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The beautiful Doha Golf Club…
One day I must return to see the
actual course.
Who’s a pretty birdy?
The falcons were magnificent to behold.
This one seemed to like me… he didn’t take TOO large a chunk
out of my finger.
A side-benefit of the tour was that I got to meet new friends.
Who are you looking at?
The camels were interesting to see up close… and rather
photogenic, too.
Unusual flora.
Many examples of the once rare, yellow palm tree (constructius
cranius) were evident throughout Doha. |
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| | As a newcomer to Doha, and like many expats who face the challenge of learning about their new environment, I was excited when offered the opportunity to see Doha, through one of the City Tours. Only just into month three, I figured that there was still much of this progressive city that I could experience to enrich my understanding and knowledge of my new home.
As disappointing as it is to say (I don’t wish to rant ALL the time), the tour wasn’t as enlightening as I’d hoped. I guess my expectations had been hovering in the stratosphere, and maybe should have come down to the troposphere, or even remained firmly planted at my feet.
I was hoping I’d learn something of the history of the Capital, (not that there remain many historical buildings nowadays), or at least have some of the culture described in more detail. But that would have required a local for a guide, I guess. Our guide was a personable chap, but apart from general descriptions of the sights, not much was discussed about their significance or history (granted that may be due to the fact that so much of Doha is brand new).
Our itinerary first took us to the Doha Golf Club, where we were allowed to step out of the bus, walk a few paces to take a 360-degree view of the façade and surrounds, snap a couple of pictures, and get back onboard, seeing very little of the actual course, or facilities. Our other destinations included, the Thursday/Friday Souq (a little dead, since the tour was on a Saturday, but not a complete write-off as we got to see the magnificent falcons), the Animal Souq, the Vegetable Souq, and the Iranian Souq. We all began to wonder if we’d jumped onto a Shopping Tour bus by mistake.
However we breezed by the new and old CNA-Q campuses, Education City (which looks like it’d require a bus tour of it’s own), most of the sporting facilities (that seem to be infesting Doha), and the various hotels that line the Corniche, where we completed our circular Gilligan tour (that’s right, Dear Reader this cyclonic tour lasted all of 3 hours). Then, with our heads still spinning, we were driven home, mostly none the wiser.
Of course, it wasn’t a disastrous waste of time. The notable highlight was our visit to the camel pens at the Animal Souq. There were plenty of decent photo opportunities to capture this unique and gawky-looking creature, and as a special bonus, a calf, not more than a few hours old provided fascinating amusement in it’s Bambi-esque attempts at standing, aided by both mother and handler.
So at least I came away with a close-up view of dromedaries, to add to a slightly better perspective of Doha’s orientation (the circular layout does make it a little difficult to keep your bearings), and the knowledge of where to buy a better range of fresh veggies, plants, oh, and of course, goats (top of my list of things to buy).
My Two Dirhams,
DM
Editor
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