Blogs from Doha, Qatar, Middle East - page 5

On my flight from Budapest, I asked for an upgrade at check-in. The agent told me there were no upgrades available, but another agent was standing next to her and he saw my California driver's license and apparently he had lived in Venice for a few years. Then he asked where I was flying to and I told him; he had lived in Doha for another three years. So we chatted amiably until I was set to go. I experienced yet again what I am trying to explain about the customer service here. I sat at a bar with a menu for about 10 minutes, closed it and waited. Three different waiters looked at me and not one came to me; finally I asked one guy if I could order food here and he said yes ... read more

The white Land Cruiser approached the rear of our saloon car, flashing its lights. I was overtaking a small bus filled with low-paid immigrant workers. The men were heading back to their work camp after completing their latest twelve hours of on one of the highway developments going on all across Qatar. Outside, a flat expanse of brown sand and marching electricity pylons filled the view: a typical scene outside the major towns. In the distance, a red sun was rapidly disappearing over the horizon. Flash! Flash! Flash! The Land Cruiser was almost upon me, but I was still passing the bus in the second lane, my foot pressed flat down on the accelerator. A few workers wearily gazed at me, blankness in their eyes, tiredness on their faces. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! ... read more

One of the best ways to meet people here in Qatar is to get to know the people you work. Sure, you can find community groups of people from your own country, but work is the best way to expand your horizons. I am happy to say that I have friends found at work from the US, England, Australia, Netherlands, South Africa, Egypt, Croatia, Wales, New Zealand, Lebanon, Jordan, Philippines, India, Pakistan, Nepal, etc... Desert Camping This past weekend, a group of us work friends decided to do one of those desert camping adventures. It was 360 riyals per person (around $100) where they would take us to a desert camp and provide us with dinner and breakfast, a pool, and a tent. Thirteen of us opted to go for Friday the 13th. We met at ... read more

Can you, or can we write a blog for spending 24 hours in Doha...is there something to write, or to see in Doha...and what are we doing here for 24 hours....to all those questions, trust me, there is only one answer...could we have 36 hours in a single day...please! The kids have already been on a Qatar Airways plane, but it was a first for me. Tiffany and Leslie have their week of school holidays, so we are heading on the road again. This trip will not be on the glamour side, neither on the bubbles one...rather discovering some out of the way places. I have few miles to use...that's not a surprise for anybody, so we are using them this time on Qatar, with a 24 hours lay-over in Doha. First impression of Qatar Airways ... read more

Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar officially opened for business in late May 2014. While at that point, all commercial flights were then flying from there, there was and still is a lot of work to be done. It has been interesting to note the changes at the airport in the last five months, including the opening of the food court and many shops. I went tonight and there was definitely much more going on. I was actually thinking before I went to the airport, "golly it would be so nice to have a table that is not for food, but in a business area, where I can do my borehole logging." And bam! I saw one on the way to my gate! Like, I wish I were making this up, but it was comical to ... read more