Merry Christmas . . .

. . . from Halong Bay, Vietnam:

. . . 'nough said!

More Vietnam

Have had three surprising days in Vietnam. I don't know what I expected, but have very much enjoyed these past few days. On Monday, we drove out of Saigon for about an hour and a half to My Tho, where first we visited the Vinh Trang Pagoda. I loved the huge laughing Buddha!

Like many of the temples in Vietnam, it is not for only one religion so you see a mixture of Buddhist, Daoist, and Hindu statues in the temples, which we found very interesting.

We then headed to the harbour where we boarded a boat to some islands in the Mekong Delta. On one of the islands there are several family-run operations where they make everything from coconuts - candy (which is really good), carvings, etc. The scenery was beautiful, but seeing the industriousness of the people and how they wasted nothing was so interesting. Following a tour of one of the businesses, we were taken across island in a horse cart. Vietnamese horses are quite small - about pony size, but they are full-grown horses. The carts are mostly driven by young women. We went to another family-run place that produces honey and all sort of sweet, honey-based items. We saw a boa constrictor there (ugh) and had a short concert of Vietnamese music by a group of about 8 musicians and singers. The performance was quite good. We then took a small boat navigated by an oar in the back of the boat (sort of like a gondola) up a small canal to another part of the island where we had a wonderful lunch before we got back on the larger boat to head back to the mainland.

Back in Saigon we were taken to Chinatown and the main wholesale market. The place was so crowded and busy - the last time I felt this claustrophobic and overwhelmed by a crowd was in the bazaar district of Istanbul. I had to keep talking to myself so as not to panic! The hustle and bustle of the market was incredible, and the amount and type of merchandise was mind-boggling.

Yesterday we flew to Hue where we were met by a new guide, Thanh, who is a young, very animated and funny man. Since we arrived at about 12:30 our first stop was for lunch. We are never going to starve here in Vietnam - the food has been very plentiful; Pam and I can't believe the quantities of food we have been served - and it has all been so good! Anyway, lunch was in a former French colonial house which was very lovely with lots of shiny woodwork. After lunch we went to the Imperial City which is modelled after the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Pam and me in front of the Imperial City, Hue, Vietnam

The city was built in the 19th century by the last of the dynasties to rule Vietnam, the Nguyen Dynasty. The Imperial City was attacked during the Tet Offensive in 1968 and bears many scars, and was bombed and very badly damaged in 1969. The site is now a UNESCO heritage site and is under restoration. Despite the damage, it is still very beautiful and the restoration will be done in time for our grandchildren to be toured through it by Thanh's daughter - who is 2!

Throne in the theatre of the Imperial City in Hue, Vietnam. The king sat facing the audience and the performers performed to the king; so the performers' backs were to the rest of the audience!

Last night we walked from our lovely art deco hotel to the central business district where there are lots of shops selling silk embroidered pictures, lacquered art works, clothing, leather goods, paintings, etc., etc.We had a not-so-great dinner - badly done western-style food. We will likely stick to Vietnamese food from now on. It was quite dark and very rainy, so the walk back to the hotel was kind of creepy. The creepiness was capped off when I saw a dead rat in the gutter!! Anyone who knows me knows that I have such an aversion to rodents; this really creeped me out!!! Made it back to the hotel and had a great night's sleep!

Today we took a boat trip down the Perfume River for about an hour to the Thien Mu Pagoda. This is a Buddhist monastery and is such a lovely and peaceful setting. Some of the novice monks are orphans who were deposited at the monastery as newborns whose mothers could not care for them; some are sons of families who want their sons to become monks. The pagoda and surrounding buildings are beautiful. This is also the monastery of the monk who drove to Saigon and lit himself on fire to protest the government's anti-Buddhist law in 1963. I remember that event so vividly from the news reports. The car he drove to Saigon and news photos of the event are on display here.

We then went to the Tu Duc Tomb (fourth, I think, emperor of the Nguyen dynasty). Again, the grounds and buildings are lovely, although very much deteriorated through neglect and natural weather damage. It is also now a UNESCO site so funds are available to restore the buildings and grounds. The work is ongoing and what has been restored is beautiful; but the parts that are yet to be restored have their own beauty as well. As with the Imperial City that we visited yesterday, I like to walk around these places and think about what it might have been like to live there during those times. What a different life it would have been!

We stopped on the way to our next visit site to see how they make the Vietnamese bamboo hats and incense. There were several vendors selling fruit as well and we bought a mangosteen which was really delicious - looked like garlic cloves, but tasted like custard, if you can imagine!

Our guide, Thanh, with the woman who sold us the mangosteen.

Our last stop of the day (besides lunch, of course) was Khai Dinh which is the last monument built during the Nguyen dynasty. It has beautiful mosaics and gold work. Since this dynasty went until 1943, there were photos of the last emperor and his family. I always find that photos, unlike painted portraits, help me understand better and to realize these were real people. The monument has some long stairways and some wonderful sculptures. The architecture reflected influences from Europe as well as from Buddhist and Chinese styles.

