After an overnight 15 hour Qatar Airlines flight (with pretty good food and even some sleep) we arrived in Doha at 6:30 am with the temperature already 27 degrees. The hotel let us check in even though it was so early and we opened our door to find, to our surprise, that we had been upgraded to a huge suite. A great treat for a couple of budget travelers like us, huge rooms to spread out in a the chance to reorganise our gear before we head off to Paris tomorrow.
Doha is like Dubai must have been like 20 years ago, lots of building happening but still lots of the past lifestyle to take in. Everything happens at a gentle pace, unless you are trying to cross one of the ring roads, which are full of hurtling 4WDs and Mercedes guzzling cheap fuel. We walked about 12 km around the Corniche and souks taking in the sights, sounds and tastes. Souk Waqif is a restored market which operates pretty much as it would have for hundreds of years. You can buy pretty much everything, from home wares to pets to clothes to delicious meals. Things are quiet in the morning. Most shops don’t open until after 10 and you can’t get a meal until 12:30. Later in the day, and especially at night, things are bustling along nicely. It is a great area to explore and to people watch. Everyone is friendly and the cross section of people from around the middle-east and the rest of the world is fascinating.
Our culinary discoveries include an unbelievably smooth, delicious hummus, amazing fattoush, pomegranate
seeds in everything, creamy labneh and wonderfully refreshing drinks made of fruit juices, lemon, lime and mint.
Yum, I’m hungry again!
David is lusting after that beer, after 3 weeks without one! Now in Konya the most religious city in Turkey, home to the whirling dervish orders. On to Anatalya and the Mediterrean on the 3rd and there will be lots of beer.
I even managed to get the video to work !The food looked very appetising. what is labneh-is it a type of yogurt ? How come you had to re-organize your very small bags within 48 hrs of leaving home? Did someone succumb to buying up BIG in the souks? Looking forward to our swissball travels through France. Keep pedalling and posting. Cheers L&D
May 4 – Ian, how come Jan’s blog is more current? Go girl!