Camels, Horses, and Qatar

This past week I have been on holidays from the College for the semester break. Carolyn and I have had a chance to do some things that we hadn't done before, plus we got out to SeaLine Resort for a beautiful day on the beach. Carolyn organized a trip to SeaLine for about 16 people, on Monday, hired a bus, and got us in for a reduced rate. We had a great time, swimming in the sea, sunbathing, and just laying about soaking up the sun. On Wednesday, my wonderful wife and organizer had booked a tour of the Camel Racing compound, the Emir's stud farm, and the equestrian centre. Once again, some of our friends came along. When we got to the camel track, we had to undergo a thorough security check, as the Heir Apparent, His Highness Sheik Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, was going to be on site for the race. Our tour guide, an affable Moroccan named Jamal, was able to get us into the section of the stands reserved for the Royals, under a huge tent with cushioned seats, and complimentary soft drinks. The race itself was somewhat disappointing, as the camels were only in view for about 15seconds before they disappeared on a 14k course. The Heir Apparent, apparently arrived on the grounds, but we had to leave before he made his way to the royal seats.

Our next stop was the Emir's stud farm, Al Shaqab, where he raises purebred Arabian horses. Some of the horses here are worth millions $US. The stables are so clean, and the horses pampered in every way, with one groom for every three horses. The stables look like palaces.

After the Emir's horses, we went to the Doha Equestrian Centre and Racetrack. The horses here were Euoropean lineage, a little bigger, and certainly more docile than the skittish Arabians. These stables too were very clean, and the horses well cared for. I can only imagine the cost of boarding horses at this facility.

Yesterday, (Friday), Carolyn and I rented a car, and with our friend Chas took off for the northern reaches of the Qatar pennisula. We wanted to see for ourselves what the rest of the country was like. Well, there is not a lot to see. It is just rocky flat desert for miles. We saw the sea at a number of spots, but didn't go in the water. There is one beach that is supposed to be 42 km long. We saw a number of towns, the largest of which is Al Khor (about 20,ooo), and Ras Laffan, which is a natural gas centre, and completely secure, so we couldn't enter. Most places were little dusty, drab villages, with few people around. We did go to an old fort at Al Zubara, on the West coast, which is supposed to be one of the older settlements in Qatar. There was a display of a number of artifacts that have been preserved. At the West Coast town of Dukkan we stopped for something to eat, at a McDonalds. (They're everywhere!) After that we had to hurry back to Doha to return the rental car before the 24 rental period ran out. All in all we've had a great holiday. Looking forward to ending my stint here and getting back to good old Canada!!