Camels!

I took the dogs out to Pampered Pets today to be groomed. It is about 25 km out of town, and much to my (and Adam's) delight, we saw camels! I know, we are in the desert, but it is actually rare that we see them out in the wild. They were crossing the small road that leads to the kennel. They even had a herder. There had to be 50 of them, just walking across the road, none of them even bothered by the fact that my car was there next to them. I got some great pics! Notice also how the front legs are chained. I heard that is done so they can't run. I guess they are fast runners, because they actually have camel races in town.

The Pearl

I was driving out near The Pearl today and saw some progress on the construction. When we first moved here last year, The Pearl was nothing more than a sandbar. Now, there are roads, buildings, and of course - cranes. The Pearl is a real-estate development created on a man-made island right off the coast of Doha. It is supposed to be like the Palm Tree Islands or The World in Dubai. It should be pretty cool when it's completed, although we might not be here to see it. For more information on The Pearl, click here.

Safety first!

Now does this look like something you would do? I definately would find a better way of getting this stuff up there. In that 'hole' used to be a bunch of windows - just like the ones on either side. Notice the guys hanging out on the ledge waiting for the container to make its way over...

Yeah, right

I saw this sign today - no honking! Hopefully, this sign was just for this particular area of town - I wouldn't know since it is in Arabic! I can't remember a day where I have gone somewhere and not used my horn! Everyone uses it here. You almost have to. I mainly use it to alert the driver next to me to stay in his lane. The driving here is so bad that you have to constantly be on the defense and alert them of your presence - with a horn.

Oh, well, good luck on this one, Doha!

The Frog & Snowman

Shane and Adam "made cake" (played with playdough) this afternoon. They were both so proud of what they made, that they made me get the camera! Shane was especially proud of his frog, and Adam thought his snowman was pretty good, too!

Shakes with Daddy

Today for lunch we all went to Johnny Rocket's. We ordered milk shakes and shared with Adam. He loved it, of course!

Doha 2016

Well, we all knew it was coming....after their success with the Asian Games last year, Doha has now officially bid on being the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games. This week banners went up on the larger streets announcing Doha's plans to bid on the Games. Yesterday, they held a public launch ceremony on the Corniche. Shane and I have discussed this and wondered if having the games in Doha is really a good idea. The Summer Games are usually held in, well, the summer - when the weather here is unbearable. They have the Aspire Dome, which is a very large, indoor sports facility where most of the events were held for the Asian Games. In today's paper is an article about Doha is building the first ever underground stadium! Still, there are some events you can't host indoors...

Crazy American!

I went to Carrefour today because I heard that they were starting to carry heaters. I wanted to buy a few for this winter, since last winter the house was freezing. The tile floors and cement walls are designed to retain the cold, so in the winter (which can actually get down to 40F), it is a freezer in here! The houses also all have reflective glass in all the windows to keep the heat out. All this stuff is great in the summer, but not so great in the winter. Anyway, when I was in line, the Arab man in front of me sized up my basket and said, "Hi, Madame, you know those are heaters, right?". I explained to him that last year was very cold and all the stores were out when we really needed them, so I was going to get them early this year. I know he still thought I was nuts buying heaters when it is still 95F outside!

So long, Salam Plaza!

Today is Shane's last day of working at Salam Plaza (small brown building). As you can see, the construction around it is pretty heavy. I can't believe they let them work there this whole time. He moves to another temporary office until the Exxonmobil building (blue glass) opens next year.

Afternoon play

The days are getting nicer, so I thought a little trip to the park would be good. We met up with my friend Samantha and her kids, Robert and Catrina. The weather was perfect: not too hot, low humidity, and a nice breeze! Finally!