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.