Said I wanted to visit my friends, no matter if I had to travel halfway round the world or on to Siberia. Fortunately it was a lot easier than that - the neighbouring country of Qatar. Beautiful Doha, where the old and the new come together in perfect harmony.
I remember getting rid of the compulsory black abaya as I stepped onto the plane in Riyadh. I felt such a sense of freedom, and I felt that way the entire week that I was in Doha. This little country in the Middle East where one can actually be oneself without offending. Nobody stares. Everyone does his/her own thing. It is so amazing to see diverse cultures living together, untroubled and unfazed.
The airport was a happy place. It felt open and friendly. My companion on the plane was an Egyptian nurse, working in Riyadh and visiting friends in Qatar. She phoned the driver who had to pick her up, and said: “I’m wearing a black abaya and headscarf” How is that gonna help him?!!! At least another 100 also looking like that. I could have said: I am wearing jeans and an orange t-shirt. A lot more helpful, I would imagine. But I enjoyed her company and we were together on the return flight, chatting away like old friends.
In Doha I was welcomed by my dearest friends who had made a poster to welcome me. It was soooo..oo..oo special. The guard kept pointing me to the exit door, and I thought: I know, I can read...but then I saw he was pointing at the poster. That obvious, huh?
I have many memories and at first all the images was rushing through me at 100 mph. So much to see and take in. You can’t miss the skyline filled with skyscrapers. You can’t help but notice construction of new buildings. Its bubbling and vibey and spells: growth. Some kind of a future – 2022 and beyond! I still smile when I think of the World Cup night when they won the bid. Of course money is involved in any such bidding, but hey, I still think it was pretty amazing that they managed to pull it off. Go Qatar!
On Friday morning it was brunch-time at the Movenpick Hotel. I could have stayed at the sushi table all morning. But then Beef Wellington... how can you not say yes? And a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit to dip in. And a cheese platter to die for. Haven’t seen proper cheese in any form, shape or size for ages. Not part of the Saudi bouquet. Add to that copious amounts of bubbly and red, great company – and I can’t imagine it being more perfect than that. In good Welsh lingo: it was LUSH.
There was a day spent on the beach. Bit of a drive through barren landscape. And yet, the road was excellent - a modern highway with multiple lanes and clear signposts (in English) at every turn-off. God knows where it leads to! The signpost could be bigger than the place it’s indicating. Don’t have any preconceived ideas about the beach. Long stretch of sand that meets an ordinary-looking sea. Apart from us, we had half of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka (whatever) enjoying it with us. Again, freedom to wear costumes and skimpy tops and simply be. I was so enjoying the beach and sun-worshipping, I never actually went into the water. Pity. I was leaving it till later, but the weather changed. How the hell does the weather change in the Middle East! Blown away by wind. Unreal! But I remember nursing a cup of tea (gotta love the British for that) and eating chicken off a barbeque made without the help of firelighters – Jay the miracle-worker to thank for that. Funny how good something tastes if you almost didn’t have it!
Qatar has got nice shopping malls. I’m not a Mall-rat, but having been deprived of it, I thoroughly enjoyed frequenting those. The joy of trying on clothes, drinking coffee, having MacD’s, window shopping, pretending to be very rich (didn’t fool anybody). In my own country I expect to be free and have almost everything available at all times. It’s not a treat. In Qatar, neighbouring Saudi, I didn’t know what to expect, and was therefore totally overwhelmed. To put it mildly: pleasantly surprised.
We did have a trip planned to the dunes – the singing sand dunes. Unfortunately that never happened because of all the unusual things one could experience, I also experienced rain in Qatar. Not a drizzle – proper rain. Bucketsful. And the dunes don’t sing when wet!
We spent a rainy day at the Souk Waqif. Now that is something to behold. I like the old stuff. Little alleys and shops and Bedouin-style jewelry and rugs. A street full of cafes and sisha’s where women are as welcome as men. The ambience is out of this world. Of all the places to be when it rains, we chose the best – holed up in a sisha cafe. Another perfect day. Must also make mention of the falcons and Arabian horses that fills a separate corner of the Souk. Tell you, if I had to live there, I’d skip the hotels and high rises, and head for the Souk as often as possible. That would be the place I’d like to hang out at.
I ate too much, drank too much, slept too little and talked too much. It was only a week, but felt like a month. It was worth it. Absolutely worth it. On the last day we went to the corniche and the Dhow harbour. The day before I went to The Pearl – super smart marina with luxury yachts. Nice to see, but once only. As for the Dhows and the simple fishing boats, that’s more my style. We went to look and take pictures, but my friends had a surprise in store – a ride on one of the dhows, impromptu, cheap, and the best way to end my visit to Qatar.