We then had another fabulous lunch in a beautiful setting. I've been so impressed that we have not had the same dishes over and over again at these lunches that have been included in our tour. Each meal has been unique . . . and delicious!

Tonight we are going to treat our tired feet to a massage at the spa at our hotel. They deserve some pampering after all the walking on brick and stone walkways!

Good Morning Vietnam!!

OK, I'm sorry, that is a really bad title, but here I am in Vietnam - a place that figured so prominently in my youth (the mid-to-late 60's). To visit the country where a war was fought that so affected my generation, and the first war to be brought to our homes daily via television is quite interesting and amazing to me. I certainly never thought I would be able to visit this beautiful country. Vietnam has been fighting off invaders for so many millenia - and all they wanted was to be one country and to determine their own government. I remember about 10-15 years ago when someone said to me that Vietnam had the most beautiful beaches they had ever seen. I was astonished; that just didn't compute in my head because all I could remember of Vietnam was Agent Orange and how the country had been stripped of its beauty.

Ho Chi Minh City is big and busy. There are motorbikes EVERYWHERE - and it's a good thing. If all these people were driving cars the traffic would be ridiculous. As it is no one can go very fast and it is truly like a dance to watch how cars, trucks and motorbikes all jockey for position on the roads. Fortunately, helmets are required by law, and although we never went over 60 km/hour (and I don't think anyone else goes over that speed) but I wonder if there are still a lot of accidents and injuries. I'll have to ask our guide - Hong, who is so knowledgeable.

This is indeed a beautiful country with kind and gentle people. They have chosen to forgive their invaders - from the Mongols, to the Chinese, to the French to the Americans, and to simply move on; looking forward instead of wallowing in the past.

Today we began by touring the Cu Chi tunnels - the 210 mile network of tunnels used by guerilla fighters from 1940 through to the end of the Vietnam War (the war for reunification) in 1975.

Me at the entrance to a tunnel -that's as far in as I would go since I'm claustrophobic!

The tunnels are now part of an historic site where tourists learn about how the traps and weapons used by the guerillas in the Vietnam War were all made from pieces of bombs and artillery courtesy of the US military! They were quite ingenious in creating some really nasty traps and weapons. It was actually quite a disturbing place to visit - there is actually a shooting range where tourists can pay to shoot some of the guns used in the war. So all around us we heard gun-fire - which was unnerving, but I had to remember that this is what the Vietnamese people lived with on a daily basis.

From Cu Chi we went back to Ho Chi Minh City, had a wonderful Vietnamese lunch with each dish presented as a sculpture and then went to tour the Reunification Palace. This was formerly the Presidential Palace, built by the French in 1870-something (can't remember the exact year). It was destroyed in a bombing in 1962 and could not be restored. A new palace was built in a totally different style - designed by a Vietnamese architect. It is a beautiful building in which the rooms have been restored to how they were when the president of South Vietnam lived and worked there. It is now open the public as a tourist site. The wall in this photo is all done in lacquered wood and is so beautiful:

This is the palace that the North Vietnamese tank crashed into the gate which resulted in the surrender of the South Vietnamese on April 30, 1975.

We then visited a painted lacquer factory where we saw how they make the beautiful mother-of-pearl and eggshell inlaid pieces. What painstaking work! Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office were the final stops today. The post-office is a pink French Colonial building that is open every day of the year from 7AM to 7 PM.

After a bit of a rest, Pam and I went to a restaurant called Lemon Grass for dinner. The meal was wonderful and there was a woman playing a stringed instrument the name of which I will have to ask our guide tomorrow. The music really added to the atmosphere. After dinner we walked through the neighborhood looking at/in the shops . . . and, of course, picked up a few things!

It is Sunday night, but you would have thought it was New Year's Eve. So many people were out looking at all the Christmas decorations. We asked our guide about Christmas celebrations in Vietnam. He said it is celebrated, but not for the Christian reason; rather it is just a good excuse for a party! There are lots of decorations all over the city - the parks, store windows, hotel lobbies - and it was incredible to see people posing and having their photos taken in front of the decorations. Motorbike traffic was unbelievable - some streets looked like wall-to-wall headlights and helmets! The people were all having such a good time. Unfortunately, my camera battery had died. I will try to get some photos tomorrow night.

PORK!!

I had a BLT sandwich for dinner the other night. This is remarkable in that we have only recently been able to buy pork in Qatar. This is very exciting news indeed! It is sold at the liquor store where only people with permits can buy liquor - and now pork. Go figure!

