Life in the Desert....

Our first camping trip out in the desert!
Our new Canadian friends Aaron, Sean, Amanda and Lindsay at the Inland Sea.
Yup, that is Saudi in the background!
Dune Bashing - a lot scarier than Disney.
Gotta love the Land Cruiser!
Koa and Nai'a in the desert behind our house!

After 4 months in the Qatari Desert I feel almost qualified to make the following observations:

Land Cruisers - The white Toyota Land Cruiser, with its gold trim and head-rests still encased in plastic is the unofficial symbol of the Qatari man. Land Cruiser sales were up 82% from last year, and I will bet many of them were bought by men in thobes. After spending an afternoon dune bashing in one, I can say they are well worth whatever they cost.

Abayas - Who knew a large piece of black material could have such bling? I heard that in Saudi the women are not allowed to have any decorations on their abayas. So sad for them! I have seen some beautiful, delicate creations with complex beading and enough silver to cover a disco ball. Pair it with a gold watch, huge sunglasses and an even bigger designer bag and you are ready for a Dubai runway!

Shisha - It is the fun "not quite forbidden" rebellious pastime that entices many a local to sit back, relax and enjoy the buzz.

Cranes - The only city where I have seen more cranes is Shanghai. And keep in mind that the population of Shanghai is what? 15 million? Doha has probably a little more than 700,000! A lot of construction is happening here and with the creativity in design, even Gaudi would be proud!

Money - Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you: laborers to build your buildings, nannies to raise your children, ancient art to call your own, athletes for your national team, fancy license plate numbers, world class empty speedways, overpriced alcohol, Chinese architecture.... and much, much more!