Qatar

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Hi again family and friends!
I flew (just under an hour) from Abu Dhabi to Qatar, a tiny Arab country half the size of Wales on a peninsular of the Persian (Arabian) Gulf with a population of about 800 000 people, of which only about 200 000 are local Qataris and the rest expats. Martin met me at the airport. He is a kiwi cousin who has been working here 3 months and will be joined by his wife Mary this week. It's a shame I missed you Mary.
Earlier last century Qatar had widespread poverty but has undergone a rags to riches transformation since the discovery of huge quantities of natural gas and oil. It is now a major global supplier of energy and in just decades has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. I'm telling you all this because my impression of Qatar is that it is a country of extremes….I could stand in one spot and feel as though I was in the third world, then turn my head a fraction and see huge extravagant buildings.
Qatar is hosting the Asian Games in December this year, which is second only in size to the Olympics, and will be the first Arab country to do so. The games will bring in 10 000 athletes and thousands more officials etc. Because of this Qatar is building a new modern olympic city this year! It is beyond our comprehension and I couldn't believe my eyes to see all the demolition over the entire area and the construction following hard on its heels. I do mean everywhere…..there was not one road that wasn't ripped up! Money is no object and Martin, who is Cost Manager for the Education City project (you'll see more in photos), said budgets just keep being increased, no problem. Not what we are used to! The place is changing daily and I felt as if I was seeing a city being born. Just amazing. Next time I come it will be a beautifully finished city I'm sure.
One other thing I must mention is the crazy driving (on right side of road) in Qatar. There are few traffic lights but lots and lots of roundabouts. Lanes are not marked and cars don't indicate. They get places by just pushing in and tooting and blocking the road until a space appears. Many vehicles are big 4 wheel drives and they push smaller cars around. They just stop and park on roundabouts. I found it hard to walk across the road! Martin has mastered the skill of being able to drive here thank goodness!
Martin gave me a wonderful time here, thanks so much Martin. It was a treat to go to the Womens' tennis finals and an absolute thrill to see the "real thing, behind the scenes" Arabian horses of the Emir. This blog might be boring for you if you don't like horses so sorry for that. I had lots more photos but for some reason couldn't get any more on the blog. Maybe another one sometime.
Take care everyone and see you next blog.
Love
Dee

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Photos

Taking off from Abu Dhabi to fly to Doha
You can see why the roads can be so straight. Farms are visible on the outskirts of the city. Rooves in bottom right corner. It was really good to see the area from the air and get another perspective of Abu Dhabi and the desert.

Desert into the distance
The freeway out into the desert is 6-8 lanes wide and very fast. Some parts of it are irrigated so they are green tree-lined belts.

Martin at the WTP Qatar Open tennis finals
Martin picked me up from the airport and after a look around and lunch we went to the tennis. Not sure if you can read the draw but there are some classy names there.

The stadium before it filled with people
See the lady in centre top sitting alone. She was completely covered in black, including her face. Most of the crowd seemed to be French or Russian.

Doubles
This game was T. Li and T.Sun versus D. Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama.

End of the match
D. Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama were the winners. They must have been so hot playing in the afternoon sun.

Here we are in the crowd
Before the tennis we stopped at the fruit and vege markets and Martin bought fresh mandarins and lychees that we ate throughout the game....yummy.

Singles
In the foreground is the French player Amelie Mauresmo who is number 2 in the world. If she wins this she will go to number 1. The media have picked her to win.

Singles final again
In the background is the Russian player Nadia Petrova. Our seats were directly opposite the Emir's seat which you can see at the far end in the centre. We thought we must have the best seats in the stadium since they were the mirror image of his.

The red carpet is rolled out
It was an exciting match. The dignitaries line up with all the ball boys and girls and line umpires etc. The Emir's son and heir did the honours; he's the one to the right of the prize table.

The winner walks out
Petrova was too strong so the French girl didn't make it to number 1 today. A great game. Her prizes were a cheque for US$96000, a gold oryx trophy, a diamond tennis ball trophy, a diamond watch and.....

....a Harley Davidson motorbike
She was paraded around the court on it driven by some other previous tennis star from Qatar.The local Harley Davidson Club were in attendance wearing their patches and showing off their beautiful motorbikes.

Dinner at the Dhow Restaurant
This is built out on the water and is in the shape of a traditional dhow. It looks out over the harbour towards West Bay where there is lots of new development. Multistorey buildings are popping up almost overnight.

The corniche by day
West bay is in the background of this shot as well. The corniche is really lovely with green grass and gardens and runs over 13km right round the bay. Lots of people enjoy walking here. The driving is crazy.

The Emir's office
Looks like a palace to me but I guess when you are the ruler of a rich nation you need an office like this!

This hotel is the Rydges Plaza Doha
It's a one year old luxurious hotel right by the corniche and across the way from the Emir's office. It is about to be demolished because an American report says it has a line of sight to the Emir's office so is a security risk. Wouldn't it be easier to just concrete over the windows??? I couldn't believe the waste of this but it's happening everywhere.

A refurbished Doha roundabout along the corniche
This one has perfume bottles on it. Every roundabout is decorated with something so it can be identified. They are the landmarks of Doha and you describe where you want to go by the roundabout there. There are very few traffic lights but zillions of roundabouts.

This is where Martin works
As it is everywhere in Doha, roadworks and construction are blocking off access.

Guess where we went next?
This beautiful fellow is an Egytian Arabian stallion. We are visiting the Emir's Stud on the outskirts of Doha where Martin is involved with a massive project to build a new equestrian centre which is only a part of a huge new development called Education City.

Three week old baby
This little pet was with its mum in the vet centre and was being bottle fed so was really friendly.

A closer talk
The lady looking after her kindly let me into the stall, there were no worries about security.

Comments

[Susan]

Keep them coming
Wow Dee; you're so disciplined! Your photographs and commentary are so interesting - keep them coming. It sure looks hot and dusty. Going back to your S'pore blog - so glad you enjoyed the place and by the way, the smelly fruit, the 'king' of all fruits according to the locals, is durian. Looking forward to the next instalment. Take care, Susan

[Betty]

You've crammed in so much already - amazing!! Must be that wacky baccy that's keeping you going at such a pace!! But I think I prefer the gold souk to the livestock - at least I could bring something back from there :) Great to hear all going so well.

[Asha]

Great stuff! Doha is where my father died in front of the Emirs palace along the water front. You have been able to see more of Qatar than I did but I now need to go again because there is so much to see! Go Dee! Awesome pictures.

[Margaret]

Equine
the photo's are wonderful - wish We were there !! love M