A jogger and the lone outpost

This morning as I was jogging around the compound --- yes, I am still jogging!--- I saw another "jogger". Unfortunately, I did not have a camera. As odd as I look, my fellow jogger was quite different from anyone I had ever seen. She was dressed in a beautiful head to toe and face covering abiya. She wore purple tennis shoes --- and she was faster than me! Now, going faster than me is not difficult, but in an abiya, it's simply amazing. Enough said. This afternoon we decided to drive to the northern most tip of Qatar. That would be Al Ruwais. Trust me. There is not much to see. So, we drove to Al Zubara - along the west coast of Qatar --- there we saw an abandoned fort and...... nothing. It's true. Most Qataris live in Doha. We are beginning to understand that. We saw abandoned homes and small herds of sheep ----and desert. A shepherd was nearby. Saw some bedouin tents too. And more desert. But, the entire trip only took 2 1/2 hours - so it was worth seeing. Near Al Zubara is a beautiful new sports stadium and a sign, "Home of the Qatar Olympic Committee". From Doha to that stadium is an 8 lane beautiful highway lined with street lights. The beginnings of gas stations and rest stops can be seen, but none are open yet. Gratefully, we had filled up our gas tank before we left so we only needed a bathroom. There were no reststops with bathrooms. The desert was good enough. I understand Americans are complaining about the price of gas. Well, it's a problem here too. We paid $1.00 for a gallon of gas this morning. I heard some Qataris saying that gas used to be only fifty cents a gallon! So, I guess it is all relative.