Camel Crossings and Easter Bunnies

We have a forty –five minute drive from Doha to Mesaieed through the arid land, and we pass gorgeous buildings under construction along the desert.   The ocean isn’t far but not visible from the road and I see huge expanses of sand.    I catch a glimpse of camel crossing signs and keep my eye out for camels but no such luck.   Qatar’s development is amazing with their  economic and social growth as they are getting ready to be the first Arab state to host the World Cup in 2022.  The construction going on throughout Doha is jaw-droppingly intense. 

We arrive at the guest housing and are pleasantly surprised as we were not sure what to expect.   We have a mini kitchenette along with the ability to use the community kitchen to cook in as well.  The fridge is stocked with sodas, juice, soft cheese, jam and water ; the community kitchen has eggs and bread for toast as well.   

We are given the tour and they let us know there is a club just a short walk away where we can have dinner and they offer a small bowling lane, ping pong, billiards, indoor tennis,  a pool and a great work out facility.

After four days of travel  we start laundry and after the first load I realize I seriously miss having a dryer.  However, even in the AC it seems as if the clothes know it’s 110 outside and dry quickly but stiff like cardboard.  

As Greg is in meetings I fill my morning with work and then head on my first excursion to the local shops.   I check with the housing coordinator to find out what I can and can’t wear in town which is about a 10-15 minute walk.  Mesaieed is much smaller than Doha and I am not sure just how conservative it is- does my bedazzled abaya need to come out?  I wear capris and a summer long sleeve shirt which he assures me will be fine.  I head to Shoprite first and spend an hour walking from aisle to aisle examining all the different food available.    I don’t see any other women but everyone is extremely polite and accepting . I get many double takes  but all with a smile and multiple people offer to help me.  I can’t help but wonder  if a visitor from Qatar showed up in their traditional dress at an American small town grocery store what would happen.  I am sure they would get the same if not even more double takes.  

I  can’t get everything I want so I pick and choose some exotic fruits like custard apple, mangosteen, and sapodillas.   I keep asking the produce workers about what all the different things are for and they patiently answer me with a grin.  We actually travel with our breville  juicer  in our suitcase so I fill up bags of what I think are exotic greens but end up being red and green spinach.  

I laugh as I pass very Americanized foods such as Kraft cheese in a jar, Scooby-Do

shaped pasta and Squirt soda.    Qatar seems to be the land of  forgotten candy,  I pass by Christmas M&M’s , Chocolate Easter bunnies, Valentines chocolates and Halloween sweets as I wonder what they think of our American culture.

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We have an exotic fruit tasting that night- the custard apple had burst in the bag but the inside was  overly sweet with a texture of pudding, the mangosteen  was overripe and as I cut the fruit in  half to extract the jellybean sized seeds most of them were too soft but still tasty.   It is suggested the outside of the mangosteen is loaded with nutrients for juicing, but it's hard as a rock and pass so it doesn't tear up our blade. The sapodilla had a cloying sweet taste and was the color of sweet potato.   

Good  Fun and Good Travel……