Doha (day ten)

I know, I know, I have been slacking on keeping the blog updated. I apologize for that, but here I am, sitting down to write again. The last few days have had some small adventures in them. One day Dad and I drove out of town to check out what was supposed to be the ruins of an old fort. Turns out we either found a different one, or the ruins had been reconstructed. It was still neat to walk around all the different rooms and look out of the gun ports, but I think that climbing around on the run down walls would have been a bit more exciting. Here is one thing that differs from the states; at this for there was not one sign describing what it would have been used for or when. Not even a little sign telling the name and approximate dates of the fort. It was kind of disappointing, it would have been great to learn a little history about it.
Another day we went down to Wakra beach late in the afternoon and a friend of Dad's from work gave me some kite boarding lessons. If you've never heard of it kite boarding is where you have a board similar to a wake board on your feet and use a large kite to propel you though the water. My first day I just stood on the beach and tried to get the hang of the kite before I got on the board. Which was a great idea. Even the small 'trainer kite' I was using was very hard to control and I ended up crashing in the sand multiple times! By the end of the day though I got to the point where I could control the kite enough to stand on my heels and have it drag me through the sand down the shore for twenty or thirty feet. It was great fun. The kite I was using was only about two square meters and was pulling me all over. The kite Jon was using was over twelve!! I would be a little intimidated by that large of one.
Yet another day Mom and I went to check out the Villiagio shopping center. It is just a large, and very nice, mall. It is themed to look like Venice and much like the Venician in Vegas, has blue sky's painted on the ceilings and a canal running though the center. The best part of the whole mall though was a little Kiosk with about thirty different kinds of loose leaf tea. We had a great time there and got all sorts to try!
Life is good here. Very sunny and warm. So when there is a lull in our activities you can find me reading my book on the beach, taking in the sun. I hope that the days are treating you all good as well. School starts up again soon. Sure is going to be hard to go back the the snow and cold..

Doha (Christmas Day)

Merry Christmas from the middle east! Santa managed to find me all the way over here and even left me a stocking. We got up and did all of our present opening. Josh, Matt; Mom and Dad loved their gifts, especially the calendar. I then spent most of the morning teaching Dad how to use his iPod and getting iTunes set up on his computer. As part of my Christmas gift we left Doha and drove south into the desert. Let me tell you, the desert in Utah looks like the Tetons compared the the desert here! What they did have though, was what we were looking for; sand dunes! We rented some four-wheels and Dad and I spent an hour cruising through the sand. I got stuck, lots of times! Good thing the machines were light enough to pull out of the holes I dug. It was a lot of fun though. After our adventure we went to another resort that was close by on the coast called the Sealine Resort and had some iced tea. On the way out though Mom insisted that we stop for a camel ride! I must admit, it was pretty fun. They are sure some strange looking beasts. Maybe I should get one of those to ride around the Tetons since my boss traded away my horse.
So here we are, back in the apartment enjoying the great leftovers. It sure wasn't a typical Christmas. No fresh cut Christmas tree, no snow, and no Roxie trying to eat the bows and paper. Even though it doesn't fit my memories of Christmas past, it has been tons of fun, and now I have new memories to keep. Just think.. how many people out there can say they rode a camel..in the deserts of the middle east.. on Christmas Day! Now that is something! Merry Christmas to all of you. We do miss the family and want you to know that we are thinking of you and making plans for the next time we can all be together again!

Doha (Chrismas Eve)

The 24th started out with a trip the the new Museum of Islamic Art for me and Mom. The building itself is quite the piece of art. It is build literally on the water, with a long stone ramp lined with palm trees. Inside were all sorts of beautiful pieces from all over the middle east and every century going back to the 6th and 7th. Not to mention copies and copies of different, decorative Qur'ans. Big ones, tiny ones (smaller then a deck of cards), and my favorite was the entire works written on a piece of silk the size of a towel! After we left the museum we walked down the shore, which was gorgeous and planted with all colors of flowers, and crossed the road into the Souq Waqif again. It was late in the afternoon and most of the stores close down during the afternoon due to the ridiculous summer heat, but it gave me a chance to take some photos of the architecture and buildings without interrupting too many people. Dad picked us up there on his way home from work and headed back, but we had to make a quick stop on the side of the road to watch a local man training a beautiful white Arabian horse. Dad and I then drove over the the Ritz-Carlton hotel, which is probably the most fancy hotel/resort I have ever steeped foot in, to pick up our 'home made' Christmas dinner. When we got home we unloaded all of the food and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. We had some company from two of the very sweet young ladiesthat work the front desk of the building Mom and Dad live in. Dinner having been put away, which was quite the chore with their very small fridge, we put on the tradition "A Christmas Story" and watched it while Dad played Red Alert on the computer. I even broke down and played a game, it had been years since I had played it! Games and movies put away, it was time for bed.

