Where in the world are the Jacksons--Sri Lanka

Where in the world are the Jacksons?

Folks have asked if I was still writing a blog for our adventures. Yes and no. In my head, yes; in actuality, we have been so busy living that we have not always taken the time to write. Even this blog on our trip to Sri Lanka is a few weeks later than I anticipated.

When Edna and I returned to Qatar in 2014, for our first year and a quarter our driver was Joseph, from Sri Lanka. Joseph was a wonderful man. We first came to know him as we asked him if he knew how we could get to the churches. He responded that he would take us. When he picked us up on that first Friday, he let us know that he, too, was a Christian. He took us to the Roman Catholic service. Since he was not a Westerner, he did not realize that when Westerners visit a worship service the first time (and often after that), we sneak in, find a seat in the back and hide. Not Joseph! Oh no, he marched us to the front section where he was certain that all of his peers saw us. He was not ashamed to bring friends to worship. For Eucharist, he again paraded us to the front station. We developed a rich friendship of joy and trust from that time onward.

Joseph would mention that he wanted us to travel with him to his homeland of Sri Lanka, meet his family, and see his country. He told us of the elephants and wild animals, and the greenery. He wanted to lead our tour of the country, because he did not trust other guides. He told us that they would try to rip us off. We promised that we would do our best to “someday” travel with him to see Sri Lanka. It was our intent to go.

Unfortunately, the following year, Joseph died in an accident following a heart attack, as he was driving from his morning prayers, from the same church that he had originally taken us. He was such a good and gracious man with whom we laughed, cried, and celebrated his oldest daughter’s marriage. He suggested trips for us, particularly when my mom visited, as well as with many of our Carnegie Mellon University Qatar friends and guests. He became so popular at the university that people simply referred to him as “Joseph.” Since his death, we have kept up with his family, his widow and three daughters, despite language barriers.

Some friends in Qatar have shared with us some of their great trips. Some have suggested that Sri Lanka is a great destination. Sri Lanka is a small island nation off the Southeastern coast of India on the Indian Ocean. Formerly named Ceylon, Sri Lanka is a poor country; it was under the British monarchy until 1948. They both celebrate their liberty, yet remember fondly their times under British rule. That anniversary occurred while we there. We flew 6 hours over night to arrive. Frankly, it was a bad international flight. The airline messed up our seats and did not have us in their system, despite our reservation. Edna discovered this a couple days before we were to leave. We were fortunate to get seats together on a packed airline. The air conditioning of the plane was not on, so we were exceptionally warm. My seat did not recline, which is rough on an overnight flight. Nevertheless, we arrived early on a Friday morning in the capital city of Colombo. We had booked a tour with a guide named Rohan, whose English was outstanding. He turned out to be an excellent guide. Our first ride was to the city of Negombo, on the west coast.  There we visited a fish market.  Fishing boats work overnight, then the fish dry out on the hot beaches in large groups for three days, becoming akin to dried beef.  The sellers throw rocks at the cats to keep them away.  I had never seen solid green oranges before!

The money exchange rate took time to get accustomed. 100 rupees is equivalent to approximately 60 cents. At times, sellers quoted us prices of thousands of rupees, which we would later realize was not dollars, but cents. Service attendees would be thrilled with our tips of 200 rupees.

Our first day was short, since we travelled overnight with a 2 and a half hour time difference. We arrived at our exquisite hotel. There was no swimming in the ocean due to dangerous waves. That afternoon, we met Joseph’s family who travelled about 4 hours to meet us in person. We had a wonderful visit. They brought their uncle, a tour guide, because of his excellent English. Joseph’s widow, his three beautiful daughters, his son-in-law, who we met in Qatar at Joseph’s death, and the uncle’s mother all embraced us. The daughters spoke English, but were not always comfortable with the language. Joseph’s widow understood what we said, but was not confident in speaking English to us. They hugged us, kissing each of our cheeks. We hosted them to dinner. I offered prayer and the uncle translated. We told stories about Joseph, and several times, we dabbed our eyes. Edna had asked one of our Sri Lankan friends what gifts we should take. We gave dates, nuts, chocolates, and other gifts to them. They brought us bananas, chocolate-coconut dessert with a texture similar to persimmon pudding, with similar taste, some fried treats with Nutella, clothes, a prayer rosary from their church for each of us, and Holy water. When it was time to leave, we took a group picture, followed by hugs, kisses on each cheek again, and Joseph’s widow kissed our hands very delicately. We watched them leave. It was a special moment for us.

