Asia

[Visited: September 2008]

As it was still hot during the day, I left with the first morning light from Doha to reach Al Khor after an easy drive up north. Even then, the heat was suffocating already when I got off the car just after 6am, right on the Corniche of Al Khor. A lonely fisherman was wading through the shallow waters, dragging a plastic basket with his catch to the shore. I walked to the harbour, which saw a lot of activity at this early hour. Fishermen were sitting on the quay to repair their nets, others were inspecting and repairing huge metal cages. Once a town famous for pearl fishing and much older than Doha, Al Khor has now developed into a fishing town.
It was obvious that these men were not Qataris; in fact, when talking to them, I quickly found out that my impression was right. These were all Indians, coming here for the season and living in Qatar half the year to go fishing in the Persian Gulf. They were all friendly, organizing things on their boats, repairing their nets, getting big chunks of ice on the boat to better preserve their catch, cleaning the deck, or just chatting with their fellow fishermen. Despite the activities around me, the atmosphere felt relaxed and pleasant.
I walked to the end of the quay, stayed around to watch the life of the fishermen unfold on this early morning, and walked back. I was sweating heavily under the combination of heat and humidity, and noticed that the Indians, too, were dripping wet and complaining about the climate. At the other side of the harbour, several boats had been taken ashore and were being repaired. This day, the fish market was closed, so unfortunately I could not see what fish had been caught. As the fishermen of Al Khor took to their boats to relax, it was time for me to escape the heat as well.

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Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Al Khor Fishermen (Qatar). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Al Khor Fishermen.
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Al Khor Fishermen > Qatar > Asia

[Visited: September 2008]

Around the World in 80 Clicks