QATAR COMMENTARY - WEEK 5

1. If you ever get the chance to go dune bashing I highly recommend it. It's amazing what an SUV can do in the hands of a capable driver. While it felt like we were going to continually topple over, it never did happen.

2. Camping in the desert was more fun than I thought it'd be. But by camping I mean airconditioned tents, food grilled for you, and a freezer with a constant supply of cold water. I don't think I ever drank so much without going to the bathroom. I must have had 10 bottles of water and only went once. The evenings actually dipped down in temp more than I thought. Not cold, but actually comfortable. I tried sand boarding (think snowboarding), but it's actually not nearly as fast as I thought itd be.

3. The constant road construction here is crazy. The last few days I have had to find a different way back to the apartment each time.

4. I learned jet skiing is a lot more fun when you have someone to go ride around with.

5. This website isn't the most conducive for adding photos. I post more on Facebook if you're curious to see what the area looks like.

So below is my old college roommate's blog post and his take on Doha. Thought it was worth sharing so you can have another American's perspective.....

Doha has felt like home. I've had my college roommate Dave to hang out with. I've had the luxury of staying in his 3 bedroom/5 bathroom/2 balcony palatial compound. I've eaten at Quizno's and Chili's (Editor's Note: I also took him to a Morocan, Iranian, and Thai place as well) and drank at the W. This isn't the Middle East. It's Dallas in the desert.

In the last few days, we've packed in a lot of excitement. After a great outdoor Moroccan dinner at the local souq Thursday night, we woke up Friday and headed out to the dunes with an experienced guide. The desolate desert landscape rolled by for about 45 minutes before our guide stopped the Land Cruiser and deflated the tires. Then the fun began. We blasted out into the sand and started climbing and sliding around the dunes at angles I didn't think were possible without flipping. It felt like an air-conditioned roller coaster and we giggled like schoolgirls the whole time.

At the end of the ride, we were dropped off at a beautiful campground on the edge of the Inland Sea. We were far from roughing it though. The tents were air-conditioned, the food freshly grilled, the water chilled on ice, and there was even a token camel to ride. We got in a little sandboarding before relaxing by the water's edge after sunset. And of course, no Arabian Night would be complete without smoking a little hookah before bed (don't worry Mom, it's legal even in the States).

Upon arriving back in the city, we grabbed some jet skies and headed out into the Persian Gulf. With the Doha skyline providing the backdrop, I wondered how I was lucky enough to be having this kind of adventure. We skimmed over waves and buzzed by parked tanker boats for an hour of gas-powered excitement before cleaning up and heading out for drinks. It's all here.

Today while Dave was at work, I toured the impressive Museum of Islamic Art. We then met up and headed out to Texas A&M's extension campus in Qatar to pick up some t-shirts and take some pictures. The Fight Song was written on the wall, Aggie flags were everywhere, and it was cool to see a guy in a throbe throwing a Gig 'Em.

Tomorrow I begin a 4 day whistlestop tour of Egypt before heading back to the States. I'll be in Luxor for 2 days before taking an overnight train up to Cairo for the last 2 days. The time has gone quick on this trip but when I look back, I can see I've already come a long way.