Our journey home, via Central Asia

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Sonya

Our Qatar adventure is coming to an end. After two years since Travis first landed in the country for work we have decided to head back to Perth. We have had an amazing and memorable time here and will sincerely miss this place which we have called our home away from home.

We have decided to take the opportunity to do some travelling on our way back. Our planned trip is loosely based on the Silk Road, a trading route between Asia and Europe since ancient times. In addition, whilst in China, we plan to travel from Tibet to Nepal and from there, to India and Sri Lanka.

We will update our blog with our adventures to come, so stay posted!

Sonya and Travis about to depart for Central Asia

Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Sonya

Souq Waqif is one of my favourite places in Doha. Located in the heart of Doha’s old city, the souq area is a bustling marketplace and also hosts a number of restaurants, shisha lounges and coffee shops. The souq as a market site has been around for over a hundred years, but was restored a few years ago. Stepping into the souq overwhelms the senses – the smell of Arabic perfumes and oils, apple shishas and mint teas, the sight of the Qataris, men in their thobes and gutra, women in their abayas…

Narrow alleyways are lined with shops filled with spices, handicrafts, perfumes and sweets and all sorts of other household goods. There’s a pet souq with coloured chicks, miniature turtles and macaws (though unfortunately I haven’t heard positive things about the way animals are treated here).

We visit the souq quite frequently, whether it be for dinner with friends or an evening walk.

Below are some of the photos taken.

Qatar Ladies Open Tennis 2012

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Sonya

Last week we ventured out to watch the finals of the Qatar Ladies Tennis Open. The finals were between Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (ranked #1) and Australian Sam Stosur (ranked #5). As it was held on a work night, by the time we reached the match Azarenka was leading, with 6-1 in the first set. It was clear Azarenka was a stronger player, returning her shots with her infamous grunts – in the end it was a short but enjoyable game with Azarenka winning the title. Highlights included seeing Martina Hingis and Her Highness Sheikha Mozah who presented the trophies.

Khor al Adaid (Inland Sea), Qatar

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Sonya

A few weeks ago I went on my first ever Qatar Desert Safari. Travis’ sister Nicole was in town visiting us so a trip to the inland sea was a must do. I had for a while wanted to do the trip to the very southern part of Qatar, but we never got around to it (although Travis had been with his work team). A primary school friend of mine who happens to also be living and working in Qatar also joined us.

Travis had found Qatar Inbound Tours online and the driver picked us up from our desired location (our apartment complex) in a four wheel drive. The trip down south to the ‘starting point’ at Sealine Resort took about an hour. We stopped for a five minute break at the start of the dunes to allow the driver to release the pressure from the tires and gather the company’s convoy of 4WDs. Having been on a similar safari in Dubai, I knew what to expect from the dune bashing and I was a little nervous, as generally, I detest rollercoaster rides and the like.

The next two hours as we headed towards the inland sea across the dunes was filled with various levels of excitement (depending on the size and gradient of the dune) and horror – as at one point we saw a badly damaged and burnt 4WD sitting between some dunes where an adventure trip had obviously gone horribly wrong. We stopped at a few scenic places along the way and enjoyed the view and the soft breeze.

Eventually we reached the beautiful inland sea and caught our first glimpses of Saudi Arabia from afar. We stopped to take photos from the peak of a sand dune and later shared dates and Arabic tea with our drivers.

Unexpectedly, we took a relatively flat road parallel to the dunes on our way back (stopping to enjoy the sunset) which took about an hour to Sealine. It was an enjoyable day.