Blogs from Doha, Qatar, Middle East - page 13

The time of our trip seems to have flown around with all the usual excitement and worrying. Getting through Heathrow Airport took a while as we seemed to be at the opposite end of the airport from what we needed every step of the way. There was a brief moment of panic for Pete as Julie disappeared to buy toothpaste as the clock ticked towards departure. Eventually we saw her running across the airport towards us and aboard we all got. On arrival at Doha everyone seemed determined to persuade us not to leave the airport. We were told that we wouldn't have time and that the souq would be closed. Maybe they'd heard about Mam's punctuality problems. Our doubts grew further when the passenger in front of us was refused a visa. The girl behind ... read more

Getting ready to wrap up our trip in Qatar. We leave Wednesday night (technically Thursday morning). A good chunk of Sunday was spent at Katara Beach. It's in the Cultural Village (which if you have read previous blog entries is where that coliseum amphitheatre and the Fish Market is). It costs to use this beach area - they give you wrist bands when you check in. I think it's the nicest beach area we've seen here. The sand is white and soft, and the water very blue. They have lots of activities, of which some are additional costs. We rented a 4 person paddle boat for half an hour, and distracted the kids from renting sea-dos. They have this massive inflatable play area in the water...it reminds me of that TV show Wipe Out. Ropes to ... read more

We didn't write anything yesterday - we didn't do anything different...just did some shopping and hung out at the pool at the Hyatt. The kids did do go-karting in the mall. They had a blast doing that. Noah had to use the washroom in the mall. He came out a minute later, panic on his eyes. He couldn't use these washrooms....the toilet was built into the ground! I never did go in to see it, but they weren't your typical toilet. He managed to make it to another store and used their washroom. Today, Nick woke up at 5 am and didn't feel good. He had a high temperature and achy. So, he stayed home with Maria's mom, while Maria, Noah, and I went to the Hyatt. We hung out at the pool until 2 pm. ... read more

Today, we had arranged for a boat to take us around the waters of Doha, but when we got there, the boat didn't have a roof...which was requested...for some shade. So, that was put on hold until tomorrow. Instead, we went on a hunt for tickets to the Russia vs Qatar soccer match. Funny thing though, we couldn't get them. We had the conceirge of the Hyatt (where the Russian team is staying) trying to find where they are sold. We were sent to one of the main malls downtown, and at one time there was a booth selling tickets, but not now. I'm going to play it by ear, but if I want to go, I'll have to just take a taxi to the stadium and see if I can get tickets. They operate a ... read more

Well, another day in the books, and we have not been part of any protests. ;o) We had a fairly quiet day today. As usual, I was up before Maria or the kids. Maria and I went for a long walk to find a place to have some breakfast. We ended up back at the Chocolate Bar. We didn't put a lot of thought into ordering, and ended up with two baskets of breads (included various types of croissants). Maria had a cappuccino and I had a white mocha. The breads came with some honey and jams. It cost 123 Qatari Riyals...which is about $40 Cdn. Gulp. The area we are in is high end (a man-made island of buildings), so everything is more expensive here than on the main land. I've been told you can ... read more