Day in the Desert

A common Friday afternoon actvity is to go dune bashing. This weekend we joined hundreds of other vehicles and spent a beautiful day in the dunes of the desert.  Our friends, Shaheed and Nadia, took us to the desert for a day of fun. 

Tim learned how to drive on the dunes in true Qatari fashion.  First we lowered the pressure in our tires to 20 psi.  This means that more of the tire will stay on the sand and there is better traction.  It was much like driving in heavy snow. We did not go over steep dunes but rode the ridges and valleys.

The desert is truly spectacular at this time of year.  It is easy to see why the locals set up winter camps here.  The dunes stretch for miles in waves of golden sand. The Gulf in the distance gives a cooling effect this time of year. We saw the rare desert flower and we also had a remarkable opportunity to see a falcon.

 The falcon is the National Symbol of Qatar. They are a prized bird used for hunting.  There are falcon displays and competitions in the desert.  This falcon was just hanging with a couple of Qatari boys -- watching the dune rides. Max and Simon said the falcon was much softer to touch and heavier than they expected.

After bashing the dunes we stopped on a dune for a rest -- played some frisbee, ate some BBQed lamb, watched the sunset.

Car Show

And what a show it was!! Tim, Max, and Simon attended the Doha Car Show last week. The car show is an opportunity for car manufacturers to demonstrate their newest product and an opportunity for people to buy the cars!

It is common to see a Bentley drive by while we are on the road to school or work. But it was much more awesome to stand next to one -- up close and personal.

There were also cars that aren't meant to be on the road.  This ultra-light Audi is a racing vehicle for Formula One races.

There were also prototype vehicles not available for purchase yet.

But lots of people were buying!

And the Michelin Man was there to shake a few hands.  Michelin Tires in the Middle East, of course.