When a taxi driver gets on your nerve

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I never knew how bad my singing of the national anthem was until I stood up in the stands of Qatar for the final of the football Asian Cup. As the only Australian in a 40 seat vertical and 100 seat horizontal radius I had to make my voice heard. Something, which I did each day in my 2 day stay in the country.

Flydubia is a new budget airline so I was able to find cheap flights from Sudan and at $20 for a finals seat I thought why not! I may have missed out on Australia winning the World Cup so this would be a nice consolation.

It started off in a rage. The airport didn’t really look like a major tournament was being staged, which was a bit disappointing. The taxis are forced by the airport to charge a $6 pick up fee. I’m like ‘no, no, no I’m not paying that. It is time for these Arab peninsula countries to realise that there are other tourists apart from the people which like to throw their money away.’

I see the public road a footstep away. It’s early morning at this stage I got my flight at 1am from Sudan so I wasn’t in the mood for bullshit. I find my taxi driver just outside the airport. Like with Dubai they are never locals, this one was from India. I throw my bags in the back seat and sit next to it.

The next two minutes would see me replicate in a sense former Australian defender Craig Moore who months earlier in Dubai had an altercation with a taxi driver and then police to get arrested. See in Dubai and Doha taxi drivers don’t know the area (not all but some) and you end up paying more than you should because they don’t know what they are doing. In this case my driver was trying to deliberately screw me over.

6 months of Africa built up to this. I had never been so in your face. Not even on a basketball court. It started off calmly when I said, "Don't move until we agree on a price.” We agree on 20 ($6.50) and all of a sudden he hits a meter with 18 (about $6). As well as tired I was sick as a dog, still suffering from my Ethiopian bug. Now I’ve got this bastard trying to charge me an airport fee when he didn't pick me up in the airport.

I ask him nicely to “stop driving I am not paying that I'd like to get out of the cab.” He starts driving still and veers to the inside lane. I amp up a bit. "Stop the f***ing taxi! I am not paying that!” He says, “I'll stop but you’ll have to pay the 18.” I lose it like I have never lost it before.

I move my mouth close to his ear, finger right in front of his face and yell:
"STOP THE F***ING CAR NOW YOU F***! I HAVE HAD A VERY TRYING DAY TODAY DONT F***ING PISS ME OFF AND GIVE ME THIS 18 BULLSHIT. STOP THE CAR NOW!!

He freaks out a bit (possibly shitted himself) and uses his last resort as I open the door whilst the car is moving at a snails pace at this stage. “Don't do that if the police catch us you are paying the fine.”

I amp up again "WELL STOP THE F**ING CAR PROPERLY I AM GETING OUT!" He informs that he will “go to the police.” In which I say, “That is fine but I will not be in the car.” A red light ahead, he stops. I throw my bags out in the middle of the road and walk off. Eventually he does a u-turn and yells out "F*** YOU!" in which I return the favor and its welcome to Doha, Qatar! The home of the FIFA World Cup 2022!!

As of yet most of the things needed to stage a World Cup is not here. The country is probably what Dubai was back in 2004 when I was there. Most is still under construction but with the country taking advantage of cheap labour things like cheaper accommodation and a rail link to the grounds will happen within the next 11 years.

The cheapest hotel I found was $50 thereabouts for a two star so I went for a 4 star for $70 for one night of luxury. I eventually got there after a Filipino taxi driver picked me up and was a really nice guy. We talked a little and spoke about his feelings about working there.

He said that he signed a multi year contract, which promised a lot more things than he is getting. He said that basically it is not worth his time to be here away from family and friends. He was promised food would be included but a large portion of his wage I think it was 25% (I misplaced the figures, sorry) was going towards food because they are not providing it.

I would speak to every taxi driver I rode with whilst I was there. As well as food they have to pay a hiring fee too so in the end they are not left with much. The only driver who said he was happy was a Bangladeshi who had spent 8 years there. Some didn’t complain about the money as such but all complained about how the locals treat them. Dubai was preferred and that is probably because they are use to them being around. But most said that the locals here don’t communicate with them and pretend they don’t exist.

