In Qatar state of bliss...

Qatar would be a great country for those who love the deserts - be it an adventure or a romantic escapade.



Teddy Tales said he has always wanted to watch sunset over sand dunes at the desert but never had an opportunity to do so.

So today we went on a little trip to Mesaieed which is about 40 km south of Doha. Mesaieed is an modern industrial city but it is a popular tourist destination because it is set on a beautiful desert oasis.



On our way we passed by Al Wakrah, a small town and an old fishing port halfway between Doha and Mesaieed. Al Wakrah is famous for its fine mosques and old Islamic architecture, apart from its booming commercial fishing industry .

Having explored dune bashing in Dubai, I thought a romantic escapade in the desert would be nice for a change. Teddy Tales parked his 4WD at the edge of the desert where we found a nice clean spot to sit and bury our feet in the fine sand. We watched the sun set over the desert's sand dunes before heading back to Doha.



Back in Doha we had a little picnic on the grass by the sea-front Doha Corniche. We strolled bare foot on the soft silky grass as Palm Tree Island beckoned from the centre of the bay. Across the bay water I watched Doha's cityscape ablazed with lights, activity and culture.

I sighed with sensuous wonderment at the sight, sounds and smells of the Middle East. I inhaled Doha's air - a blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern.



Before heading back to the hotel, Teddy Tales brought me to the souq for some more souvenir shopping. What I liked most about the souq was that exotic smells of mounds of spices, coffees mixed with the heady scent of cardamom, ancient remedies and enticing perfumes that filled the air.As we strolled the souq, handicrafts, fabrics and shops gilttering with gold waylay our every step.



After doing a bit of shopping for almonds, pistachios, dates and raisins, and exploring the shops, we relaxed in a traditional Arab Coffee Shop at the souq. Delicious strong coffee, but sharp stares from the local men who were not accustomed to seeing women out this late at night. Because I was with Teddy Tales they would usually assume that we were husband and wife. But they quietly stared anyways and I heard hushed whispers "Chinese?". It striked me that I haven't seen Chinese around in Doha except those at our company's project site office.

Oh well I don't really give shit, I am in a state of bliss :)

In Doha state of mind

Teddy Tales took leave from work today. I felt bad that he took leave for me knowing he was busy. But he told me very assuringly, it's the least he could do for me. Hehe that's very nice of him.



Teddy Tales brought me to see our company's project site in Salwa. Then we drove around Doha city and showed me Palm Tree Island where they have an expensive restaurant.

After the city tour, we went into the downtown area of Doha which looked like an Indian town to me.

There were so many Indians, Bangla and Pakis in that part of town. You see Indian shops and restaurants everywhere.



The temperature was 50^C, the weather was too hot and dry for us to be walking about in the streets. We decided to go shopping at City Centre Mall in Doha. It's the largest shopping mall in Qatar, not that Qatar has many big malls actually.



Considering Qatar is just a small country of 11,400 square km with only half a million population.

But one of the richest oil producing Arab nations nevertheless.

City Centre Mall houses international department stores like Debenham, Esprit, Bennetton and Woolworth, Carrefour hypermarket, American fast food restaurants like KFC, Burger King and MacDonalds as well as local Arabic and Asian restaurants, and not forgetting to mention an ice skating rink, Doha's largest movie theatre and a bowling alley.



I thought I hated shopping but I ended up buying a black leather handbag from Nine West's new arrival, black leather tote bag and red leather handbag from Debenham, for myself.

I also got a leather handbag for my mom also from Debenhem. I bought three perfumes from a duty free shop called Modern Home - Escada Magnestism, Miss Fiorucci's Only Love and Miss Dior Cherie :) I think I spent 70% of Dh1,000 Teddy Tales gave me to spend, and that's not including an LG MP3 player that we bought earlier. Omigod, I didn't know I can shop :)



We went to his place in Salwa Industrial Area about half an hour from Doha where I'm staying. It was a single storey five bedroom bungalow built on a sandy flat land - the only tree I saw was one right in front of his front door and that is dying due to the dry heat. I think I am missing the greens back home.



Teddy Tales was missing Malaysian food, so together we cooked Masak Lemak Cili Padi Ayam, Ikan Goreng Berlada and white rice.

I enjoyed cooking with him, he's a natural in the kitchen. We then ate together with four of his housemates. I think my cooking was a hit because nothing was spared by the guys. For the rest of the day Teddy Tales and I just lepak at his place.



