Humping It, Qatar Style

Yes, this week I ticked off yet another item of my Doha to-do list while further feeding my unhealthy affinity for camels.

Camels Chillin'

TAMU-Q Liberal Arts Program sponsors a Liberal Arts Lecture series, and I was invited on several excursions to show our guests for this past week the sights, sounds, and smells of Qatar, which included:

JZog and Camel Friend

. . . the chance to ride a camel! (By the way, camels = taller than horses. For some reason I did not expect that.) Though clearly a tourist trap - I paid 20QR for a tour of approximately 1000 yards - I care not a damn! 

Noble Camel

My camel ride occurred at the beginning of a dune-bashing trip to the Inland Sea in the south of Qatar. One of the most popular activities in Qatar, dune-bashing involves securing an all-wheel drive capable vehicle (typically a Toyota Land Cruiser), often by hiring a driver, to traverse the sandy terrain on the southern coast. Rumors circulate of the high speeds and questionable credentials of some of the drivers, but ours proved nothing but competent and considerate of the desire to stay well under 100km/hour.

JZog in the Inland Sea with Saudi in the (Near) Distance

As close to Saudi as I ever need be. Gorgeous landscape, though.

Dunes on which we Bashed

Our Ride

After our bash through the dunes, we stopped at a "camp" for barbeque (shish kebab, kofta, and beef hot dogs) and a couple of hours of lounging by the beach. None of us brought a swimsuit, so we mostly waded and watched the crabs scamper into the sand as the waves retreated. I'm not altogether sure I could have swum anyway (without controversy), as there were some Qataris around.

Beach Barbeque

Only four days now until I take off towards TX. Due to an epic fail on my part in making this flight reservation, I have a one-day layover in London. Changing my ticket would have cost as much as staying the night in the UK (yes, even in London), AND I would have had to go to the airline office to pay for the changes and update my ticket. I have not the time for that nonsense. So, I resolved to make the most of my snafu and enjoy my under 24-hours in town to the best of my ability after an eight-hour flight!

XO,
JZog

Doha Dhow

Friday afternoon I checked another of the "things I hope to do before I leave Doha" off my list. My friend FH generously invited me on a dhow cruise that she had been invited on (thank you, thank you, FH!). What is a dhow, you ask? Well these are dhow:

Dhow in Harbor

And so are these:

Other Dhow in Harbor

Like "boat," "dhow" covers many different sizes and classes of vessels, though they tend to share long, narrow hulls, wide, open decks and one or more masts with lateen sails (says wikipedia; I have next to zero knowledge of boats or ships). According to Qatar International Adventures, the dhow and dhow cruises follow Bedouin traditions of hospitality and craftsmanship (even though most of those working on the dhows do not hail from Qatar or any Bedouin tribe, but I digress). 

Woodwork on Dhow in Progress

Dhow Hulls

View from Dhow Harbor

We had near-perfect weather for the cruise. After about 45 minutes, we anchored off an island (really, a sandbar) for barbeque dinner - chicken, shish kebab, and kofta. Some took a dip in the Gulf, and others of us enjoyed the breezes and views from the top deck as the sunset over West Bay.

Sunset Over West Bay

Sunset and Lights-Rise in West Bay

Doha at Night from Dhow

The tempo of activity has ramped up here considerably with the end of the semester, grant application deadlines, job applications, some reading and writing, and preparing to return to TX. As of now, I will stay in TX for the spring semester. Though Doha has been quite good to me - hooray for home!

XO,
JZog

Giving Thanks in Doha

TAMUQ Thanksgiving

Tuesday evening TAMUQ celebrated an early Thanksgiving dinner on the grounds of the Sharq Village and Spa, south of West Bay. We relished quite an impressive spread. Some notable absences included: dressing, dressing with oysters, cornbread, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. A spice-less, soggy pumpkin pie left me wanting, so I did not even try the pecan pie. Luckily the mini-eclairs with crumbled pistachios and some kind of apple cake almost made up for my traditional dessert disappointment.

The Spread

They did, however, offer many different kinds of scrumptious salad. I enjoyed one with shrimp and squid, and another of cheese and vegetables in addition to green beans, corn, hummus, potato, tomato, salmon and other vegetables I'm sure that I'm missing. I wonder how many turkeys we gobbled - TAMUQ has over 500 employees, many of whom attended with their families - but I do know that carver got a workout last night. True to form, I did not eat any turkey, and instead enjoyed chicken and roast beef au jus, smothered in mashed potatoes.

Salad Spread

Nothing beats homemade, of course, but I had a great time with a great meal with some great people. And after this, I have a new demand for future Thanksgivings - live music. We had a live band (whose name I cannot remember now) of the lounge-y cover band style. Though they opened with Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," (which I found hilarious - I don't think many shared my sentiments given the stares directed at me when I belly-laughed at that moment) overall the lead singer proved solid and her backing quite proficient.

TAMUQ Thanksgiving - Sound Check

Centerpiece

TAMUQ Thanksgiving - View of the Sharq

I have many, many things to give thanks for over the past year: ten rockin' years with KZog, a new niece, fabulous friends - old and new, the health and happiness of my family, and this opportunity in Doha among them. I am also especially thankful for everyone's support for me and KZog (and Roni and Brownie, too!) while we navigate this long-distance adventure. Though it looks fairly certain now that I will return to College Station for the spring, we never know what lies in front of us, and it renders me warm and fuzzy when I remember all the wonderful people around the world in our corner.
We're in yours, too.

Thanks, says the Beaver

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

XO,
JZog

Radio Silence

Many apologies for my radio silence over the past two weeks. The whirlwind of travel, home, conference, and a longer-than-planned-but-with-a-happy-surprise journey back, I have very much dropped my blogging ball. In another couple of days I will pick it up again as I wrap up the semester in Doha and prepare for another visit home for the holidays.

XO,
JZog

Yes, Please

 

Touchdown in TX in 24! 

Will I make it? 18 hours on a plane broken up by 2 hours layover in London. 

Sedated? At minimum, I hope . . . 

Who knows what my condition will be when I arrive, but, KZog, here I come!

XO,

JZog