Qatar

Well Qatar was another short visit, but Doha the capital is mainly a big hustle and bustle city with loads of expats and tall commercial like Buildings.  I kind of got the feeling that it was a bit like Dubai but not that extreme.  Needless to say going to Doha for 2 days without renting a car was enough.  Walking for more then 15 minutes leaves you parched and sweaty and its winter here!  I cannot imagine coming here in the summer - I would definently melt.

We started our Doha visit by going to the souq.  We walked in and out and didn't really get lost too much and went in many shops.  Sanna was very interested in this rug that was actually made in Iran.  Turns out we both ended up buying one - here's my first souvenir!

We then walked around the entire corniche and literally along the bay.  It was a good 1 hour walk and not to mention it was over 90f!  We saw a costa coffee shop and went in to cool off with iced coffee and tea.  Inside we met this very interesting British young guy who was actually from Kuwait but studied in Mecca and was filling us in on how the media wrong portrays women from Saudi. Very interesting.....

The second day we explored more of the souq and went to the falcon souq.  Apparently these birds are quite a bit deal in this culture.  The birds are used for hunting but I get the feeling they are also to show how much money you have.  It's a masculine thing...again we were the only women in this area

The last part of our visit was going to the Islamic art museum.  Great pieces from all over the Middle East and Asia and very old aswell.  I really liked the view