Tents

Winter is camping time in Qatar. Expats and tourists enjoy taking overnight camping tours to the inland sea and spending the night in the dunes. Nationals have camping sites at some of the beaches for the season. I think they must move to the tents for the weekend much like we would go to a camp on the Tobique. But not all tents are in the desert.

Qataris love their tents and practically every villa has a tent in the front yard. Some have fireplaces to provide some warmth on those cool winter nights. Some have satellite dishes and wide screen TV's. Others are for special events such as weddings--not for the bride and groom, mind you, but for the men to get together and socialize. Tents are a part of the way of life.



I'm not sure the purpose of the boats. Maybe they take off and go fishing some times.




The wedding tents are surrounded by carpets and furnished with elaborate upholstered chairs. No ladies allowed!

The Car Show

We see a lot of different kinds of luxury cars on the roads here in Doha. Cars that would never be seen in New Brunswick are fairly common here. When you think that just a couple of decades ago the main method of transportation in this country was by camel, you can understand why the people here love their automobiles. The saying "from camel to Cadillac in 20 years" is more than a truism. Oil money has brought ostentation, and that is most evident in the vehicles.

A couple of weekends ago there was an international automobile show at the Doha Exhibition Center. I thought you might like to see some of what was on offer.






A Beemer for Paul:



And one for Jennifer:


And how about this one for Cait?

The Desert

The desert seems so barren. It appears as if nothing grows there, nothing lives there. But if you spend a little time wandering around you will find that the desert has a life of its own. Lizards, birds and foxes are common inhabitants of what seems to be the most uninhabitable places. Cacti and succulents lie dormant until the scant winter rains, and then burst into voluptuous green. Camels wander at will, leaving their round flat foot prints in the sand. How do they find enough to eat in the desert? There must be more nutrition in a sidra bush than would seem possible.

Wheels

I know that this is long past Christmas holidays, but I have to do just one more blog on Viet Nam. The quintessential symbol of Viet Nam is not the cone hats or the pagodas. It is not the Mekong Delta or the charming river boats. The icon of Viet Nam is the motor bike. They are all over everywhere, clogging streets and sidewalks, filling parking lots, buzzing around you in the street. They are a sign of modernization and prosperity, and are symbolic of the spirit of industry and progress that is so vibrant among the Vietnamese people.

Even the pets get into the act with the motor bikes!


And finally, I have to add a picture of our friends, Sheila and Errol. If Sheila had not been teaching in Ho Chi Min City, I probably would not have thought about traveling to Viet Nam. I would have missed a wonderful travel experience. Thanks, Sheila. It was great to see you and have some time together.