Only In Qatar

Here are some crazy photos of what the driving can be like and some results of the crazy driving here in Qatar. Quite how some of the crashes have occurred leaving the vehicles where they end up is beyond imagination. The only real explanation is it is due to the speed and included find a picture of one of Qatar's Police Vehicles provided just for high speed chases. The tipped over truck we came across not long after it had flipped onto its side. It is on a very major roundabout on the Corniche right outside the new and very impressive Islamic Art Centre and across the road from the Parliament Buildings. We have seen a car flipped in a car park and a 4WD that had rolled several times in a narrow one way street but sadly missed the photo opportunties. They are presently digging up our street and today some wally reversed at speed into a trench. His mates had to lift the car out and off they drove!!!

Downunder Part 2

Due to the short time frame poor Lynne had to do the killer 20 hour trip back to Doha and it took a good few days to recover. Sensibly ( luckily some might say ) I had booked myself a 2 day stopover in Sydney so as to attend a concert to see Eilen Jewell, who was every bit as good, in fact even better than I had hoped. She is fantastic and has a really hot band and I was in heaven being there that night – there is a very apt review of her concert by the Sydney Morning Herald. Managed to have a long lunch catchup with Bob, at a pleasant pub/ brewery in Darling Harbour, which was great and was also able to visit a few of the old haunts such as Paddington and Coogee ( not to mention a few c.d. stores ) during some of my lengthy walks around good old Sydney town. The Hotel pictured is The Royal Hotel in 5 Ways Paddington which was where we were married ( a few years back ).
I had walked some serious kilometers in Sydney and my legs were very sore, but, luck it appears was with me as I was very fortunate to be upgraded to business class for the next trip to Bangkok. Oh what luxury – no wonder business class costs about 3 times as much as economy. After a delicious meal accompanied by some very fine N.Z. Pinot Noir I was able to fully recline my seat into a bed and get some much appreciated zzzzzz's. I had never been upgraded and was enjoying this opportunity as much as I could and I arrived feeling very refreshed. I had planned on catching the next available flight to Phuket, but ( Don't read this bit Mum ) due to a spontaneous stop at a tattoo shop on my last day in Auckland I was under instruction not to sunbathe or swim for 2 weeks.
It had been 30 years since we visited Bangkok and the place seemed a lot cleaner and a whole lot more modern than I had remembered. The Red Shirt demonstrations meant I was unable to take in many of the sights I had planned like the Grand Palace with its Emerald and Gold Buddha's and Wat Pho to see the reclining Buddha....So it was back to killing my legs again with long walks each day. It was exceptionally hot and humid there and one day when returning to my hotel, after another huge walk, I met up with a Kiwi bloke, Greg, who I had met the day before over a few cold Chang beers and he reckoned I probably looked like the hottest guy in Bangkok – my shirt was drenched.
Street life in Bangkok is pretty interesting and very busy with little vendor stalls on every footpath selling all sorts of clothing, leather goods, souvenirs and really delicious looking and smelling food.
Street life hots up somewhat at night and everyone seems to be out and about enjoying the shopping and the food and the bars which are numerous. What can look a little grubby during the day becomes a neon light spectacle at night. Thai food is really fantastic and very cheap – the best Pad Thai I had cost about 70 cents with a cold mineral water to go with it. After dinner I often found myself relaxing in a nice comfy bar chair at one of the many open to the street bars just watching the world go by and enjoying a few nice cold beers – which are also pretty cheap. There are lots of hawkers wandering about selling junky souvenirs but they are very relaxed about things when you say you are not interested and wander off with a smile to try the next tourist. One afternoon while sitting and enjoying a beer I had my toe nails clipped expertly ( for about $2.00 by this very persistent girl with a very impressive put on sad faced pout if you said no ) while chatting away to a nice chap from Canada I had met whilst enjoying my beer beer and a Canadian cigar with....It just didn't seem worth the bother of saying no. Apparently they have been growing Cuban tobacco in Canada for quite a few years and they make very nice cigars.
Less visually pleasant were the beggars who are everywhere but you get a lot of small change which is not worth very much and it is ideal for dropping a few coins into someone's collection tin....Again they don't hassle if you don't oblige which seems to be the Thai way – they are a very relaxed and cruisy people.
On my last day I had an hour or so to kill before catching a taxi out to the airport and my poor legs were killing me so I had the most fantastic 1 hour leg and foot massage at my hotel. For about $5 you just cant beat it. A full body massage ( without extras I must add!! ) is about $10 and I can't recommend Thai massage highly enough – it is just heavenly and oh so relaxing – it can be a little painful sometimes but no pain no gain as they say.
Luck was with me again on the return leg to Dubai as I got upgraded again and arrived back in Doha again feeling very refreshed, the business class on the A380 is a little better again than the previous flight I had. I will probably never get upgraded again but will surely cherish the two opportunities I have just had.

