Kayaking

As the weather begins to cool we can start participating in more outdoor activities. During the Eid break we took a break from painting to do some kayaking. It was a perfect 34 degrees with a light breeze and a high tide as we set out from Al Khor (45 minutes north of Doha).

After 25 years of marriage, Tim and Lisa know very well that they cannot share a kayak. So we paddled as parent-child partners and this made for a much more pleasant afternoon.

We joined a tour group that was exploring the Mangrove forests on the northeast coast of Qatar. We literally paddled through a forest -- remarkable! Mangrove trees live on the edge of tidal waters and have an amazing ability to adapt to the salt content of water. While most mangroves require some regular "flushing" with fresh water, these trees on Qatar's coastline have no access to fresh water at all. Most trees would die in this situation. Mangroves also have "aerial roots". They breathe air through a system of "snorkels". These snorkels come up from the roots of the tree to breathe above the level of saltwater. But twice a day (when the tide covers the root) they do not breathe -- there is air stored in their snorkels! We also saw hundreds of little fish swimming among the roots. It is common for these fish to jump into the boat. And they did! Tim got hit in the face with one flying through the air! It was an educational afternoon and a great day in the outdoors.

As we neared the end of our trip, Max did ask why we hadn't seen any fruit? Mangroves produce a flower but no fruit. He still looked confused as we explained this because he was expecting to see mangoes. He thought it was a mango grove, not a man-grove. Different species of tree. Glad we cleared that up!