Catching Up

The last 6-7 weeks have been a bit crazy for me and kept me from writing.

At the end of February, John and I went on our first vacation in 5 years to the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.  John's vacation = no phone, no computer and no contact with work.  We had a relaxing, quiet time of laying on the beach and enjoying water sports.  We even did some snorkeling and loved it!  This is the view from our room.  The water was so clear and sand so white.

 

When we returned to Doha, we became foster parents to Zoe, a 5 month old Saluki (think greyhound.)  I forgot what it was like to have a puppy, she kept us busy the month of March.  John found her a forever home with a lady that lives in our tower.

Through all of this I have been very sick.  Some of you may know I have Ulcerative Colitis, a digestive disease which has been under control for almost 23 years.  As it got pretty bad, we decided I needed to go to a doctor here in Doha.  After all the horror stories I had heard, we had a good experience and a great doctor. Here the doctor is at the hospital which makes it handy when he says you need a CT Scan.  Now I am on new medicine and on the road to recovery looking forward to coming back to Michigan.  We leave tonight!

A Trip to the Mangroves

Today I went on an AWA trip to the mangroves about an hour south of Doha.  “Mangroves are various types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics.”  What I saw were leafy shrubs that send out shuts to help them breath.  There were also a succulent type of plant and yellow conical flowers (see bottom picture.)

 After driving out of town, we took a left and headed toward the water driving through the sand.  Once you find the right tire tracks to follow, you come upon greenery then water and lots of birds, we saw flamingos. The tide was going out and we walked in the shallow water looking at shells and getting our flip flops stuck in the muck.  We then had a picnic lunch before heading back to town.  We saw a few families also having a picnic, but basically it was wide open space of green and blue, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze.  It is always nice to get out of the city and explore.

Superbowl in Doha

Through the magic of Slingbox, John and I were able to watch the Superbowl live.  We set the alarm for 2am and watched the pre-game show and the entire football game.  We had popcorn and beer during the second quarter.  We had to eat something to get the feel of things, the beer was a little strange at 3:30.  John kept dosing off and on and I took a nap during the third quarter.

I thought there were some good commercials, great commercials and really bad commercials.  I really liked the Budweiser Clydesdale, Jeep, RAM and Tide. I also liked the Bud commercials that were set in New Orleans because they embraced the city.  A lot of them were hyped so much when you finally saw the entire commercial you felt let down.

Here's to next year in New York.  Go Lions!

Back in the swing of it

We are back in Doha, starting our third year.  The jet lag was not so bad this time and I am back in the swing of it.  I am very active with the AWA: general meeting, coffee morning and outings.  Recently I went to the Camel Race Track to see them train the camels (have yet to catch a race) and the greenhouse near by.  It is so nice to get fresh produce in the desert.  That same day I went to tea with a group of ladies in the revolving restaurant here, you can see all of Doha from 47 stories up.

Friday John and I walked the Corniche, a promenade along Doha Bay of the Arabian Gulf from the Sheraton Hotel to the Museum of Islamic Art, about 5 miles.  A favorite past time here for locals and expats to do on a Friday.  The museum just put in a nice park with play equipment and cafes.  We had a snack then got a ride home.  That night we had a wonderful Mediterranean dinner outside and listened to Greek Music.

Souq Shopping

Last week my Dad, Stepmom and I went to the fabric souq (escalator souq) I got some green velvet, about 4 1/2 yards to use as our Thanksgiving table cloth and to bring home and craft with for $15.00.  Then we went to our favorite tailor and my Dad got a sport coat made and my Stepmom got two skirts made.  For women they can't measure you so they can make copies of clothes you already have.  She took in her skirt and got 2 made to match for $18.00 each (including the fabric!)

Yesterday we picked up the clothing (all fits great) and then went to Souq Waqif for dinner and shopping.  A souq is kind of like a mall.  Souq Waqif is an outdoor "mall"  with all kinds of shops and restaurants.  I got some Christmas shopping done and we had dinner outside at the Italian place we like.  Then John and my Dad smoked some shisha and we all had tea.  I also got a new chain for my camel necklace at the Gold Souq.

                              

Thanksgiving in Doha

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, we did here in Doha.  I was able to get a turkey, potatoes, green beans, stuff to make pumpkin pie and even Grands biscuits.  My dad and step-mom came over and brought the cranberry sauce and few more ingredients.  We had six British friends over to celebrate, their first time to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Through Slingbox we were able to watch the Detroit parade and the Lions game.

Like John did last year, we had a second Thanksgiving on Friday.  An Austrian friend who spent many years in Chicago, had us over along with more British people for another fairly traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  This time we sat on their balcony.  They live at the Pearl too so we were able to walk there and back (working off some of the food.)

We didn't do any Black Friday shopping, but the stores here are decorated for Christmas, I almost bought a tree just because I could.  Of course I didn't since we won't be here.  All in all it was a great Thanksgiving!

Back To Doha

As most of you know, we recently returned to Doha, Qatar for the month of November.  Not much has changed here at the Pearl, still no alcohol served at the restaurants and only a few new shops opened.  I have gotten back involved with the AWA and going to the pool and gym. 

Grocery shopping is still a challenge at times, we haven't been able to find skinless chicken breasts (been to 4 stores since we have been back.)  Luckily, I think we will be able to have a pretty traditional Thanksgiving here.  My first order of business here was to get the turkey, and I got a 20lb. Jennie-O turkey.