A wander downunder

It was a brief but very fantastic trip back home. Great to catch up with family and many friends...unfortunately we couldn't get to see everyone in the short time we had. Big thanks to all those who could drop by for a visit.

After the killer trip of 20 hours – Doha to Dubai, Dubai to Sydney and Sydney to Auckland we arrived to a lovely warm and humid Auckland afternoon. Dan and Anita were there to meet us and it was just great to see them. Arrived at Huia road just as Jared was getting home from work – in time to help unload our bags from the car. Woolly the cat was very pleased to welcome us home with repeated requests to fill up his bowl...some things never change.

The garden was looking green and great with much growth since our last visit – those palms are going to grow into the power lines soon, and the house was looking very tidy and clean. It didn't take very long before the coffee machine was pumping out machiatos and flat whites. The beer and wine were chilling in the fridge and we felt very at home indeed. Jo, Raymond and Asher dropped by for the evening and we all had a great get together, dinner and a few quiet ones around the dining room table – it was just like we had never been away.

One of the main reasons for coming home apart from catching up with everyone was to finish off the house ( Council building consent requiring that work be finished and signed off later this year ) and it didn't take too long before Brian had re-acquainted himself with his tool belt, fired up some power tools and work had begun. Apart from one family get together weekend and a trip to Napier to see my Mum, I was flat out every day gibbing, gib stopping, sanding, painting and finishing off all the necessary trim. The day before leaving N.Z., the work was complete and a jolly nice building inspector signed off on the project much to my satisfaction and relief. Well done that man and during the course of all this work I have come up with the next fashion setting home improvement (reversing the trend where most people go for a colourful feature wall ) we now have a colourful room with the All New White Feature Wall....It wont be long and everyone will want one...just remember that we did it first.

It was really great, on the middle weekend of Lynne's brief stay ( only 12 days although Brian stayed on for another 10 days to finish off required work ) , that Rochelle and Charlie arrived from Geelong for a visit, along with Grandad / G Dog Graeme, up from Tauranga. Charlie who had probably heard the stories of what happens when the three sisters get together, finally got to witness the ensuing cacklefest and story telling he had probably been warned about. He was however able to get together with some of his cousins who he has rarely met before and even managed a trip out to the beach for a surf although conditions weren't the best.

Miscellaneous signs

I love this one - we would never be able to get away with this one in NZ.

And this one on the right....hanging in the changing rooms at the local club. You may need to double click on it to read it. It makes me giggle everytime I read it.

How green is my desert?

I have to mention the weather. We had quite a bit of rain in January and it rained again last night. The thunder and lightening is very spectacular from up on the apartment roof. Recently we drove up to the top of the country and saw all the green grass. Note the rolled car - another example of driving too fast on a reasonably straight stretch of road!! The desert really does look amazing with patches of green everywhere. The temperatures have dropped to a low of round 12-15 at night to round 20-25 during the day which makes going for walks a pleasure.


Here is a recent photo taken from the apartment balcony (on the left) - compared to one taken a year ago, also on a wet day.

