The first kite festival in Doha, Qatar was a fabulous experience. I arrived in Qatar with little information concerning the country’s customs, culture and history but I did have 8 maxi Peter Lynn kites and all the gear to go with it.
Upon entering the city of Doha, I found a city that was literally emerging from the ground up. Everywhere you looked there were high-rise buildings, housing communities and shopping malls under construction; certainly a country that wants to re-define itself as a developing economic, high tech country.
The festival was something to be amazed with. No expense was spared. The fly field was large enough to hold many more kites than we flew. Spectators were given free delta kites and toys. There were food vendors, an RC car track, games for the children, and a late night movie on an enormous out-door movie screen.
As I watched the families flying their kites and having fun, I though to myself, “these people live half way across the world yet their desire, hopes and dreams are similar to my own.” From this experience I learned as a looked up into the sky and saw all those kites flown by spectators and professionals alike, that we really are one people. Though we live so far away from each other and our traditions and customs are different, we still fly under the same sky; which made us for those three days and nights united.
Thanks goes to the event organizers from Q-tel, Peter Lynn and Associates, Andrew Beatty and the Kuwait team for an unforgettable experience.
An unforgettable experience…
David Hoggan