Qatar

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We arrived in Doha this morning, the capital of Qatar, at 1.30am, temperature hovering at around 30 degrees. Construction of Hamad International Airport was only completed in 2014, in a bid to solidify the city's diversification into the tourism industry, and away from it’s dependence on oil and gas. Hamad features two of the longest runways in the world. We were collected from the airport by our Hotel Shuttle service, arriving at the hotel at 2.45am. After setting the alarm for 8.30am, we crashed in bed.



After enjoying a buffet breakfast at our Golden Ocean Hotel, we asked for a map of the city, and set out on our morning walk. We headed for the Corniche, the bay that Doha is located on, to take photos across to the West Bay area, where most of the unique high rise buildings are located. We walked past the Museum of Islamic Art that is located on the waterfront in a modern building. There were countless traditional Arab dhows moored in the bay, some for tourism, others for fishing and pearling.



We then headed for Souq Waqif, which is noted for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs. It is also home to dozens of restaurants and Shisha lounges. Although it dates back at least a hundred years, it was renovated in 2006 to conserve its traditional Qatari architectural style. It is often perceived to be the only lasting area in Doha that retains an authentic feel notably in reference to its commerce, architecture and culture. It was interesting to walk through this traditional street market, enjoying the smell of the spices and the checking out the wide variety of merchants offering their wares, and restaurants and coffee shops selling their food and drink.



With the temperature rising to 35 degrees, we tried to walk in the shadows of the higher buildings, as we headed back to our hotel for lunch. After a late lunch and a late check out, we sat in the cool of the Hotel foyer whilst we awaited our Hotel Shuttle back to Hamad Intenational Airport for our flight back to Australia with Qatar Airlines.



Are we glad to be heading home. Yes and No. It will be good to see our family (and our dog Ellie), but we could easily adapt to this travelling lifestyle on a full time basis.



We have had an amazing holiday in Eastern Europe, full of incredible experiences and adventures. The places we have been to during our eight week sojourn now seem like some hazy unbelievable dream. Kim stated on numerous occasions during our holiday, “don’t wake me if I’m dreaming”.

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