Guest Blogger - "How I drive to work in Doha"

My friend Karen who lives with us wrote this account of her daily drives in Doha. Actually, it could really apply to any drive in Doha. She kindly let me post her vivid description.

"This is how I drive to work in the morning. My car is parked in the compound on the wrong side of the road in front of a fire hydrant. I drive out of the compound trying not to run over the children's bikes that are strewn everywhere. I drive out of the entry gate the wrong way because the exit gate is closed. I hope that no-one will hit me with their car. I drive past the mosque and try not to hit the boys who play soccer on the road everyday. I drive past two blind corners and hope that no-one hits me. I exit the paved road and drive across an ungraded rubble lot and try not to blow a tyre or hit any cars going the other way. I go around another blind corner and go across another rubble lot full of rabid stray dogs, turn left onto a sliproad which is also one way and pray that noone will hit me. I then do an illegal sharp turn onto the main road at great risk to my life because the traffic is doing 120kms... now I cross three lanes of traffic, drive to the roundabout, accelerate into the speeding traffic holding my breath and using all of my peripheral vision and lightning reflexes and pray that no one will hit me because if they do it will ALWAYS be my fault. Doha - race track.. the Grand Prix of the Middle East but no prize! Tomorrow I will do it all again.... Inshallah."