After lepak, we went to one of the most interesting buildings in Qatar called Al Qalla. Then we hang out at Layali Zaman a sea-side cafe and indulged in a traditional mezza, a plate of appetizers, and a cool refreshing drink.



I was tired but very happy...I think this day has been eventful and fruitful :)

Thumb of Arabia

The value, meaning and measure of time are definitely relative depends on what, who, where, when, why and how. The one hour flight from Dubai to Doha, Qatar seemed like an eternity - every minute felt like an hour to me.

My heart was beating so hard it was fluttering when I got off the plane at Doha International Airport because I know I'd be meeting Aiman Tak Kisah...



The long queue at the passport control somehow helped calm my nerves. After charging QR55 to my credit card to apply for my visa to enter Qatar at the passport control - they accepted credit cards - I went to claim my luggage. That took a while!



When I walked out into the waiting area, there Aiman was waiting for me in his site uniform with our company logo so visible - reminding me that we're colleagues and that reminds me of work too. Oh bummer, I am not supposed to be thinking about work on my vacation...



Aiman looked so cute and adorable despite his kebuntalan or chubbiness and sun tanned dark skin. That tan he got from being out in the site - well he's a site engineer by profession, can't help it.

Hehehe...I think I will call Aiman Teddy Tales from now on because he looks like an adorable teddy bear to me, if not TM Net's Bluehyppo mascot. Hmmmm maybe I will call him Bluehyppo in a very affectionate way. Nah, Teddy Tales is cuter. I am sure Aiman memang tak kisah if I call him that :)



Driving his dusty Nissan 4WD - which is the most popular car on this side of the earth - he took me around on a short city tour and then helped me check into Qatar Palace Hotel in the heart of the city.

Accommodation here costs a lot more than in Dubai, I think because of the lack of it here, be it hotels or hotel apartments. Qatar Palace Hotel is supposed to be a 3 star hotel, but I think it fell short of my expectation if I compare to home in Malaysia. Hey I expect something better for a room that costs about QR350 a night!



I settled myself at the hotel room and caught some forty winks while Teddy Tales went off to continue his work. Teddy Tales came to fetch me around six that evening. We went to Souk Ahmad in the city for some shopping - nuts, dates and such - and dinner at a restaurant near the souk.

After dinner we took a long walk hand in hand along the beautiful two-kilometre waterfront. The whole length of the seafront is called Doha Corniche. As we walked we talked about a lot of things to discover each other...



Doha's city landscape has changed tremendously since I last visited Doha three years ago for an assignment. The rapid progress and the many many buildings mushrooming in the city was in view of the country hosting the Asian Games. I think they need more affordable hotels in Doha and all of Qatar - not more office buildings that are going to be white elephants as they will be almost empty for a long while.

Qatar is also called the "Thumb of Arabia" because it protrudes 200 kms into the blue waters of the Persian Gulf. Fronting Doha Corniche is a harmonious blend of old and new architecture. New modern buildings framing it's city skyline, while on the waters of the bay you see wooden dhow boats, some still employed in fishing local waters. Doha had a booming commercial fishing industry before oil became it's main economic driver - so the graceful boats was a picturesque reminder of times past.

The view from Doha Corniche overlooking Doha's city skyline over dark blue night sea was breathtaking. Just as breathtaking as Teddy Tales's warm protective embrace over my shoulders. That kinda took my breath away...



I wished the night would last longer if not forever as Teddy Tales drove me back to the hotel and walked me to the front door.

Travel with my heart

When I set out on this journey I told myself, I wanna travel the earth not with a map, but with my heart. So I am doing just that...



Cutie Pie had to go to Iran for two weeks for some work. I don’t want to bother Baa Baa Black Sheep and Sage as both of them are busy people. Well, I am on holiday, they're not.

When Aiman Tak Kisah asked me to hop over to Qatar and join him, I decided to take his offer. As I'm already in the region, might as well spread my wings wider.

My flight to Doha, Qatar leaves in a few hours. I can’t wait to meet Aiman Tak Kisah in person...

Dune bashing, belly dancing

Morning came really early in Dubai. Bright sunlight peeped through my curtains at 5.00 this morning. I had wanted to sleep some more but I couldn’t knowing it was already broad day light outside. So I was wide awake at 5:30 a.m. despite having a late night out having fun - dinner, sheesha, live music and cocktails and getting almost intoxicated.