Semester 1 - 20 weeks

It's been another interesting time working in the Qatar schools. We're nearly at the end of the first semester. Schools are doing exams at the moment, from Grade 4 on, and teachers are marking them. I am working with 7 newly independent schools this year which means I am spending more time getting to know my ICT teachers, helping them with their planning and introducing them to new software and ways to use it with the kids. Last year I had 13 schools to visit spread all round Doha.
One of the ICT teachers I'm working with this year recently got engaged and we've been sharing in her excitement - planning the wedding. In fact she is already married as the éngagment is where she signs the legal documents with her partner to be - men and women sit in seperate rooms. Once the signing is over they go back to the parents house to eat and dance. She does not live with him yet, not until after the formal wedding party, but they can go out together to a restaurant! The wedding is a really big party again with men and women seperate. Dahlia has invited us to her wedding in April. Have a read of a previous post I wrote about a Bedouin Wedding we went to last year. Here are a couple of photos of the opulence.....

Cognition this year has seven projects, around 150 staff, with the SEC (Supreme Education Council), which is keeping everyone up here busy. They have roped Brian in to help set up apartments; buying all the assorted bits and peices needed as each consultant gets a fully furnished apartment, down to pots, pans, cutlery, towels, bedding etc etc. Teams are up here setting up new systems for training teachers, developing a National Professional Standards process as well as developing Leadership for future Principals.

An expat Christmas

Xmas 2009 has been a very pleasant one - we missed not being with our family in NZ but did spend the morning skyping. We got up early and managed to skype everyone at Jo and Rays, after they had enjoyed their xmas feast, as well as the Iredells in Geelong. We had skyped Napier the night before . It was a very hot day in Auckland - Qatar was just the right temp - not too hot, we are heading into winter. The heavey rains had been the night before, with thunder and lightening.

Holidays - love em

Have a wonderful Christmas holiday. We are thinking of you all and will raise a cup and a glass to good times where ever that may be.

An odd mix of photos that I thought I would upload and share with you

The Blog is back

Hello Blog Followers – Well as it approaches the end of the year we would like to wish you all a very fantastic Festive Season and too much good for 2010.

It's been a while since the last blog and in that time we have had the pleasure of having Jared and Courtney visit on their way back to N.Z. after their year in Canada. We had a great time with them and showed them as many sights as is possible in Qatar. From driving to the top of the country, both East and West coasts and about as far south as you can go before hitting Saudi Arabia. One of the highlights was doing some Dune Bashing in a four wheel drive down to the Inland Sea. Scary stuff as you disappear over the top of a huge dune and it is some time before you see the magnitude of the dune you are sliding down sideways with sand spraying all over the vehicle. They got to have a camel ride, eat out at many restaurants, eat home made cooking, go shopping, laze around the pool at the Dip Club and generally get a feel for this part of the Middle East.

Since then we have had a catch up with our niece Hannah (now known as Denise – get it?? ), who's working in Sudan, for a week holiday in the U.A.E. We hired a car at Dubai and proceeded to get well lost in Sharjah. Thankfully the on board G.P.S ( called Lynne ) managed to get us to the Airport where we were meeting Denise. Managed to negotiate the motorways of Dubai and even found, and had lunch at, a Kiwi owned Cafe right next to the beach. A couple of enjoyable days were had exploring Abu Dhabi and letting Hannah loose on the shopping malls - they don't have shopping or supermarkets in Khartoum where she is...Don't quite know how she manages. And now nor does she. I've never seen anyone so excited about a supermarket before.
Then we met up with friends at the far northern bit of U.A.E at Ras Al Kaimah then to the far eastern coast where we stayed at a delightful beach with Snoopy Island just a short swim offshore. The Emirati's were in full on holiday mode as it was their National Celebrations of 38 years since the formation of the Emirates. It was great to see so many families out enjoying themselves. You don't often get to see the women having fun and it was a great laugh to see a whole bunch of them at the beach having a game of tag ball – hooting and leaping about in their abayas by the water.

