More From Doha

So I finally have been able to take a few photos. Not many so far, but it will give you an idea of my life here so far. Here is a photo of my lounge room. It is very posh and we have rearranged it a bit because the couches were in WORLD CUP mode. Now it is a bit friendlier but still just as posh!



The next couple of photos are of my kitchen and my bedroom. It is all very nice and thank goodness for the air conditioning. Tonight I am going to go for a swim in our pool a bit later on after dinner. The water is 30c/86f, but when it has been 45/113 all day it does feel quite nice. The humidity is starting to creep up on us a bit. Apparently it will be 90% humidity and 50C/122F for most of August!

Some things I have learned about Doha:
1. The sun comes up at 4am and sets at about 7pm
2. It is hot or less hot, never cool.
3. You need to pay attention to the color of your pee so you don't get too dehydrated!
4. Humidity + Temperature = not comfortable.
5. The local women are pretty much confined to their houses except on the weekend when they all go shopping.
6. You can only own land if you are a true Qatari citizen.
7. The locals actually pronounce it KATar.
8. Petrol costs .7QR/litre or 19US Cents or 25 Australian Cents. That's right they might as well give it away.
9. Prayers happen 4 times a day and the one I keep noticing is at 3.30am!
10. Driving on the curb is ok if you are Qatari and bored from waiting in traffic. You must also have a massive 4 wheel drive!
11. The Golf Club must be the only place with grass in the whole country.
12. There are more cranes here than I can even describe to you.
13. Imagine what a city would look like if someone invested $130 Billion US Dollars in making it better. That's Doha.
14. It takes energy to make the water cold and it comes out of the tap hot enough to shower in it. Probably almost too hot. This hotness is what I am referring to as Dohot.
15. Only 25% of the population are Qatari - the rest are expats. A lot of westerners actually.


Basically it is really amazing so far. Work is starting to pick up a bit. Looks like we will be in for an amazing time with the show as well. Again no expenses spared. I can't wait to see it all come to fruition. To give you an idea of what I have seen thus far here is a photo of what will eventually be our stadium. It is called Khalifa Stadium after the family royalty. The tower on the far right of the photo is a new hotel being built. How much should we bet that it won't be ready? Most of Qatar looks like this. Building everywhere. Like I said, where did they get all the cranes!?!? I think we should play find the cranes in my photos. There can be a winner if you count them all! Keep track for 5 months, submit your answers and win a prize. Kind of like Where's Waldo/Wally.

Here is the view of the local area from my bedroom window.



Basically it is pretty much a giant construction site in the middle of the desert. I will take more pictures next time. I just barely ever want to be outside because it is so hot. Will do a bit more exploring on the weekend. Don't forget to keep in mind that my weekend is Friday and Saturday at the moment due to prayers.

Anyway, that's about from me for now. Will continue to email when I put a new post up. Bookmark it if you want. Remember to look out for me on Skype. Also for you Aussies, I do have my mobile here and am able to text and receive calls every once in a while. 0422 174 114.

Lots of love,
Sarah