In November I had the privilege of welcoming 3 of our students to Calgary as they attended the convocation ceremony on main campus. Each student was invited to attend and to bring up to three guests. We had four students who were eligible to graduate, but only three were able to travel to Calgary. They and their guests had a whirlwind 4 days in Calgary. They must have been so tired. One student and her husband had actually just returned from the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca), were home only a few hours and then got on the flight to Calgary. I don't think she had slept in 3 days by the time I met her at the Calgary airport. It was so nice to see the students take part in the very large ceremony. I think they and their families were very impressed and it helped them to feel that they are part of the UofC - which is hard to do when your campus is on the other side of the world! There was a luncheon following the ceremony and the next day I accompanied them on a tour of Banff and Lake Louise. The morning started out cloudy, but clear enough to see the mountains. We stopped at Johnson Lake which was frozen over and the students/families got to walk on a frozen lake for the first time. At Johnston Canyon they had their first snowball fight. By the time we got to Lake Louise, it was a white-out and you couldn't see the lake, let alone the glacier - a bit disappointing. We headed into Banff where we had lunch and walked around town a bit, saw the Banff Springs Hotel, and Bow Falls. It was too cloudy to see the mountains so there was no point in taking the gondola to the top of Sulfur Mountain. By that time they were all pretty tired out, so we headed back to Calgary. By the time we hit Canmore, almost all were asleep.

I spent the following week visiting with family and friends in Calgary - it was all too short a visit. My friend, Jean Rutter, flew back to Doha with me, though and we had a wonderful visit. The first week I worked while Jean got over her jet lag and dealt with a bit of culture shock. I took her to the souk on about the 2nd or 3rd night she was here. After about 20 minutes she admitted to being a bit overwhelmed by it. I recall that was my reaction the first time I went there, too. It's so different than any experience I had previously had - the sights, sound, smells are all so different and it is sensory overload! I took her to an Arabic women's party called Wanassa Night, which is held at the College of the North Atlantic. I went a couple of years ago and thought it was good fun, and thought it was a Middle East experience Jean should have. The girls get up and dance, there is loud Arabic music, lots of food, a fashion show of abayas and very fancy formal dresses. Men are not allowed at the party and you have to check your cell phone and camera at the door!

The following week we went to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We did a very thorough job of seeing Dubai - I think we were in every mall there is in the city where shopping is the national sport. We also saw the old section of Dubai - the spice souk, textile souk, gold souk - taking a walking tour, and visited a really great museum. The museum was actually quite a surprise because it is in an old fort that is nothing much to look at when you first enter; but then you go inside and down a spiral ramp that leads you to this wonderful museum! We took the bus to Abu Dhabi and that was interesting . . . . ladies board first - even if they arrive after the men (there were a few men who were in line when we arrived at the bus station who did not get on and had to wait for the next bus - hardly seemed fair to us) and ladies sit at the front of the bus. It was a very comfortable bus and the ride took about two hours. Abu Dhabi is another new, big city with lots of construction of amazing buildings - not quite as over-the-top as Dubai, but close.

Back in Doha after our trip to Dubai, Jean was feeling more comfortable about getting out and about on her own. She spent a day at the souk which has a totally different feel during the day than it does at night. A visit to the Islamic Cultural Centre and another day at the Museum of Islamic Arts were interesting for her as well. We went out to the camel races one Friday afternoon and that is always a hoot!

Christmas is coming and for the third year I will not be in Canada for the holidays. I am leaving tomorrow for Vietnam and Cambodia. I am very much looking forward to this trip. I will be traveling with Pam who was on the trip to South Africa last Christmas and on the Baltic cruise in August. She is a great traveling companion.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I will try to update along the way on this trip.

Autumn Update

So sorry for the long silence, Old Kathleen fans!

I survived the summer and we are now well into fall. The heat and humidity of August, September and October is starting to break and I have actually gone for a couple of walks on the Corniche. I realized recently when I was on the first walk, that it was the first time I had been outdoors in Doha for more than 10 minutes since May! It felt wonderful! I was a sweaty mess by the end of the walk, but it was glorious to be outdoors.

Since my last update, I enjoyed a Baltic cruise at the end of August. Four of us boarded the Costa Luminosa in Copenhagen. Costa is an Italian cruise line and of the nearly 3,000 passengers on board, only 80 were native English-speakers. Lots of Italian, Spanish, German and Russian was being spoken all around us. With all those languages being spoken, no wonder most of the entertainment was dancing!

We spent an evening and a day in Copenhagen before we boarded the ship. The evening was spent at Tivoli Gardens and it was a beautiful evening. The flowers were so lovely and since the weather was so nice, and it was a Friday evening (end of the work week) there were many, many people out enjoying the rides and attractions.

We had pork (yes!) ribs for dinner at a restaurant in the park.

Yes, that's lettuce gro

wing on the roof of this building in Tivoli!

Copenhagen is a very safe city and very easy to get around. Our hotel was centrally located, and right across the street from a sex shop! I got up in the middle of the night, looked out and watched a couple of sex-trade workers - very interesting!

