Originally Posted on March 19, 2022

One wrong turn before the sink hole and another wrong turn afterwards led to unexpected adventures involving a fruit farmer and furry friends.

First Wrong Turn

“Are you sure we should turn here?” I asked my friend as I approached a fence guarding private property.

I’d driven an hour away from Doha, and we were deep into the desert backroads.

He nodded.

Onward I drove.

“It’s not paved, but at least there are rocks and not mushy sand,” I said as I drove slowly along a tire-marked path in the dirt.

To our left and right, as far as we could see, were fruit plants in rows. These tough plants apparently thrived in the desert.

Every three minutes or so, we passed a villa. Each villa had its own private spot in the massive desert.

“If my parents lived in Qatar, they would live here—on the countryside,” I said, pointing to a modern villa enclosed by a gate.

The GPS on my phone showed the sinkhole to be 10 minutes away, but we came to dead end. By this point, the car could not drive any further without damaging plants.

Sitting in the idle car, we looked in the rearview mirror.

A man, who appeared to be the fruit farmer, was walking toward us.

“I think we are in his personal field,” I said. “See his villa up there?”

Boldly and cautiously, I stuck my foot to the accelerator, looked out the back window, and drove in reverse toward the man.

He continued walking toward us.

Soon, he met us at my window.

I took a deep breath and hit the button to roll down the window.

“Sir, I am so sorry,” I said. “We are trying to find the sink hole.”

“No problem,” he said.

He had a full smile, and the sunlight sparkled in his eyes.

“Thank you so much, sir,” I said. “We’ll be out of your way soon.”

After finding a spot clear of plants to turn the car around, the man met us at the passenger seat window. We apologized again, but he waved it off.

Then, he said something completely unexpected.

Motioning to the fruit plants next to his villa, he said, “Please, have some fruit.”

He was kind enough to invite us, the accidental trespassers, to take his fruit.

I said “thank you” again—and before I could ask him his name, he was walking back up to his villa.

I turned off the car, and we stepped out to check out the fruit.

I took three little green fruits that were the size, texture, and shade of unripe cherry tomatoes. To this day, I do not know what they were.

Destination Beneath the Earth

After we made our way to the paved road, we headed back the way we came and discovered that we missed a turn the first time around.

The “turn” to the sink hole had no sign. We merely veered off the road and into the sand and drove another 7 minutes. Nervous about the terrain, I drove slowly and dodged sharp rocks.

The sink hole itself also did not have a sign. But we saw a yellow fence surrounding what was clearly a hole in the ground.

I knew I would see a hole in the ground. I did not know I would be able to walk down inside the hole.

Wearing a long, black dress and sandals, I was not dressed for a hike—but on a hike we embarked.

Of all my Qatar adventures, this one showcased the most natural beauty of the Middle East.

I took my time descending into the sink hole. The rocks, a variety of smooth and jagged, were covered in dust and not all stable enough to serve as steps.

The further into the cave we dove, the cooler the air became. Finally, we reached the rock-free, sandy bottom of the sink hole—which was about 100 meters down.

We lingered there for a while and looked at the graffiti on the rock walls surrounding us. Sunlight shone from the hole above and poured out over the descending rocks. We stood in the shadows below and looked in awe at the white light piercing the darkness.

I felt small and, at the same time, inspired by the fact that this place, in its natural state, was without a flaw. Our Creator’s creation was perfection.

This sink hole, named Musfur, is the biggest in the Middle East, according to the CNN article “Musfur Sinkhole: The Chasm in Qatar’s Desert.”

“This distinctive environment is the product of slightly acidic water acting on soluble bedrock such as limestone. As the water infiltrates the rock, it gradually weathers, forming openings.

“As time passes, these cavities get filled with sand and soil. When they become large enough and the arch opening collapses, a sinkhole is formed,” the article states.

Another Wrong Turn

After taking a break to eat chocolate and drink water in the car with the windows down, my friend and I headed back to the paved road.

After I made a wrong turn, we ended up passing a farm of furry friends.

Over the next half hour, we walked from one gate to another to take photos of the camels, goats, ducks, roosters, ewes, rams, and horses.

To me, the goats were the most entertaining and friendly of the bunch. A large, long-haired albino goat tried to gnaw his way through the fence as we greeted him. Near the back of the pen, a petite albino goat with a shy demeanor looked at us with wonder in his whitish blue eyes. They reminded me of the fainting goats, a mother and baby, that my family and I had when I was still a student at Bray-Doyle High School.

On the drive back to the big city, I felt refreshed after an afternoon in the sunshine and dirt.