Welcome Back Kotter

Day 5: Doha, Qatar. Pronounced Kotter, like Welcome Back Kotter. They actually have 2 more letters in their alphabet than we do and both of them are in this word, hence all the confusion over pronouncing Qatar. And the fact that the natives are Kah-TAR-ee. 

A souk, new (they bulldozed the old one to make way for the new). 

Dyed chicks

Sad puppies in tiny cages. Help! Turkish coffee, sweet strong and delicious.

A very posh racing and horsey stuff center. The horses have it made and they are gorgeous. One takes a fancy to Wally.

And of course every fancy riding school needs its own mosque...

The Museum of Islamic Art by I.M. Pei - fantastic. 

The art is fresh, modern and a thousand years old. The building is blocky from the outside, soaring and light inside, and the galleries are dark and envelop you like a hug.

I have more pictures but the censors disapprove.

I get a t-shirt with this proverb taken from a modern-looking plate:

“Foolish is the person who misses his chance and afterward reproaches fate.”

Yahyaibn Ziyad, tenth century

Wally and Jane went dune bashing in 4 wheel drives, or as we are calling it, Dust Busting. Looks scary; he has photos.

Lina says Qaddafi is the George Bush of the Islamic world. Some of his better quotes: 

“I won’t shut down the internet but I will arrest anyone who uses it.”

“Women have the right to run for office whether they are male or female.”

“People without electricity will be watching TV in the dark.”

I don’t think it sounds any better in Arabic.