The Bats Come Out

Doha, as a city, was never popular for its night life. I have seen life here since I was 12. I remember the streets largely empty, and that was during the rush hour!! But now, it seems to be changing.
Yesterday, as I was returning from the office at 3 in the morning, I was amazed at the amount of traffic that was out. And these were not people returning from a late party. Rather, they were just young people generally hanging out. This wasn't the scene just six month ago. I am witnessing a tectonic change in the Doha lifestyle, the changing perception to life in general. Now, let me clarify that by night life, I don't mean booze and women and wild parties, ala in the West and, sadly also in India (these were present, albeit discreetly, for a long time here as well). By night life, I mean people just hitting the road in their cars and roaming on the streets. The good part of the night life here is that due to strict laws against drunken driving, one rarely encounters and rash driving. The locals here are just cruisin' and thats good. Plus, there is the coming of more nationalities like Nepali and Filipinos here, that makes Doha more cosmopolitan that it already was. Most small restaurants now remain open all night, and they do most of their business during that time as well.
In fact, all of this inspired me to write a book on the emerging night life in Doha. But then I realized that I really haven't been out there, talking to people about what the night life is all about. BUT I WANNA WRITE A BOOK!! So, not sure about what to research and what the tone of the book should be, but I have decided on the name. Its 'The Bats Come Out'. Cool, huh? On the other hand, I really have not much build on, other than my own observations, so I will write a very personal account of the emergence of night life in Doha, Which I mostly missed even though it happened right before my very own eyes. The name of the book? 'My Eyes Were Closed: A Personal Account of How I Failed to See The Emerging Night Life In My City'. Now to find a publisher before I start writing.....