful of people posted up on the shore, but for the most part the endless stretches of coastline were undisturbed. Across the water you can catch a glimpse of Saudi Arabia. We were so close that our cell phones even buzzed with texts welcoming us to Saudi.

We took a few minutes to relax and get our stomachs ready for the next leg of the journey. The view from this beach was absolutely breathtaking. The water was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect. The only way to get to this location is by SUV through the dunes. It's not an easy task for an inexperienced driver. It's common to see people stuck, although thank goodness we didn't run into anyone in trouble. It was such a peaceful place. There were a few families that were camped out by the water's edge. They had their vehicles backed up to the coastline, their tents set up for shade and grills out ready to cook. I could have spent days there. In the future we'd definitely like to take a trip back and actually camp out for the night.

Our driver took a less adventurous path back through the desert to spare our stomachs since our next line of business was dinner. We made our way back much more carefully and we were able to enjoy the scenery rather than seeing flashes of sand here and there. We came to the top of one really large dune and we were facing out toward the sea. Our driver inched his way to the edge and I eventually came to realize we weren't going to stop. He let the vehicle almost teeter totter on the edge. The only words I could manage to form were, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?". Our front end started to dip down and all we could see was an almost vertical drop about 50 or 60 feet high. We basically just slide down the sand at a slow pace and safely landed at the bottom. Mr. Bassum turned the car around so we could see the mighty mound that we just descended. There was another car at the top with the driver out and waving at us. It truly gave a perspective of just how high we were!

We pulled up to the Bedouin camp arrangements provided by Arabian Adventures. There were about 6 or 7 very large tents decorated with Arabic seating, carpets and cushions. We were immediately given a selection of water and cold beverages (non-alcoholic of course). 

Before our meal was cooked on site, we had a chance to take advantage of the Inland Sea. The water was crystal clear and calm and there were little creatures and fish that we were able to explore. The temperature of the water seemed to be a constant fluctuation between warm and cool. I would say it was the perfect temperature to be comfortable, but at the same time refreshing from the desert air. The sand felt like baby powder under your feet and you could make out the endless ripples of sand under the clear water. Looking back toward camp we were able to watch the sun setting over the dunes. This was a truly unforgettable experience for all of us. 

The meal was described as an Arabic BBQ with fresh flat bread being made next to the grill. There was an assortment of chicken kabob's, rice, hummus, and tabouleh. We were famished after our swim and the food didn't disappoint. After dinner they provided 
an Arabic dessert of what seemed like a chocolate zucchini bread (I'm probably not even close on this comparison, but that's the only item I could compare it to), as well as coffee and tea. We were stuffed and exhausted and the comfort of the traditional seating came in quite handy. I could definitely get used to this style of eating.

Overall, we were extremely pleased with the tour and especially that Rachael and Mick were there to share in this experience. I would highly recommend this for anyone thinking about making a visit.

Arabian Family Vacation Part I - Doha

It's been almost two months since our last post, but I assure you that life hasn't slowed down in the least. Back in May we were blessed with the company of my sister, Rachael, and her husband Mick. They spent a week with us here in Doha, and then we all traveled over to the UAE to visit Dubai and Fujairah. On our second to last day in Fujairah we got a phone call from my parents letting us know that our Nanny had passed away that day. Nanny was 92 years old and lived a wonderful life. She passed peacefully with my Mom and Poppop beside her. I was very blessed to be able to spend tons of quality time with her the during my last trip home. The next day I was able to get a flight out around the same time as Rachael and Mick to be home with my family for the next two and half weeks. Although our trip had ended on a sad note, we still had a great time entertaining our guests in the Middle East.

The first few days we spent lounging by the pool, soaking in the sun and allowing them to fight off jet lag. Since their second day in town happened to be Cinco de Mayo, we felt it was appropriate to celebrate with dinner at Paloma, a Tex-Mex restaurant located in the Intercontinental Hotel. I know they probably weren't planning on Mexican food while in Qatar, but we promised we'd get around to some of the more traditional Middle Eastern food eventually. We got to the restaurant thinking it would be packed for the holiday. Much to our surprise, there was absolutely no mention of Cinco de Mayo, no specials in celebration of the holiday, and plenty of tables up for grabs. Now... I'm completely aware of the fact that we're pretty darn far from Mexico, but we at least thought that a Mexican restaurant would be representing one of their most renowned holidays. Wishful thinking! We didn't let it dampen our spirits as we ordered up a round of margaritas. I know I've mentioned the strict regulations on alcohol in previous posts, but since this restaurant is located within a Western hotel, alcohol is available.

