HX Report
Irishman in the Middle East
It’s sandy in the desert
MB is presently trying to depart Doha airport and it’s proving problematic.
A heavy sand storm last night has played merry hell with daily routines. Certainty has jumped out the window. Uncertainty and mayhem reign supreme. MB’s plane, that should have departed Doha approx one hour back, is nowhere to be seen. Air traffic control suspects it’s up there somewhere but can’t be sure. It’s difficult to see through millions of tonnes of airborne sand and dust.
What’s that you say lads? Radar. Radar my ass lads. The big radar dish has stopped spinning and it’s covered in sand. The Qatari kids are presently climbing all over it with buckets and spades and having great fun. The scene reminds MB of a big snowfall back home when everyone runs outside and makes a snowman. Same thing with a sand storm. Only it’s brown. Not white. And the sand is too dry and loose to make a snow/sand man.
Many passengers will now miss connecting flights in Sharjah, our hoped-for destination. There will be lots of weeping and knashing of teeth tonight in Pakistan and Sudan and Afghanistan when daddy does not arrive home with the bag of chocolates. Goats will go unmilked and camels will go hungry. Such is the aftermath of the apocalypse.
Lots of Mohammads and Fatimas are a tad agitated. A few are shouting at airport staff as if the storm was their fault. Maybe it is. You can never be sure with Phillipinos! Anyway, all those training courses the staff took in the early days of their employment are now kicking in as they smile and act all polite during the onslaught of abuse and sword attacks. None seem too badly damaged so one assumes they will be ok after visit to the airport clinic. Inshallah.
Still no sign of that plane landing. Or maybe it did but missed the runway. Or missed the entire country. And now lies somewhere outside the jurisdiction. God knows.
What to do? Not a lot. Time to order MB’s fourth cup of coffee. Hopefully there’s still some in stock.
HX Report 
Hahahaha! You gave me a great chuckle MB 🙂 You’re right : you can never be too sure about …. ‘anyone’ … can you? LOL!
We flew back in to Doha on Tuesday night. I lost my mobile phone on the plane, but QA was brilliant and got back to me today to tell me they’d found it. If ever you lose anything on one of their flights, message me … getting through the system is a true Chinese Wall. But in the end, it works.
Enjoy the vacation! Hopefully you’re 32,000 ft aloft as I type this 🙂
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Thanks G. Made it. Phew! Replying to you from Dubai. Large glass of Chablis in hand. Traumatised but recovering!
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Thanks G. Made it. Phew! Replying to you from Dubai. Glass of early-morning Chablis in hand. Traumatised but recovering!
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Too funny 🙂 About to move to Cairo this summer so a few sandstorms might be expected in my future. Happy travels even if they are sandy, Cheryl
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Thanks C. Posted that a short while ago. Still in trouble as I reply to you. Provisions getting low. Arabs getting high. Help!
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