Our second day began with an early alarm, breakfast to go, and travel toward the city of Kandy. Two and a half hours into our journey, we stopped at an elephant orphanage. Here we saw literally tons of elephants. Some folks paid to feed the baby elephants milk in bottles. Rohan took Edna and me to a store that sells paper products of all kinds. Can anyone guess from what the different colored paper is made? How about elephant dung! Really! We toured the factory. What other tour do manufacturers have you smell elephant dung on the fourth stage to verify that there is no odor! Edna stayed behind to shop as Rohan and I walked down to the river.

Soon, we strategically decided to get off the road as a herd of mammoth elephants came down the road to the river for their baths. It was interesting to see them lay submerged in the water with only their trunk exposed. I had my first picture ever with a baby elephant. Its tusk is rough and its hair on its back is wiry. To my memory, I had never before touched an elephant. We returned up the road where we reunited with Edna. This time, a man draped my shoulders with his Boa Constrictor snake. I reasoned, “Why not?” The man explained to me how to hold the snake. It is surprising how closely one listens to instructions on how to hold a snake. It was my first time ever holding a snake. It felt similar to the alligator purses and shoes that I have touched in stores. It felt similar to hard vinyl. Edna told me later that she would have bet money that I would agree to hold the snake when the man offered. Rohan, our guide, asked me if I was frightened to hold the snake. Surprisingly, no, but then again, being told that it is not poisonous is a major consideration. He told me that while he is a native Sri Lankan, he has never touched an elephant or a snake. Next, Edna and I rode an elephant. This was Edna’s idea. She rode her first camel a couple weeks previous with her nephew Doug, and her great nephew, Harrison, when they visited Doha. They did a desert safari then. Now she was moving to bigger creatures. I was impressed. The elephant is an uncomfortable ride. We felt every step. A co-worker told me that she rode an elephant with a seat on it, and yet, could not stand touching or seeing the elephant. We enjoyed our experience immensely. You really have a sense of how high off the ground you are, and if you were to fall, it would be a tough landing, followed by a skull-crushing experience. Elephants have two poses. When the elephant lifts its leg and pulls its trunk up into a curl, it means good health and prosperity. The trunk down means protection. Besides the elephant’s lifelong trainer, a guide walked with us and took pictures and videos of our ride. He laughed in disbelief when he learned that in our 42 years of marriage, this was Edna and my first elephant ride. I replied that we had never rejected the opportunity to do one before either.

Our next stop was a spice farm. We learned how different leaves, branches, nuts, bark and other items used for healing spices, medicines and the like. We saw the smallest pineapple in the world, used for medicines. After learning that elephant dung, bark, leaves and the like are recycled, I wondered if Sri Lankans wastes anything! Later, we went to a store that makes wonderful carvings from single pieces of wood, Tables made from tree trunks, small decorative items, and all sized items in between are made and sold (even shipped). The work was artistic, beautiful and impressive. This day was one of our most adventurous of any vacation we have experienced.

We ended the day visiting a Buddhist Temple, “The Temple of the Tooth,” or the “Tooth Temple.” Temperatures were super-hot, we climbed many steps, and we were behind many people, but the worst part was that we had to take off our shoes and socks to walk barefoot across hot pavement. I had difficulty walking on the hot sidewalk. I actually got blisters on my feet. Even those more attuned to walking barefoot more than I, had difficulty walking the hot pavement. I watched various folks and families pray in front of the area where supposedly Buddha’s tooth is. No one ever sees the tooth. Guards comb the area. Seventy percent of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, and Christians and Muslims each make up 8% of the population. Rohan is a Christian. The constitution of Sri Lankan specifies that the president must be a Buddhist. The city of Kandy has a giant statue of Buddha overseeing the city on a strategic mountain.

On the third day, we visited a botanical garden paradise in Kandy. This garden specialized in various kinds of flowers, birds, bats, monkeys and the like. A special flower, called the “Holy Ghost Flower,” contains the shape of the flower within the flower. We rode Tuk-Tuks, which are small, covered cycles with a back seat-bench seat. Technically, they are Auto Rickshaws, but folks call them “Tuk-Tuks,” because of the passing sound they make.