With our glasses empty and our bellies full, we made our way down to the beach to enjoy an impressive view of the Doha skyline and relax by the edge of the Persian Gulf for a moment. Temperatures were just starting to rise in May, but the night time air is perfect for enjoying evenings outside.

 Intercontinental Hotel

Next stop for the night was my favorite place in Doha, Souq Waqif. Literally translated to "the standing market," this shopping destination is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to dozens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, as well as Shisha lounges.


We grabbed a seat at one of our favorite cafes and ordered up a few cocktails. Alcohol is not available for purchase in the souq, but all of the restaurants have an impressive menu of fresh fruit drinks, smoothies, coffee and tea. The best night time activity here is to sit back and enjoy the view. The souq is crowded with people almost every night of the week. And it seems everyone is just as content with the favorite past time of people watching. 

The next night we went back to Souq Waqif for a more adventurous meal at Al Adhamiyah Iraqi restaurant, which we haven't had a chance to try yet. We recently saw a write up in one of the local magazines which described "brilliant, authentic food". It was a must try in my book. We followed suit with the author of the article and tried a few of his recommendations including Kouzi al sham which has been described as an Iraqi version of a pie. Encased in a kind of bread, you break through the layer to uncover a delicious jumble of fragrant spiced rice with chicken, lamb, vermicelli, sultanas, and potato. This dish is served with a yoghurt sauce. We also ordered the safe, but always pleasing chicken tikka dish.

 

 Kouzi al sham

Chicken Tikka

After dinner, we took a stroll through the souqs to walk off some of our meal and engage in some more people watching. 

On the weekends, there is usually some type of musical event taking place at Souq Waqif. This particular night there was a large band of local Arab's singing mostly a cappella, but supplementing here and there with drums that were heated over a fire. I'm guessing this has something to do with the acoustics of the instrument.

We ended the night with a photo of the four of us. We spotted some beautiful stained glass windows and thought it was the perfect spot for a picture. Thanks to Ken for warning us that we were about to snap our photo in front of the windows of a mosque which is definitely not allowed. We quickly walked on and found a new spot for our photo. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the desert :)

My 1st (and hopefully last) Run-in with the Police

Sometimes this place can be so completely backwards. Just a routine trip to the grocery store has now ended up costing me an additional $137 for a traffic violation. Now I won't say that I'm innocent.... but I will say that the parking garages in Doha were neither designed nor built by the any of the sharpest tools in the shed. None of the signs make any sense, none of the lanes are pointing the right direction and the exit signs will only give you a nice lengthy tour of the entire lot if you actually follow them.


Today I went to the grocery store and unfortunately I was one ingredient short for my dinner after searching high and low. This happens pretty often since you're never guaranteed a specific item in any of the stores. Here one week, gone the next... never to be back again, or if you're lucky it'll be fully stocked on the shelf next week. It's a mystery. Either way, I had to run to another store before returning home. I pulled into the parking garage at the local mall, which is always a frustrating situation. People pulling out in front you, people strolling down the center of the road taking their good old time, and the parking spots always filled. After scouring the first few rows I finally eyed up an empty spot. I made a quick left and pulled into the 3rd spot on the right. At the end of the row I see a police officer writing another unhappy shopping customer a ticket. I thought to myself, "that's strange" because I see police all the time, but I never actually see them working. The police officer started to pull up to my car. I got out of my vehicle and walked over to the police car after they motioned me over and I was face to face with 2 uniformed Arab officers. They proceed to tell me that I pulled the wrong way into a one way lane of the parking garage. First off, I have NEVER EVER seen the "one way" lanes being observed in this parking garage or any for that matter. The signage is terrible, so it's practically impossible to even tell which way you're supposed to be going. It's usually every man for themselves, cars going every which direction, and complete chaos. This particular day, I needed one extra ingredient, and I end up with a ticket.


