It has been a while that I posted something regarding water tankers. Now I had the possibility to take a picture of the incredible way to write like to speak. As long as people are able to understand, it is obvious what the content shall be. But it somehow looks a bit odd.



Then the other day I approached one roundabout and was confronted with one of my big fears. Landcruisers, driven in a way of disrespect of others. Big chunks of heavy metal piloted without the usage of brain sometimes. And using small cars just as bumpers. I felt lucky not to have driven in the way of one of those guys so far. Otherwise my car would have looked like this.



Keeping my fingers crossed.

Summer is starting now. Already in the morning when I left the house to go to work I felt the temperature, forcing me to leave my jacket behind. And yet, with the temperatures rising, it turned yellow this afternoon outside.



Now it is the time that the northern winds start carrying sand from the deserts into town. Washing the car does not make sense anymore, unless you wash it three times a day. The cold days are over. Definitely.

I am still waiting to catch an example though. Tank lorries are quite common here for potable water. You can see them quite often on the road, lorries with a white tank on the back, showing one horizontal blue stripe. And an explanation of what they carry.

Now the English language seems to be a slight problem for some of the guys marking the tankers. So therefore I already saw the following writings on them:

- DRINKING WATER (the most understandable one)
- DRINKING WATAR
- WATER FOR DRINKING
- WATER FOR DRINK
- DRINK WATER
- DRING WATER
- DRINKIG WATER

I think one day I will be lucky to catch one by picture. And then I will add it here. [edit: I added it today, 24/02/09]

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.