After a brief conversation with the rental car guy, I signed a piece of paper and handed over another photocopy copy of my passport (I think people just collect these as you seem to have to hand one over for just about everything you do) then proceeded outside to the rental car guy’s offsiders (rental car guy’s guys?) where they did a quick check over the car and handed over the keys after I signed yet another form. So for 1650 riyals a month we have a brand new Lancer (brand new in terms of I think it had only been driven from where ever it came from out to the school for me to collect). Just your basic small 4 door automatic car, but has the all-important air-conditioning. If anything goes wrong with it they give us a new one. Likewise when it is ready for it’s 1000 klms service, we get a new one! Must admit I love the number plates here!
We are allowed to drive for the first 7 days after our arrival on our Australian licenses, but then have to get a temporary Qatar license until the the Residence Permit comes through. Then you can apply for a full Qatari driving license ... but more about all that later!Driving on the wrong side of the car was relatively easy (although I have the habit of hitting my left hand on the door when I try to put it in P). Went for a short drive around the inside of the school’s fence first to get use to turning etc. Really, driving on the other side isn’t too bad… when there is no traffic at least! Drove back home which was a bit scary and made me realise why people have powerful cars (the Lancer is a little like our old Daewoo!) Anyway we did make it home in one piece; so we survived our first experience driving on the roads of Doha (and that is a good thing).
Later in the day went for a drive to the local Carrefour to get more essentials (yet another huge hypermarket). They are building a huge shopping complex beside Khalifa Stadium (the main Games venue) called Vallagio (but at the moment Carrefour is the only store in the centre which is open). The strange thing is that Vallagio is also right next door to Hyatt Plaza (the one with the huge green shopping trolley out the front… just like the big pineapple or the big cow)… oh well we aren’t going to complain as it is all just a few minutes drive away from home.
Well I should elaborate on the “few minutes away from home” thing! There are major road works on Al Waab St, which is the main arterial road leading to the sports stadiums. For us to actually get to the centre’s we have to either go around the block (block being a huge understatement) or drive all the way along Al Waab St to the next major roundabout and then drive all the way back. I know no one can follow this, but it is a long way.
For our first adventure I decided the around-the-block route would be safer… wrong! Along Salwa Road there is a huge roundabout that has a fort on it (naturally called Fort Roundabout so I am lead to believe). If you ever drive in Qatar, start with the small roundabouts! Anyway we did get to drive pass the entrance to Doha Zoo which is not far away at all (will wait until it cools down a little before heading there though). After that road got a chance to fight through another roundabout then head for what seemed a few kilometres along Al Waab St towards town – through make shift roundabouts (yes, even in the road works), single lanes that get turned into dual lanes by Range Rovers and Land Cruisers… then you get to another roundabout and get to do it nearly all the way back again. Was not fun and not a good introduction to driving here (although it is all getting better now, and the road works are progressing but more about that all later). The traffic here freaks Kerry out, but I just think it is scary to begin with and sooner or later you will get used to it to at least some level of acceptance!
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