I got a text message from Aiman Tak Kisah that he couldn’t join me in Dubai because his big boss is coming on Monday, so they have to finish putting up guard rails on some good kilometers of our highway construction project in Qatar. I know Aiman Tak Kisah bukan tak kisah because it's not his fault when duty calls, but I was disappointed nevertheless that Aiman Tak Kisah couldn’t come. Oh well! But I wouldn't want to let that spoil my holiday. So I persuaded Cutie Pie to go for an adventure in the desert. She is such a sport!

We checked around - desert safari costs Dh220 per person including dinner and entertainment. From the information that we got, we decided to try out the sport with Knight Tours, Dubai's most experienced adventure tour operator. Knight Tours drivers are all locals from Dubai and are highly experienced in driving on sand – or "dune bashing" as they call it here. They have desert safaris daily so you just need to confirm your reservation before noon and they will pick you up from your hotel. Our desert safari guide for the day, Dare Devil as I would like to call him, fetched us from our hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road at 4:00 p.m. in a Land Cruiser.



From the hotel we headed out of Dubai on the Al Ain Road, leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind. We got off the main road and passed signs warning of the dangers of camels wandering onto the road before heading off-road. Dare devil partially deflated their tires to allow better traction in soft sand before we set out into the desert. It was not long before we were spontaneously and instinctively gripping the hand rails inside the car as Dare Devil thundered up steep dunes in low gear with high revs, before flying down the other side.

I was glad I had only had a light brunch. This “dune bashing” was almost like riding a roller coaster, and as much fun for the passengers as the driver. Dare Devil was clearly enjoying himself - lucky bastard. He said smilingly “I love my job,” as we hurtled across the front of one steep sand dune. Hehehe I was contemplating to pray that the car wouldn’t roll over so we would be safe, or to roll over just for the heck of it. I was in a mood for an adventure…

We stopped for a minute. “Is everyone alright?” Dare Devil looked back and asked us. With a firm “yes” from the back Dare Devil sped up another dune.

Despite this being a tummy turning experience, Cutie Pie and I can see that Dare Devil clearly knew what he was doing. So we started to feel more confident and relaxed as we sped along before eventually stopping for a brief rest for some magnificent landscape of the unique sands of Arabia and for some drinking water! Ah the sweet taste of water in the middle of a desert…



Another hour of tummy turning dune bashing and we reached the Al Shamsi Bedouin Village. After relieving myself at the hut washrooms, we boarded the "ship of the desert" or better known as camels. My first camel ride :) The camel right behind us was somehow getting “affectionate” towards my bum it was worrying me. In case, it's on heat. Jeez, I must be too sexy even for the camels. Hahaha! Thank God its mouth was covered, at least I know today I won’t get a camel bite. Ahakz!



Other than being harrassed by the camel, the experience was such a bliss. From the top of the camel humps we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the endless rolling desert. I feel blessed with this rare opportunity to watch the sun-set over this tranquil scenery. I only wish Aiman was here with me too, it would have been so romantic.

Anyways…

I was hoping to see a real Bedouin Village so I can get a unique insight into the traditional life of the Bedouins but the village was more like a tourist showcase.

After getting our table - where we sat cross legged on hard pillows - the guides passed around Arabic coffee, tea and sweets as we relaxed smoking sheesha pipes while the barbeque dinner was prepared. Some of the other jakun tourists dressed themselves up in the traditional Arabic dress. Cutie Pie and I chose henna paintingby this Iranian woman and then we just lazed around on the carpeted ground or wander around the camp and enjoy the silence of the desert. Such bliss!

Dinner took longer than I thot to be prepared but the smell of the delicious BBQ dinner with grilled Arabic specialities cooked on site complemented by a variety of appetisers, salads and sweets calmed my impatience. After dinner, I had more sheesha. Hehehe for someone who doesn’t smoke I’m beginning to get a hang of it. It’s very soothing and nerve calming.



Right after dessert in the desert (it ryhmes :) a beautiful belly dancer in glittering green performed on a round centre stage to entertain us. She invited some of us to come up stage and try to shake our bodies to the rhythm of the Arabic drums. She is so sensual and sexy – mesmerising.

If I were a man I would be lusting after her I think. Nah, I would rather be the woman men are lusting over. Hahaha! Naaah maybe all I want is just one man to love me and lust me too - and I would feel the same for him - till death do us part.



After a while almost everybody joined in the fun on the dance floor before winding up this full day adventure. I think this day is perfect. Almost perfect...

