11/29: Doha

Despite the time we spent with Molly and Clifton we still had yet to see Qatar’s only city (aside from the sprawling suburbs). So on our last day Molly took us out to see the city and to go to the big market souk for some holiday shopping.

Here’s a view of the skyline:

The oryx was the mascot for the Asian Games that took place in Doha in 2006.

Yeah … there’s a lot of construction going on.

There was a U.N. summit or something going on so flags from all over the world adorned the downtown. It’s nice to see a non-burning American flag in the Middle East.
After our tour we arrived at the souk. This photo was taken before Courtney had turned around. Once she did her eyes bulged out of their sockets at the sight of so many brightly colored fabrics (some had sparkles also).
We then went to a store where Molly is well known. The people working were all from Kashmir and most of the things they were selling were coming from there. Here you can see them working on a rug which Molly is considering purchasing.
Here’s another shop that has a mannequin giving homage to Doha’s pearling past. Things have come a long way since then …

Molly and I as the souks are closing down. I went from store to store until I finally found one that had bags to match my shirt.
Afterwards we went to an Iranian restaurant adorned with sparkly jewels. The girls were in heaven.

We eventually left the souks, our wallets a little lighter.

From there we went and made the treacherous trip back to Molly and Cliftons. I say treacherous because when you’re thousands of miles away from home and you see a sticker like this on the back of a car … it gets you a little on edge.

And here’s some proof that driving like maniacs does indeed have its consequences:
Courtney and I finished packing up and then we headed to the airport with the kids in tow. To summarize, the trip as a whole was amazing. Dubai was an absolutely wild place, and our time in Doha had the perfect mix of culture, adventure and family. The people in both places were incredibly nice; it actually took me a bit by surprise. Going shopping wasn’t nearly as oppressive as walking through tourist spots in Egypt where people were constantly trying to call you over. I couldn’t help also in being given a certain amount of hope for the future. We didn’t feel unsafe, in fact the opposite. At times (except at our hotel) I felt like they really rolled out the red carpet for us. Basically, I think what you see in these more liberal Arab countries is an openness that I think can only lead to good things. We will have to see what the future holds and if Dubai’s spendy gamble pays off, but I’m optimistic.