Apart from that it has been mostly all work and little play for the Toms here in Doha.
Last weekend it was National Day for Qatar. We went down to the corniche for the big Parade in the morning. Essentially this was a display of Qatar's military might with processions of all their forces and air,land and sea vehicles and hardware. They would probably fare pretty jolly well if they decided to declare war on another country ( not likely as Qatar is a peaceful place ) or if they were ( and that's not very likely either ) attacked by somebody else. They had just about every kind of plane, tank, rocket launcher and off road vehicle possible including some pretty modern looking bomb disposal robotics. All the variously dressed forces were very amply armed with all sorts of nasty looking guns. They locals all loved this immensely and cheered and clapped everybody and everything that passed. Some young local women next to us were eagerly checking out the potential of the men in the parade and were very excited when they eyed some that they promptly advised us were Ninja's....All good fun and again it was great to see families out and about enjoying themselves and their National Day.

That night a bunch of us positioned ourselves on the10th floor of a building with a very pleasant mediterranean restaurant in preparation for the fireworks to be held that evening. Surprisingly the fireworks kicked off at 8 p.m. exactly when they were scheduled to ( nothing ever happens on time here so this was a new experience for us ). Luckily we had only just ordered our mains. They do a good line in fireworks here and this was no different with a brilliant 20 minute sky filled display lighting up the whole Corniche with the huge skyscrapers of West Bay as a backdrop. Stunning.

Thats all folks....Hope you have all been good and Santa brings you lots of lovely pressies.

Jared and Courtney

We're in count down mode now...... only4 more days. Jared and Courtney arrive here in Doha on Friday, 23rd Oct at 10.15pm - we can't wait to see them. They'll have flown on a very long flight, 22 hours, from Las Vegas to Qatar. Courtney has sent us a very detailed itinerary of their BIG TRIP home which has been great to read to keep track of their travels. We've just been reading on Facebook that WestJet Airlines have lost their luggage - every travellers worst nightmare. They now have a couple of days to spend in LasVegas staying at the MGM Grand Hotel - stay out of the casinos Jay!!

GREECE - THE HOLIDAY – Starring Lynne Neutron Bomb and Brian Revolting

Warning this story may contain traces of Nuts, Alcohol, Nudity and Dancing



ATHENS:
Day1. We stayed right in the Old ( and very central ) part of Athens called the Plaka. Athens is a large sprawling city of some 5 odd million people. Wow what a cool place...Fantastic architecture, centuries old churches, small winding streets packed with interesting shops and Tavernas right below the Acropolis and Parthenon. Our first day ( afternoon ) saw 9 of us meeting up for an investigatory walk around our immediate surrounding area and up towards the Acropolis, stumbling across two guys just sitting around and playing some fantastic music, then after for dinner at a rooftop restaurant, with spectacular views all around, where we were entertained by a guitarist and bouzouki player and later a singer for some traditional Greek folk music and of course an obligatory rendition of Zorba, where, having been fuelled by delicious food and compulsory Ouzo, the locals encouragement and we were all up dancing.
Day 2 and we embarked on a bus tour of some of the nearby historic sites such as the original Olympic Games site ( the amphitheatre holds 690000 seated ) then to the Temple of Zeus, on to Parliament where the Guards perform the most odd ritual changing of the guard every hour - reminiscent of Monty Pythons Ministry of Silly Walks.



Moving on past many impressive historic and Government Buildings and on up to the Acropolis and Parthenon. We stayed and looked around this impressive site for quite a while taking in the immensity of this magnificent construction and the views in all directions over Athens. A walk downhill towards our hotel took us firstly to a much needed cafe for lunch then through the historic Agora with more fantastic ancient buildings and gardens. Next was some shopping and looking through the old Markets then back to the hotel for refreshments, nuts chippies and gin and tonics. Another delicious dinner of greek salad, moussaka and souvlaki....and more ouzo.

