Our verdict? Qatar was hopelessly boring. Our 6 hours stopover could not have been any more dull. Haha. But all right, to be fair, we were there at a bad time.
We were there early on a wintry Friday morning (the day of rest for Muslims where everything is usually at a standstill) and it was the day AFTER Qatar celebrated its national day (!!)
So you can imagine, nothing moved in Doha. I don't think I saw more than 10 Qatarians.
It was a good thing though that we met a friend of my dad's at Changi airport. He took the same flight we did and had his family in tow. He was headed to Qatar to attend a business meeting with his sons but he had arranged for a driver to take his daughters and grandkids around Doha.
My dad's friend very graciously invited us to join them and for that, we were grateful. I would have died of boredom otherwise.
So we did a little exploring. We had breakfast a small restaurant and then the driver bought some takeaway fish and chicken bryani for lunch which we ate at the Doha airport lounge. The bryani was so delicious, my mom now uses it as a benchmark.
As is usual practice in parts of the Middle East, restaurants have separate entrances for families, men and women. Segregation is a big, important thing. I remember being in Saudi Arabia and stupidly joining a shorter queue at a fastfood joint only to be shooed away because the queue was for men only. Haha.
I must say, I am not a big fan of the Middle East. Yes, the cuisine's great, sights can be amazing, culture's rich but to be frank, I find the people quite rough and off-putting. Plus, more often than not, I think they have a "superiority" complex, which to me, is quite laughable.
Anyway! We did some exploring on foot down the quiet streets.
Pretty peepholes and doorways.
We saw plenty of apartments but very few people out and about.
The driver took us to the Corniche Waterfront and the central business district.
Doha city centre is a work in progress. There were ongoing construction projects at every turn.
And many of the projects were skyscrapers oozing in-your-face opulence. Modern and soulless.
The weather was wonderful though.
A bright blue sky unblemished by clouds.
This might sound completely irrational and bimbotic but sometimes, puffy white cottony clouds annoy the heck out of me. They just look so....stupid and unnecessary.
That morning in Qatar, there was nary a cloud in sight, just an expanse of brilliant blue and plenty of sunshine. *happy*
We stopped for pictures by the waterfront.
And just before driving us to the airport, the driver showed us the Gold Souks (the famous night market in Doha which sells textiles, carpets, jewellery, ornaments, handicrafts and more). The area was pretty huge and boasted many restaurants and eateries. My mom in particular found that idea of shopping at the Gold Souks quite enticing but regrettably, the souks were closed.
Maybe next time on another stopover we'll shop at the Gold Souks? Yeah, if I am crazy and bored enough pick that option twice. Lol.