So many places to see and so many things left to do – not sure whether my journey will take me back to Qatar, but I’d like to think so.
I remember getting rid of the compulsory black abaya as I stepped onto the plane in Riyadh. I felt such a sense of freedom, and I felt that way the entire week that I was in Doha. This little country in the Middle East where one can actually be oneself without offending. Nobody stares. Everyone does his/her own thing. It is so amazing to see diverse cultures living together, untroubled and unfazed.
The airport was a happy place. It felt open and friendly. My companion on the plane was an Egyptian nurse, working in Riyadh and visiting friends in Qatar. She phoned the driver who had to pick her up, and said: “I’m wearing a black abaya and headscarf” How is that gonna help him?!!! At least another 100 also looking like that. I could have said: I am wearing jeans and an orange t-shirt. A lot more helpful, I would imagine. But I enjoyed her company and we were together on the return flight, chatting away like old friends.
In Doha I was welcomed by my dearest friends who had made a poster to welcome me. It was soooo..oo..oo special. The guard kept pointing me to the exit door, and I thought: I know, I can read...but then I saw he was pointing at the poster. That obvious, huh?
I have many memories and at first all the images was rushing through me at 100 mph. So much to see and take in. You can’t miss the skyline filled with skyscrapers. You can’t help but notice construction of new buildings. Its bubbling and vibey and spells: growth. Some kind of a future – 2022 and beyond! I still smile when I think of the World Cup night when they won the bid. Of course money is involved in any such bidding, but hey, I still think it was pretty amazing that they managed to pull it off. Go Qatar!
On Friday morning it was brunch-time at the Movenpick Hotel. I could have stayed at the sushi table all morning. But then Beef Wellington... how can you not say yes? And a chocolate fountain with fresh fruit to dip in. And a cheese platter to die for. Haven’t seen proper cheese in any form, shape or size for ages. Not part of the Saudi bouquet. Add to that copious amounts of bubbly and red, great company – and I can’t imagine it being more perfect than that. In good Welsh lingo: it was LUSH.
There was a day spent on the beach. Bit of a drive through barren landscape. And yet, the road was excellent - a modern highway with multiple lanes and clear signposts (in English) at every turn-off. God knows where it leads to! The signpost could be bigger than the place it’s indicating. Don’t have any preconceived ideas about the beach. Long stretch of sand that meets an ordinary-looking sea. Apart from us, we had half of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka (whatever) enjoying it with us. Again, freedom to wear costumes and skimpy tops and simply be. I was so enjoying the beach and sun-worshipping, I never actually went into the water. Pity. I was leaving it till later, but the weather changed. How the hell does the weather change in the Middle East! Blown away by wind. Unreal! But I remember nursing a cup of tea (gotta love the British for that) and eating chicken off a barbeque made without the help of firelighters – Jay the miracle-worker to thank for that. Funny how good something tastes if you almost didn’t have it!
Qatar has got nice shopping malls. I’m not a Mall-rat, but having been deprived of it, I thoroughly enjoyed frequenting those. The joy of trying on clothes, drinking coffee, having MacD’s, window shopping, pretending to be very rich (didn’t fool anybody). In my own country I expect to be free and have almost everything available at all times. It’s not a treat. In Qatar, neighbouring Saudi, I didn’t know what to expect, and was therefore totally overwhelmed. To put it mildly: pleasantly surprised.
We did have a trip planned to the dunes – the singing sand dunes. Unfortunately that never happened because of all the unusual things one could experience, I also experienced rain in Qatar. Not a drizzle – proper rain. Bucketsful. And the dunes don’t sing when wet!
We spent a rainy day at the Souk Waqif. Now that is something to behold. I like the old stuff. Little alleys and shops and Bedouin-style jewelry and rugs. A street full of cafes and sisha’s where women are as welcome as men. The ambience is out of this world. Of all the places to be when it rains, we chose the best – holed up in a sisha cafe. Another perfect day. Must also make mention of the falcons and Arabian horses that fills a separate corner of the Souk. Tell you, if I had to live there, I’d skip the hotels and high rises, and head for the Souk as often as possible. That would be the place I’d like to hang out at.
I ate too much, drank too much, slept too little and talked too much. It was only a week, but felt like a month. It was worth it. Absolutely worth it. On the last day we went to the corniche and the Dhow harbour. The day before I went to The Pearl – super smart marina with luxury yachts. Nice to see, but once only. As for the Dhows and the simple fishing boats, that’s more my style. We went to look and take pictures, but my friends had a surprise in store – a ride on one of the dhows, impromptu, cheap, and the best way to end my visit to Qatar.
So many places to see and so many things left to do – not sure whether my journey will take me back to Qatar, but I’d like to think so.
You don't blog enough. This frustrates me, because I just LOVE your stories. xx
ReplyDelete