Camels!!!!

We will start with the Boot Scoot this week.  That event has been going on over here for 13 years.  Anyway lots of Texans go to this every year; they say it’s the funest night in Doha.  It is put on by Texas A&M.  It was fun but the band wasn’t that great.  They kept stopping in between each song and talking amongst themselves, I guess to decide what song they wanted to play next. 

There was a silent auction as a part of the festivities and we bid on a table that used to be a door from India.  It is really a unique piece and I really like it.  I actually paid ½ of what it cost at the store.  It came from a store called the Green Door.  When we found out that we had won it, they told us all items won had to be taken that night.  We did not know this when we were biding on it. We only have a very small rent car still.  The guys at the Boot Scoot just felt certain they could get the table top in our back seat.  HA! HA!  So they told us we had to have it gone by 10 a.m. Saturday.  A friend said she had a Tahoe and would help us, but I decided she lived too far to come back the next morning and help us.  We decided to call a cab service and ask for a SUV.  Alan had a hard time getting the service to understand we needed a big car to meet us at the Intercontinental Hotel. Finally when he thought he got through to him and we went off to meet him. We arrived before the cab did and kept looking for it.  Finally this guy drives up in a Toyota Camry!!! Really..  He said he could get it in, we were doubtful.  Several men came out and were trying all sorts of ways to get it in this SMALL car.  Finally they put it in the trunk and it was sticking out, we laid a rug on top and they got duct tape to hold the trunk down.  Duct TAPE!! It’s amazing!  It worked and we got it to our villa without a scratch.

Later that day we met some of our new friends to go to a food festival. There was all kinds of restaurants and Hotels represented there.  It was a great place for us to get a good feel for the food this country has to offer.  We have been to food festivals in Houston and I think we would pay around $25-$50 for a small taste at any of the places you wanted to taste.  At this food festival you paid each vender 5QR to 10QR that is roughly a $1.50 to $3.00 per taste but each taste was a full plate.  I could only taste a little each time because I was so full.  After the food festival we tried to go to a ship (Logos Ship) that goes all over to bring books to different parts of the world.  The line was at least 2 hrs long so we opted to go to the Pearl and  have coffee and dessert at the Chocolate bar!!  Ugggg I need to stop eating!!

Sunday we went to our small group that meets at the Wilson’s house, they are from College Station.  A Friend took us so we would know how to get there.  That’s what you do here.  There are actually no addresses so you get a GPS, and when you get to where you are going you lock it in as your favorite.  Then it knows how to find it for you the next time.  Anyway we were driving and we saw 3 truck loads of camels, just riding in the back looking all happy… WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE EAST people.  I know I have to keep telling myself this everyday…..  I am amazed at the stuff I come across and wish each of you were here to enjoy this adventure with me.

I have kept really busy meeting all kinds of people and going to all kinds of places, we are loving the Middle East.  We are changing our opinions of the Qatari people and Muslims in general.  They are people just like us and for the most part they are nice.

Alan met with his Qatari sponsor on Sunday and they discussed perceptions. He understands that many Americans have perceptions that everyone in the Middle East is somehow against America, in fact he said that many in his family didn’t trust people in America and they never wanted to go to the States.  He told Alan he liked Americans.  But he has dealt with Americans and has seen they are just people just like them.  Anyhow Alan liked him immediately and hopes they become friends.  Anyway there are some bad people everywhere and we get the wrong impression from the few that mess it up for everyone.