Hidden treasures

About 20 kilometers outside Doha is a huge new museum out in the middle of the desert. It's huge rooms house the private collection of Shiekh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani. It appears that just 2 fulltime curators manage this museum which is a collection of wooden hard carved doors, glass lamps from a mosque, pottery, weapons, old manuscripts, fashions from centuries ago, fossils, rugs, paintings, old cars and farm equipment, religious artifacts, fossils, horse saddles, a bedouin tent, old handwoven rugs, jewelry, coins, children's toys, family photos of the Emir, and various and sundry priceless pieces well displayed, but cryptically described. One of the curators is a lovely young lady from Tunesia who took it upon herself to give us a private tour of part of the museum. It was clear that she took an interest in us because we were gueniunely interested in the museum - a rarity! It is clear she would relish the idea of leading a group of well behaved, interested, and well informed students to the treasure this museum holds for those with a passion for the past. Can't wait to go back! We plan to email ahead and "reserve" the curator's time!

Yes, this museum is in the middle of the desert. Well, I guess this is what Doha looked like just 30 years ago. There is one modern highway (Route 3) thru this part of the country connecting Doha with neighboring villages. The museum is just off the highway. Not much traffic, but plenty of evidence that building is going on and soon this desert will look like Doha! Busses are parked along the desert highway and workmen operate heavy equipment and hand shovels clearing the land and preparing to build housing, shops and attractions. In fact, a huge stadium is located in the desert with parking space for thousands of cars. Gigantic light fixtures surround the stadium for night time use. Electricity towers dot the landscape and the evidence of the expanding city is everywhere. Completion is just years away. With this perfect weather right now, work is nonstop. I can't imagine what it must be like in summer - no doubt, unbearable! Of course, I am already hot and its only January! This country does not lack for work, it just lacks for workers. Little wonder that 94% of the population is foreign....... or something like that!!! I can't imagine there is any unemployment and new employees arrive daily. Will the bubble burst?

Within 5 miles of the museum is the camel racing track. Several young camels were out for a sprint around the race-track when we arrived. Automatic whipping machines are mounted on their humps in place of jockeys. Apparently young boys used to serve as jockeys, but that practice has been banned. You don't want to know the story. Trust me, it's better this way --- even if you feel bad for the camels! We plan to return for the actual races soon. Now we know where to go! Again, the camel race track is out in the middle of the desert. Camel racing ends in March or April, probably bacause the spectators could not survive during the hot months. Like the museum, it's free unless you choose to bet on a camel.

Yesterday we signed a contract to have 5 gallon jugs of water delivered each week to our apartment. Our neighbor advised us to do this and it seems like a good idea. The water is not good for drinking here and we go thru a lot of water! We were boiling our water to make tea and coffee, but were told that was still not safe, so now we have a ready supply and regular delivery of fresh water each Saturday. We had to buy a hand pump also. To put this in perspective, we will get 25 - 5 gallon jugs for $40 and the jugs will be delivered to our door and should more than last us the entire time we are here. Before we signed the contract, we were lugging bottles of water 2 kilometers from the store several times each week - or, should I say, J. was lugging bottles of water! I carried the bread and fruit! We thought we were saving money by carrying the water bottles ourselves (or, J's self), but utlimately realized this did not make sense. Instead, J. can now carry other things like cookies, snacks, and other needed groceries.

Last night we took off in a different direction - Landmark shopping center. Our map has no legend so we were not sure how far away it was. It turned out to be about 4 miles away - not bad actually. The biggest obstacle was one gigantic roundabout. Dodging traffic at night can be difficult -- but not impossible. We bought our supper at the mall and carried it back (or, should I say, J. carried it back in his backpack)- I carried the bread, which was gone by the time we got home! We bought a roasted chicken (the smalled chicken I have ever seen!) and arabic salad, vegetable sushi, a baquette, coffee ... and muffins. One call to prayer ocurred during our walk, so a busload of workers sat waiting for their bus driver to finish prayers before it moved on. Walking provides such a different look at the scenery here. I am always anxious for a glimpse inside a gate and a look behind the walls. We were not in the mood to walk around the mall once we arrived, realizing we had a 4 mile walk back, so we will save the window shopping for another trip.

Two days ago, we walked "downtown" again - this time taking a little different route. We walked through Al Rumaila Park. Wow! From the highway along the Corniche this park doesn't look like much. But from the hills that dot the park, the view is awesome. Groups of women, families, and groups of men are everywhere. Picnicing is evident, but mostly people are visiting and children are playing. A cement lined hill provides a type of giant slide and looks like a lot of fun. Abby would love it! This park is blocks long, with a manmade waterway with bridges connecting both sides running through it. At one end is an outdoor heritage cultural museum for children and families. We enjoyed it! We ended that day at the Souk buying some lemon flavored almonds ,ate some food at the Souk and took a taxi home.

I am getting used to the bed, so am sleeping better. Good night!