Arab Adventure---Doha (1.11.26)

It was a trip of a lifetime--30 days in the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia.  We began the trip in Doha, Qatar, one of the go-go Gulf cities with oil money and futuristic buildings. 

We began our day at the racetrack--the camel racetrack.  The camels go walking every morning, and they were imposing, with their group of handlers.

We passed the track, where the camels race down one road and their owners race down a road on the side, slapping the camels' behinds with remote apps.  The camels have digital jockeys, since the young children who used to ride the camels in races were considered a human rights violation.

Racing camels held their "remote jockey" on their behinds.  It could whack them or shout instructions.

We visited the Museum of Modern Art in Doha, to see what modern Arabic artists were creating.

The special exhibition was about Palestinian artists who protested the treatment of their people in Gaza and the West Bank.

This painting was titled, "Our beautiful land stolen in the night of history."

We were impressed with the gorgeous, daring buildings in Doha.  Some were hotels, with charges of up to $14,000 per night.  

We stopped at Katara, developed to resemble a Qatari village.  It serves as an artistic cultural hub for Qatar, and is overflowing with art, shops, amphitheatres, restaurants, and visitors.  I got my first look at ladies wearing full-length black abiyas and face masks.  I soon got used to them

We wandered the souq, or traditional market.

Our goal was to visit the falcon souq, where rich Arabs indulged themselves in falconry, an old Bedouin pastime.  

The falcon market was closed, but I peeked inside and could see dozens of birds on their perches.

We visited the falcon clinic, where the birds are treated when they're sick.  There was a list of specialists on the wall.  Only the best for falcons!

We met a young boy at the falcon clinic.  His father had just given him a falcon for the boy's "good behavior."

As we walked back to our hotel, we passed the barn for the sultan's camels, who had briskly paraded around the nearby palace that morning.  Now they rested in a variety of disconcerting lumps!