The next day we realized we couldn't possibly see everything there is to see in Copenhagen in one day, so we took the hop on-hop off bus tour and got an overview of Copenhagen including, of course, the Little Mermaid!

We boarded the ship late in the afternoon, settled into our cabins and went off to explore the ship. It was my first cruise and I wasn't sure if I'd be seasick or not, so I used a patch that was attached behind my ear. Alice had recommended and bought it for me. It worked, but made me incredibly thirsty!

The cruise took us from Copenhagen to Tallin, Estonia which was the delightful surprise of the trip. I thoroughly enjoyed our time traipsing through this quaint medieval town. The people were welcoming and there was a lot of interesting architecture to see.

Me and my new boyfriend in Tallin, Estonia

The next stop was St. Petersburg where we did a marathon 17 hours seeing the magnificent Catherine Palace, had a river/canal tour of St. Petersburg, and in the evening we had a private tour of the Hermitage.I was so impressed with our guide's knowledge - she never stopped talking the entire day. I just wish I could remember all that she said! She really lighted up when discussing the art in the Hermitage.

The CatherinePalace, Pushkin, Russia

From St. Petersburg we went to Helsinki, Finland. We chose to take a tour to Porvoo which is the oldest city in Finland. The traffic in all these countries was so horrendous that we ended up with little time to spend in Porvoo - less than an hour, but it was interesting and I would have loved to have spent more time there.

Then on to Stockholm here we had only 8 hours to see the city. I thought Stockholm was beautiful, and I would certainly want to go back when I could spend more time there and actually get a feel for the city.

Me and my Swedish beau (I just seem to pick up men everywhere!

All in all I would have to say I'm glad I had the 'cruise experience' but it is certainly not the way to see countries in an in-depth way. The ship was elegant and, as expected, food abundant. I had just lost 10 pounds, having spent much of the summer exercising in the gym and following a low-calorie diet. I am pleased to say that I only gained 1.5 pounds on the cruise, and going back to the gym right away upon my return to Doha helped me to lose that quickly!

The school year got off to a roaring start as we admitted nearly 50 new students. Now, I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but that brought our student numbers up to 180 - and only a year previous we had only about 60 students. So we are very pleased that our numbers are growing. It is so nice to see the students on campus.

A couple of weeks after the start of classes I flew to Chicago to attend the wedding of my sister-in-law, Carol. She was an absolutely beautiful bride, and she and Mike just beamed all day. My daughter, Ayn, and her two children (Anais and Layton) were there as well - Anais serving as flower girl and Layton was to have been the ring bearer; however, just before the ceremony he got cold feet. Even bribery wouldn't get him down the aisle (mom promised him the motor bike he wanted), so his sister - ever the one in charge - grabbed the pillow with the rings and headed down the aisle with her basket of rose petals!

We had an all-too-short visit with the Chicago family. We were also sorry that my son, Ian and his family and Ayn's husband, Chad were not able to be there to make it a true family reunion. I was, however, delighted to meet my nephew, Hans' fiancee, Amanda. They will have the next wedding in October 2012.

Then it was on to Calgary for a 10-day visit where the weather was absolutely beautiful - the perfect IndianSummer. I went for many walks with friends and neighbors, caught up with Ian and his family,spent more time with grandchildren, and generally enjoyed being in my home. I have been struggling with making a decision about whether to keep my house or to sell it when I return to Calgary when my contract in Doha is over. After only a day in my home I realized that I feel so comfortable there that I want to stay in my home when I return to Calgary.

All too soon it was back to Doha where I returned to a new apartment! I had to pack up my apartment before I left forChicago/Calgary, and when I got back to Doha it was to a new apartment with a whole lot of boxes. After a 24-hour flight, entering an apartment with everything you own (except the things in your suitcases) in boxes, it was a blessing that the first box I opened had the toilet paper and some towels so I could brush my teeth, wash my face and fall into bed. I had to be at work 7 hours after I arrived home!

Living/diningroom Kitchen

My bedroom

It took me about 4-5 days of unpacking boxes every night after work to finally be able to find everything. The apartment is on the 13th floor (no superstition here) and looks to the north. I see a bit of the sea and at night the lights are lovely to see. There is a wonderful gym in the building and I have made good use of it, going almost every day. The apartment itself is spacious - has lots more cupboard and counter space in the kitchen than my previous apartment. I actually have some empty cupboards! The furniture, although not very attractive, is at least far more comfortable than the last apartment. My favorite part, tho, is that the air conditioning doesn't roar like it did in the old place. It's actually very quiet. There are a few problems, tho. The internet is included in our rent, but the connection sucks and is quite slow. Skype is hit-and- miss at best. There are a few of us with some real humidity problems, too. I hung my laundry to dry on a recent Friday and it was still very damp on Wednesday!! The building engineers are supposed to be doing something about it, but a couple people gave up and bought de-humidifiers (at considerable expense). One guy pulled over 90 litres of water out of the air in his apartment over the course of 4 days. He has a gauge that measures the humidity in the air. He came to measure my apartment and one day it was in the low 80's and yesterday it was 89%. I think we have a problem!

