Cool building in Doha
So, it turns out that my layover in Qatar was rather long. And it also happens to be a fact that Qatar Airlines is pretty awesome. When I arrived in Doha, I found out that the airlines would spring for me to stay in a hotel for the night that I would be in town. I had planned on staying in the airport and finding a nice, cozy spot on the floor, or maybe in a lounge, if I was lucky.
View from my hotel in Doha, Qatar
Someone said I could get a hotel voucher if my layover was longer than 9 hours or something and that I should get in some line. I’ll admit, I was a little sketched out at first. But I stood in line and the lady asked me to give her my passport and wait. Okay…. After a while, however, someone came over and gave me a hotel voucher (and my passport, thankfully!) So I went through Immigration and got a day-pass visa to Qatar. After a little while, a shuttle took me to the Retaj hotel, in the city. It was right on the shore of the gulf, surrounded by other 5-star hotels as well.
Art along road in Doha
I also got vouchers for dinner when I got to the hotel as well as breakfast before I left in the morning. The hotel had this amazing buffet spread laid out, even though I arrived in the middle of the night. I was pretty thrilled about that, since most of the food was delicious middle-eastern food, like hummus and delicious halwa… When I got up, early in the morning, after a refreshing shower and short rest, there was a new breakfast buffet spread. And coffee – the most vital of all!
Pedestrian Crossing Sign
It was also interesting to see a bit of Qatar on my way back and forth through the town. It was quite nice, reminded me a little bit of Dubai in atmosphere, but was a bit more clean. It had a lot of building going on and cranes on the horizon, but the growth seemed in control (unlike Dubai, where I once counted 13 cranes in one photo I took of the cityscape). The views were beautiful and it felt odd to be riding on the right side of the road again! Some of the street signs were great, too! One thing I liked about Doha was that there was a lot of art in the town, as well as many parks and green spaces.
Hotel Reading Material
Another thing I noticed that was interesting was that the nightstand in the hotel contained a Quran, rather than a Gideon’s Bible, as I am accustomed, having grown up in the US. It makes perfect sense, but it was an fascinating difference to note.
Qatar Airlines bills itself as a five-star airline. I feel they are justified in doing so. The planes were wonderful – classy and enjoyable (at least, as much as cramped, 5- and 8-hour-long plane rides can be). Meals and individual screens with movies, tv, games etc. The seats even had USB chargers – gotta love that! I felt very pampered. I’d better take advantage of it. I’m heading to Africa, a continent I’ve never visited before, but I suspect I’m not going to be pampered much there… Still, I’m really looking forward to this part of my trip. Africa, here I come!