the weird ways of doha

nothing new to report today so i thought i would post some 'weird' stuff that is considered 'cool' here in doha...what do you think?

• i don't know about you but i hate the smell of a new vehicle. here, qataris LOVE the fact that their vehicle is brand new!!! so much that they leave the plastic on the seats and the labels stuck to the windows just to let everyone know how lucky they are to have purchased a brand new car!!! hilarious - no longer when mike received his loaner truck everything was still intact...!!!!

• so, the weekend comes and a guys' night is in order. forget about having them all over to hang out in the den. in strict muslim households men are not allowed to enter into the residence where the women reside. so instead, men erect tents called 'majlis' in their back gardens (if room allows) or in an uninhibited stretch of desert off the main road or in the middle of nowhere. here in their 'tents' they hang out with their mates drinking tea/arabic coffee. nothing like the camping tents we are used to, majlis are beduion style tents that can range in size. since we have been here, we have seen many particularly on the weekends -i promise next one i see i will take a picture to post so you can judge how out of place they look!!

• although the wall outlets are the same as the 3-prong uk standard, many of the small applicances and electronics come with the european 2-prong. makes tons of sense, eh? NOT! 9 time out of 10, you never know what kind of plug you will receive when you open a box! adapters are your new best friends here.

until next time...