We drove into the high country of Sri Lanka, to a tea plantation.

 We received a tour of the tea plant and learned how different colors and types are produced.  We learned the meaning of the initials FBOP in teas mean. (Flower Broken Orange Pekoe). All teas originate from the same plant. Black tea is fermented, which among other things, gives tea its caffeine. Green, white and silver teas are not fermented. They have no caffeine. Gold tea is especially for the British monarchy. Gold and silver teas are Pekoe, or high-grade tea. We learned that most American have never tasted pure tea. Lipton buys tea at auctions, owning no tea plantations of their own. At auctions, teas are blended and mixed. England and other countries buy and sell quality teas. Ceylon teas are so good that they do not need sugar. They are neither extra sweet nor bitter. After tasting them, we were convinced that Sri Lankan teas are the best. Glen, Ceylon, Silver Tips, and Royal Flush teas are Sri Lankan pure teas.

That evening, our hotel held a Scotch taste test. A Scottish expert introduced me to 12-, 15-, and 18-year-old scotch whiskeys and demonstrated how to drink scotch. He told me that Americans ruin their whiskey by blending them with Coke and Sprite. I thought, “How churlish, uncivilized, barbaric and vulgar can one nation be?”

We learned that Sri Lankans eat three different varieties of bananas, a red one; a long yellow course one, which a friend said that many use mostly for cooking and baking; and a small fat one, like the ones that Joseph’s family brought us. The smaller ones seemed the tastiest.

Sri Lanka has a reputation for gems. I purchased a couple for Edna to remember Sri Lanka. I think that it probably says something about the two of us when she values gems, but I value an elephant ride and wearing a boa constrictor for a necklace. She received a massage and got her hair done the last day. I swam 25 laps in an Olympic size pool in the hot sun. Saying goodbye to our tour guide Rohan was difficult. We shared a lot. He became like family to us. He was surprised to learn that the USA has poor people. However, American poverty does not compare with that of Sri Lanka. We saw the truly poor. We saw people with broken bodies. We witnessed a man with a glass dip water out of a puddle that would sicken us to see a dog drink. We also learned of traditions, such as men wearing sarongs, a type of tribal male skirt, many of whom went shirtless. Several people did things for us that we did not request, that we could do for ourselves, desiring tips. Signs in the airport stated, “No Tipping.” Evidently, many people have done that to passengers, such as getting them their paper towels, and turning on the sinks in restrooms, with their hand held out for a tip. We limited our tips to those who actually served us a real service, even when they did not request it. On a couple occasions, workers in hotels exclaimed with surprise, “For me, sir?” when they realized that I was not giving them money for my bill of service. In such a poor country, we determined to be generous, but to be real. Nevertheless, we left Sri Lanka realizing that it holds a beauty seldom, if ever, matched in other parts of the world. If given the chance, we would enjoy returning. We would also recommend it to others.

Friends & Food in the Middle East: A Precious Combination

Two of the fascinations that we’ve come to appreciate about the Middle East are the friendships that we have built and the foods that we have tasted and discovered. Through our work with the school, our fellowship with the church, and living in our apartment complex, we have come to appreciate so many more nationalities than we realized in the US. Growing up in small town Illinois, most people were divided into three groups: whites, blacks, and Chinese. I recall one boy of Mexican descent, but I can’t really recall much more than that. There were more groups in college, including several that came from foreign countries. Over time, living in Pittsburgh enabled us to meet more diverse people, and over time, through travels, conferences and the like, we came to meet many more. But none of that was like what we have experienced in Qatar. Our small student body is made up of folks from 40 different countries alone. Additionally, we have visited several different countries. We have great friends who are New Zealanders, British, Pakistani, Jordanian, Palestinian, Egyptian, Turkish, Indian, Sudanese and many more.

Along with that, we’ve come to appreciate foods from various places. While we still eat at a lot of American chains, our most popular place is French. We’ve come to experience several different places and types of foods at the Souqs.  We’ve been introduced to most of these by friends. We regularly eat at a Turkish restaurant. But other favorites include Syrian (Damascus), Persian, Italian, and recently Yemeni.