Waking up in a strange city

To awaken quite alone in a strange city is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world sometimes. I feel surrounded by a sense of adventure even within the four corners of my own hotel room. Maybe it is just the sexy combination of sisha and cocktails I had last night that has disillusioned me. Hehehe...



Anyways...

I arrived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, grabbed a taxi and checked into Crowne Plaza Hotel which is near to the airport. I was fortunate that a fellow blogger and chatter friend Sage was able to help me get a very good corporate rate for the hotel I am staying. It is pretty expensive to get a decent roof over your head and a comfortable bed to sleep in this city. In Kuala Lumpur you can get a standard room in Crowne Plaza Hotel for almost three times less.



I rested for a few hours catching some forty winks until afternoon - to make it up for the seven hours of close to sleepless journey from KL to Dubai on Emirates Air. Try sleeping sitting up and not having much leg room. I’m short legged and I felt like that already. Just imagine those with long legs - I think I'm blessed in situations like these. If you're not, my advice is to fly Malaysian Airlines, they have more leg room and better in flight food.



Cutie Pie called me to confirm that she would be coming by the hotel in the evening. While waiting for her, I managed to visit Dubai Kartdrome and layan lap for 15 minutes of kart lap driving on the track. The 1.2 km circuit at the Kartdrome has 17 corners to test driver's skills. To add to my excitement, the track has a tunnel and bridge. That was exhilirating but pretty expensive - cost me Dh100 - way to experience the thrills of my favorite motor racing. Just like avid golfers do, go karters wanna try out new tracks in a new place too. Not that I raced very often at my home track at Shah Alam City Karting Circuit nowadays. Too busy...



I was so glad to see Cutie Pie when she came to join me in Dubai, having driven two hours from Abu Dhabi yesterday evening. Cutie Pie is a chatter friend who hails from Singapore and works in Abu Dhabi with her father.

Sage who is staying at Villa Rotana Suites sent his driver to fetch us at our hotel and we fetched him en route. Our hotels are located on the same long stretch of street called Sheikh Zayed Road. Traffic was horrendous – took us more than half hour to get to Sofitel Hotel Apartments in Deira that is just a few kilometers far. Next time I swear about the traffic in Kuala Lumpur, I’ll remember the traffic in Dubai’s Deira area. There we fetched Baa Baa Black Sheep, a good old friend whom I have not seen for a long, long time. We attended prep school together before Baa Baa Black Sheep works in a Dubai based Malaysian company supplying systems to telecommunications companies in Dubai.

Funny that Baa Baaa Black Sheep and I hardly took the trouble to meet when we were home in Kuala Lumpur. Yet we take the trouble to meet now that we’re far away from home. I suppose being in a strange city creates such urgency for people to meet people whom they know.

Baa Baa Black Sheep took us all for dinner at a harbor looking seafront restaurant in Deira called Qd’s. Dinner was alright. But having used to really good food in KL, I tend to rate food by comparing with Kuala Lumpur which is a culinary heaven to me. However, having such great company amidst good ambience compensates, particularly after smoking that apple flavored sisha. Hehehe…



After dinner we hopped over to Jules Bar at Le Meridien for some live music. Don’t ask me what street it is on, I didn’t do that well in geography at school. Cover charge is Dh60 - double of what you pay to get into a club in KL – but here you get two drinks. I ordered my favorite, Pina Colada – two of them. Hehehe…

The Filipino band (forgot what they’re called) was pretty good – very versatile and hilarious too. Would have loved to stay longer at Jules Bar if not for the desert safari Cutie Pie and I are taking this afternoon. I really am looking forward to my adventure in the desert...

Leaving on a jet plane

Sometimes, I think looking out the window while riding in an airplane lends a divine perspective to our lives. From high among the clouds, homes and highways appear tiny and toy-like. Suddenly, our crowded and important cities seem like just a small part of a busy universe. Imagine God looking at us...



To me solitude high above gives us time to think and reflect. Well, as long as you don't drink and fly or doze off the entire journey or have annoying aisle mates.

Sometimes I feel that there's something about a trip to a place that's so far off that makes us feel like we're visiting another universe, another world. Not just another corner of our planet. It wakes us up and reminds us of who we are and where we are going in life.



Tomorrow morning at 01:02:03 hours on 04.05.06 I will be "leaving on a jet plane" as the song says, for a foreign land far away hoping for a good adventure, sand, sun and shopping. This time, I wanna travel the earth not with a map, but with my heart...