I4279CGdavidw
08 Apr 2023
IF YOU ARE LUCKY, then Nadeem will be your guide! Took the Quickie 4 Hour and he was fun to speak with; also, he seemed to pay close attention to the ability of passengers during off-roading. It was fun, and the scenery was like being insidr an art painting. HOW TO APPLY: 1 or 2 emails of coordination after the online portion; they respond fast, even on short notice. Then the driver contacts you to arrange pick-up time/location. Quickie Desert option: Nadeem shows up to the Doha Hilton front door 10 minutes early; jump in, and learn cool history of Doha and World Cup on the way out of town. Rest stop is set up in a traditional Bedouin style, with options for Camel or Pony rides up the first dune, and a chance to hold a Falcon on your arm. Prices are great. Hit the toilette, and do not refuse the amazing Black Tea. After that, you just enjoy the ride. As a policy, they cannot drive alone (emergency vehicle tow, communications, first aid, etc), so we waited at the first stop another 15 minutes~ and we turned into a 5 vehicle adventure, with extra people willing to "hold the camera" for group photos. Next stop was a tall sand dune, with the kids and grandmothers attempting "sand-boarding"... Last stop was the Inland Sea, where you can take selfies with 2 different nations behind you. The evening tour allows viewing sunset, so make sure to remember to select "panorama mode" on your phone camera ;) On the way back, one more pit-stop at a facility. Nadeem's friend re-adjusted the tire pressure for highways so he could eat (Nadeem was driving us during the day's Ramadan Iftar about 15 minutes prior). Then Nadeem showed us the protective center for Oryx. Really cool and beautiful. Then we left the convoy and got dropped off at our hotel door-step. It seems like every driver is different, so consideration of tips/gratuity may be proper. The driver opens the door and says "good night" so maybe it is up to the culture of the tourist when it comes to tipping/gratuity. Nadeem was a safe and exciting driver, and i think he can drive even more adventurous if he had a crew of only 20 year old male passengers LOL; but if your grandmother is in the vehicle, i sensed he will be respectful. Good enough to race in the Baja 1000, i had to show Nadeem that upside-down Jeep bumper-sticker "If you can read this, please flip me over". Cold water was provided; i packed emergency food and snacks just in case, but did not need any with their overlapping safety precautions. Did not need sunscreen or swim gear or flip flop sandals on the 4-hour evening tour either. Thanks, Nadeem, for showing us beautiful Qatar!