I hit 100 and he was still coming up behind me. By now I could see it was some tiny hatch-back. He got so close to me (bumper to bumper) that I breaked to get him to back off. When he did, I moved over to the right hand lane and looked into his car.

He was a police man. In fact, he looked like a traffic police man. ‘Oh reeeeeeaally?’ I thought. So I opened my window and he did too (we were both driving around 60 now and talking).

‘What do you think you’re doing putting my life at risk?’

‘What?’ he says.

‘Why are you speeding! It’s dangerous.’, I scream back.

‘YOU were speeding’, he replies. It’s obvious he’s trying to cover himself now.

‘Only to avoid being rammed into by you!’

He grins and by then I take it he’s just another idiot on the road, (except sadly he’s also shaming his uniform), so I raise the window and he shoots off.

*sighs*

update: just to be clear, this road was an 80km road and the person coming up behind me had just passed a camera.

My accident was a stupid one as well. While at a round about, I was turning right and there was a car in front of me. The road was clear. He accelerated to turn right, I looked left to ensure there were no cars, he continues turning right and for NO REASON, he slams on his breaks! I bang into him unable to swerve. I even followed the two second distance rule.

His car looked scratched up from the back but no way I could have done that! He explains that it wasn’t me, in fact it was caused by bikes hitting the back of his car. Bikes!! Even BIKES crash into him. He must slam on the breaks for fun!

So the Indian guy apologizes and says that his foot slipped onto the break… fine… We move our cars to the side and I ask to speak to his boss (He was a driver). I explain what happened and the guy was more than friendly and just seemed to care more about my health. We later went to the police station where I had to get a police report so that I could fix my bumper.

Filled out the forms and was told to come back the next day for the stamp of approval because they only stamped documents during the day. As the Indian man left, he shook my hand and said ‘thank you’ with a smile. I autonymously answered “It’s ok, take care.” and smiled back.

I headed off to Lexus so that they could order and spray the new bumper. After filling out the papers I was told that it would cost around 2,000QR (it’s 700 for the bumper, 100 for the paint, and around 1,200 for the labour!). I was shocked when they said it would be ready tomorrow!

“What? The lexus service which I loathe has improved?”, I asked myself. The next day I went back to the police station where I was shocked at how they treated me and others. They were amazingly friendly.

They were renovating the police department and it actually looks much better inside and out. As I approached the first desk, the woman smiled at me and asked for the paper. “300 QR and 3 points for parking on in a no parking zone”. (Side note, there were no signs or indications that it was a no parking zone). I paid. “Hope that God protects you from bad things. Take care of yourself.”, she says as she hands me the receipt. I get a stamp on the document that I need to take to the insurance company.

To my right, I see a black American man, he’s confused and doesn’t know where to go. “Hey sir, can you tell me where the registration desk is.”, he asks a police man standing on the side. He answers in his best possible English, “My friend, you in wrong place. Come, I show. How are you?”, he puts his arm on the guys shoulder and guides him. (and not in the LAPD way).

As I walk out, a man asks me where the traffic plates are, I point to the direction. He smiles and says “thank you, I’ve been trying to find it and didn’t know where to go, peacefull journey.”.

It was almost as if this was traffic fine bliss. Imagine a paradise. Clouds. Smiling people. All waving their traffic fines high up over their heads as if they’d won the lottery.

I drove to the insurance department to get some new papers which I had to hand over to Lexus. While cuing, a British man starting talking to me how he’d reversed into a pole in his Porsche and felt stupid. We chatted about how the weather was getting better while waiting for our turns. After finishing off, I got into my car and headed back to the office. I was going to go to Lexus after work.

Lexus called me. -_-.

“The bumper will take three more days, you know what, it’s a weekend in three days, let’s just say next week.”, a man says.

“Whatever. Fine.”, I say. You don’t even bother with Toyota Qatar. They suck. Oh well, at least most of the day was nice.

I read an article on the Gulf Times (see here) where ‘Bachelours’, were being WHIPPED if they tried to enter family areas.

I was in the souq a few days ago and saw the police turning away Indians (or labourers) trying to enter specific areas of the souq. Those areas being where the cafes and restaurants are.

At that time, I saw one police man say “No entrance here, go to the other area of the souq”. On the other hand another police man said “Go! Get!” and shoved some of them away.

However now they’ve resorted to whipping?! It’s just unacceptable! Fine, maybe some may not understand, how about you employ an Indian police guy to translate. How about you put a sign up in THEIR language to let them know which areas are family areas.

I’ll be honest, I’ve heard stories from women saying that some men stand there and stare at them while they’re at the cafe and ‘touch’ themselves… That’s something they should be whipped for probably, but hitting them as if to steer them like cattle is just… I’m lost for words. I’m going to contact the Human Rights Authority to see what they have to say about this but WTF???

The thing is, there aren’t that many social areas in Qatar these days because everything is under construction. I understand that sometimes, it’s not a pretty site when you have some labourers, not dressed well, sometimes reaking of B.O., and staring and touching themselves, but it’s still wrong to whip.. 

I don’t even know what to say, and in this case, I really don’t have a suggestion to make to make both sides happy… the labour city will help that’s for sure (with the malls, sports complexes and gardens for them) but it’s not enough… 

Perhaps some of the readers of this blog can comment and shed some of their own insight?

Side note: Family areas in Qatar Souq Wagif, Souq Najda, and The Corniche. The family times are until 7pm. Then it’s open to everyone