The best combination is when good friends introduce us to new foods. This week we have had two dinner opportunities that introduced us to totally new foods. Good friends took us to lunch to experience Moroccan food. The husband is Bahraini and the wife is Moroccan. They ordered in advance, so that when we arrived at the restaurant, a dish was ready for us that takes a couple of hours to prepare. Each meal covered an entire plate, and was presented to us covered, so that when the lids were taken off, steam poured off of the dish. The meal had the aura of a stew, having been slow cooked and included chicken on the bone, mixed vegetables and various spices. Our drink was a ginger drink, which was potent. Combined with the hot meal, I found myself removing my suit jacket, outdoors. The meal was healthy, but tasty. We ate it with Middle East bread, which is a type of thin, almost flat bread that is light. Lunch was followed up with an assortment of Middle East desserts. I was particularly fond of a type of pudding that included fruits. The company and the food together were delicious.

The next night, our driver, a man from India, named Noushad, asked us if we would mind if he took us a home a different direction. We had no problems, but the different direction was simply a few blocks off of our daily route. A new world was opened up to us. We discovered all sorts of small restaurants and stores of various nationalities and ethnic foods. He ordered for us chicken from an Iranian take out place, which was wrapped in a tight bread wrap, so that it almost appeared as a wrap or gyro. He insisted that we eat the food hot, in the car, so that it would not cool down. It was extremely tasty. On top of that, he picked up bread that were like large pizza crusts, minus the cheese and meats. The meal was simple, but especially delicious.

We have discovered that it is through friends sharing with us ideas of foods and opportunities that we have been opened up to new and rich experiences. I mentioned to Edna that the places that we experienced are barely off the beaten path, but being unaware of them, we’d have been tempted to eat at the nearby McDonald’s had we been hungry. There is nothing wrong with McDonald’s, or other fast food American chains, but they do not begin to compare with the foods that we experienced with these two opportunities. And we experienced these new foods because of the rich friendships that we have come to know.

Hospitality is a central tenet of the Islam faith. Once the people know you, they do everything within their power to provide hospitality and protection. Interestingly, that is also an aspect of the Christian faith also, as demonstrated especially in the Gospel of Luke, the book of Acts and the New Testament letters. Unfortunately, it may be neglected in the day to day practices of many Christians and churches, because we have become so busy and too individualistic. We would be wise to reemphasize that aspect of our belief and praxis.

Over Christmas break, we spent three weeks in America. Different friends asked us about our safety over here, and wondered how safe we really are. The news is frightening. There are wars and acts of violence in many places in the Middle East or this general region. Our answer is generally followed up by a response of either that we are being prayed for, that we so brave, or that they could never do what we are doing. Obviously, none of us know how safe we really are at any given moment. We’ve had friends from this part of the world express sorrow and horror at the news of shootings in Orlando, San Diego, New Jersey and other parts of the US. People in this part of the world, mostly Muslims, genuinely care for and about America and our friends and family in the states. One of my high school friends expressed to me that we have lived an exciting life! God certainly has been and continues to be very good to us. But as beautiful as the lands and sights are that we have experienced, it is the people who have befriended us introduced us to new opportunities that have made us fall in love with this part of the world. The people and the foods are just a part of our experience of tasting God and experiencing that He is good. His creation is also good; very good!

Blessings and Happy New Year,

Bob & Edna

Go Steelers!

Go Pens!

It's Hot, Hot, Hot in the Desert!

Years ago, Edna joined me on a trip for meetings in Phoenix, Arizona during October of that year. As we ate breakfast under an awning at an outdoor restaurant across from our hotel, I asked the waitress about seeing the beautiful blue sky every day. We were surprised by her answer, when she responded, “We get tired of constant sunny days and look forward to the one or two overcast days a year that we get.” As someone from Pittsburgh, where “autumn” and “overcast” are nearly synonymous, this sounded almost blasphemous.

