JANUARY 31, HEADED OUT TO THE CAMEL TRACK!

We hired a driver for 4 hours to take us to 4 places. We got in only 2 as it was quite far out of town. The regular tours cover the Islamic Museum (which we did yesterday on our own), the Corniche (we walked a lot of it yesterday).  We ate the buffet breakfast at the hotel (won't do that again! Not great! ) MK our driver picked us up at 10 and we headed out of town. He had never been to EITHER of these places - the Camel Racing Track and the Sheik Faisal museum! That was disappointing as once there, he didn't know anything to share with us about how it's done, what the museum was about! Oh, well!

We arrived at this new looking racetrack after an hour driving past SO MUCH new construction. MK said citizens of Qatar don't have to work, pay no taxes, receive $5000/month "salary" from the government because of oil and gas deposits!! So they all build gigantic homes, most with a swimming pool. Don't know what they do all day; I guess shop, travel, live a life of leisure!

These tracks will be active next month, the guys working there said. They were training the camels. One guy would ride, with the other camel having some kind of a two way radio telling it what to do - like a robot riding it! There was no office or place to go for information. This country is not really set up too well for tourists, we think! in 2022 they are hosting the FIFA games so they are building like crazy, a metro system, many hotels, etc. But there are no tourist info places, minimal map at the desk for us to use, and no guidebooks. But we've gotten a taste of it. 

The green pile is the "robot" transmitter.

We then headed to the Sheik Faisal museum. This guy, who's maybe 60 or so, had started collection artifacts like his father. Then he built this gigantic museum, way out in the desert to display them. It was quite amazing! Rod would LOVE all the cars they had! The bus was used to take a group of guys out hunting and camping in the desert. Then some artist painted the outside of it as a work of art, to display here.

We were supposed to pay an extra 50 QR (Qatari Rial) to take photos so I didn't take very many, and very surreptitiously!

Back in town, not having time for MK to take us to the Pearl Qatar, a man-made residential/commercial island oddly shaped out in the Gulf with VERY expensive homes on it. or Katara which has some kind of a cultural village. We are going to try to take a bus out there and then maybe rent a bike to see this area tomorrow. We'll see if that works out! We have a whole day before our flight!

Betty needed a pharmacy so we headed down from our hotel; it was closed! I was hungry so we settled for drink and fries at KFC and then a tuna sandwich at Subway! After resting a bit in our room, we headed back over to the Festival going on in the Souk Waqif from yesterday. There was still the festival going on for a few more days but it was much more crowded in the evening! Mobs of people!

Wanted a picture of the writing! Reads from right to left. Very beautiful!

Our hotel entrance - Golden Ocean!

Musicians on stilts walking through the crowd.

Passed a taxidermist and went in!

Gorgeous mosque at night!

Another group performing.

JANUARY 30, FIRST FULL DAY IN DOHA

We slept in late and headed out, after our homemade oatmeal, raisins, walnut breakfast (thanks Cathy, for that travel idea!!) at around 11 a.m. It will take a couple of days to adjust to the time change. It was LOVELY to walk under a sunny clear sky down to the Corniche - a 6 km walkway along the Persian Gulf. We headed to the Museum of Islamic Art designed by I. M. Pei. Gorgeous!!

 Unusual new building we think might be a modern art museum under construction.

Exercise bike along the Corniche on the way to the Museum! 

 Beautiful entrances! 

 Shaded walkway leading up to museum.

Looks like a mosque!

In the distance, amazing buildings! They looked like toys!

Another view out the museum window.

The oculus looking up in the interior of the museum. 

Had a whole display about the 1971 visit and fight of Muhammed Ali to Qatar.

The museum was filled with 3 floors of beautiful Islamic art work with lots of gold, jewels and calligraphy from Turkey, Iran, Egypt, etc. It was beautifully displayed in fairly dark rooms.

We headed down the Corniche to where the dhows were taking people out into the Gulf for 1 hr or 1/2 hr. cruises. We joined another couple - for 50 Riyal (about $15) for both of us. Enjoyed NOT walking for awhile!

Dhows cruising across the harbor.. 

A dhow we passed. Looked like ours.

In the distance more of the peninsula.

Varied architecture! This is all new!!

We then headed for the Souk - enclosed shopping area that was renovated in 2006. Cleanest souk I've ever walked through! We found a street side restaurant to eat lunch (it was now 3 pm). It was a great people watching spot! We had another delicious fruit smoothie - mine kiwi; Betty's papaya. As we sat, every kid who walked by had to stop and buy pink cotton candy on the stand! Very cute! And there is a Spring Festival going on so several groups making music walked by!

Call to prayer! Men leaving their shoes outside the mosque. Happens 5 times a day. Haven't used the prayer rugs in our room yet! 

Ended the day at the top of the Hilton Doubletree. It was so chilly they provide blankets and warming heaters! Finally had our beer! Served by a handsome Ukrainian waiter! 

From the Museum - full dress armor! Impressive!

