Doha Zoo

Me, disobeying the one Cardinal Rule of all Zoos

Qatar doesn't have much to offer as far as entertainment for kids. It is not Dubai--no fake ski hills, no shark tank waterslide, and no venetian canals. Doha has other things to offer (or so I am told), but a plethra of activities for children is not one of them.

However, we were able to find one thing that could fill a Saturday morning--The Zoo. The weather has been unbearable up to this point so we have avoided this activity thus far. But the minute there was a breeze, we took our kids and two neighbor kids to check it out. It is a far cry from San Diego, but it does have its charms. For instance:

1. Grass. This is worth the trip alone. It feels like a tropical paradise compared to what is outside the gates. Look, when you struggle to keep your 2 by 2 foot patch of grass in your front yard alive, this much greenery seems like the Garden of Eden.

2. Birds. I realized how I have never heard a bird sing since we left Nepal. No trees=No happy chirping. After living at our Nepali aviary, my heart missed waking to the song of birds. It was a painful reminder of how few birds can actually endure the blasted heat of Qatar.

3. Oryx. The one wild animal in all of Qatar can ben seen here. Otherwise, you don't stand a chance of seeing any wild animals in this sandpit. It is too bad they have been hunted to almost extinction because they are beautiful animals.

4. Relaxed Atmosphere. The only other option to fill your weekend is to visit a mall. The malls are crowed and loud. This is the one place that you don't have to see stinky money everywhere. It also takes me away from all those insane Land Cruiser drivers. We loved the solidarity and peaceful atmosphere. It is hard to find in these parts.

Ever since we discovered the zoo, I have been back 3 times. It also has a fantastic playground that rarely requires sharing. I love not sharing.

I am ready to camp out there for the week, or month, or at least until I can no longer sleep outside because of the heat. The heat is going to creep up on me quickly and when it does, I will end up spending time at the stinky mall with the stinky money. I would much rather be with the stinky animals.