While we are not tired of sunny days, we’ve come to respect them a lot more than we did prior to our arrival in Qatar. We’ve come to appreciate that the sun can be dangerous! This is not simply the results of our semi-annual visits to the dermatologist, but the potency of the sun to play havoc with our lives. In 2004, our friend Mohammed told us that the temperatures never rise to above 140 degrees in Qatar. When I asked how they could be so sure, he replied, that the government quits measuring the heat at that temperature! In Doha, people take the heat more seriously, which means that those who must work outside begin their day earlier, in order to end their day earlier. Signs are posted that encourage people to hydrate. Qatari’s go to Europe and the states during the summer. But not everyone has that luxury. One of the side effects of the Qatari lifestyle is a deficiency of vitamin D to dangerous levels.

Edna and I accompanied 10 admins on a trip from the Middle East to Pittsburgh last June. The ladies left Pittsburgh with three noteworthy observations. First, they couldn’t get over the size of the houses in Pittsburgh, as our son Ryan and his family hosted us for our first meal. I told them that this was simply one neighborhood and that there were neighborhoods where the houses were even bigger than our son’s. Second, they couldn’t get over how green everything is in Pittsburgh, especially in June. The grass, the trees, the bushes and so forth compared to tranquil gardens in contrast to the brown sand and trees in Qatar. Those April and May rains in the US really pay off! Third, they couldn’t get over how long the sun stays up in Pittsburgh in June. As it was still sunny at 9 p.m., they asked, “How do you get the children in bed when it is so light?” I was reminded that we’d fry to death if the sun stayed up that late in Doha. 6 p.m. is about the maxim. However, as our daughter face timed with us, around 5:30 a.m. this past spring, she reacted to how sunny it was so early.

One of the questions that we get from people in the US has to do with the clothing that Arab folks wear. Someone once asked our dean if CMU was bringing the Arab world into the 21^st century, meaning, were we introducing them to western wear? The implication was that Arabs are backwards when it comes to modern dress. The dean noted that there is another group of people who wear “backwards” dress styles, and almost no one mentions it; namely Eskimos! The Arabs don’t wear the clothing that they do due to their religion, because Muslims from Pakistan and India don’t wear the same Arab clothes. They wear the Arab style thobes for men and the abayas and hijabs or niqabs for women, in order to survive the sun and winds. Their clothing can guard their faces from the wind and sand. The women wear black, while the men wear white in the summer and warmer months. Some men change to black thobes in the winter. I’ve heard scientists suggest that to our surprise, it’s actually been shown that black can be cooler in the heat of the desert than lighter clothing.

I’ve been swimming at our pool around 5 a.m. The water is fairly hot when I enter the pool before sunrise. After I swim laps around the pool, I actually get a little air on my face, when I take off the goggles and swim cap after swimming laps. The pool man says that no one is getting into the pool later in the day. I’ve hear people whose water tanks are on their roofs, say that in the summer, their hot water valve is actually cooler than their cold water valve, because the sun boils the water in the water tank.  

Our experiences with the sun actually have served to show us an unplanned idea. In speaking of the day of the resurrection, Jesus said that, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. If you have ears, then hear!” John the Seer said that there is no sun and no temple in the resurrection.  Those last words about ears to hear remind us that there is a cryptic message within this teaching. When Jesus spoke of people shining like the sun in the kingdom of their father, the images that we experience with the desert sun and heat, no doubt, are the kind of effect he had in mind, not just an attractive glow. C. S. Lewis once declared that every human being, man, woman, & child you meet is someone who, if you saw them now as one day they will be, would either make you recoil from them in horror or would strongly tempt you to worship them. It isn't the physical brightness that matters, though it may well be that in God's new world his true children will themselves be sources of light, not merely the recipients of light. What matters is the prestige & status they will have.

When I think of my two littlest grandchildren someday shining like the sun, I am amazed at the prestige and status that they will one day exude, even as today, they are simply my precious little ones who bring me more joy than I can imagine. The desert sun can remind us that life is more gran than we realize.

One of the results of living under the blazing sun of the desert is the awareness for and the place of prominence that water has, not merely in the everyday lives of Middle Eastern Arabs, but also in their art.  Water plays a prominent role as exemplified in the number of pools in the area. The structural design of the pools include an aspect of beauty that I don’t find in many pools in the US, unless they are attached to 5 star hotels or the like.

 In America, pools are generally rectangular, simple and pragmatic. They exist to cool us off and offer a chance to enjoy. Not much thought goes in their “presentation” to the eye. The styles in Qatar have the water come up to the top and are seldom simple or merely pragmatic. They contain architectural beauty that makes them inviting and welcoming. Additionally, water is artistic, from the look of Venice in the mall, to the fountain that looks like pitchers with water flowing.

