Catching up

It's been a busy week or so due to tax deadlines, our house hunt, etc., so we've gotten a bit behind in our updates. Last weekend we made a day trip to the desert, which was the first time Ella & I had left Doha since our arrival on February 23. Our driver picked us up at 9:00 sharp and drove us south of Doha to Sealine Resort, where we left the paved road and went dune bashing. To the uninitiated, dune bashing involves taking a capable 4 x 4 (the Toyota Land Cruiser is the vehicle of choice) with the tires partially deflated into the desert and driving at high speeds up and down the sand dunes. For anyone who enjoys a good roller coaster ride (I do), it's great fun, but it is not for the faint of heart or anyone with a weak stomach. The video clip at the bottom will give you an idea of what it's like, although it certainly won't convey the full effect. (Disclaimer: it's best to watch the video with the sound at a high volume to hear the revving engine, but I accept no responsibility for the choice of music that is playing in the background. Our driver was very skilled at off-road driving, but I can't say we share his taste in music.)

After a couple of hours of dune bashing, we took a break to swim in the Inland Sea, which separates Qatar from Saudi Arabia, and then went to the tour company's camp site for a leisurely lunch in their tents. Here are a few photos:



























This weekend also has been a busy one. I took Morgan to a movie Friday afternoon to give Ella a break from mommy duties, which was nice for Morgan and me, too. While we were at the mall, we ran into Morgan's new friend Yasmine, an eight-year-old who just moved into our building and attends Morgan's school. Yasmine's mom offered to take Morgan to the movies with them last night, so Ella & I had an impromptu date night and had our first dinner alone in at least three or four months. We went to The Spice Market, a new pan-Asian restaurant in the W Hotel across the street from the Somerset. The food was very good, and more than anything, we enjoyed being able to sit down with a bottle of wine and have a nice leisurely meal without that little person (as lovable as she is) constantly asking if we were ready to go.

Today we went back to the InterContinental for their Friday brunch again, this time with Morgan's new friend Yasmine, my colleague Bertrand (with whom I'd worked years ago in another job), and his wife and kids, who are visiting from Paris for the next three weeks. We took full advantage of the buffet (none of us left hungry), which had a nice mix of cuisines, from French to Italian to Lebanese to Chinese to Japanese, to name a few. After lunch we spent a couple of hours hanging out beside and in the pool, and enjoyed watching Morgan have a good time with her new friends.

Our biggest news for the week is that we've found a house. It's in a complex called Riviera Gardens that is close to Morgan's school and shouldn't be more than a 20-25 minute drive to my office at rush hour, which means it may wind up being a 15-minute drive by the time I come home most evenings. We are scheduled to take possession on May 1, and will be posting more details in the near future.