One of the places Lyn and I visited regularly was Al Khor, a bit less than an hours drive north of Doha. We went back one weekend for some peace and quite away from the city. Doha is a noisy and dusty place to live at times so getting into the country was wonderful, a peaceful respite.
The Al Sultan resort was a lovely place and for around $45nz, we could use the facilities for the day and have a buffet lunch. The pool was lovely, big enough to do rounds and feel like you had had a workout. This swimmer stayed in for ages, even when it got a little cool. The water is cooled, not heated, as the air temperature means the water is luke warm if left. We also found that in our local pool where it was like swimming in bath water unless we went early in the day.
The surroundings of the Al Sultan are luxurious and we contemplated staying for a weekend until we saw the cost, above my budget. There were a few guests and the locals also enjoyed the buffet. The buffet was wonderful, lots of food, lots of variety and we all ate far more than we should have, no swimming after lunch. I would have sunk.
Lyn and I wondered if we had been spotted by any teachers but no one reported seeing the two of in our swim suits, a sight not easily forgotten. The photos are of Lyn and Kerry on their thrones, the girls relaxing in the deck chairs and the lovely pool.
It feels strange to be writing about our Qatar adventures retrospectively and I am sitting here in Christchurch enjoying the photos and the memories they envoke, happy memories of a wonderful group of people, some fun times and some challenging times. Getting together last weekend motivated me to get the photos sorted and some entries made, a good start made tonight.
I will leave the final word in this post to Paulo Coelho. This is from the Alchemist, appropriate given our surroundings this day.
I do not know if the desert can be loved,
but it is in the desert that my treasure lies hidden.
Paulo Coelho
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