Kristal and I have been very fortunate to have a revolving
door of visitors these past few months. First there was Rebecca and Lucas from
Germany/Switzerland, then there was Jen and Kyle on their way to Bali, then there
was Ben and Yve from London, and finally this past weekend we hosted Kristal’s
brother and sister traveling from Minnesota. It has been such a blast playing
tour guide and getting to give our friends and family a glimpse of day to day
life here in Qatar.
For our friends that come into Qatar we have pretty much
perfected the 3-4 day visit. We go camping and dune bashing in the desert, we
have dinner in the Souq, walk along the Pearl, take a Dhow boat out on the
cornice, show off our offices in Education City, explore the Museum of Islamic
Art, and whatever other bits we are able to fill in. It is a breath of fresh
air having visitors because all of the sites are new and exciting. People take
countless photos of the things we might normally just walk right past. Doha is
such a unique place and has so much to offer within such a small space.
This past weekend Kristal’s brother and sister surprised her
and came to visit. Well technically Kristal knew that Turner was coming over
but had no idea about Kelly. While they were here we took the Doha visit to a
new level packing in visits in Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi in just four days. It
was a full throttle pace but we were able to get an amazing amount done. The
first stops were in Doha as we had dinner in the Souq, explored nightlight in
Qube, and then spent the next day/night camping in the desert. It wasn’t the
best weather for camping but we made the most of it and had a great time. The
following day we did more of a driving tour of Doha to take in as many sites as
we could. We made it a bit of an early night because we had a morning flight to
catch to Dubai.
The flight to Dubai only takes about 45 minutes and couldn’t
be easier. When we landed we rented a car for our two days and set out on the
city. First stop was Abu Dhabi (just over an hour’s drive from Dubai) to see
the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and followed by lunch at a beach along the corniche.
The mosque is absolutely stunning and you could spend hours just walking around
trying to take it all in. We were in a bit of a rush leaving Abu Dhabi because
we had reservations for happy hour at the top of the world’s tallest building,
the Burj Khalifa. We took the elevator up 123 floors to the At.Mosphere
restaurant for drinks and snacks as we looked down on Dubai’s other
skyscrapers. After the Burj we went out in Dubai Marina at a Tiki Bar near our
hotel before calling it a day.
The next morning we had coffee along a beach front area
called the Jumeria Beach Residences and
then had a traditional breakfast at the
Center for Cultural Understanding (CCU). At the CCU we were able to have some
great Q&A with a young Emirati college student about her culture and
experiences growing up in Dubai. The second half of the day was spent mall
hopping from the Mall of the Emirates with its indoor ski resort to the Mall of
Dubai with its aquarium, fountains, and ground views of the Burj. Turner
continued to have a field day taking as many photos and videos as he possibly
could. We had to move quickly to fit it all in and by midafternoon we were
already making our way back to the airport for Doha.
Kelly and Turner flew out from Doha that night after one
last Souq visit, souvenir shopping, and Dhow boat cruise along the skyline. It
was the perfect end to a perfect visit and we are so thankful they were able to
come and see our lives here. Both of them left feeling incredibly surprised at
how beautiful, safe, and interesting everything is over here. It was a trip
full of memories that I am sure we will talk about for years to come. So thanks
not only to Kelly and Turner but to all of our visitors recently who have
shared their time with us here. Our doors are always open!