This could explain why these Indian and Nepalese guys kept on coming up to me on the promenade of Doha. They probably realised it was an opportunity to speak to someone outside of “their” group. They pointed out the buildings that were being built or completed and the countries that are investing there. I remembered the Chinese one and I forgot the rest. We talked about the up coming Cricket World Cup being staged in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

But take away walking along this promenade strip, Doha is actually quite boring. Unless you want to throw money down the toilet and get out of town doing stuff that would be cheaper and more entertaining elsewhere in my travels like sand dunes and stuff. It seemed to me that if you have already been to Dubai than forget about the rest of the oil states or visa versa its all the same. Construction sites, some interesting architecture with a lot of cars zooming by. And taxis, a lot of taxis.

The final was played out at Khalifa Stadium about 9km from my hotel, according to Google maps. It was hard to find a taxi so I joined up on the street with a gold kaftan wearing Syrian (long traditional dress) and got to the game. It would take 45 minutes to get there. That’s 5 minutes a km to get to the game!

As well as having a lot of cars going around, Doha decided that since there was a lot of desert to work with. Instead of providing under passes and lanes that don’t over lap they’d put in traffic lights. I can understand if it is a city that has been around for a long time but this city is basically a city being made up from scratch.

We arrive and I haven’t picked up my ticket yet. I tried in the city centre but the office was closed between 12-3. I get to the booth and a worker stands in my way and says “Sorry, sold out” I said I was picking up my ticket. He said “No sorry, too late.” I disregard what he says and politely put my arm on his shoulder and indicated with a little force to get out of the way you idiot. I get to the booth and no problems I get my ticket. As I walk out the first worker asks, “Did you get your ticket? Oh good!” What bullshit!

At the airport after the game an Australian came up to me and said. “Did you get to the game?” I said yes. He replies “Oh I couldn’t get in. We had our tickets. We got there 45 minutes before the game started and they wouldn’t let us in. Our friend was in the stand and came out to give us our ticket. He had a seat! He was sitting on it moments earlier! And when he tried to get back in they said to him he couldn’t come back in. So we went to the Rugby club and watched it there.”

Rumours have it that the organises thought the game wouldn’t sell out so gave free tickets away. So I’m assuming that they didn’t want people sitting or standing in the aisles from overcrowding. But there were empty seats on the camera side of the ground.

The atmosphere was somewhat uneducated at times and Qatar decided to provide those blow up plastic things that bang together. Taking over the vuvuzela, it got a bit annoying when parts of the crowd found that more entertaining than the game.

The game was a brilliant game up there with what I saw at the world cup. Australia probably should have won it accept for some quality saves by the Japanese goalkeeper and it all looked like a penalty shoot out. And like the World Cup final I was denied by unfortunately a defensive error in the 112th minute that left a Japanese guy free inside the box to volley from 8m out to win.

I was a bit gutted mainly because I am sick and tired of supporting bridesmaid teams but the quality of the match made up for it in a way. It was time for presentations and sheik after sheik was introduced to the crowd as they went from stand to ground so they could get their 1-minute of fame for the evening.

Then they had fireworks which most I couldn’t see because they exploded behind the stand. But I really hate fireworks. I hate the simplicity of everyone’s enjoyment of something that is so overdone! But that could be because I am from Sydney and see our New Years fireworks all the time.


I caught myself a taxi after the game to the airport and overnighted at the airport via Dubai’s airport. It was these few days in Qatar and at Dubai airport that I started hearing and reading about Egypt my next destination. I was to fly into Alexandria in the north and finish off in Sharm-el-Sheik. I read Sharm was safe but other areas were on edge. Would I risk it? Would this Qatar trip save me from the troubles of Egypt? I even saw some late night flights delay till the morning. But they left before my flight the next morning. I wouldn’t know what I’d choose until it was time to board.

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