Thursday, September 12, 2013

Desert Kokeshi 16 砂漠のこけし16

Last week a good friend brought me on an all-day adventure, and yes, the Togatta kokeshi was with me  the whole time. We went to various places, starting the day seeing some sand dunes and Qatar's western shore. I've never seen real sand dunes before, and they are spectacular. According to one source I read, the dunes were created when the Persian/Arabian Gulf was a river valley during the last ice age (when the ocean levels around the world were much lower than today), and the sand from what used to be the bottom of the sea blew onto the land that is now Qatar. This area is also the location of some oil refineries and tourist spots offering camel rides into the dunes. Overall, absolutely fascinating and a highly recommended trip!
سلام 
In the background is a stack for burning unusable gases from either an oil or natural gas well located out in the dunes.

Yep, those are camels.
On a massive dune.
Dunes as far as the eye can see.

A view from the top of a dune.
It's hard to tell, but I'm on top of a dune and right behind the kokeshi is a sharp drop down.
Hey look, the ocean!

Qatar's western shore has beautiful beaches that go on forever in both directions. The water is very warm and the sand is perfect. Koekshi, I have found, like going to the beach.

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