As we approached it, we were all required to put our seat belts on because it was going to be one bumpy ride. But boy, we had no idea what was in store for us.
Qatar is country of ironies. Its capital, Doha, recently hosted one of the biggest sporting events in Asia – the Asian Games. Very progressive and developed, Doha is all so neat. With paved highways and a traffic system that actually works, Doha is just like L.A. sans the palm trees. Practically all the cars looked new and most were top-of-the-line European brands. But even though the cars were top-of-the-line and brand-new, most of them were very dusty and grimy. What could you expect from the unlikely pairing old desert and city? Surrounded with nothing but sand, the whole of Doha is an unwilling victim to the force of the wind when it comes a-blowing. But for the month of February, known to be the coldest month in the side of the world, Qatar’s ice-cold winds told us to make sure that all our warm clothing were out our suitcase and that lip balms were just within our reach.
30-45 minutes from the city of Doha lay a desolate stretch of land which simply looked like a big pile of sand. For people like us who live in the tropics, it was quite a sight to behold. No coconut trees, no colorful bougainvilleas, no lawn, everything just looked… white. We couldn’t even tell where an uphill curve ended and where a descending curve towards a valley began, we were about to experience a roller coaster ride albeit aboard a different mechanism sailing over more exciting slopes.
Our guide, Nader, expertly maneuvered our vehicle through our first uphill climb. It was the first of many heart-stopping twists and turns ahead of us. The car shot straight up amidst our shrieks and screams. In a short while, we found ourselves on top of a mountain (is it right to consider a big heap of sand as a mountain?). it was such a sight – we saw everything around us. We were right in the middle of the desert. The sky was clear blue and in the horizon was the absence of buildings. It seemed that there was nothing else but a wide stretch of sand in every direction we looked at. And as we rode over the sand dunes, we all admired and realized how beauty can be found in such “nothingness.”
We were initially skeptical about Nader’s capacity to navigate our vehicle through the vagrant terrain. But we put our skepticism aside when, with good amount of confidence and dexterity, he drove the car up and down the very tricky sloping terrain. It was both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for us.
We made a number of stops and one of them was high above a plateau. We looked down on the valley and found a small body of water. Apparently, we were very near the Arabian gulf, and water easily makes its way into the desert, creating shallow lakes like the one we saw. We didn’t dare stand too near the edge of the plateau for fear of falling off such height. But Nader assured us that it was safe because flexibility is among the properties of those sands. To prove his point, he took a step right at the edge of the plateau, and of course, he was right.
We moved farther into the desert, and with the fickle ups and downs on the path, we felt like jellies in a shaking jar. Then suddenly, we found ourselves faced with… nothing. We were descending a very steep slope. Our screams must have echoed right across the wide desert. As we rolled done the slope, our feelings shifted from anticipation to fright, to honest-to-goodness terror, and we weren’t even done with “fun stage” yet. And so I thought: “This guy will either get a very fat tip… or absolutely nothing.” When we finally reached the flat ground we looked back and it was a lost incredulous to see that the “mountain” we descended measures u to the height of a five-storey building.
Unthinkably, our photographer – who also happened to be the head of the pack – wanted to get off the vehicle, make the driver go up the mountain again just so he can take photos of the vehicle driving down the steep slope. We exchanged glances at this almost unbelievable request. Luckily, another SUV came in sight and did exactly what we did and he was able to take photos of that vehicle going down the sloping dunes.
We reached another edge, and Nader informed us that we were actually looking at the border of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. From where we stood, we saw that there was but a body of water that divided the two countries. Had we crossed it, we would have been able to claim that we have left the imprints of the soles of our shoes on the deserts, not only of Qatar, but also of Saudi Arabia.
We all breathed a sigh of relief once we reached the city. We were all thankful that the dizzying and nerve-wracking topsy0turvy was over. We then proceeded to a restaurant to enjoy a traditional Arabian lunch. We were ushered into a room where there was long, low table with cushions on the floor which made us wonder how nice it would be to just go straight to sleep right there after the meal. But as the table started getting covered with plates containing different kinds if meats and dips, thoughts of sleep and rest seem to evaporate along with the steam of the hot dishes. The great variety of kebabs which included lam, chicken and beef, along with an even wider variety of dips treated our taste buds and the rest of our senses to unfamiliar tastes and scents. It didn’t take long for us to arrive at a consensus: that it was, by far, the best Arabian meal we had throughout our trip. We wished to stay longer, but Doha beckons.
Driving around Doha was indeed, a charm. All the sidewalks were literally abloom with the biggest of flowers, the most abundant of which was the petunia. Doha had the petunia in all colors – pink, peach, purple, white. They were all leading for my attention. For a part-time horticulturist like me, this was really amazing. Then there were marigolds. The marigolds that grow in the Philippines measure about one inch in diameter. But they were much larger in Doha – each marigold bloom measure about 2.5 to 3.5 inches in diameter. That’s more than twice of what I’m used to seeing.
Seeing all those flowers vying for one’s attention we finally understood why the place was named “Doha” – it means “garden.” But then, there is a catch – those flowers were actually flown in from Saudi Arabia, and were planted and arranged to look exactly as we saw them. Nader explained that the flowers were never cultivated or nurtured. In other words, no real labor went into the growing of the flowers in Doha, because as soon as they keep the city abloom. It’s sad, but then, the country has the money to spend anyway.
Another stop that surely made an impression on our group was when we visited the stables. As we entered the stables, we were all incredulous that we were actually seeing the real McCoy-Arabian horses. I personally have never been that close to any kind of horse, and to be in the presence of such stunning beauty was quite an experience. I may not know what makes a horse beautiful, but these horses will really knock you off your feet, they were graceful as they were powerful. A single knick from a horse can send one kneeling and crying in excruciating pain. There were two divisions in the stable – one was meant for the equestrian horses while the other was meant for racehorses. Pf course to amateurs like us, we couldn’t tell from the other. Being in contact with the hoses made me feel a certain connection with them – it was something similar to connection one gets from another human being. And at that moment, I realized how easy it was to get attached to such graceful beings.
From the sand dunes to the fine hotels, to the rainbow colors of its flowers to its beautiful horses, Doha has certainly raised the ante when it comes to portraying the “good life.” All I’m sincerely hoping for is that it keeps its identity and culture, if only to five the rest of the world a taste of their delicious uniqueness.