Their design offers the idea of “refreshment.” Even our “Blue Room,” at CMU, next to the Admission Office area, is a beautiful use of water, complete with the sound of flowing water, bringing to mind the sound of a river’s flowing water, peaceful and tranquil. 








Psychologically, these “art forms” express beauty and refreshment in the midst of a dry, dusty desert, which has the effect of transforming our dusty, dry lives and experiences. The leaders of this country seem to appreciate that sprucing up the desert, as best that they can, has psychological effects that help shatter the natural dullness, boringness, and meaninglessness of desert living, refreshing and reminding us that life is worth living!

Middle East Heat

A couple of weekends ago, Edna and I had breakfast at Rik’s Kountry Kitchen, an American based restaurant in Doha.  The restaurant offers American cuisine and has American university and sports teams banners hanging all over from the rafters.  It appears that most of the schools and teams are those which are the favorites of the Americans who live in Qatar and have dined in the restaurant.  Therefore, the Pittsburgh Steelers are quite prominent.  It was excessively hot as we exited our car and headed for the restaurant.  An Arab man was outside selling honey to shoppers.  He told us that the honey was authentically from Yemen. Yemen has the reputation for having the best honey in the Middle East.  We told the man that that we would talk with him when we were leaving, after we finished eating.  Now the temperatures are extra hot in the desert at this time.  Edna found a web site that stated that the heat index placed the temperatures at essentially 138 degrees.  Needless to say, folks don’t stay outside any longer than they need to.  This man stood outside trying to sell many jars of honey for the entire time that we were eating, and more than likely all day.  Folks from the Middle East are somewhat used to the heat.  We’ve met Sudanese folks who live in the desert without air conditioning.  But I don’t see how anyone actually “gets used” to the desert.  There he was when we left, still selling his honey.  We bought a jar. 

Many folks take trips to the different countries of the Middle East.  CMU sends folks from Admission to recruit in the various Gulf Coast Countries.  Yemen is not one of those countries.  Yemen is in the middle of a war.  Most folks believe that the war is actually between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but is being fought in Yemen, at the expense of the Yemenis, and by Yemenis.  Saudi Arabia, abbreviated KSA, and Iran are opposites.  KSA is made up of Arabs, of the strictest Islam sect, Wahhabis, which is a fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam.  Iran is made up of Persians, and represents Shi’a form of Islam.  The “little people” are caught in the middle.  But there is an interesting story that we learned a few months ago.  Yemen has at least one church in the country, an Anglican-Episcopal church.  They haven’t been able to meet for worship since the war began, for obvious safety reason.  One day a few months ago, a group of terrorists determined to destroy the church building.  However, the people from the community surrounded the church, and told the would-be destroyers that they weren’t going to destroy “our church.”  Interesting, everyone who encircled the building was a Muslim.  None of them worship at the church site.  However, they called it “our church” because it is in their community, and they feel a burden to protect it as part of their “hospitality.”  Hospitality is a tremendous virtue to Arab Muslims especially.  These are the types of stories that never seem to find their way into western news stories.

The heat will continue to be unbearable for a couple more months, until around October.   Until then, eyeglasses steam up when one exits a vehicle.  There is also a haze, the skies are frequently sandy or dirty, and the air quality is not good. Then it will begin to cool and be nice.  The freshmen were here for orientation last week at CMU.  Classes will begin today. 

Our pool

With regard to foods, Qatar prohibits pork products and all products that originate or contain pork products.  Therefore, there is no ham, sausage, or pork ribs or rinds.  Likewise, there is no Jell-O or Peeps, because they contain pork products.  The hot dogs are all beef.  When they serve bacon or sausage, you can be assured that it is turkey bacon, ham or sausage.  Many call those products, “facon.”