SANTORINI


Day3. A 4 ½ hour high speed catamaran trip we arrived at the absolutely beautiful island of Santorini early afternoon. Santorini is a crescent shaped island with it and some other smaller islands being the remains of one of the worlds largest volcanic explosions. Our hotel was simply gorgeous perched at the top of steep cliffs looking down into the vivid blue sea and out to some of the smaller islands, one being the core of the old volcano. We all caught the courtesy bus to the main town and after some serious coffee and a beer we split up into the shopping crew ( the girls – Lynne, Sue, Margie and Raewyn ) and the sightseeing and photography crew ( Brian and Stu ). Santorini is just like a postcard with its bright white plastered buildings, curved rooves and the brilliant blue domed roofs of the many churches.
Next day ( 4 ) we hired a Fiat Dublo 6 seater and set off to explore the island. Narrow laned windy roads with rock walls, vineyards, a monastery, some pretty little villages, beaches including one to stop for lunch and some art and craft shops had us feeling pretty awe struck and after a big day ready for some G and T’s ( just in case ), followed by a serious dinner.

MYKONOS



Day 5. After a leisurely breakfast and time to pack, we took another high speed catamaran trip and arrived at Mykonos late afternoon. Again we were treated to a lovely hotel with views over a small beach and towards the main town. An exploration of Mykonos town followed and although different from Santorini, it is a very beautiful town with myriads of tiny ( walking only ) winding streets full of shops, tavernas, cafes and restaurants. Some of the buildings are perched right on the rocky shoreline with a seaside promenade and a group of windmills complete a picture of such quaint beauty. Dinner at a seaside tavern with the sun setting in a blaze of colour completed another perfect day.
Day 6 saw the hiring of another Fiat Dublo and off to explore the island and find some nice beaches for swimming. Mykonos doesn’t have so many small villages


but does have some great beaches and our first of many swims were had at the first beautiful ( and the only empty ) beach we encountered. The water is just so clear and although a little cool was just totally invigorating. Mykonos beaches are also renowned as being nudist friendly. 

Many very all over tans were witnessed along with an amazing array of body shapes, sizes and degrees of sagging, hanging, dangling etc...enough said. I am pleased to report however that Board Shorts outnumbered Budgie Smugglers ( among those clothed ) so taste still prevails. One crazy thing is that at many beaches ( those that have them ) you have to hire out the beach umbrellas and loungers at 12 Euros ( $24 ) per day for two. You can just park up on the sand, as we did,  the Tavernas and restaurants who run these must be making a killing on these rentals as most people were using them.
One thing that struck us on both Islands is that there are cats everywhere - they are somewhat famous with a variety of books and calendars featuring them....nobody in particular seems to own many of them but everyone seems to look after and feed them, so the cats are very friendly and very well fed. In Athens however it is the same but with dogs...Kind of communal pet ownership and enjoyment, and it all seems to work very well.
Day 7 and sadly we had to catch a slow ferry back to Athens. This was the best boat trip of all three though as we could sit outside on the rear deck, relax and enjoy the trip and the views and avail ourselves of the deck cafe. In the fast ferries you are assigned a seat inside and it is a bit like being on a plane.
The next day after a hearty breakfast ( lots of bacon - again!! ) we had to leave this wonderful country and head back to Doha. We can't recommend Greece highly enough and would love to go back again and spend a lot more time there - It ain't cheap though (  the food however is quite reasonable ) and you spend a Euro as you would a dollar, probably like all of Europe, but what a spectacularly beautiful and interesting and friendly place to visit.
SCORE - 8.75 out of 10.

Qatar facts and figures

A number of you have asked questions about Qatar so here are a few facts and figures.
Qatar is a peninsula of 11,437 sq. Km, the coastline covers 563 km.
Population - Approximately 1.4 Million with about 50% living in Doha.
Foreigners form much of the workforce within the country. Labour is brought in from a number of countries such as the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, Egypt and some Arab countries for short term contracts, middle management from the Indian sub-continent, Jordan, Egypt and Europe, and top management from a variety of Arabic countries, Europe, and United States (not forgetting Australia and New Zealand).

Economy - Qatar has gas reserves of over 900 trillion cubic feet and oil reserves of 15.2 billion barrels. It has become one of the fastest growing and highest per capita incomes in the world. In just a few decades Qatar has developed into a major global supplier of energy and is set to become the largest supplier of Liquefied Natural gas in the world.

