Our Experience in Qatar - 24 Hour Layover

How to describe the heat? A wall that you slam into. Penetrating and thorough, leaving no part of you untouched. A breeze from the gulf which, instead of providing some relief, cooks you slowly and evenly-the world’s largest convection oven. The temperature today is 104 ° F– that is, for those of you familiar with Bikram Yoga, the temperature of a hot yoga class. To think that we go willingly.

The city is being built all around us. As far as the eye can see there is scaffolding and cranes, the constant click-clacking of metal being lifted and set down again, the gentle purr of machines and the sharp beeping of vehicles moving in reverse. The world cup will be held here in 2022 and a carefully constructed city will be revealed to the world. It is odd to be in a city so new– The majority of construction has taken place primarily after 1980. This means that the civil engineers who designed this city were able to learn from the mistakes of so many other cities, and they did a magnificent job; the finished part of the city is modern, clean, and the traffic flows effortlessly.

This is a city of expatriates: 71% of the population to be precise. The major incentive to start a life here? Tax free salaries. It’s a new city, rich with oil money, looking to invest in a thriving business center. Tempting, but I’m not sure I could survive this heat.

What locals there are here remain pretty traditional. Men wear long white shirts (resembling a dress shirt that extends to the ankles) known as a thobe with the traditional headress covering the neck and shoulders (a gutra). Women wear an all black covering-an abaya.

It’s an odd mixture of modernity and tradition here. One of the most modern skylines I have ever seen, but small alleys and traditional stone buildings with beams made of sticks and ancient looking archways. The market is fragrant and filled with fabrics, perfumes, and birds of all kinds.

The port is charming with its picturesque boats from a time that is not our own and turquoise water bursting with color. Everything is clean, meticulously landscaped and most notably, unmarked by the passage of time.