A Day at the Beach

Monday 16 February 2009
2100

Last week I had a unique opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of a top Qatari General when we were invited to visit his private beach house for the day. I wasn’t sure if it would be OK to write about it here, but when the PAO press release was picked up by over 500 papers, including the major Qatari English Daily, I decided it was ok. :-)

The official story is here:

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=local_news&month=february2009&file=local_news2009021331850.xml

We got organized in the typical military fashion to travel out there by bus, but once we arrived, we were essentially free for the day. We had the run of the entire beachfront property, which included a pool, lots of chairs and chaise lounges along the beach and around the buildings, and a courtyard where some of the activities were set up.

They had a traditional desert tent set up where you could lounge on cushions and drink tea that was brewing in large teapots over an open fire. I spent a lot of time in this tent. It has been a long time since I sat around a campfire or bonfire, and the smell of wood smoke was surprisingly evocative and relaxing.



Sipping tea and reading...tough life!






A falconer was there, and we got to watch a demonstration of how these raptors are trained to hunt.




I even got to hold one of the birds for awhile. They are beautiful creatures!

Also in the courtyard outside the tent were several camels, which we got a chance to ride. After nearly two and half years in the desert, I finally rode a camel! It wasn’t exactly “Lawrence of Arabia”, but it was fun. They are very strange-looking animals – they almost look fake due to the matted, felt-like texture of the fur and the leathery skin.

Brad of Arabia

There were numerous tables set up with people to serve us all kinds of food and drink all day long. A lot of the food was sweet – various middle eastern confections that I don’t know the names of. There were also small sandwiches and several ladies making crepes to order, with chocolate, honey, and cream cheese fillings to choose from.

There were quite a lot of hookah pipes, with several people dedicated to setting them up and lighting them for people. I didn’t try one, although perhaps I should have – it was a very popular aspect of the day. People took them all over the place and set them up by their chairs on the beach, at tables where they were playing cards, etc.

Other activities that were very popular were riding the several ATV’s that he had out back, and riding on the 10-15 jet skis that he had floating in the water. There was also a fishing trip out onto the Persian Gulf on his boat.

Perhaps the most exotic attraction was the pet cheetah, which was very tame and patient as people lined up to stroke its fur and take pictures. I don’t think that animal had a moment’s peace all day long! But of course I had to take my turn as well. It seemed to like being scratched behind the ears. After I did that for a few seconds it stretched, yawned, and rolled over just like a big kitty cat.



After we had spent a full day relaxing and enjoying the activities and refreshments, we were called into a very large tent where a banquet was served. There were all kinds of dishes that I didn’t recognize, plus a few that I did. I tried them all, whether I recognized them or not. Lamb kebab and chicken kebab were served, along with camel hump (a first for me!). The camel hump was tasty, but very, very fatty. Then they had way too much dessert available, of which I had a moderate selection.

We stayed until late in the evening, but finally had to leave. It was a really relaxing day far from the familiar routine of the camp, and an experience that I will not forget.

Mood: Relaxed
Music: Nordic Roots - Brudmarsch/Roddare I Baersaerk