Ramadan was supposed to be a light work month for us. Being a Holy month for our Muslim brothers, and Qatar being a devout Muslim country, work hours are limited to 6 hours per day. My company has set our work hours from 9am to 3pm. However, this Ramadan proved to be a very hectic month for me. I even had to work on weekends on a few occasions with no OT pay. Yes, thanks to my exempt position, I don’t get extra pay for hours worked beyond normal office hours. Well, anyway, it keeps me busy during weekends so no worries, for now.
That is why when the Eid holidays came and the company declared a 3-day holiday, I had to find some diversion to unwind and to relieve the pressures of work the past month. Luckily, I have some expatriate friends who have been here quite a while and were happy to welcome me into their holiday getaways.
We had a late afternoon swimming and barbeque along the beach in Al Wakrah, a district just outside Doha. There was a lot of food for the barbeque but we did not get to enjoy swimming very much. It was low tide that afternoon and we were already a kilometer from the shore and still we were wading to a knee high sea water.
And it got worse as the night went on. The previously leg-high water receded to ankle deep. Some people who were also on the beach, especially the kids, amused themselves by catching the small fishes trapped in shallow pools and rocks left by the retreating waters. Some tried to catch the fast running crabs and even some of them dug for shells. All the catch either went to their coolers or directly to the grills lit about the shore. However, it was a good night of stories and eating with new found friends.
So we were still unsatisfied with our night out at Al Wakrah and a few of us from the group thought maybe we can go out on a late evening till early morning and enjoy swimming on the early morning high tide.
But a trip to the seashore near the Sealine Beach Resort in Messaid turned out to be my first taste of driving a 4WD off-road on the desert sand. My first venture into the soft sand with my Mitsubishi Nativa got me stuck in just a few hundred meters. I was so nervous I forgot to shift to 4WD. ‘Eager beaver’, I thought.
During the night I tried to move the vehicle again so we can fix the tent between vehicles. Again the soft sand took the better of me and I got stuck on it. Putting some wood under the tires to get traction did not help. I was thinking to myself, “What do you do now you first time off-roader?” Luckily some experienced Qatari 4WD drivers who were playing with their Toyota Landcruisers and Nissan Patrols on the sand dunes came to our rescue and taught me some tricks of the trade. But since I got stuck so much we needed to push for the van to wiggle its way out of the hole it dug for itself. As soon as the vehicle got off and running, there was clapping and cheering and handshakes all around.
And we did get to enjoy swimming on that dark night. The water was warm and it was amusing to see the planktons reflect a blue light as you move through the water. And up in the sky there were billions of stars now visible against a dark night. A few shooting stars would be streaking out from time to time. It was back to Biology 101 and Astronomy 101 for me and I enjoyed it.
When morning came I became worried with the coming tide. It was coming near the shore where our vehicles were parked. So it was time to move our vehicles. But this time the sand was already wet and now we did not hesitate to call out for help. Again, many came to help and cheering and handshakes where everywhere after the van moved out from its precarious place by the shore.
What struck me during this trip was the voluntary action to help fellow drivers who are in need of assistance. I also noticed the non-stop patrol of a police team in a 4WD whose primary task is to assist drivers in distress. This spontaneous camaraderie of people really made driving off-road something to be enjoyed and not feared.
That is why when the Eid holidays came and the company declared a 3-day holiday, I had to find some diversion to unwind and to relieve the pressures of work the past month. Luckily, I have some expatriate friends who have been here quite a while and were happy to welcome me into their holiday getaways.
We had a late afternoon swimming and barbeque along the beach in Al Wakrah, a district just outside Doha. There was a lot of food for the barbeque but we did not get to enjoy swimming very much. It was low tide that afternoon and we were already a kilometer from the shore and still we were wading to a knee high sea water.
And it got worse as the night went on. The previously leg-high water receded to ankle deep. Some people who were also on the beach, especially the kids, amused themselves by catching the small fishes trapped in shallow pools and rocks left by the retreating waters. Some tried to catch the fast running crabs and even some of them dug for shells. All the catch either went to their coolers or directly to the grills lit about the shore. However, it was a good night of stories and eating with new found friends.
So we were still unsatisfied with our night out at Al Wakrah and a few of us from the group thought maybe we can go out on a late evening till early morning and enjoy swimming on the early morning high tide.
But a trip to the seashore near the Sealine Beach Resort in Messaid turned out to be my first taste of driving a 4WD off-road on the desert sand. My first venture into the soft sand with my Mitsubishi Nativa got me stuck in just a few hundred meters. I was so nervous I forgot to shift to 4WD. ‘Eager beaver’, I thought.
During the night I tried to move the vehicle again so we can fix the tent between vehicles. Again the soft sand took the better of me and I got stuck on it. Putting some wood under the tires to get traction did not help. I was thinking to myself, “What do you do now you first time off-roader?” Luckily some experienced Qatari 4WD drivers who were playing with their Toyota Landcruisers and Nissan Patrols on the sand dunes came to our rescue and taught me some tricks of the trade. But since I got stuck so much we needed to push for the van to wiggle its way out of the hole it dug for itself. As soon as the vehicle got off and running, there was clapping and cheering and handshakes all around.
And we did get to enjoy swimming on that dark night. The water was warm and it was amusing to see the planktons reflect a blue light as you move through the water. And up in the sky there were billions of stars now visible against a dark night. A few shooting stars would be streaking out from time to time. It was back to Biology 101 and Astronomy 101 for me and I enjoyed it.
When morning came I became worried with the coming tide. It was coming near the shore where our vehicles were parked. So it was time to move our vehicles. But this time the sand was already wet and now we did not hesitate to call out for help. Again, many came to help and cheering and handshakes where everywhere after the van moved out from its precarious place by the shore.
What struck me during this trip was the voluntary action to help fellow drivers who are in need of assistance. I also noticed the non-stop patrol of a police team in a 4WD whose primary task is to assist drivers in distress. This spontaneous camaraderie of people really made driving off-road something to be enjoyed and not feared.
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