By the Hair of My Chin

We made it to Doha!!! Whilst I am generally an overuser of the exclamation mark, this statement truly deserved it. Why? Because less than 10 hours before take-off, I was sitting in my doctor’s office telling him about my fever, my razor blade throat and my incessant coughing. Solution – antibiotics and panadol to keep the fever down, particularly when going through the “supposed” sensors at the airport. Many might think this was going to be the worst 15 hours of my life. However, it went by very quickly as I was too sick to care about the time, nor the turbulence. And by the time we landed in Doha my fever was actually gone! BTW, for anyone questioning whether I should have flown for fear of spreading my disease, stop here. There were people more spluttering and sick than me travelling!!

Doha? Where is Doha? Doha is the capital of Qatar, a small wealthy peninsula country in the Middle East. Qatar got independence from the British in 1971 so it is still a relatively young country and development is rampant. I am sure it has grand plans to compete with Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the stopover destination. Whilst it gets to this stage, Doha has a very relaxed calm vibe. This is a pleasant change from other hustling Middle Eastern countries I have visited.

We made it to Doha with Qatar Airlines, on its inaugural flight from Sydney.

A little chaotic checking in (to be expected on their first flight) but once in the air the service was fab and the flight smooth. We arrived in Doha at 5am. Initially we were not going to have a stopover but when fate intervened, we ceased the opportunity and were grateful for it. After a quick nap and shower, we spent a few hours sightseeing.

First stop was Souq Waqif, a souq selling everything from clothes to pets to souvenirs to stuffed animals. There is also a lovely outdoors area to sit, eat and watch the world go by. We had a drink with a colleague of Glenn’s who is on secondment to Doha and came back later for both lunch and dinner! (Look, it was close to the hotel and I didn’t want to push myself as I was on my deathbed about 30 hours ago!).

Souq Waqif

Glenn and his friend, Tui

Souq Waqif

Enjoying a Zatar pizza lunch

Royal horse display

We also visited the Museum of Islamic Art. The building is stunning and was inspired by ancient Islamic architecture. Which is fitting given it houses Islamic art from over 1,400 years. The museum also has an amazing views of the Doha city skyline.

Another nap, another meal in the souq and off to bed before we fly to Oslo.

Before I sign-off, I must give a big cheer to Hamza at the Movenpick Hotel, Doha who gave Glenn a birthday cake as we checked out.