Doha (day four)

Started a new book on the beach today, my Chaco tan is coming along quite nicely.. Eiger Dreams by Krakauer. Its amazing so far. For those of you who don't climb and perhaps don't understand the hold that it has on people like myself he is very good at explaining the mental and emotional aspects of climbing. I went to the gym this morning with Mom and lifted weights while she did her exercises. Her trainer, Ian, calls me "Sir Chris," its pretty amusing, but watch out, I may come back with an ego. When dad came home we went to the other side of town and into the Gold Souq. It has the same basic format of the old fashioned one I mention before (titled Souq Waqif) but this one has a modern look to it that more resembles a crowded strip mall. None the less it was gorgeous and fascinating. All of the window displays glow from all of the gold. Necklaces, bracelets, pendants, rings. You name it .Solid gold. All manner of jewelry is sold there as well. I had a Qatari trying very hard to convince me to buy some gaudy rhinestone designer knock off watch. There was lots of silver there as well, and also every time of gem or stone that you can think of. Lets not forget the framed scorpions and spiders. What vacation would be complete without one??
After we finished there we made our way back to Souq Waqf and meet up with a friend of Dads from work and his wife Tracey, for dinner. We ate at a Qatari restaurant that was really good. Tracey has been working in the middle east for many years and she was able to pick out all the best appetizers and explain most of what was on the menu. The dessert however was made out of Oreo cookies. That, perhaps, was not so authentic Qatari, but tasty none the less. On the way back the the vehicles we wandered around some more in the shops. We found a place that sells honey made in Yemen and stayed there for a while tasting various things. Tracey speaks a little bit of Arabic and it was not only fun to listen to her, but it also made things a lot easier.
Sure is going to be hard to go back to the snow that is waiting to be shoveled in Utah.

Doha (day three)

I am sitting on the couch as I write this I am listening to the news about the insane winter weather all throughout the States. "Five hour delays in such and such airport" "Interstate travel at a standstill" I am glad that I got out when I did, with no setbacks. At the same time I hope the weather gets better before I start the trek home. Today was pretty laid back. Dad went in to work and Mom and I went out and sat on the beach with our books. I am just about finished with "Fight Club" by Palahniuk, its very good, I recommend it. Like I said before, it was a pretty easy going day. Later in the evening we drove out and met Dad at his office. The work day ends at around three and no one was there so I got a quick tour. Its a nice place. Dad's office is one of only a few that has a window. We left the office and went to another beach nearby. The shore at this location had a very gradual slope to it so you could see the sand bars breaking through for a long ways into the water. We met one of Dad's friends from work there with his two dogs and we played with them. It made me miss Rox, she would have loved it. After the sun set we went to a place called "Fast Fish" for dinner, it was kind of a dive, and a little frightening, but Mom and Dad swore that it had great food, and it did. It's always the scary places that are the best. I mean, look at Polar King! So now we are just back at home about to watch a movie. Big plans coming up for the next few days though, so keep an eye out. Hope all is well and everyone is staying safe back home. Cheers.

Doha (day two)

Jet lag is no fun. I am sleeping well though, hopefully it will pass soon. Dad had to go into work today so Mom and I got up and took a taxi down town to the Souq. The Souq is the old fashioned market with narrow streets and customary shops and goods. It is not historical, but was rebuilt to model what it would have looked like. It was really awesome to visit. The 'main drag' is open to the sunlight but the side alleys are covered and winding in every direction. It is quite the maze. There were all sorts of traditional clothing shops with veils and robes, furniture, trinkets, and all sorts of food. They have wonderful bread over here. Its made almost like a crepe, flat and thin. We watched them make the one they handed us, its great. There was also men to watch working at their craft. Carving things from blocks of wood, making jewelry, even a cobbler working on shoes. The best part of the Souq though is the area with wholesale spices. Entire shops full of burlap sacks with every kind of spice and incense you can think of. It smells wonderful. I only wish I could read Arabic so I would know what they all were and what I could use them for! I didn't take my camera today because I wanted to take it all in before I spend the whole time looking for pictures, but don't worry, we are going back and I will take lots of good ones. When we came back from our morning I sat on the beach and read my book for a while longer. When Dad came back from work he brought dinner with him. A Lebanese dish called a 'swarma' which is grilled chicken and some veggies rolled up in Arabic bread, basically a fajita. They were good. After dinner we went down the the cafe in the main part of the hotel and listened to two women who played the violin and piano while we drank coffee/tea. Another terrible day! The only thing that is wrong is that there is no snow for Christmas. I suppose the tan that I will pick up will make up for it though.

Doha (arrival and day one)

I never thought I would hear the words "Welcome to Saudi Arabia" announced through the speakers of an airplane. None the less, its happened, and after my nineteen some odd hours from Portland, Amsterdam, and Dammam, I touched down in Doha just before midnight on Friday. The adventure began as soon as we got in Dad's Land Cruiser and started to head home. The driving here is insane. Roundabouts everywhere and basically no rules besides try to not get hit. The day before I arrived was Doha's equivalent of the 4th of July and the celebration was still going on that night. There were cars everywhere decorated in the maroon and white Qatar flag, with young men hanging out of windows and sun roofs singing and dancing. Not to mention that they would stop in the middle of the road, get out of the vehicles, and dance around with swords and flags. It was quite the sight to see, but also provided us with a very extended drive to return to the hotel. We made it though, and after a couple of hours of chatting got to bed.
For those of you who had any thoughts about poor Becky getting drug out into the deserts of the middle east.. Let me draw you a picture. The residence that Dad's company is supplying them with happens to be a five star resort. Everywhere we go people open the doors, smile and welcome us. The resort has a private beach with beautiful clear blue water. The ocean is to cold to swim in right now, but not to worry, there is a heated pool as well, and if you need a drink, you can just swim up to the bar and charge it to the room. I spent most of the day walking around the resort and learning my way around. The water may be chilly, but there is still plenty of sunshine, and after we ate lunch we sat out on the beach and soaked it up. Which was pretty incredible just coming from Utah with its six inches of snow and Oregon with a wind chill well below freezing. We went out to the mall that evening. A mall in Doha is pretty much a mall in the states. It was interesting though to see all of the local dress and listen to the language. Did I mention all of the Starbucks all over the place here? Good to know that anywhere in the world one thing will always be a constant.