Royal Family - The ruler of the country is the Emir , His Highness Sheihk Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. His son, HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani is the Heir Apparent.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani became the Emir of the State of Qatar on June 26 1995. During the last several years, Sheikh Hamad has represented Qatar on official state visits and at numerous Gulf and international forums. His role as a leader and diplomat has earned him worldwide honors. In 1997, under Sheik Hamad's rule, Qatar became the second country in the Persian Gulf where women gained the right to vote. The recent rapid modernisation and development of Qatar not only as a major World supplier of energy but also that of an important player in Middle Eastern Affairs is due to the vision of HH the Emir.
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned is the consort of HH the Emir of Qatar. As Consort, Her Highness' roles are many and varied, and extend beyond domestic borders. She is a social activist and the driving force behind a host of innovative and ground breaking programs in Qatar, the region and the world. HH Sheikha Mozah is the prime instigator of educational advancedment and reform in Qatar. At Education City, Sheikha Mozah has developed numerous educational projects to make Qatar a center of excellence in higher education and research. She has also enabled the construction of technologically advanced, world class facilities in which students can learn.

All about Ramadan

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is Ramadan, a time for Muslims to focus on purifying their soul through prayer and self-sacrifice. During Ramadan, more than a billion Muslims around the world observe one of the Five Pillars (duties) of Islam: Fasting.
Each day of Ramadan, from sunrise to sunset, Muslims aged twelve and older traditionally practice fasting. The Arabic word for fasting literally means to "refrain," which is what is religiously proscribed - not just abstaining from eating and drinking, but also restraining every part of one's physical body.
The mouth, for example, is restrained from idle talk and gossip, while the ears are restrained from listening to obscenities. In this way, a Muslim engages his or her entire body in the physical observance of the Ramadan fast.

During Ramadan, Muslims rise before sunrise to partake in a pre-fast meal, called suhoor. Each night after sunset, they break their fast with the iftar meal. The end of the month of Ramadan is marked with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which literally means the "Festival of Breaking the Fast." During Eid al-Fitr, families celebrate with elaborate feasts and dress in their finest clothes. At the same time, they increase their efforts to give charity to the poor and make contributions to their mosques.

Back in Doha

We have been back in Doha for just over two weeks...It’s hot - averaging over 45 degrees most days and well into the 30’s in the evening. The humidity is higher too so it can be quite sticky – like being in a sauna. We've been enjoying swimming back at the Dip Club.
It is the month of Ramadan so Muslim people are required to abstain from food and drink ( and other bodily pleasures ) during the daylight hours. It’s difficult especially with the heat. It seems that most people tend to sleep in the afternoons; the shops are closed from around 12.00 until 6.00 p.m. The evenings are when everyone gets out and about. Iftar is the breaking of fast after sundown so as the evening progresses the restaurants become very busy – as do the roads. Ramadan is a time of being with family and friends and a time where people are expected to exercise goodness in all that they do – this however does not seem to extend to driving, which seems more crazy than normal....possibly due to large numbers of very hungry people wanting to get somewhere quickly to eat. Iftar feasts are large banquet affairs where you can eat as much as you like and are very spectacular displays of Middle Eastern food – all very delicious. We actually haven’t been to one yet – but hope to do so before the end of Ramadan.
Schools haven't opened yet - the kids start at the end of September this year (once Ramadan is over). We have 7 schools this year, so far, that we will be working with. A much smaller team of advisors than last year although that may well change.

Holidaying in Singapore

A two day stopover in Singapore was a great way to split the long flight back here, and what a fantastic place Singapore is. Every corner turned seemed to provide something new and fascinating. The place is clean, lush, friendly and has the most fantastic and cheap transport network of buses and underground trains. Wish we could have stayed and explored for longer but would love to go back again. It would I imagine be a great place to live for a while....wonder if they need teachers and builders...mmmm.
Singapore on PhotoPeach