Summer in the Sandbox

I won't be heading back to Canada this summer, but will wait until September so I can travel to Calgary via Chicago so I can attend the September 17th wedding of my wonderful sister-in-law, Carol. It means a couple of long, increasingly lonely months in Doha. Lonely because the vast majority of the faculty and staff at UCQ are on their annual trips to visit family and friends. We are operating on skeleton staff but things in the Student Services office are still incredibly busy.

Unlike North American institutions that have already completed admitting students for the fall term by this time (July), UCQ is only now able to finalize the admissions of students to start their programs this September. So we are in the thick of things in Student Services! No time for those catch-up projects that you think you can get to when the place empties out and there's little else to do. It is also difficult to get things done because there are so few people around to consult with and make important decisions. Email and Skype help, but it's just not the same as having decision-makers on site.

Outside of work, things are quite dull. It is far too hot and humid to go out for a walk - thank goodness for treadmills. The other night as I got out of the car, my glasses fogged up!! I look on-line for events and activities to go, and at this time of year there is not a lot going on. I took in the last philharmonic concert of the season last week. The orchestra now performs in the brand new Opera House at Katara - a new cultural centre in Doha that opened last year. Katara is very nice - right on the water with a long lovely beach. There is a huge amphitheatre, the Opera house, several restaurants, a gelato shop, some art galleries, a mosque and much more to come. The Opera House is a lovely building, but when building it I don't think any thought was given to sight lines from the balcony. Our seats were comfortable, but we had to lean waaay forward and rest our chins on the railing in front of us to see anything. I am afraid of heights, so I spent much of the concert just sitting back listening to the music. The orchestra is quite good and the concert was wonderful.

During the week there was a fund-raising Quiz Night for QAWS (Qatar Animal Welfare Society). It was held at a local club that used to have a liquor license, but lost their license a few years ago. The food is good and the quiz (trivia) was fun. It was good to get out!

I am watering plants and checking apartments for some of the people who are away right now. It's in the 40's (Celsius) every day, so I'm amazed that the plants are staying alive. I'm afraid it all might be for nothing, tho, since I will be going on a Baltic cruise at the end of August and that's before anyone returns so there will be no one to water the plants while I'm away. I'll likely come home to dead plants. Oh, well, at least we won't have to move them.

Our lease is up on our apartments at the end of September and rumour has it that we will be moving rather than renewing the lease. The process of finding a new place has been quite frustrating. We have a couple of colleagues from the building working with the HR people on this. They looked at many buildings, made their recommendations, and from what I understand if this had been Canada the deal would have been done a couple of months ago. However, we are in Doha and the final decision of where we will live seems to hinge on whose palm is getting greased. At any rate, the move will take place while I'm in Canada. I'm not looking forward to having to pack up my apartment at the same time I'm packing to head to Canada!

But first we have to make it through the holy month of Ramadan which starts on the first of August. It's illegal to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours during Ramadan. We have to eat/drink behind closed doors at work so we won't offend any of our Muslim colleagues. Grocery stores are open, but malls and other stores don't open until after sunset and stay open until very late. Driving is crazy here at the best of times, but just add hungry, thirsty drivers to that equation and you know you are in greater jeopardy than usual.

So spare a good thought for me this summer - it truly is a test of my resilience! Looking forward to seeing family and friends in September!

Ah, Paris in the spring time!

Recently back after a lovely 10 days in Paris and Belgium. I loved Paris; and am glad I saw Belgium. I traveled in Paris with my friend, Lisa, who then went on to a conference in Blankenberge, Belgium (on the North Sea). We spent 5 days enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of Paris – Notre Dame, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre (where we saw Jim Morrison’s grave in the cemetery), Sacre Coeur, the beautiful gardens – Luxembourg and Tuilleries, Les Invalides and Napolean’s Tomb, Musee d’Orsay (my favourite – the impressionists and post-impressionsists), Versailles, etc., etc.

My first view of the Eiffel Tower -eek! I'm really in Paris!

Of course, we ate many wonderful meals (had fondue twice, in fact), stopped at several cafes for a café au lait or a beer (depending on the time of day) and just enjoyed the greenery and oh, the flowers(!) and the ambiance of Paris. As we walked toward the Eiffel Tower we passed this incredible building that had a garden growing all the way up the exterior of the building!

Building with the garden growing right up the side of it

One night we saw a funny one-man show called “How go Become a Parisian in One Hour” – very clever. Another evening we went to a concert at the Notre Dame Cathedral. On the day we walked down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe I was astonished at the amount of garbage on the sidewalks along this elegant and world renown street. As we approached the Arc de Triomphe I noticed a huge sculpture in the yard right at the corner of the Champs Elysees by Charles DeGaulle Place. It looked like a huge wrapped hard candy, but was the color and design of the Qatar flag. Well, sure enough, we were at the Embassy of the State of Qatar. They sure have some prime real estate there!

