Qatar: Doha

Doha. March 2015

I wasn't even supposed to visit Qatar. I had a whole trip planned to Bangladesh, but there was political unrest and my good friend AH in Dhaka told me point blank "don't come". I scrambled to find a replacement vacation and realized that staying "local" in the Middle East would be easiest and cheapest for air fare - especially at the last minute. My first stop was Bahrain and next, Doha. That route was one of the shortest flights in the world for wide body jets - maybe 20 minutes? The plane never really even got very high up. The pilot announced the landing literally right after take-off.

Doha had just opened Hamad International Airport [see: Hamad International Airport]. It was so new, when I passed through, it had that "new smell" to it. I had booked a hotel in what I thought was a reasonably central location and took a taxi there. They were building the Doha Metro, so walking around was an exercise in avoiding construction, not to mention the place was sprouting office towers everywhere. The finished bits of Doha looked amazing, especially the towering buildings of "West Bay" (pictured above), but for my visit, the lingering memory was of visiting one huge construction site.

Food was pricey - I remember the prices of the touristy Souq Waqaf [see: Souq Waqf] painfully - so much so that I ended up eating in a workers canteen next to the hotel a few times. THAT was hilarious. I saw it was open to anyone and not in a restricted-access construction zone. I went inside and the place went silent. I asked the guy what he had to eat and he said "Biriyani". I took one and ate it as the whole place stared at me. It tasted great and was cheap. I went a couple more times before I left - I am sure the workers talked about it for days after: "Some random white guy came in and ate biryani" . It was a priceless experience and one of my best memories of Doha.

Doha's long, seaside esplanade that fronted the harbor was a lovely walk connecting the old city to its newer additions. In this, Doha surpassed anything I had seen in Saudi Arabia, even the Jeddah Corniche. That seaside path from the Islamic Museum [see: Museum of Islamic Art] to the West Bay was, palm-lined, landscaped, and glorious to stroll along. Had I lived in Doha, I could easily imagine it being one of my daily walking routes. That walk was another takeaway and highlight of Doha.

Unfortunately, Doha was a little too much like Saudi Arabia in that it was very nearly "dry". I had just been in Bahrain where going to a bar was normal, like anywhere else in the world. In Qatar, bars were only in certain hotels, hidden away like private clubs, and a passport was required to enter (to prove you were not Muslim). I went all the way to one bar only to be denied entry because I didn't have my passport (locked in my room safe). I said to the door minder - "you are kidding me if you think I am Muslim." No exceptions. UGH. I never had a drink in Doha, not worries though - I was going to be in Dubai a few days later.

Since my visit the Doha Metro has been completed (even out to the airport) which certainly would change my impression were I to revisit the place. Zooming around the arc of Doha Bay underground would speed things up, especially because West Bay is very far from the older part of town and walking it both directions pushed my limits. And, of course, the Islamic Museum was amazing - I think Doha was worth it just for that alone. On balance, I guess Doha IS a good destination if you are willing to spend some money, but Dubai is actually cheaper.

The Qataris are also the envy of all the Middle East Arabs. They are even more highly regarded than Emiratis. The Saudis wistfully said Qataris were all born, live, and die rich. That may well have been true, but the only Qataris I met were at immigration in Hamad Airport. Qatar, like UAE, is a country dominated by foreign labor, so a visitor is more likely to meet a foreigner than a Qatari (in Dubai, at least Emiratis are visible shopping in Dubai Mall). Strange to have visited a country and never met a local person, especially since I love engaging locals in my travels to get a better flavor of a place.

Qatar was already counting down to the World Cup when I visited and as I write this the finishing touches are being put on the stadiums and the city. What will become of Qatar after the FIFA excitement winds down? They expect a windfall of profit from tourism from the games, even in the post-COVID world, but what about after? Will Qatar be a competitor to Dubai? In architecture and culture, perhaps - but in fun and leisure, I am not so sure.