Blogs from Doha, Qatar, Middle East - page 5

Well after much ado, I am in Doha, Qatar. Almost in Africa. I wrote last blog that I was worried about getting out of Melbourne. By the time I left home on Wednesday morning I was no longer worried about getting out of Melbourne but out of Perth at the other end. The Ash cloud was moving over Perth and looked like it was going to settle there and raise children. By the time we had driven the 3 hours down to Melbourne (after trying for over 30mins to talk to Jetstar in their queue) we found out as we arrived that my flight from Melbourne to Perth had been cancelled. I ended up calling the Travel Agent (many times), the airlines, my insurance company and used up ALL the full battery I had on my ... read more

Hi all Yes, it's a 10 hour stay in Doha airport. Aargh! I'm heading now to find the quiet room, unroll my little sleeping bag inner and hope for some sleep. Brussels was great but I really one-of-those-days yesterday. I literally had only that day to get my visa for Pakistan so I prepped my bag the night before, headed out for some sightseeing (more on that later), met up with the boys from the training course for dinner at one of the girls' places and crawled into bed pretty late for the early start I had planned. Btw I found a great Boschendal wine at the local supermarche for the dinner!! So, up early, first train, at the office 30 min early, go in, can't find passport, panic, run for train back to hotel, punch ... read more

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

Almost 10 pm, and decided to do another entry. This is likely the last one. We go to the airport tomorrow night for our flight to London. We have a 6 hour layover and then a direct flight home...back Thursday afternoon. Today, We divided and conquered. Maria's mom had a driver take her to a doctor's appointment early this morning. She left me the car and I drove first thing to the golf course. There is one golf course in Qatar, Doha Golf Club. Every February, this course is the host of the Qatar Masters, a pretty big tournament on the European PGA tour. I think I've said, but past winners of the tournament have been Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Adam Scott...some big names. They have the massive trophy on display in the club house. The ... 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

Souq Waqif is a traditional Arabic market place in Doha. Though it was recently renovated, the architects made sure that it retained the original characters of the place.... read more