Rydges Plaza Doha

... I am touching her. I obviously do not have the master's touch. She knows I am a stranger. We change the glove again so that he is once again holding this beauty and reverses the process of tying her back to the perch.<br> I am allowed to go into the surgery room where they are putting some pills down a falcon's throat who is not happy about it at all and expresses her displeasure loudly. Back into the "feather" room. These birds have all come ...

... see and also "no entry" on the doors. Maybe I just missed it all but I sure didn't see anything else. <br> Once outside, there are plenty of people offering taxis but I still had no riyals so had to ask someone where an ATM was. It was in the corner around from the exit door but I gamely went and got some cash so I could get to my hotel. My hubby told me to be careful of touts and I always try ...

... whatever, until we have Mr. Hassiba's attention. When finished with his call he addresses the other client in Arabic. They continue discussing his business while I slowly sip my coffee. Turkish coffee by the way comes in espresso sized cups but is three times as strong and as thick as motor oil. An exaggeration of course but, as a non-coffee drinker, I had no plans of following etiquette and drinking two or three cups of the stuff. Business is interrupted ...

... I managed to bowl over 100 each game and had the best score in our group but by no means impressed or embarrassed anyone.<br><br>Next on our "made up as we went" agenda was a visit to Souk Waqif. The souks are traditional market places that are still used today. Souk Waqif is the original gathering place where locals and Bedouin alike would meet to do business. Nowadays there are also the Gold Souk, the Vegetable Souk, the Plant Souk ...

... bywith the man in the white robes, the woman face covered with just eye slits, and three daughters under the age of 7 all dressed cutely in the same flower print sleeveless dresses. When and how will it be determined that the girls move from the practicality (since its 105 degrees out) and "immodesty" of sleeveless floral prints to the modesty of black robes, and will their faces be shown, and will their robes be plain or pretty. And will their ...

... me plan and never complained about my absence. I miss immensely and I look forward to coming back. I enjoyed many of your comments via notes, face book messages and emails. It was comforting to know people were following me on my trip. I didn't feel very isolated when I got those msgs. Anyway, lets get down to some travel details. The first part of my week since the return from Dubai was mellow. I went to my uncles studio, had a couple of ...

... became unbearable so we drove back to the hotel and in the evening we went again for a walk on the promenade and dinner at the souk. Unfortunately, many of the places we wanted to see were not yet open (like the Museum of Islamic Art) or they were closed due to renovations. Extra note: Now we're writing from the airport, as usual. The last day was a bore. We've spent more time in the mall that we have done in our lifetimes combined (this might be an ...

... On both the Doha and London legs we had screaming babies!! The worst was the JHB-Doha trip, as we took off at 10pm and wanted to sleep a bit! Oh no.. No rest for the wicked as mom would say!! This baby shrieked and cried the WHOLE way (at intervals of about 15mins- which lull you into a false sense of security and you drift off to sleep!!) Thankfully we land in Doha with no further upsets, only to find Doha possibly THE ...

... to be equal numbers of Asian, Western, and Middle Eastern travellers and a slightly smaller number of Africans. People seemed super excited by the large duty free shops, purchasing all sorts of t-shirts, European chocolates, Rolex watches, and fancy jewelry. The stores and restaurants, fortunately, were opened late and took any number of currencies, including our left over euros and pounds. Perusing the airport took up a good hour or so, but the rest ...

... east Asia. This country has only 200 thousand locals and for their services, they have hired another 700 thousand workers from rest of the world, so the distribution of the shoppers was not unusual. We wre tired from the days event and decided to return to hotel. In the mean time, I was frequently checing with the airport L &amp; F.. My bag did not arrive yet. They have found it at Dubai and expecting it to arrive here at anymoment.