Qatar Embassy - see the candy-like sculpture?

It seems with all the trips I've taken, we run across a wedding. The day we were in Montmartre, there was an adorable Asian couple having wedding photos taken on the carousel.

Bride and groom on the carousel in Montmartre

We took the train the Brussels where Lisa and I parted company for a few days while she attended the conference in Blankenberge and I spent time seeing Brussels, Antwerp, and Brugge before meeting Lisa again in Blankenberge. I had a routine all worked out where I arrived in the city, found a hotel and settled in my room by about 2:00 p.m. I then set out to walk around the city and get my bearings, often with the helpful suggestions of the hotel concierge about which direction I should go and what I should see. I did no research re: what there is to see in Belgium, so the following mornings I got on a city tour bus in each city to see the highlights. What a great way to see a city on limited time. By 12 or 1:00 p.m. each day I would be back at the train station to catch the train to my next destination.

Because I actually reached the age I am without having traveled internationally, I had a lot of irrational fear and anxiety about traveling alone in a foreign country. The thought of not being able to speak the language, being unable to make myself understood, not find my way around, had me quite anxious. But I am proud to say that, as with most things I have obsessed about in my life, these fears were totally groundless and I found it very easy to find my way around. I found the Belgian people to be more reserved than the French and the French people were warmer and more welcoming and helpful than I had expected. My high school French was very helpful in reading signs, maps, menus and minimal conversing with people (oh, I wish I were braver about speaking French – it’s a lovely language).

We enjoyed lovely weather for the entire trip, making it all that much more difficult to come back to the heat and humidity of Doha (it’s been ~40 degrees Celsius all week). I went out to dinner last night and as I stepped out of the restaurant, my glasses fogged up! It’s going to be a long haul until my next trip at the end of August!!!

Half Way Mark

Today marks the half way point in my contact with UCQ. The time has gone so quickly - and I don't think it is just the fact of my stage in life that has me saying that. Every expat I talk to has the same experience of time passing quickly here. It is indeed curious.

So what have I learned in my time here?

1. That I am more resilient than I ever knew I could be.

2. That I can live in a smaller space than I do in Calgary.

3. That international travel is not as scary as I thought it would be.

4. That the world really is smaller, and yet much larger, than I thought it was:

a. smaller - all cultures have the same hopes and dreams for their families;

b. larger - long flights wear me out!

5. What it feels like to be among the minority population.

6. That I live a truly privileged life - may I NEVER take it for granted.

7. That Canada is the best country in the world!

. . . and probably a lot more that I am unable to articulate.

In the past few months I have given a lot of thought to the idea of 'home.' Doha is feeling a lot like home to me lately, and I know now that I can make a home anywhere that I can connect with people and feel that I am making a contribution. I remember the day I first entered my apartment here in Doha and saying, "OK, this is your home for the next three years." It has taken some time to settle in and add those things that make it comfortable and express my personality. I've gathered some wonderful things on my travels that now adorn my walls, floors and tables, lovely reminders of the experiences I never expected to have. I've also gathered some wonderful new friends from all across Canada. Because it is difficult to connect with Qataris, we depend on each other for fun and support. We have become a family. Sadly, some of the family will be returning to Canada this year, their contracts now completed.

It's hard to be away from my North American family and friends, and thank goodness for the wonders of modern technology that keep us in touch. Life takes us all on our individual journeys, and I feel so fortunate to have received the opportunity to go on this wild and wonderful adventure. I am grateful to my family and friends for supporting and encouraging me to reach beyond my comfort zone. I love you all!

incredible India!

March 11, 2011 - Delhi, India

Arrived in Delhi at about 8:30 am after a night flight and met our guide and driver. The drive to the hotel took about an hour through streets crowded with vehicles of all descriptions, most smaller ones honking like mad in order that other drivers know they were there.

Our hotel is theLalit Hotel, which is a beautiful hotel in the downtown section of Delhi. I was struck by the security at the hotel which was implemented at all major, hotels following the terrorist attack on the Taj hotel in Mumbai in 2008. The undercarriage of our car and the cargo area were searched,our suitcases and bags were scanned and we had to go through a security scanner as we entered the hotel– every time we entered the hotel. There are guards everywhere!

After we got checked into the hotel, we grabbedsome breakfast and took a couple hour nap. At 2:00 pm our guide picked us up for the startofour tour of Delhi. We first went to India Gate, a memorial to the Indian soldiers killed in the Great War from 1914-1918. The names of 90,000 soldiers are carved into the monument. It is the centerpiece of a beautiful park and the starting point of the Rajpath (or King’s Road) which leads to the President’s Palace. The Palace is also near the Parliament Building - a round building. The park was crowded with people – walking, picnicking, playing with their children, peeing (yes, men pee wherever and whenever the urge hits them). We nextdrove through an area where the British built lovely bungalows and which are now homes formany of the government diplomats. Then on to Qutab Minar which started as a Hindu temple in the 10^th century and was turned into a mosque in the 13th century (I think it was).

