Ramadan Dinner on the Beach

Tonight the entire company went to a traditional Ramadan Dinner at the Intercontinental hotel. The buffet was incredible. The entertainment consisted of some musicians and later on a "twirler." The pictures describe it best.....this guy went in circles for 20 minutes non stop. We all feel like that some days! Ramadan certainly presents some obstacles to overcome. The stores close at noon and don't open again until 8 pm. The malls are open from 8 pm - 1 am. All restaurants are closed during the day (employees can't go out for lunch.) Many of the grocery stores have finally realized that with the number of expats here, they should stay open during the day. We typically stay off the streets at night as after the break fast and prayers, the locals go out and celebrate by driving recklessly all over the city. Ramadan ends around Oct 25th so not much longer now. Did I mention you can't drink water in public during daylight hours (even in 30+ degree weather.) I had my first birthday in the desert! Spoiled terribly by family and friends.....out for dinner three nights in a row - back to the gym tomorrow! Enjoy the pics.

Thanksgiving Dinner In Doha

We enjoyed a full-blown Thanksgiving dinner last night at the Burke Villa. There were 17 of us for turkey dinner with stuffing and all the traditions of home (except the pumpkin pie!) We cheated and bought deserts - which were really good. Picture of the girls.. the guys didn't think they needed a group shot! For some guests, this was their first experience of Thanksgiving dinner. One of Ed's family members in Barrie had the local radio station B101 wish us all a Happy Thanksgiving. On that note.....Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends!!!

Driving across the country

On Friday, Kevin, Rick and I decided to drive to the Singing Dunes and then across the country. Unfortunately, the Singing Dunes only sing under certain conditions - the right amount of moisture in the air, etc. We did climb some dunes and took some pics.

Our drive across the country only took approx. 1 hour. We went to the coastal city of Duhkan which is basically a petroleum company that makes up a city. It was nice to see some different land formations. Along the way we came across some camel farms. Kevin was able to get up close and personal with some camels.