Blogs from Doha, Qatar, Middle East

Day 42 : Thursday 17 October : and we head back to Perth More than 24 hours later than we expected and we get to head home. The day chilling at the hotel wasn't all bad and gave us a chance to rest up. Every stop we made throughout Italy, we thought was so beautiful and so amazing that the next stop can’t be as good, but yet it continued to astound and surprise us with its magical beauty. It’s very easy to see why people want to return to Italy over and over again. Its beauty is staggering. As a rule, I don't return to where I've travelled, but we may need to make an exception for Italy. Total cost for 4 of us 6 weeks $25,000 AUD.... read more

Plan A has well gone. The heat or something has got Lee a bit and despite the fact she slept quite well last night she’s having a little snooze as I type, swim, type, swim, doing nothing, type, swim... As much as the heat, and the ‘feels like’ temperature has risen above 40 degrees, I think just knowing we head home from here means Lee is thinking about that and about winding down rather than getting that last little bit out of the experience. I was planning to go the Museum again and then to ‘village and pearl’ but that too may need to be reconsidered. Not a big problem as it is more than OK by the pool. The complex of hotels, I think there are 9, sends as to number 5 as our hotel, ... read more

Ooo aaah! Lots to look at in Doha. Sure it’s hot but as soon as you get anywhere it’s air conditioned and comfy. And that includes the underground walkways that funnel pedestrian traffic (and not many walk here!) below the busy roads to the waterfront Corniche. They reminded me of the Moscow subways, all cool marble and with lighting that is almost chandelier like. So you leave the souk area and emerge looking at the sleek and modern skyline of DECC, the Islamic Museum of Art and some of Doha’s 5 star hotels that dot the Corniche. There’s some homage to the past with a giant oyster shell and pearl and some boats that still take leisurely motoring cruises on the bay but the overall impression is one of modernity and of some form of ‘creature’ ... read more

Just a bit of in flight musing. We have flown Qatar partially because we have been with Emirates before and don’t really want to go back to Dubai. I know the UAE states are basically identical in their treatment of their work forces and their environmental practices but we were quite put out by Dubai last time and we make this small but significant philosophical stance. The indoor snow field and the building that incorporates artificial sea shore as a selling feature we think is too much of a price to pay and just because you can doesn’t make it OK. So it’s Qatar and into Doha because fuel is cheap and air fares low (ish). Doha is certainly the little kid of the Emirates family behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi but we hold out expectations ... read more

On Saturday morning, I slept in a little and then we spent a quiet day, mostly in our room. We went down to the Al Hubara restaurant for lunch and had a two for one meal, as Fletcher had been given a voucher for the place when he joined the Marriot Rewards club. The lunch was fine, albeit only accompanied by water, as there are many great salads, seafood and various meats and eastern style dishes to choose from. We went out to the track on the 3-30pm bus. This time, the driver knew where to drop us so it was not far to walk into the VIP area. The night's program was interesting and varied. The qualifying rounds of the Men's Discus saw Matt Denny from Australia qualify in 3rd place with a great throw ... read more