Al Wakra is changing
I took my first visit to Al Wakra in almost a year.
As usual, it's changed.
(Things rarely remain the same for long in Qatar!)
On the main road you can see new shops - a pizza hut, a fast food joint.
But it's the beach area where things have really changed.
Beach
Head to the beach area, and where there was rough area, a mangrove swamp and some old ruined buildings, you can now see the construction of old buildings.
(Does that sound strange? Think Souq Waqif. They're new, but they look old.)
The park, sadly, is gone. So are the mangrove swamps, a former haven for birds and a nursery for fish.
The beach, though, looked pretty. The tide was up when we were there, and the beach curved round in a lovely semi-circle leading to a jetty I am sure was not there before.
Dhows, both old and new were pulled up on the beach, but neatly, while old new buildings with coloured door lined up around the side.
Swimming
We swam, as best we could in the shallow water.
You need to be careful. Sharp stones mix with sludge underneath the water. But there's no need to put your feet down.
The water is so salty that you can put your feet up and float without a twitch of your fingers. We did just that, lying on our backs and admiring the clear sky and the declining sun.
Afterwards, I noticed an elderly Qatari couple, the woman veiled, walking along the edge of the beach together in the sunset, dipping their feet in the sea and enjoying the feel of the sea against their bare legs.
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