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! =)

Weekend in Dubai

The weekend before the Qatar Masters, the Taylor clan decided to hop across the Persian Gulf on a short 40 minute flight to escape Doha for a few days and enjoy some time in Dubai. For those of you on Facebook, these pictures are old news. But considering this was technically our first trip since we moved here, and this is "Tripping With The Taylors", I couldn't pass up this opportunity to share our adventure.

As we approached landing, we flew over The World islands off of the coast of Dubai. As you can see from the empty islands below, this is evidence of the financial crisis that hit back in 2008 and still hasn't completely rebounded.  

We're lucky enough to have family from the Taylor side that very graciously hosted us for the weekend (Thank you Mike and Carol!!!). We arrived around 10 am on Thursday morning and after we exchanged our Riyals for Dirhams, we took a taxi to the Mall of the Emirates. Among the malls 6,500,000 square feet you will find a fourteen-screen movie theatre, a gaming arena, a drama theatre, and the largest assortment of shopping I've ever seen in my life. Although believe it or not, the biggest claim to fame isn't even the shopping. The Mall of the Emirates is the location of the Middle East's first indoor ski slope, Ski Dubai. Kris was very tempted to rent a snowboard and take a few runs down the slope, but we opted to save that for another trip since we were only there for a few days.

The indoor resort features a 60-meter high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of varying steepness and difficulty, including a 400-meter-long run, the world's first indoor black run, and a 90-meter-long quarter pipe for snowboarders. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. Adjoining the slopes is a 3,000-square-meter Snow Park play area comprising sled and toboggan runs, an icy body slide, climbing towers, a snowball shooting gallery, an ice cave and a 3D theater. 

Ever since my first trip to the Doha, I fell in love with the gorgeous lanterns that you can find all over the Middle East. I couldn't pass up this shot of the colorful display filling the ceiling of this little shop. This is also the shop where Kris purchased a pouffe for his big feet (which is an ottoman of sorts) traditionally made from camels leather. Ken and Kate have 2 which we use to prop our feet on when watching TV. But lately, Little Girl (our kitty) has decided to claim one as her own.

After we took in the sites at the mall, we decided to head over Souk Madinat Jumeirah. The Souk is an impressive marketplace featuring tons of traditional boutique shops, cafe's, bars and restaurants. It was a nice change of pace to be able to sit at a restaurant and enjoy a cold beer (or cider for me) out in public. Lucky for us, we had some time to kill before dinner and we were able to indulge in a few more beers and ciders.

View of the Burj Al Arab, the worlds only 7 Star Hotel! 

Water taxi anyone? If you're staying at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel the water taxi is the only way to get to/from your room.

Gorgeous blue skies framed the traditional motif of the souk's.

After some shopping we had a delicious dinner at The Noodle House where we dined on crispy duck and discovered our new favorite soup, curry laksa with chicken and prawns!  I highly recommend trying this soup if you have a Noodle House in your area. After dinner we headed back to the Smith household for a few more drinks and lots more reminiscing. 

The next day we had booked a trip with Seawings for an aerial tour of Dubai on a 9 passenger plane. But mother nature had another plan in mind. We had just finished getting ready and were about to call a taxi. Out of no where, a sand storm popped up and swept over Dubai. Right before our eyes the view transformed from clear blue skies to sand filled winds which provided practically zero visibility. Palm trees were swaying and almost reached horizontal positions... debris filled the air.... and our big plans were immediately canceled as Seawings grounded all planes for the rest of the day.

(Photo courtesy of www.seawings.ae)

This would have been the view from our Seawings adventure, but we had to postpone it until we can make it back to Dubai. 

Here is the view from our taxi during the sand storm. Mind you... this is after it had calmed down a bit. We decided to head to Dubai Mall since it was an indoor activity that we could enjoy without feeling the wrath of the sand storm.

One of my favorite spots in the Dubai Mall had to be the Gold Souk. For all those jewelry lovers out there, this is the place to be. We spent most of our time wandering around doing some window shopping. The selection is endless and so are the diamonds!

I loved these fountains. They reminded me of my diving days!

Kris and I are standing in front of the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. Since Dubai does everything big, it's no wonder that the aquarium has officially earned the Guinness World Record for the world's "Largest Acrylic Panel" (32.88 m wide × 8.3 m high × 750 mm thick and weighing 245,614 kg). 

If just walking through the aquarium isn't enough, you even have the opportunity to go scuba diving in the tank. Dubai Aquarium has more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined.

The Burj Khalifa - The tallest building in the world at over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) and more than 160 stories. After a day of staring at this monstrosity you're sure to have a crick in your neck.