Finally, one of the questions that we are asked by our friends in the states is, “what do Middle Easterners and Muslims think of the United States?”  I am sure that there are various thoughts, but for the most part, our experience is that they love America and Americans.  This week, a Middle Eastern female student stopped in to tell me that she is spending a semester of study at CMU in Pittsburgh.  Her facial glow was amazing and told the whole story. I have had at least 4 other students talk with me about spending a semester in the US, either they leave in a week or so, or they have just returned. They could not be more excited.  When I ask prospective students if they have traveled in the states, those who have beam.  The three most prominent areas that they have travelled are New York City, Orlando, and LA.  They love it. Folks from the Middle East keep up with our news and know a lot about our presidential election. When the massacres occurred in Orlando a couple months ago, folks shared their heart-break for America with Edna and me. Their comments included that this is how they have to live in their home countries all the time, (the threats of terror), but they don’t want it to happen and are stunned that it is happening in the US.  AS we spoke with a Canadian couple, the wife shared that she never realized how much Canada and the world depends on the USA until her family moved to Qatar.  The US represents the defeat of terrorism and other evil powers to many. (To be fair, there are others who remember fatal mistakes that America made or covered up even over 60 years ago involving the Middle East).

 Before we left Qatar for the US in June, the young man who takes care of the apartment pool, from Nepal, asked me if I would bring him a USA t-shirt. I figured, that would be easy with July 4^th and the Olympics coming. He wore a medium. But it wasn’t as easy as I figured, because with our busy summer of travel, I seldom shopped in malls and stores. I only was in an Old Navy store, and their selection was limited. I forgot about the request until we unpacked in Qatar, where I was glad that we got the Old Navy shirt. After a week, I finally connected with him and gave him the shirt. He giggled.  Two days later he showed me a picture on his camera phone from the previous day, wearing it proudly.  He was the envy of his friends and co-workers. Also, last spring, a couple folks misread the tenor of one of my responses to an applicant.  They called me in to ask me if I was tired of taking repetitive questions from applicants, and suggested that I answer like an American and not as a Middle Eastern Arab. When I explained what I had asked of the student, they realized that they had misunderstood my tone, that I was blunt, but my questions were sincere and not sarcastic. I’ve been told that folks miss Edna and me when we are away, because of our friendly and uplifting nature, speaking to everyone. My point is that they have a positive view of America and Americans for the most part, and think of us as benevolent, but powerful. While some Americans ask why so much of the world hates us, our experience is quite the opposite.  Furthermore, when I ask Muslims about ISIS, Taliban and the like, the general consensus is that those people are crazy. By this, they really do mean, insane! They’ve been killing their countrymen viciously for quite a while, way more than they have Americans a couple months ago.

Until next time, blessings.

Bob & Edna

PILGRIMAGE TO THE DESERT

Recently, after a Friday worship service, Edna & I joined two Brits to tackle the Doha desert.  We have known Kevin Armstrong for a year and have had great times of food and fellowship with him.  He is a frequent traveler to the desert, where he enjoys serenity, peace, and nature.  Frequently, he camps out in the desert.  He has been suggesting that Edna & I join him for a trip to the desert for quite some time.  Finally, everything worked out a few weeks ago.  Kevin is a free-lance photographer.  He introduced to us a fourth companion on the trip, a fellow Brit living & working in Doha, Brian Candy, who along with several other talents, is also a photographer whose works have been published in several national and world releases. He is a wonderful man, who also publishes a blog.  We are using his photos for the most part, and many of his ideas, because his photography is great.  He not only took great pictures, he would explain to Edna and me why he was taking different pictures and what his angle was attempting to bring out. 

Our day began in worship.  We then met in the fellowship room for some lunch.  As we walked to Kevin’s vehicle, we were surprised to be greeted by an unseasonable rain that would last for a few hours as we journeyed southward.  I am grateful for Brian’s map, which allowed us to appreciate our journey to the inland sea.  Kevin drove in his all-terrain SUV.  This was Brian’s first journey into the desert in the six years that he has lived in Doha.  We had been there three times on our first visit in 2004, but had not been there since we returned. 

Our trip began in the heavy rain, followed by a strong wind, a sandstorm and lightening and loud thunder.  Driving became treacherous, but Kevin was a master at navigating in the dark, sandy conditions. It was as if nature wanted us to know that the desert was no place for sissies.  We were up for the challenge.  

