On to Qatar

I finally know how to pronounce the name of this country. It’s “CAT-r” with the accent on the first syllable.

Anyway, my travel day yesterday (Monday) was long. I got to Tambo airport in Joburg more than 2 hours before my flight but by the time I got through the lines for VAT refund, check bag, security, immigrations and another line for VAT (couldn’t find the SWIFT code for my bank; have no idea where my money will go) they were already boarding my flight.

The flight itself was uneventful but very cramped. Note to self: it’s first/business class for anything longer than 4 hours but especially for the long-haul overseas flights. I doubt the space was tighter than any other economy seat but after having a private cocoon for the other two long flights, I felt like I was crushed for 8 hours. I upgraded my AMS flight on Thursday to Premium. It’s not Polaris, but I might have a little more space for the 6 1/2-hour flight. I guess I’ll start saving now for my next trip.

Once I got to Doha it was a breeze through immigrations, where BTW, they didn’t even ask about the polio vaccination. I got stopped in Customs and asked why I had binoculars in my bag. Really??? Told them I had been on safari, and they said no problem and sent me on my way.

The trouble began when I got to the arrival hall and couldn’t find my driver. It was after 11pm and I had pre-paid for round-trip private transfer. I tried to WhatsApp the number in the confirmation email I received the day before but got no response. One of the other drivers kindly called the emergency number in the email but the person who answered had nothing to do with the taxi. I waited about 20 minutes then had the airport staff help me get another taxi. I messaged the company this morning to tell them what happened and to cancel my return trip to the airport on Thursday as I can’t trust them to pick me up at 5:30am in time for my 8:00 flight to Amsterdam. As of now (7:00pm), though, I haven’t heard from them. By the time I got to the hotel it was almost midnight and I was exhausted, but I couldn’t downshift enough to sleep. It was about 1:30 before I was finally asleep.

The hotel is lovely. I’m staying at the Doubletree Doha Old Town, and I have a nice view from my room.

Breakfast was the usual buffet.

Now I’m off to the lobby for an 8:10 pickup for my sand safari. It will be fun to see a “classic” desert with rolling hills of sand versus the hard packed sand we have at home. Got my sunscreen and my hat so I’m ready to go. To be continued….

The safari was a blast. It was a small group with two young guys and me. Our guide, Sayed, wasn’t exactly a talker. He pointed out a few things along the 45-minute drive and answered questions but that was about it.

My companions were Boris (from France) and Leon (from Switzerland). They’ve been traveling for months and are here on a stopover before heading home tomorrow. It sounds like that’s what just about everyone does here. They’re either here on business or a stopover on the way to someplace else.

After about 40 minutes we stopped at a gas station for bathroom break and for Sayed to let some of the air out of the tires of the car. Apparently, that’s important for riding the dunes. While in the bathroom, I found two very helpful signs.

Our first stop was the camel camp on the edge of the Sealine Desert. I rode a camel in 1998 when I was in Tangiers Morocco, but that was for a minute in a circle like at a children’s zoo. This time we headed up the dune but only got about 1/3 of the way. That was far enough for me.

I chose not to hold the falcon.

Then we were off to ride the dunes. It was crazy windy, so it was difficult to actually see much but it was fun. It was like riding a roller coaster in the sand.

At one point we got out of the car to take pictures. I needed help getting out as the wind kept slamming the door shut on me. You can really see the sand blowing around in this video.

Then the boys went dune surfing. At first Boris didn’t want to go but changed his mind. He had so much fun he went a second time. Not surprisingly, I took a pass. Getting onto the board would have been hard enough but getting up from the soft sand would have been a nightmare. The guys said the hardest part was climbing back up the dune in the sand. I wouldn’t have had to do that as Sayed could have come for me with the car, which is what he did after Boris’ second ride, but I still decided just to watch the guys have fun.

Then it was Leon’s turn.

Our final stop was the beach where Boris grabbed a picture of me touching the Arabian Gulf, a new body of water for me.

I was back to the hotel by about 11:30. Lunch was the sandwich I’d made from the breakfast buffet and a little snack I picked up at the shop in the lobby.

After lunch I walked about 10 minutes to the relatively new (opened 2019) Qatar National Museum. The architecture was quite interesting.

The exhibits in the museum told the history of Qatar, from its earliest days to the present. I didn’t read all the signs like Peter would have, but I still enjoyed looking at the exhibits.

After the museum, I stopped for a little snack before moving on.

My plan was to walk to the Museum of Islamic Art and the Corniche, the waterfront promenade. But by this time, it was about 1pm and 107 degrees. The strong wind helped a little, but it was just too hot to walk the 30 minutes. So, I went back to the hotel, only 10 minutes away.

I hung out in the room and napped for a little while. Then it was time to go out again as I wanted to check out Souq Waqif, the market area. It was still 104 degrees, but it was a much more comfortable 20-minute walk than earlier. It was still hot, but the 3 degrees made a difference.

I passed this along the way. I’m not sure what the building is, but I thought it was interesting.

The market was easy to find and had some interesting architecture.

This was one of the markets.

I spotted the police on patrol, keeping us safe.

As you know I love local handicrafts. I saw a couple of things I liked but one was made in Iran and the other in Syria. One of the shopkeepers said he’d engrave my name in the box and that would make it from Qatar. Yah… not so much. I walked home empty handed.

Have no idea what this is all about but thought it was interesting.

Finally, it was back to the hotel for dinner. The dining room was the temperature of an ice box, so I just got a pizza for room service.

Tomorrow, I have a 7:20 tee time at the Doha Golf Club Academy Course. I should be done with that by mid-morning. After that, maybe I’ll head to the Corniche for lunch. My afternoon task is finding somewhere to mail a box home. It’s the stuff I bought in Africa plus the things for the safari I no longer need. It will greatly lighten my roller bag.

Have a great night everyone!