Doha, Qatar
We left America two days ago but we’re still not there yet! Once again we’ve found ourselves with a long layover in Qatar as we make our way to Africa. This time, however, there are a few differences.
First, we’re traveling with friends! My best friend since elementary school and her fiancé are joining us on this safari adventure and that has helped to make the last two days of travel less excruciating and much more fun. This was most evident when we were lucky enough to have the travel points available to book a business class 4-person “pod” on the 13 hour flight from DC to Qatar.
Basically, our seats faced their seats and the wall in between us could be moved aside so we could talk and see each other. All four of our outside walls could be closed so our talking and laughing didn’t disturb the others around us. And we all got matching pajama!
Second, we actually had time for some activities in Qatar! Upon arriving in Qatar, we all stopped into the arrivals lounge for snacks and showers. Then, we headed off to meet our private tour guide.
Qatar airways offers excursions to passengers with layovers and we were able to book a private 4-hour driver/tour guide for only $25 per person.
Our guide’s name was Jims and he was originally from Nairobi, Kenya - so we really got double the bang for our buck because I grilled him with questions about Kenya, as well as, Qatar.
Immediately upon exiting the air conditioned sanctuary of the airport we realized how seriously hot Doha is. Our tour started at 6pm so the sun had just set and Jims told us how lucky we are that it was so nice and cool now - at 94 humid, sweltering degrees!!!
Jims said that during the summer temperatures often rise to the 120s and people seen walking outdoors can be arrested by law enforcement for attempting suicide.
Along with those interesting factoids, Jims offered us a comprehensive tour of the city including a few short stops at the Islamic Museum of Art, the Kahara Cultural Center and the Souq Waqif Market.
The Museum was closed already but the grounds outside and the building itself were beautiful enough to keep us entertained (and our mind off the heat) for a short visit. From there we could see a glimpse of the harbor and the city skyline across the water. The skyline was one of the more attractive ones I’ve seen.
There were several huge skyscrapers with unique designs all lit up with different colored lights that gave the skyline an eclectic but professional look.
Our next attraction was a drive through the very expensive human-made artificial island The Pearl. Built in 2015, it houses 12,000 residents and was the first place in Qatar where foreigners could purchase land. We opted not to get out for a stop here because there was nothing any of us could afford to buy anyway!
We did opt for a stop at the Katara Cultural Center with a huge amphitheater, a mosque and some other cultural buildings.
Our final and longest stop was a one hour visit to the Souq Watif Market. Here Jims dropped us off and let us explore our our own for the hour. This was a a really exciting experience as the market really gave the vibe of exactly what you’d expect an evening market in the Middle East to look like.
Tons of tightly packed alleyways full of locals selling their spices and carpets and animals and dishes and art from street-side stalls and tiny stores.
It was a market buzzing with life and people and cafes teaming with patrons relaxing barefoot on cushions and old men smoking hookah in traditional garb and young people sitting around tables sharing coffee and tea.
We really enjoyed getting lost inside the market and even stumbled upon a “Bird Market” inside the main market which had several vendors selling really exotic looking birds and some little baby bunnies who just laid out in the open with no cage and weren’t even hopping away.
Our travel companions were able to snag a really cool piece of art and we all enjoyed some iced beverages at a coffee house before heading back to Jims who took us for one last drive through to city before returning to the airport.
We killed the next 3-4 hours in the Al Mourjan lounge at the airport. The lounge was one the nicer ones Josh and I have visited and featured a giant reflective pool in the center.
Though I was in the bathroom when it happened, the rest of the group watched a little tense drama when two men entered the business lounge area - mistaking it for the smoking lounge area - and lit up. A few patrons politely asked them to put the cigarettes out but two others apparently started yelling some xenophobic things like “we don’t want Saudies in here.” It apparently got pretty intense with the shouting match occurring right over the heads of our group. Just goes to show, there are always going to rednecks no matter where you go.
Right now I’m writing this blog (to post later) from our flight to Tanzania. We’ve hit some pretty serious turbulence as we’re traveling down the coast of Somalia and I really needed a distraction to stave off this panic attack! We should be landing in Zanzibar, Tanzania in the next couple hours and then the real vacation begins
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