We drove to Mesaieed & pulled into a Woqod petrol station where Kevin not only refueled, but also let air out of his tires so that we could better travel in the sand of the desert.  We used this time to pick up some snacks, but also to change from our church clothes, to something more appropriate for the desert.  After grabbing the items that we needed, we proceeded down to Sealine, where the road ends and the desert begins.  We were fortunate that the rains stopped as well and the rest of our trip was dry. 

We began our trip in the salt flats. Even though it is a desert, we were far from being deserted.  Many others used the nice weekend day to travel to the desert, which is a usual sight.  Kevin took a ton of pictures, many of them action shots, and several as vehicles passed us.  The pictures that are most noteworthy are those of the sand dunes. 

An interesting sight is to see the experienced drivers approach the dunes from angles.  He appreciated the sun glistening down on the sand and tried to capture those moments. 

As we drove further south towards the Inland Sea, we came across one of the most fascinating sights, a ‘Dune Bashing’ casualty. Drivers of 4X4’s love to climb the sand dunes and then make their descent.  The desert is filled with vehicles racing away on weekends.   But sometimes they overestimate their driving abilities and they pay the price with their cars, and a few with their lives.

We came across two guys shortly after getting their collision with the sand. Kevin explained that this particular dune is actually named ‘The Stopper’. Weather can change the base of the dune into a shape that will stop drivers in their tracks if they come down too fast. These guys learned this lesson the hard way.

We came upon them immediately after their crash landing.  Kevin asked them if they needed help and they acknowledged that they did not, that they had made a phone call for help.  He later got to wondering if they were dazed or in shock.  As you can see from the picture, the vehicle went airborne as it came over the top, based on the absence of tire marks in the sand.  I’m guessing that for a few moments, they wondered if they hadn’t bitten off more than they could chew.  They would soon find out that they had.  From the sand marks on the hill side it becomes evident that they landed in the middle of the dune, only to come down hard on the front tires, blowing them both in a single band, which likely sent them airborne more.  Now they are lucky that they didn’t flip, because even their front grill and bumper took quite a bit of force and sent them flying.  When they finally came to a stop, they likely learned that they had no front tires to drive forward. Talk about letting air out of the tires.  From the heavy ruts in front of them it stands to reason that they then put their vehicle in reverse and attempted to back out of their predicament.  However, all they accomplished was the deep ruts of driving in reverse on their rims.  They basically were going nowhere.  We learned from Kevin that frequently these types of SUV’s will allow the driver to disconnect the anti-lock brakes, which both saves them, but also causes the accident to begin with.  

They were fortunate to be alive.  In 1998, four American women were killed on the same sand dune, because they had been told that to drive in the sand they needed to give the car extra gas, which is true going up.  However, if you go too fast coming down, this and worse are the results.  One needs to almost creep down to make it down in one piece.  We witnessed parts of cars strewn throughout the sand from prior wrecks.  As the old commercial used to say, “You don’t mess with Mother Nature,” and you don’t skirt the laws of creation.

Several drivers passed us throughout the day.  Kevin has driven this area so often that he has the map of the place sketched in his memory.  Good for us.  Had we left it up to me, we’d still be there, but our weight would be down.

We stopped near the inlet to witness the view of the inland sea that separates Qatar from Saudi Arabia.  It’s a beautiful sight, made even more beautiful by the beautiful sun coming down.

We stopped at the salt flats near the Inland Sea. Again, because Brian was the photographer, he is in none of the pictures. 

We saw the equivalent of modern day caravans.

The view was stunning. People set up places to camp, cook and swim.  Except for the sound of cars from time to time, the setting was most peaceful.  Our view was from the top of a dune.

 Finally, we set up a place where we could sit out, heat up food and drinks, and watch the desert sun go down in all of its majesty.

As day turned into evening, we found ourselves telling stories and corny jokes.  Since I’m the only one of the men to come from cornfields, I’ll let our friends guess whose stories and jokes were most corny!

As the evening set in, peace prevailed.  Edna didn’t find our “guy talk” as exciting as reading her email and searching websites.  It was amazing that even in the heart of the Qatari desert, she could still find reception.  Our friendship grew within the majesty of God’s great creation, as we took it all in.

We owe a special thanks to Kevin, whose suggestion and expertise made our trip possible.  Also, to Brian, who not only became a new friend, but also a wonderful photographer.  Who knew that the Middle East desert would seal a friendship between two Brits and two Americans?  

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