Now the music groups that passed while we were eating! SORRY, couldn't upload the videos!! I'll try later!
Tomorrow off for a 4 hour private tour of Doha!

We have arrived in Doha!!! At least Qatar's not on the 7 banned nation list!!! Who knows what will be on when we head home!! Maybe China?

So here we both are at O'Hare waiting for our 7 pm Qatar Airways departure! I came from Boston and Betty from St. Paul/Minneapolis. Then we had a 5 hour wait before we could check in. We hung out at the Hilton Inn on the airport grounds. Hunted for a beer but weren't willing to pay the $11 at the Hilton Lounge. Now in Doha, where there's no liquor that we've seen, we wish we had splurged!!

Our flight was 13 hours on a packed plane!! I like the window seat so I can lean better to sleep. But won't do that again! there was a guy from Saudi Arabia, a student who had just graduated in Engineering from, Judy, you'll never guess!! Ferris State (formerly Ferris Institute where Mom and Grandma Mitchell both graduated!!!) He had a great time there and is now headed home to look for a job. He didn't move out of the seat the whole night; so neither did I!!Betty on the aisle was able to get up several times and moved around!! I'll do that on Weds. on the flight to Singapore ( only 7+ hours!).

We arrived right on time around 5 pm Qatar time. Our driver wasn't there so we waited about 15 minutes and he showed up. Very nice service; only 4 km to our hotel in the Old Quarter. This was recommended by Marlo as a good area for walking to see sites like the Islamic Art museum, the Corniche - a 6km. walkway along the water, and the Souq for shopping. Tomorrow we'll just relax and wander on our own. Then maybe Tuesday take a tour.

As we explored the hotel, we came across these huge chairs!!

 This Arab lady didn't mind if I took her picture. SOOOOO many head to toe covered women here! It wasn't like this in Dubai. There was much more variety in the women's "costumes." even some with sequin decorations. But not here!!

This was a shop we passed as we walk out for some dinner. I think these are low tables to put the Koran on. There are prayer rugs and a Koran in our room (in Arabic of course! We were going to pray 5 times a day but can't read it!!)

Our dinners was at the Tea Pot Cafeteria - no tea but bits of chicken, salad, sauce mixed on pita-type bread, and LOVELY fruit drinks - I got Guava and Betty had Papaya! It was chilly walking down by the water so we saved that for tomorrow. I told Betty she can plan our wandering day!!

Off to a good start!!

FINALLY GOT BACK ON MY BLOG!!

So as promised, I am posting my most current travel itinerary for my upcoming Asia trip:

Sat. 1/28  United Air 775G to Chicago ORD  9 - 10:51   Seat 8C  to meet up with Betty.

Sat. 1/28 Qatar Air 726   to Doha, Qatar. 6:55 pm - Sun. 1/29 5 pm  Seat 22K  13 hr5m

Sun. 1/29 - 2/1  3 nts. Golden Ocean Hotel, al Meena St., Dona, DSoha, Qatar  974-4443-3005

Wed. 2/1  Qatar Air  to Singapore  8:40 pm - Thurs.9:15 a.m.   7h35min.

 Thurs. 2/2 airbnb - EXPO & Changi: Tampines MRT/  Phone: Jackie  +65 9836 3963

Sun 2/5  Tiger Air #TR2288  15:20 - SIN  - DPS (Denpasar(Bali) 18:05

Sun 2/5 - 2/17   Rumah Roda Guest house, Ubud, Bali   Phone: +62 361 975487

Fri  2/17   DPS - KUL  Indonesia Air Asia #550  7:55 a.m. - 10:55 to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fri  2/17-2/24  Paloma Inn Hotel, KL , 60 3-2110-6677  (this may change)

Fri  2/24  KUL-RGN Kuala Lumpur to Rangoon, Myanmar  Air Asia AK 504  6:55 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Hotel: Pickled Tea Hostel, 1 Myaynigone Zay Street , San Chaung, San Chaung, Yangon

Fri  3/3 RGN-HAN to Hanoi - Emirates Air EK388  12:35 - 15:05

Hotel: Hanoi Old Town Hotel, 95 Hang Chieu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Dong Xuan Market

Fri  3/10 HAN - XIY  Hanoi to Xi'an through Kunming, China  China Eastern #2576 4 pm-6:25 PM stopover
in Kunming for 14 hrs.  HOTEL:  Xinyuan Inn   86 136 5884 2904
Sat.  3/11 China Eastern #5727  8:15 a.m. - 10:25 a.m. to Xi'an

3/11  Xi'an Skytel Hotel (Expedia)  1-866-599-6674

3/14 China Eastern XIY-NKG  7:55 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. Stay a couple of nights in Nanjing.

3/17  Go across river to Yangzhou - stay at Ding's apartment

3/22 head to Shanghai

Tues.  3/28  PVG-BOS  Air Canada  4:40 pm - 6:05 pm to Montreal; 7:55 pm - 9:14 pm BOS

There's a little flexibility when we're in China. We'll book along the way.

A week to go!!!