Qutab Minar

We then went to the Lotus Temple, a B’hai temple built in the shape of a Lotus blossom, situated in a lovely park-like setting in the middle of a busy Indian city.

Lotus Temple

We went inside where we spent a couple of minutes in complete silence – meditating, praying or simply being silent and still for a while. The building is stunning and the quiet in the midst of such a busy Indian city was certainly an interesting contrast.

We then went to a Kashmiri shop werewe saw an array of absolutely beautiful rugs made from cashmere, yak, and silk. Yes, I succumbed and bought one that is going to look beautiful under my dining table in Calgary! Alice bought 2 – and has actually run out of floor space to put them on!

Then it was back to the hotel where we had a good Indian dinner and headed off to bed to catch up on the sleep missed on our over night flight the night before.

March 12, 2011 - Delhi

After a great night’s sleep and a good breakfast we met our guide, Diljeet, who took us first to Old Delhi. This is more like the India I expected, but still not scary at all. Our first stop was Jama Masjid, a muslim temple built in 1656 by the same emperor who build the Taj Mahal. It is the best and most well-known mosque in India and is made of beautiful red sandstone. To get there we walked through a street of stalls selling just about any/everything you can imagine.

Market in Delhi

It was colorful and the people were interesting to watch. There were beggars, one young boy being especially persistent, but I’m a tough old bag and ignored the pleas. If you succumbed to one you’d be doling out cash all day – much like the bears in the mountains who don’t understand when you’ve run out of food, the beggars likely wouldn’t understand that you are out of money.

After the mosque, we went to Raj Ghat , the site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. It is now a memorial park, maintained by volunteers. An eternal flame burns there and every Friday a remembrance ceremony takes place there. The flowers there were beautiful and it was a very peaceful place.

Our next stop was an amazing Sikh temple – the Guruwara Bangla Sahib. This was not actually on the tour itinerary,but our guide, Diljeet, is Sikh and he was very proud to show us the temple and talk about all the good works of the Sikh followers. We had to remove our shoes and put an orange scarf on our heads (we were lovely – sarcasm), and we entered the sanctuary where people come to pray before the holy book.

Me wearing lovely orange scarf at Sikh temple

Our guide kept emphasizing the cleanliness of the place. As we left the sanctuary we received a sweet made of flour, butter and sugar and went to taste the water which was reputed to be what saved the entire population of Delhi from small pox. Anyone may come to the temple for a meal. Volunteers have served breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for an amazing number of years (I can’t remember the number, but it was huge). He toured us through the kitchen where we observed the volunteers preparing and cooking the chapattis and stew that is served for lunch. We also watched the people to be fed entering and being seated on the floor and served a tray of food. It was all incredible!

We then visited the Gandhi museum which is onthe site where Gandhi was martyred. It was very interesting and, as you would expect a very beautiful and peaceful setting.

Then back to the hotel, where we spent some time at the pool before dinner.

March 13, 2011 - Delhi – Agra

On the way out of Delhi, we made a stop at Humayan’s Tomb. This is the tomb of a 16th century Mughal emperor and was commissioned by his wife. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is undergoing restoration. The tomb is one of the first structures that was built of the red sandstone that we were to see a lot more of on our tour.

The drive from Delhi to Agra, a distance of about 250 km, took about 5 hour, a good deal of that time spent getting through and out of Delhi! Traffic is exceedingly slow moving in India, but it gave us plenty of time to see the ‘real’ India. Some of the unusual (for a North American anyway) sites I saw were: a barber on the side of road (complete with his chair and stand with mirror), tuk-tuks carrying at least 20 people, women in beautiful saris perched on the backs of motorbikes holding infants, cow pattie bricks piled up and huts made out of these, piles of garbage everywhere, brahma cattle everywhere, goats, camels pulling carts, people carrying enormous loads of crops on their heads, beggars at stop lights, traffic – how do they not get killed? Much movement! Our driver is so good – been driving for 20 years. He told us the 4 things needed to drive in India are: 1) Good brakes, 2) Good horn, 3) Good luck, and 4) Good patience!

As we approached Agra, we stopped at another tomb – the tomb of Akbar the third Mughal Emporer, the son of Humayun(he of the tomb we saw earlier in the day in Delhi). The grounds were lovely and the structure was magnificent, made of red sandstone and marble (Agra is known for marble). We then set off through Agra to our hotel since it was now late afternoon. We drove through many market areas, past the Red Fort and had our first view of the Taj Mahal from a distance – breath-taking!

We stayed at the Jaypee Palace Hotel which reminds me of an old colonial hotel that has been updated. We ate at the Indian restaurant where we tried some more unusual dishes that I really enjoyed.

