I have to say that I am gaining more respect and perspective on this country the longer I am here. It is just a little dry rocky piece of desert but the diversity of wildlife and plants, of cultures and languages is remarkable, and the depth of the resources both natural and human is noteworthy. We had the opportunity this week to explore some of these aspects of life in Qatar. This was the week of Eid al Adha, the celebration of the feast of the sacrifice. Islam commemorates the obedience of Abraham (Ibrahim) in offering the sacrifice of his son Ishmael. Isn't it interesting how historical conceptions differ? Besides the religious significance of the holiday, it is a time of family celebration much like Christmas. The city has been busy with special family events all week. Dave and I, along with our friends Sheila and Errol, took excursions outside of the city and avoided the crowds.
For us, Eid began with a Christmas brunch with our neighbours on the street, about the only ones who had not yet departed for Christmas holidays. It was fun to celebrate Christmas in this sunny, hot land with people from all over snowy Canada. Before the day was through we were treated to a thunderstorm complete with down pour of rain and hail (the closest thing to snow that we are likely to see). This was the first real rain that I have seen in four months.
Early Sunday morning we headed west across the country to Dukane, Qatar Petroleum country. the first stop on the way was the camel racing track just outside of Doha in Al Rayyan. Camels are close to being the sacred animal in this country and it is easy to understand why. In this barren land they have provided meat and transportation, as well as protection and companionship. In early morning before the heat of the day, the camels stretch their ungainly legs around the sandy track, their long elegant necks stretched out before them. Their feet are huge and nearly circular, as we could see from the deep indents left in the sand. Hundreds of animals are housed in the race track area, tended by young men of many nationalities. Camel trainers seem to be gregarious by nature, as they waved and called out to us from the backs of their charges, trying out their limited English. "How are you?" they called with big smiles on their faces as they passed us on the track.
The racing camels are not ridden by humans. I have heard stories of camel races in Saudi Arabia where the jockeys are young children. This is not the case in Qatar. Here the camels are ridden by robots with little whips that are controlled from vehicles cruising alongside the track.
From the camel track we headed west across the desert to Dukane, a secured town site for the employees of Qatar Petroleum, admittance allowed only to residents and guests. We were permitted to drive to the beach area and spent a lovely hour walking on the sand and shell beach and enjoying the deep aqua color of the Gulf water. The water has cooled considerably this time of year, but it is still unimaginably warmer than the Bay of Fundy in the middle of summer.
Our treck then turned south towards Umm Baab and Al Salwa on the Qatar-Saudi border before turning northeast again on Salwa Road and back to Doha.
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