Now for those of you that know me.... you'll vouch for the fact that I have a panic attack if a medic speeds up behind me and just the thought of getting pulled over makes me breath funny. I tend to be a pretty safe driver and abide by the speed limit. I'm extra careful here because I watch way to much Locked Up Abroad on the Discovery Channel. And although I'm not attempting to smuggle drugs or engage in any other illegal activity, a run in with the police might throw me over the edge. So you can imagine my reaction when the cop asks for my license. Especially because I don't exactly have a valid Qatari drivers license yet. I check my pulse, I mean my purse.... and realize I don't even have my International Drivers License on me because I had just switched handbags a few days before. But to be honest, I'm not sure that it would have mattered. We're really not completely sure how long the International Drivers license is valid in Qatar. The expiration on the license gives me one year, but Qatar is constantly changing the rules and not really posting it anywhere. Some believe that the International license is only good for one week. I play a little dumb and hand him my passport, all the while I'm sweating profusely (it's 93 degrees out and I'm in a non-airconditioned parking garage...NOT HELPING). I'm also shaking like a leaf and probably wouldn't have known my name if they asked me. Am I Liz or Laura, Sinapi or Taylor.... Breeeaath!! Good thing they didn't ask. The officer looks at my passport and asks again for my license. I tell him that my resident's permit has not gone through yet, which would mean that I don't have my license yet. He shakes his head and looks a little disappointed, but hands my passport back. At this point, I'm considering making a run for it, but I know I wouldn't make it too far in my flip flops and this desert heat. So I stand there and wait, thinking of all the worst case scenarios. Me driving away in the back of the police car, deported for driving without a license. Or worse yet, thrown in jail. After what seems like an hour, but was probably just minutes, he hands over a ticket. I thank him (which was probably very confusing to both of the officers in the vehicle) and apologize a few times. I take my ticket and for all I know, it says I've been deported... because the whole thing is in Arabic (except the very clear "Traffic Violation" written at the bottom). I'm putting the ticket back into my car and realize that this whole scene was being witnessed by about 4 or 5 of the nice little car washing men. I'm shaking my head and one of them asks "How much is the ticket?" or at least that's what I've heard. We exchange a few words and realize neither of us are understanding the other. I show him the ticket and he looks at it, then flips it 180 degrees and takes another look. Then he laughs and says "Arabic". Obviously neither of us can read Arabic, so I'd have to wait until I got home to check the amount online.

The tickets here are actually written out to the vehicle, so he didn't have to collect any of my information. But the problem is that I was borrowing Kate's car because yesterday our car very conveniently had two of the back window motors die on us. So now I'm feeling even worse because this ticket will be attached to Kate's vehicle, name and ID# and if there are any points, she will get those as well. 


For my anxiety's sake, I'm very thankful that the ticket has been posted online very quickly. 500 QR or $137 seems a bit excessive, but the fact that that they didn't give me (or technically didn't give Kate) any points has me relieved!

Here's a snapshot of the website where we have to continuously check for tickets. We have speeding cameras that will snap your photo and issue a ticket without you ever knowing if you don't check online.

I have learned my lesson! You better believe that I never want to be face to face with the Doha Police ever again!

Cruising the Gulf

This weekend we had the opportunity to join friends on our first ever Dhow cruise on the Gulf. The wooden boats or dhows are traditional Arabic fishing boats and can be seen in all of the harbors in Doha.

As with most events in Qatar, we weren't really sure what to expect. The four of us have never been on a dhow cruise and we were only told 3 things. A BBQ dinner would be served, bring a bathing suit, and we're allowed to bring a cooler with booze since we'd be on international waters. That's all we needed to hear! 

There were over 30 of us total. We boarded the boat at around 3:00 pm and headed out onto open waters. We went straight to the top deck to enjoy the sunshine and the nice breeze. Traditional Arabic seating, which consists of cushions on the floor and pillows to lean against, were arranged the entire perimeter of the top deck. 

Our hostess very graciously brought tons of appetizers to hold us over since dinner wasn't served until much later in the evening. But the first line of business was serving margaritas! Always a good way to kick off a trip.

The 90+ degree weather quickly became bearable with the sea breeze. We sailed for about 25 minutes and pulled within 100 yards of a small island (made from reclaimed land). Since this was our first go, we weren't sure exactly what was going to happen next. So we just continued to enjoy the food, the drinks, the gorgeous view, and the company. Our crew had music playing continually and we enjoyed an eclectic mix of tunes. The waters were busy on Saturday. Jet skis, boats pulling tubes and water skiers, and other dhow boats filled the waters. The jet skiers took our presence as an opportunity to show off to the passengers, flying by us at top speeds and circling our boat. 