While we were in Dubai, we also had the opportunity to meet up with the Shaver sisters, Katie and Lisa, who lived in the same neighborhood as the Sinapi's growing up.

Katie and her husband Matt invited us to their apartment for some pre-dinner wine. They enjoy a gorgeous view from their balcony which we immediately took advantage of upon arriving. 

We decided to eat dinner at The Mango Tree, a delicious Thai restaurant which has one of the best views in the city overlooking the Dubai Fountains. I can't help but describe these fountains as the "Bellagio Fountains on steroids". There happened to be an event going on that night in the general vicinity. So instead of the traditional display that runs about every 20 minutes, we were entertained non-stop throughout the night. The fountains typically run with a set schedule of songs, but that night they threw in a few extras including my personal favorite "Thriller".

Before heading to the airport (with a short stop at IKEA), we posed for a few more photos with this picturesque background.

Until next time Dubai!

We're Baaaack.....to Doha, that is.

As you may be aware, Kris and I have taken over a month hiatus from the blog. But we're back and with a good deal to blog about. I just spent 3 1/2 weeks back home thoroughly enjoying the company of my family and friends. It was only a slight adjustment settling back into "normalcy". The realization that I can eat pork freely, text my family & friends whenever I want, smooch my husband in public, not be working off of an 8 hour time difference, and enjoy the comfort of our cozy home... it all set in quickly and comfortably. On the flip side, the realization of U.S. gas prices, the freezing cold weather, and the winter flu that seemed to have hit my family when my plane touched down, hit me like a ton of bricks. Nonetheless... we were thrilled to be back home.


Kris was able to make the trip for one week, but had to be back quickly for work. The time flew by and I was pulled in many different directions to ensure quality time with all! In the blink of an eye I was on a plane and headed back to the desert! But we made sure to jam pack the trip with as much action as humanly possible. 


We started off with a quick trip to NYC to visit college friends Mannon and Liam and drop off our wedding shower gift. Much to our disappointment, we're not able to attend the big event in June. Jocelyn and Shane were kind enough to chauffeur Kris and I (the heavily jet-lagged duo) up to the Big Apple where we ate at the famous Sparks Steak House and enjoyed views from the top of the Empire State Building. I walked around the city as if I was imitating scenes from "Weekend At Bernie's" as I stumbled around in a daze. But we had an amazing time with the company of our closest friends.

Many thanks to Liam for hooking up Kris with some clothes and a nice warm coat. He was totally unprepared for the freezing weather.

Sparks Steakhouse is world renowned for their fabulous steaks and amazing wine cellar. Sparks is also extremely well known as the location where Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano and underboss Thomas Bilotti were gunned down near its entrance in 1985. The hit was under the orders from John Gotti.

Jocelyn, Mannon and I waiting in the subway. This was before I clumsily sprained my ankle crossing the road. I'm still recovering from the sprain as my ankle remains bruised and swollen 5 weeks later. But since I've been back I've been following orders from my nurses (Megan and Aimee) to RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and I've been staying off of it as much as possible. I can't wait until it heals and I can get back on the golf course.

On February 28th we were blessed to be able to celebrate Nanny's 92nd birthday.We also celebrated Faith's 6th Birthday (a week in advance so I could be there)! 

I was also lucky enough to catch a Marc Broussard concert while I was home. Jocelyn, Megan and I trekked to the Sellersville Theater to catch our favorite band in action.

Our seats were practically on top of the stage. Megs, Joce and I enjoyed the view from our table right up front. Only one thing was missing... and that was my sister, Rachael. Unfortunately we were right in the middle of tax season at this point, so Rachael was working hard and not able to join us at the show.

Marc jamming out to some of our favs and some new ones. 

In our usual fashion we took it upon ourselves to chat with the opening band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. 

In addition to the above, I also attended a lovely baby shower for Aubree, a jewelry party with my girls at Megan's, a trip to Harrisburg with Mom to get my marriage license attested, a Sinapi dinner at The Brody's new home, girls night at the Taylor household, dinner with Dina and Steph, I volunteered at Faith's school for Dr. Seuss's Birthday, attended family night at Ava's preschool and watched her sing on the stage like a rock star, got to see one of Jake's basketball games, and accompanied Joy on a trip to the KOP mall to feed her addiction to Teavana. In the midst of all the running around, it was wonderful to spend quality time with Mom & Dad and the rest of my family and friends. We were even able to squeeze in one of our traditional Sinapi/Seeker dinners at Aunt Patrice and Uncle Randy's. 

We're back in the desert now and soaking up the sunshine and weather in the 80's. I need to enjoy it while it lasts because it'll soon be up to 100+. We look forward to our next trip home in July!