Over here in Qatar I noticed a, for me, strange habit. When you drive around the city you will always see cars, new ones and old ones, that seem to be on a test drive. Why? Because all the plastic covers inside the car have not been removed from the sun shades, the seats and sometimes even the steering wheel. Also the delivery notes from the manufacturer are still sticking on the front screen, sometimes the little foam cubes protecting the doors are still there. It seems to me as if the owner wants to keep the car in showroom condition, although the bumpers are showing scratches and, for most of the old cars, the transparent head light covers are already blinded by the continuous exposure to sand and heavy washing. You don't believe this? Ok, check this out:

Here it is. 2009, the new year. Already prestressed by the global crisis everybody starts wondering how it will be. The picture I took this morning out of my flat is showing how it will be: no one can tell yet, all future still lies beneath the fog. Even light beams cannot conquer the path to the end of the road. By the way it is the first time I saw fog like this in Qatar.

I only can advise to be careful and to think about every step you take. Happy New Year?



[edit]: Later in the evening we were invited to a New Years BBQ at a friend's house. The fog had disappeared until then and it was possible to sit outside and enjoy the veggies and the meat. Ok, you had to wear a jacket, but compared to Europe, nobody would sit outside there and have a BBQ, isn't it?

To everybody reading here. I think I got some more, non-German readers now.

Anyhow, as I will have to be working throughout Christmas and New Years Eve, there is no real holiday in Qatar, I hope that you all will enjoy the time with your family and friends. And think a tiny little bit of those abroad, please.

Out of the blue this year there was the celebration of Qatar National Day on December 18th. All businesses were closed that day and people already prepared a day ahead for it. At almost every roundabout you could see people standing and selling national flags to be fixed on the cars. The cranes on the construction site opposite the house were equipped with flags all over, as well was the building which is still under construction.


Some people in fact painted their cars in the national colours of Qatar, maroon and white, this guy in the picture above even was using maroon colour with glittering effects. The car was painted as well on the bonnet and even the headlights were coloured.

Unfortunately I missed the fireworks in the evening which started one hour late at ten past ten in the night, but the noise was impressive. And I could see it mirroring in the glass front of the house opposite the flat.

Neulich dann sah ich sie. Auf einem Platz nahe dem Obst- und Fischgrossmarkt geparkt. Die Fahrer hatten es sich auf der anderen Seite gemuetlich gemacht und ihre Campingausruestung, Tisch und Klappstuhl, ausgepackt, um ihr Essen dort einzunehmen. Anhaengerrecycling in der Wueste Qatars.





For my English readers:
These trucks I pictured near the wholesale market. The only interesting fact is that the trailers are both from Germany, re-used but not re-painted over here in Qatar. The first trailer is showing a deep frozen Pizza from a quite famous producer, while the second trailer is from a supermarket chain in Germany which is all over the country and as well represented in some more European countries.

One of the things you can do in Qatar is being invited by someone to a boat BBQ on a Friday afternoon. Luckily we got the chance to join some people who exactly did and organised that.

We met after noon at the harbour and entered the boat, an Arabic dhow, big enough to carry at least 30 people. Although the weather didn't look good, it started to rain and a thunder storm came up, we left the harbour to go on our journey.


Passing the newly opened Museum of Islamic Art, we reached the Doha bay and went direction north east. Just in front of the west bay area with all the big towers lies banana island, an undevelopped piece of land within the gulf, just a small island with nothing on it besides some sunshades.

Reaching the island we let go anchor as some other dhows already did.



Then it was time for some guys to jump from the upper deck and to swim in the sea. And this in the beginning of December. Some others decided to go on a speed boat trip around the island while we just enjoyed the sun on the upper deck with a good drink.



Later then, after sunset, we started preparing the BBQ. Chicken, lamb and beef shish kebabs as well as chicken parts found their way to be roasted. And there were a lot of hungry people!



After having finished the BBQ we eventually went back to the harbour and home, that was around 9pm. A nice possibility to spend half a day.

Yesterday it was raining. The first time since May, when there was some rain last time.

It started in the morning. The sky was grey, showing clouds, which is normally unusual to the country. Most time you are facing blue sky, only distracted by dust sometimes when the wind is blowing all the desert sand into town. But yesterday it was one of the cloudy days.

On the way to a venue it started. Suddenly countable single drops hit the windscreen, like a summer rain in Europe, soft, gentle, small drops hit the car. Not many though. As soon as it started it was over, then, a few kilometers further, again. Not enough rain to switch on the wipers though, but you had to clean the screen as all the remaining dust started to create a pattern on the screen, mixed with the fastly drying water.

After the venue we saw that it must have rained some three or four more times, as the cars were covered with this drop pattern, but not enough rain to flush the dust away. Just like a sprinkling only.

Now to something totally different.

As everybody can imagine, Qatari men are all dressed mostly in long, white gowns, carrying this kind of "towel" on the head, fixed by a black rope. They all look similar, but as well over here it is a matter of brands what you wear. And even in this country with not much differences in clothes, there are the big brands selling accessories and clothes tailored especially for the market here.

Over here it is not only the Qataris that drive as if rules are there to be disobeyed. As well one big cause of problems are the masses of Indian workers that got a driving licence. Wherever from I wonder.

Don't be surprised when you are driving along one of the major 3-lane-roads within Doha, approaching a junction with a traffic light and 2 additional lanes for the traffic going left when, suddenly and out of the blue, an old pick-up truck without rear lamps crosses over from the very right to the very left, not checking if there's a car coming from behind. You will most probably see an Indian guy driving the car, ignoring your horn signals and steadily crossing the road. His face most times is showing an expression of heavy surprise, as if he never drove a car before and he wonders why this steel boz around him is moving.

Stopping without indicating it on a straight road, just in front of you? No problem, maybe there was something interesting to see on the pavement, maybe one of the passengers wanted to get out of the car. As well a very likely place to stop the car for a mobile call or just to wait for someone else is within a roundabout, just inches before the next entrance. So that all visibility is taken for those who approach the roundabout. So you have to stop, carefully creep forward and look if the roundabout is empty to enter. Most times during the moment you start to accelerate, the guy also will start moving, of course without indicating anything. Maybe it is a must to deposit the brain before entering the car.

Another thing I dslike over here is the disability to take care of the own brake light bulbs. Once gone in a cars life time, they will never ever be replaced. Breaking and stopping becomes a challenge for the following cars. Especially at night, when some of those specialists save energy by not turning on any light. Or all lights, including front and rear foglamps.

Then safety belts. The majority of Qataris I saw rather trust their airbags, probably made by "Insh'allah", than wearing safety belts. Ok, when you hit a small saloon car with your 3-ton-V8-4-wheeler, you probably don't care about the little crash and this scratching noise somewhere in the front. You just drive through, that's it. But as well, they don't think about their kisds. Very often they jump through the car, not belted, no kids seat, standing in front with their heads just inches from the windscreen. Some even are standing on the passenger seat, looking out of the sun roof. One hard braking maneouvre, one slight crash: that was it. But nobody thinks of that. Well, maybe it is a quick death, when you go 120 within the city...

Others belt themselves, but maybe not quite appropriate.

At several locations within the city you can see these lollipops:



Either in red or green they are overtopping the surrounding buildings. They are indications for hospitals. Green for adults, red for children. Easily to see already in the distance, they function as landmarks in emergencies.

A good idea which could have been adapted in Europe. If the buildings were not as high.

James Bond.



Unfortunately he wasn't sitting in this car. But it is a nice co-incidence after I saw Jesus last week.

Let's see who is next.