Then the work begins. The bachelor, the tall, handsome Mansoor Al Mansoori, uses this secret hideaway on weekends-from Wednesday through Friday-to chill out with his homeboys and "remember the old life," his best friend, Rashid Juma Othman Al Thamimi explains.

>From the look of the neighborhood, this sounds like a good place to remember the days gone by when life was harder and the locals didn't live in Malibu-style mansions. For as long as the eye can see there is nothing, but the occasional crumbling shack or small thirsty plant. Other than that we are alone, bouncing along in a Nissan 4x4 over kilometer after kilometer of rocky, dusty terrain.

Sitting in the front seat, I can barely believe these guys can remember where they left this "weekend spot." Periodically they make turns that are completely unmarked by signs or other landmarks. I sit there quietly amazed that they remember how to get there.

Sure enough they know exactly where they are going and before I know it, they pull up near two aluminum trailers and say, "we're here."

"Here?" I wonder, as my hosts hook up the generator. "Where is here? There is certainly nothing here. Certainly no bachelor pad." It is then that Al Thamimi explains that locals come to places like this to reminisce about the past when life was simpler. I make some sort of half-baked joke about how it must be relaxing to get away from it all and rough it for a few days without television and telephones. Al Thamimi laughs. "Oh we have satellite TV here," he tells me. "During the summers we watch it over there," he continues, pointing to a metal platform next to his trailer. "In the winter, when it is cooler, we watch it indoors."

Reluctant to give the guys the wrong idea, I take a quick tour of the one-bedroom bachelor pad that they've told me they've decorated themselves. The living room features elaborate sofas lining the perimeter of the room. There is a large television on one side and a telephone on the other. Rather comfortable-looking, the room features a multi-colored flashing light on the ceiling that reminds me of a 1970s dance club. "Disco," Al Mansoori laughs pointing to the now spinning light.

The bedroom-also rather cozy looking-has two single beds inside. Somewhat eager to leave it as quickly as possible, I ask what they do on weekends. "We mostly play volleyball," Al Thamimi explains.

Surprised and imagining them playing the game in their long white thoabs, I ask, "What do you wear?" With a that's-a-silly-question look in his eye, Al Thamimi explains, "We just take our gotras (head cloth) off and tie our thoabs up to our waist and play." Of course. How could I be so silly as to think they would change into Western sweatpants?

The game plan for the weekend at the bachelor pad varies slightly from day to day but follows a fairly predictable routine. On Wednesday afternoon Al Mansoori and his friends drive from Doha with everything they will need: Arabian coffee, good tea, chicken, rice and any other food they hope to eat. Upon their arrival, they play a little five-on-five volleyball. The winner of two of the games is the day's champion. When the sun begins to set, the gang retires to the living room to watch the news and films on television, while their Bangladeshi cook prepares dinner in the other trailer. As a snack, they eat sunflower seeds and drink Arabian coffee. For dinner they usually serve a Kabesh of some kind, which is a mixture of rice and either chicken, fish or meat. For a change of pace, they sometimes barbecue. After dinner, the group sits around and tells stories for three or four hours. Quiet by nature, Al Mansoori mostly listens. His friends, however, spin good tales. Around midnight they all go to sleep.

The following morning the cook usually prepares cheese omelets, which the guys eat as they sip tea with milk. Between breakfast and lunch, the activities vary. Sometimes they teach young children to drive, as there is positively no way to get into an accident in this wide-open desert. Other times they play sports, including basketball, though it is impossible to dribble a ball on the rocky desert floor. Lunches consist of the same foods as dinner.

During the afternoon, the guys either take naps, play card and board games or help Al Mansoori on work around the trailer, either repairing things or building new facilities for volleyball or for the satellite television. All in all, it sounds like a relaxing time. And the bachelors clearly love the weekends they spend together, roughing it in this desert oasis. On Friday evenings they return home, to their super-sized sand castles, where they live with their parents until the day they are married and are no longer just one of the guys.