How many times can you ride "it's a small world" in the Magic Kingdom? The grocery here is out of this world, they have anything I could dream of wanting in nine different varieties from twelve different countries (except ham and alcohol of course), and did I mention service? Yes, service in a grocery --with as many staff as there are customers. Want your pineapple peeled and fresh fish cleaned and de-boned? seasoned? want different icing on that cake? "Of course madam."
There is no Disney that comes without rules....
No pointing (fine).
No wasting drinking water (bigger fine).
No giving the finger (no fine-- you'll make a jail and then they'll deport you).
No wine with your fancy lunch or dinner.. unless you're in a hotel. Saying that, there is a nice array of fresh fruit faux-cocktails on the menu, the lemon-mint is delicious and refreshing and is a popular drink here.
If I want to cross the street I have to take a taxi (or answer to my husband); the driving here is That crazy.
Every now and then you'll see a Qatari man with a falcon on his arm; they are associated with nobility and wealth. There are falcon hospitals here, elite falcon associations, and an airline that allows up to 6 of these birds onboard ....as long as they have their own seats ... oh, and the aircraft also can't be dispatched unless there is a prayer mat (magic carpet) in the cockpit (it's in the MEL!).
The Souk guards are something to see in the old bedouin market -- immaculate white uniforms, white horses decorated with large red cord and tassels, huge guns slung over their shoulders, and a little man with an old wheelbarrow running behind them picking up after the horses with a shovel. It's a sight that could easily be straight out of a Sunday morning cartoon (or the Disney M.E parade).
The women wear beautiful abayas made of the finest silks and luxurious cotton, often jeweled at the sleeves, skirts and edges of their veils. The abayas are all made and often customized by the Western designers we know and love-- Gucci, Dior, Fendi, DKNY, Louis Vuitton and Versace, just to name a few. The women also all carry fabulous designer handbags and wear the latest Jackie-O-style shades.
The men wear white ankle-length robes that look like long shirts (really they're just long white dresses), called thobes. The head-dress is a large square-shaped cloth typically made of cotton called a ghutra. In Qatar (unlike Saudi) the men starch their headdresses so they are very stiff and stay folded back over the iqal (the black cord that holds the ghutra in place).
Family often ask me about my clothes as they are accustomed to seeing me wear sleeveless tops and skinny jeans in Trinidad. Unlike Saudi, Qatar is more liberal with the dress-code of their expat residents. I see many foreign wives in regular western clothes-- flip-flops, tank tops and shorts out and about at malls, doing groceries etc. Many guide books will advise foreigners to dress modestly out of respect, and to avoid stares I am far more conservative than most when it comes to dressing here. I wear my normal tops and jeans from home, yes, but always under a big shawl that covers my chest and arms. Just being female will get you attention (with the male to female ratio at 2:1), so dressing modestly is far more comfortable than a pair or shorts and a lot of unwanted attention, but hey, that's just me. So in the end I dress with my big shawl, bigger handbag and even bigger shades, am approached by other arab women thinking that I am one of them, I am ushered through immigration lines and security ... not a bad trade-off for the shorts.
The men will run over a woman if she does not get out of his way (chivalry was lost in the middle ages during the crusades here, don't believe me? look it up). I am usually careful but last week I was almost knocked over at one of the clinics because I didn't see him coming... from behind me. The cultural exchanges (always few and far between) certainly add to the charm of the place.. almost makes Disney M.E. feel more authentic.
My husband married a princess and I live in a sandcastle with a spa next-door.
Come visit us in the land where dreams are made. Aren't you excited?
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