March 14, 2011 - Agra

TAJ MAHAL!! We could have spent all day here. It truly took my breath away when I first caught sight of it through the gate.

My first view of the Taj Mahal

It is completely symmetrical – the same from every side - including the gardens; and there are several optical illusions that change the view as you approach the Taj. There are photographers all over the place offering their services to take professional (?) photos of you in front of the Taj. We caved in and hired one, and it was somewhat like being followed by a wedding photographer! He stopped us at all the right spots as we approached the Taj (it’s a 1.5 km walk) and posed us, shooed other tourists and photographers out of the way, etc. The results were ok – would have been better if either us had given a thought to what we wore for the day - but we now have these wonderful memories!

Not so professional photo ofme at theTaj

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the Taj Mahal and told us the entire story, all about the design, construction, materials, labour, length of time to build, etc. The grounds are lovely and lush. To walk into the Taj Mahal building itself you have to put booties (like surgical booties) over your shoes – which we preferred to having to remove our shoes and go barefoot as we had at all the previous temples (will our feet everbe clean again?).

Our guide then took us to a local marble shop, under the ruse of showing us the tools and how the craftsmen work with marble. That’s code for, “come help our economy by buying something.” We happily obliged, but my luggage is now sooooo heavy!

Our next stop was the Agra Red Fort which is 2.5 km longand contains many palaces. This is where the emperor who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned by his son in a tower where he had a view of the Taj Mahal, so he spent the remainder of his days looking at the reminder of his beloved.

Much of the fort is now occupied by the police and the military, but we toured all that is still open to the public. It is made of red sandstone that is much harder than the sandstone I am familiar with from North America. Most rooms also had carved marble and inlaid marble panels, most of which had been vandalized over the years, so the precious stones were no longer there.

It was late in the afternoon andvery hot when we ended our tour of the Fort, so we headed back to the hotel for a beer (or two) and some relaxation. I have enjoyed the pace of this trip – we have seen a lot, but are not too exhausted by the end of the day.

March 15, 2011 - Agra to Jaipur

We surprised our driver this morning by being on time and off we headed to Jaipur. Along the way we stopped at Fatehpur Sikri which is another red fort built by some emperor (I'm losing track of all the emperors) for his three wives – oneHindu, one Christian, and one Muslim. It was huge and a wonderful example of architecture that combined all three types design in such a beautiful way. We were quite annoyed by our guide who talked so fast and hurried us around in a rather disinterested way. In addition, were were '10-ruppee’d' to death with tipping and donations for charity, not to mention having to run the gamut of peddlers trying to sell us all sorts of useless stuff. (Oh, they’re only trying to make a living, I know, but it is so annoying to have to say “No, thank you” time after time after time.)

The rest of the day was spent on the drive to Jaipur. We actually got on some "open road” in rural areas, where I continued tobe fascinated watching people go about their every day lives, in ways so completely foreign and different from my very privileged North American experience.

March 16, 2011 - Jaipur

I must say that, although the Taj Mahal was the highlight of the trip for me, Jaipur was the loveliest surprise. It is called "the Pink City" because the entire city was painted pink for the visit of the Prince of Wales in the mid-1800's. We visited the Amber Fort which is high on a hill outside of Jaipur. There we had a hilarious elephant ride up to the entrance; Alice was sure we were going to fall off the elephant and take a dive over the cliff that we rode along.

Alice and me on elephant

The fort and palaces within were lovely, but by this time, all of these were melding together in our memories. Our guide for today was excellent - very knowledgeable and interesting. After a couple hours touring the many palaces within the Amber Fort, we headed down to the Winter Palace, passing by another palace that was built right in the lake (can't remember the name of this palace - maybe "Palace in the Lake?").

We toured the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) which looks sort of like a honeycomb. It has over 900 small windows which were forthe ladies to be able to look out without being seen.

At the Palace of the Winds

After that we visited Jantar Mantar - an observatory built by a Maharajah in the 1700's. He was fascinated by both astronomy and astrology and built this collection of instruments as well as four other similar facilities. This one is the best preserved and it was amazing to see.

March 17 - Jaipur back to Delhi

Today was simply a hair-raising drive back to Delhi. We were told it would take 5 hours, but there was road construction and very heavy truck traffic, so the trip took nearly 7 hours. Our driver is truly amazing! On arrival back in Delhi, Alice and I both headed to the spa for a much needed pedicure - after having walked barefoot through so many palaces, etc., our feet were pretty grungy! I also had a wonderful massage which helped unknot the muscles that had tensed up so much during the harrowing drive!

March 18 - Home again

Up very early to get to the airport for our 9:00 a.m. flight. How I long for the days when you simply went to the airport and got on a plane without all the preliminary security checking that is now required. It makes me sad that the world has come to this.

It is good to be home; but already I am thinking/planning my next adventure!