Saturday, June 4, 2011

The fabulous turkey sandwich of Doha

On my recent trip to and from the US, I flew a different air carrier and therefore, a different route. This time I flew direct from Jakarta to Doha, Qatar and then from Doha to the US.

Don't feel bad if you are not familiar with Doha. Most people have never even heard of the city of Doha or the country of Qatar. It is a very small, sand covered nation that juts out of the side of Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf. Doha is the largest city in Qatar and has about one million residents. What makes this tiny, under-vegetated area unique is that most of the population is comprised of expats just like sweetums and me.

The return trip to Jakarta, through Doha, was a marathon event. Originally, I was to have about a seven hour layover. Unfortunately, three additional hours were added to the wait after getting on the plane. We were told there was an ill passenger and that person's (and the entire group they were traveling with) luggage was going to have to be off loaded. This event then caused the flight crew to time out on the runway and we then had to wait about an hour to get a new flight crew aboard. Even though it was going to be 110F in Doha, we had a massive snowball going.

The lounge area I waited in was pretty nice. Not Singapore airport level of nice where there is a gym, several gardens and an abundance of shopping, but still nice enough. While I was on the ground I ordered a turkey sandwich to munch about midway through my wait. My expectations for the sandwich were minimal - just some turkey on bread with a lettuce and tomato garnish. What I received was a beautifully made sandwich with the above mentioned garnish but also some roasted peppers and an herb based spread on homemade bread. It was totally lovely and totally tasty. My hat goes off to the chef for exceeding my expectations and creating a beautiful culinary delight despite my less than helpful direction as to what I wanted on it or with it when I ordered. As I had just reached the stage of jet lag where decision making was not my strong suite, he surprised me. With a tasty snack in front of me, I sat in the main dining area and watched the people come and go. It was dinner and a show.

There were men dressed in what we think of as Middle Eastern attire. Long white robes topped off with white head coverings that had a bit of a wing shape at the top all secured to the wearers head with a dark rope like band. As I looked out at lots and lots of sand and very little vegetation, this seemed like an excellent choice of clothing to wear. Good air circulation in a robe along with something on your head to keep the sun from cooking your noodle. However, the majority of the people waiting along with me in the lounge were dressed in western style clothing. Slacks, casual shirts, etc.

With all of the sand, one really did expect to see a camel at any minute. I don't think I am relying on movie stereotypes to conjure up this image. What I saw available, in the limited shopping areas, were numerous types of camel dolls, figurines, coffee cups, etc. Who knows, maybe it was movie driven since they do sell lots of boots and hats in the Houston airport. While you do see people wearing western gear in Houston, you don't see horses wandering all around or people all decked out in cowboy attire every where you look. I didn't purchase one single camel which I now regret because a camel coffee mug would have been an exceptional addition to our home in Jakarta. Silly jet lag!

As we took off and flew over what is probably the downtown area, most of the structures were a sand, tan, or a light beige color. I imagine the light colors help to reflect the brutal sun and keep the buildings a little cooler. I would think all of those downtown structures would almost be mirage-like under the right weather conditions.

Our route was over or close to many places that most of us have never, or will never visit and have only read about in history books. We flew past Baghdad, Bahrain, over the Tigris River, lots of India, and a number of places that ended in "stan". So much history, so much strife, so much beauty(and yes the geography is very stunning in some of these places) all being crossed from way, way above.

If it is daytime the next time I fly through Doha, and I have a little time, I think a tour could be most interesting. Can only imagine the markets, the clothing, the architecture and the style of driving you would encounter. Perhaps another day.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally arrived to lush, green, muggy Jakarta. To the smiling faces of my sweet hubby and my driver waiting eagerly for me at the airport, and then to my housekeeper and jaga who all welcomed me home. Coming home can mean lots of things and it seems to be evolving all the time. The one constant is home is more of a state of mind and not a particular location. It is a place where people are happy you are there and they welcome you with loving arms.

So today after you read this, truly appreciate those around you and realize that each day is a homecoming just waiting to happen.