Qatar

Arabic text - written right to left.

Outdoor musical performance at the Souq Waqif.

Arabic man at an outdoor cafe near Souq Waqif.

Muslim schoolboys - just happy to be photographed.

Quintessential camel on the desert sands.

Arabian purebreds on display.

Museum of Islamic Art - created by architect I.M. Pei  [re the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris] - houses the largest collection of Islamic art in the world.

Sweeping staircases inside the main chamber.

Gold, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, enamel, silk, metal thread in one exquisite piece on display.

Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhaab Mosque - the largest religious structure in Qatar.

A passageway along an exterior corridor of the mosque.

A small corner of the vast men's prayer hall - constructed of 99 domes. The women's area is upstairs and much smaller.

Dominique led a discussion on the fundamentals and the Five Pillars of Islam. We learned a lot regarding similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity.

Offered here for consideration - Jesus and Mohammed shown diagramatically side by side.

Handsome Arab men .....

..... veiled women - only the eyes are exposed .....

..... and the truly bizarre.

Famar - Qatar Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque.

Inside the men's prayer hall where I was invited to observe the evening prayer. This area is generally restricted to Muslim men.

A lamb dinner we were invited to attend upstairs in the cultural center. Men in one room - women in another.

Burj Qatar - one of the modern super highrises on the shore of Doha Bay.

Doha - a modern capital city still very much in the making.

New land is built out into the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf.

Sun sets over the Arabian Peninsula.

Oman

A local Omani man finds some shade in the heat of the day.

Grand Mosque and plaza - modern Islamic architecture in polished white Omani marble.

Inside the men's prayer hall - the largest Persian carpet in the world - 6oo women spent 4 years to weave.

Omani coffee and dates were served to us after our visit of the mosque.

We discussed the fundamentals of the Quran - after which I was provided a complimentary copy.

A group of Muslim men in a discussion - dressed in standard Omani clothing.

Old mosques such as this one in Qurm as well as several forts are being carefully restored.  We were invited to have tea with the Italian architect in charge of renovations and structural upgrades to the Al-Mirani Fort in Old Muscat, originally built by the Portugese in the 1580s.

Sultan Qaboos has reigned Oman for 42 years and is much respected throughout the Arab world. This portrait is an intricate pattern of mosaic tiles.

Main entrance to the Sultan's sprawling palace. Prince Charles was hosted here the same week we were in Oman.

An Arab man walking past a latticed window outside a mosque.

Islamic style buildings along the main street adjacent the Corniche in Mutrah.

Jane against the backdrop of a colorful ancient door.

A mosque along the Mutrah Corniche lights up at dusk.

Frankincense and myrrah oils - right out of biblical times - available in the souq.

Frankincense aromatics are released - pieces of dried sap are placed on a small piece of charcoal.

Omani silver at a stall in the souq - we bought a small piece.

Royal Opera House in Muscat - opened just 2 years ago.

Architectural splendor inside the upper foyer.

Rolls Royces .....

Lamborghinis .....

Road signs were the tipping point - we preferred to travel in the orange and white Toyota taxis.

A home on Marsa Al Abyad peninsula.

A man looks out over the Sea of Oman.
 

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok  1  .....  Jim and Jane  0.

The city never sleeps - it's all out there to be had - no holds barred.

Ladyboy 1 - strutting his stuff in front of Starbucks.

Ladyboy 2 - drumming up business on Sukhumvit Road.

Ladyboy 3 - working at the spa next door to our hotel.

VW vans with pop-up roofs become instant bars along the side streets at night.

Jim Thompson's House & Museum - his disappearance remains a mystery.

Thai woman wearing and spinning raw silk.

Fine bone china - part of his collection - on display in the museum.

Chakri Maha Prasat Hall.

Phra Siratana Chedi dominates the multitude of roofscapes at Wat Phra Kaeo.

Vast expanses of intricate mosaic tiles clad the temples.

Mythical figures support the base of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Additional figures support another gold temple.

gold ..... gold ..... gold

Prayer offerings take various forms amidst the temples.

Devout followers apply gold leaf to a small statue of buddha.