Baladīyat ad Dawḩah

Shiny ✨ & New on the surface but not so glamorous 😳 behind the scenes sums up Doha. In 27 hours we saw 2 sides. Disclaimer: obviously not long enough to make full assessment.

The Metro 🚇 was extremely shiny ✨ and new: slick trains 🚊 and prompt services. We got a bit lost but did very well connecting different lines and platforms to find our tour location. It was only $2.50 for day pass.

Arrived at Souq Waqif we passed by poor workers who had the arduous task of sweeping 🧹 the giant forecourt of the Souq Waqif (Market) with brooms in 30+ heat 🔥
The desert 🏜️ sand comes into city 🌃 overnight from the strong north wind 💨 and they keep city as clean as possible. In ‘Winter’ (Jan-Feb) wind 🌬️ is so strong the sand comes into your house! 😳

Walking through the Souq we could smell so many beautiful fragrances from the perfumes and foods such as cinnamon and Cardamon, cloves and hibiscus flowers… Smells filled the air around every corner and at every turn… So delicious…until we got to the camel enclosure.

Camels 🐪 are a sacred animal and are extremely precious and protected. They are well looked after and well fed. They have 35 g of fat in their hump which is their store for food. There were also squeaks & crowing, cheeps & chirping from birds 🐦 and chickens 🐓 and many other animals… It really was a feast for sight & sound! At exactly 1 o’clock in the afternoon at the hottest part of the day everyone shut up shop and rested! Don’t blame them! 🥵🥵

We visited the Falcon Souq. Falcons are revered also and considered very sacred animals. There was even a hospital 🏥 which was purposely built for Falcons, which is where we met one of the Falcons’ with its owner… He very respectfully allowed us to take his photo 🙏

Our guide told us that Doha is one of the safest places in the Middle East.

We visited West Bay, which is the iconic image that we often see of Doha skyline 🏙️ All of these very tall buildings have all sprung up in the last 30 years. The first building was the Sheraton Hotel 🏨 which is shaped like a pyramid which was built in 1985.

We finished the tour in the hottest part of the day and came back to the Souq after visiting Doha Cultural Centre. Enjoyed a traditional lunch and while German headed to the Museum I decided to relax with an aromatic Hibiscus 🌺 tea at the pool overlooking the city.

So, I suppose it has come to an end 🥺😢 …yet another adventure of a lifetime. Loved 🥰 every minute of discovering new, beautiful & unique places. Really enjoyed sharing this with you and can’t wait for another chance to make more memories……after I save up 💰 Travel 🧭 is the best tonic for the mind, body & soul 🧘🏻‍♂️

Until next time…😘もっと詳しく