Riding a Camel for the First Time

Riding a camel in front of the pyramids in Egypt is one of my dream travel experiences. I never dreamt of going to Qatar and thanks to my work, I've been there twice. I got to ride a camel while I was in Qatar in March. During my last trip, I stayed over the weekend and see a little more than what I normally see after working all day long. Some coworkers and friends hired a driver who could take us to the Arabian dessert. The driver took us about an hour outside of Doha to the dessert on a land rover to go dune bashing, see the inland sea, and waited for us while we rode a camel. 

After riding a camel and about an hour of dune bashing, we stopped for a break at the inland sea. It was absolutely beautiful. I couldn't believe the color of the water. From here you can see Saudi Arabia at the other side of the shore. I thought about life for women in the Middle East and how we could be in trouble for wearing a bikini at the beach! Ha! I wrote something on my flight back to the US that I will upload to this blog regarding some thoughts about women...

This was one of my favorite days from the trip. I was sad after seeing the camels. Some of them had scars all over their bodies from being tied with chains. Some chains were rusty and there was so much skin damage around them that I just wanted to cry. I felt guilty for paying because tourists are the ones creating this "market". Animal cruelty breaks my heart and all I wanted was to bring the camel home with me. I'm really happy that I had this experience, however; I don't think that I will do it again. 

Visiting the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha - Part 2

I only had less than one hour inside the museum before they closed. My favorite part of the building was the ceiling. The collection of art inside is impressive. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to appreciate much of it. One of my coworkers gave me a quick tour around the main galleries and took a few pictures of me. I saw a few persian rugs and several antique jewels that made me want to come back. I hope that there is another trip to Doha in the near future, and this time I will extend my stay at least one day to do some sight seeing. 

West Bay (downtown) can be seen from the back of the museum and also from the outside terrace. 

We watched the sunset from outside of the building and after that it was time to go to dinner. I can't believe that I was able to do so much and also work many hours while I was there. I guess that I have to thank my jet-lag for allowing me to sleep only 3 hours per night. That and lots of coffee can make the days long and productive. 

Visiting the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha - Part 1

While I was on a business trip in Doha, I was working late most days. The only day that I got out of work early, I went to see the Museum of Islamic Art. This place made me wish I had traveled with my DSLR camera. I took hundreds of pictures with my iPhone and with the small point and shoot camera that made it to the trip. Sadly, they don't really show how beautiful this place is. I still haven't downloaded the pictures, but I wanted to share some of them before I forget the details about this trip.

The museum closed at 5:30 pm and I only had time to walk by a few exhibitions. The outside patio has the most beautiful views of west bay in the city. I wanted to stay there and watch the sunset. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay because it was past closing time.

At first, I was intrigued about this building because it was designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei. The gardens and the entrance of the museum are beautiful. However, the inside of the building is one of the most spectacular places that I have ever seen. I will show those pictures in another post. If you have only a few hours in Doha, I would recommend that you spend them in this museum. If you have more time, walk across the street towards the Souk for some shisha and dinner.

International Supermarkets, Qatar Edition

Ever since I moved to te US, one of my must go places in Colombia is the supermarket. Being an expat makes you miss the most ridiculous things from home. I always buy a lot of food that is easy to bring back and I make it last for a long time. It's almost like bringing a part of home back with me. My husband does the same in Ecuador. We always ask our friends and family to bring us some food (nothing that can get you in trouble with customs). After traveling to Europe and seeing so many good things to buy, I started a ritual to stop by a local super market and buy food that looks interesting or tasty. I think that I'm becoming "weird" about my tourist attractions. My coworkers were not as excited as I was, but they still had a good time looking at the local foods and finding familiar items. We went to Carrefour (almost like a French Walmart) and I took a lot of pictures.

Since I slept most of the flight to Doha, it took me a while to realize that I was half away across the world. Seeing the Coca-Cola can made it real. I've always known that spices are famous in that region of the world. I don't know enough about them to buy anything, but I loved seeing them displayed and the smell that they had was unforgettable. I also loved seeing where all the fruits and vegetables came from. Most of them were from India and Thailand. I even found a couple of fruits imported from Colombia.

Nuts

Spices 

Fish chips

Can anyone explain what is the item below? It looks like an old cucumber.

Colombian fruits

Yogurt and her potato chips

I got some things that day including a can of nuts for my husband that said "Arabian mix" which is basically everything in a regular nut mix plus chick peas. This made a great souvenir. He loved it! I also got some of my favorite chocolate bars, Kinder Bueno, and some European wafer cookies that reminded me of the vending machines in Europe. I was a happy girl after our quick shopping trip. The next time that I travel, I will make sure to bring my camera to the supermarket.

Traveling for Work and Motherhood - Part 3

My flights from Doha to JFK departed at 8:00 AM last Friday. The night before, along with some of my coworkers, we went out to dinner and had drinks at the foreigner's bar. I decided to do what I did every time I took an early flight from Colombia and I stayed up all night to sleep on the plane. This was not as easy as it was in the past. I was with friends until 2:30 AM and after that I packed, took a shower and checked out of the hotel by 4:30 AM. Staying up was the best because I was afraid to miss my wake up call. I was only sleeping around 3 hours every night for a week and was extremely tired.

Friday is a busy travel day in Doha because the work week goes from Sunday to Thursday. It was difficult to find my way around the airport not only because I was so tired but also because the airport was packed and the layout is a little complicated. Qatar is building a new airport and until then, passengers have to be transported in buses to and from the airplanes. Most travelers are in transit since Qatar Airlines has a big hub in DOH. My leg was hurting from walking and standing for too long. I feel well most of the time, but my knee is not strong enough like it was before. I can't wear high heels, go down the stairs without holding the rail, or stand for long periods of time.

       

I've always dreamed and asked to work in different projects around the world. I finally got to travel outside of Florida for work. I don't know if I will be back to the Middle East, but I know that thanks to skype leaving my daughter at home is not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I missed her every day, but seeing that she was happy and that my whole family was there to spoil her made this trip a lot easier. I always say that distance is easier for the one that leaves because the routine is different. For me, the week went by very quickly. I'm sure that it was the opposite for my husband and my parents who were busy taking care of Emma. I slept about 3 hours every day and was busy from 6:00 AM until midnight. 

                                  

Now that I'm back at home, my daughter won't leave my side for even a moment. She has been crying and complaining asking for every second of my attention. I don't want to do anything else but to be with her. 

This trip showed me many things. First of all, I can't ask for a better support system. My husband, my parents and my sisters helped me taking care of my daughter while I was away. I also realized that physically I am strong again. After breaking my right leg, I've been afraid to push my limits. Traveling for 22 hours at the time made it hard, but I made it. Last but not least, the possibility to grow in my career is right there. I just need to take advantage of this opportunity and grow. My experience in Qatar was very positive and I know that with the support of my family, I am looking forward to more business trips. I'm sure that going away is always going to be hard, but at least I know that we will be OK.