Here is another dhow boat which closely resembled the one that we were on.

The sun started to set and the crowds started to calm down. Our BBQ dinner was finally served! The crew cooked on deck and provided grilled chicken, beef and vegetable kabobs, lamb kabobs, hot dogs, salad, curried coleslaw, rice, pita bread and hummus, and an assortment of fresh fruit. 

We had the perfect seats to enjoy the gorgeous sunset.

The sun receded below the horizon, our belly's were full, and our coolers were starting to empty. The calm waters provided just the relaxation we were all looking for. Right about that time a few passengers thought it was the perfect opportunity to go for a swim. Kris and I were a bit hesitant, but as we watched the others jumping about 20 feet off of the top deck and into the waters below, we had the urge to join. It had been a while since I've had a proper dive (maybe even since my diving days in college), so I was pretty excited. My only fear was what's lurking below in those dark waters...

Our hostess handed out glow in the dark necklaces to ensure that no one was lost in the water. What a great idea?! Kris and I took the plunge together and cooled off with a bunch of others. I performed my best dive (thankfully it was dark) and we swam for a bit. Besides the warm and cool spots that faded in and out of the water (Kris promised it wasn't him), we thankfully didn't encounter any sea creatures. 

We were back to the dock around 8:30 pm, relaxed and well fed. A great experience all around and we would definitely do it again. I think we'll probably wait until next year because the heat is beginning to rise and I can't imagine being out there when it hits the 120's, 130's dare I say the 140's.

Till our next Blog, a belated Happy Easter to all and sending our Love from Qatar. 

An Eagle on the 18th???

Yes, you heard it correctly.... an Eagle on the 18th!! And I'm not talking about a "golden" or a "bald" eagle. I'm talking about 2 under on a par 5 to end the Qatar Masters Volunteers Tournament. Team Taylor along with our new friends Rob and Bob, had a successful run ending up at -15 on what some call the most difficult and longest course on the European Tour. 

The format was a modified Texas Scramble and we all had to contribute at least 3 drives. After each player hit their drive we selected best ball, but the person who hit the best ball was not permitted to take the next shot. Finishing up each round, we were all allowed to putt. 

There were around 160 volunteers playing in the tournament which took place over a morning and afternoon session. I had a bad case of the tournament jitters, especially because I've never played the beautiful but very difficult Championship Course. Thankfully, Kris was there to calm my nerves and coach me through each shot. Our team handicap was 8 with Kris contributing a very low 6 and me at the other end of the spectrum with a 36.

Our team started off ok... we birdied the 1st after selecting my drive (which was closest to the fairway) and a 25 foot putt off of the back off the green by my hubby. We also had a solid par on the 2nd. After a disappointing bogey on the 3rd hole we decided to just play and have fun. That strategy seemed to work for us and a collaborative effort began to take root. That was our first and last bogey as we started racking up the birdies. Bob started it off with the longest putt I've ever seen at about 50 feet. Kris picked up his game on the back 9 and drove the ball well over 300 yards down the fairway on every hole. I contributed on the front 9 with 3 drives and one putt and rounded it off on the back 9 with a few chips and 3 more putts topping off at about 20+ feet long.

There's no better way to end the tournament then with Kris hitting his 3 wood 266 yards onto the green for our second shot. We all took a stab at the 15 ft putt, but Kris ended up sinking it to clinch our win with an eagle on the 18th hole. Although I should mention that we swept first place by a landslide with the runners up more than 4 strokes behind us.

Later that evening we were treated to cocktails and a delicious buffet dinner before the awards ceremony took place. At this point we were feeling confident with our win, but not many players had shared their scores after the tournament was over. There were cheers (and boo's... some people just can't handle losing) when our team was called and our score was announced. Kris and I were extremely excited to clinch our first win in the first tournament we played together. Each person on our team was awarded a beautiful  watch (valued up to $800 each). Although I'll be trading mine in at some point to collect a women's watch. I'm not really sure how to take it that they must have anticipated an ALL MENS team to take first place. Either way it was a huge accomplishment for us all. We've also heard our picture will be featured in World Golf magazine. We'll make sure to get more than a few copies of that!! As if the night couldn't get any better, we ended up taking home 2 raffle prizes including a free round of golf and a bag of goodies including golf balls and a beer koozie.

All in all it was an absolutely wonderful day on the course and we'll be looking
for a repeat next year! =)