Hello from Doha, Qatar.
Katie and I love traveling the Middle East. We love the people, the food, the tea, spices, friendliness, family culture and the night markets. And, we love going to a playground, full of kids, at 11pm.
Katie and Rayah were shopping so I decided to go on a solo mission to get some chai. Right outside the shop was a de facto chai and shisha cafe. Mashallah!
Picture a small skinny alleyway with a bunch of elders sitting around smoking shisha and drinking tea in their traditional white robes. Incense burning and the call to prayer being amplified from the mosques. Like a scene from a movie.
I dusted off the little bit of Arabic I know and ordered one hot tea. As I sat down, one of the elders called the server over and began speaking (in Arabic) to him about me.
The elder saw me curiously looking over at him. He smiled and said, in English, “don’t pay.” And then he handed the server the money for my tea and he walked away. I walked over to say “shukran” (thank you) and he smiled, shook my hand and carried on like it was no big deal. He reminded me how Middle Easterners treat their guests. Like family. I had a similar experience last time we were here, ten years ago.
I’m writing this from the 3rd floor Shisha Lounge at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Doha. The girls are sleeping and it’s time for me to follow suit because we have a 16.5hr flight back to Turtle Island tomorrow morning. Then a 7hr drive from Miami to Fernandina Beach so I can make my gig on Thursday night.
Good night everyone.
شكرًا لك على جعل الغربي يشعر بالانتماء
- Brian
#AdventuresOfRayah
Katie and I love traveling the Middle East. We love the people, the food, the tea, spices, friendliness, family culture and the night markets. And, we love going to a playground, full of kids, at 11pm.
Katie and Rayah were shopping so I decided to go on a solo mission to get some chai. Right outside the shop was a de facto chai and shisha cafe. Mashallah!
Picture a small skinny alleyway with a bunch of elders sitting around smoking shisha and drinking tea in their traditional white robes. Incense burning and the call to prayer being amplified from the mosques. Like a scene from a movie.
I dusted off the little bit of Arabic I know and ordered one hot tea. As I sat down, one of the elders called the server over and began speaking (in Arabic) to him about me.
The elder saw me curiously looking over at him. He smiled and said, in English, “don’t pay.” And then he handed the server the money for my tea and he walked away. I walked over to say “shukran” (thank you) and he smiled, shook my hand and carried on like it was no big deal. He reminded me how Middle Easterners treat their guests. Like family. I had a similar experience last time we were here, ten years ago.
I’m writing this from the 3rd floor Shisha Lounge at the Millennium Hotel in downtown Doha. The girls are sleeping and it’s time for me to follow suit because we have a 16.5hr flight back to Turtle Island tomorrow morning. Then a 7hr drive from Miami to Fernandina Beach so I can make my gig on Thursday night.
Good night everyone.
شكرًا لك على جعل الغربي يشعر بالانتماء
- Brian
#AdventuresOfRayah
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