Hot Hot Hot in Doha, Qatar!

Doha Skyline, photo found on-line...

[   by Stian   ]  On our way to Africa and Kenya, we had the option of spending a few days in the capital of Qatar, Doha, as we would be transiting here anyways. As I have never been in any Arabic country I found this to be a perfect opportunity to explore at least a tiny bit of this part of the world as well. We therefore decided to stay 3 days in this extremely hot city on the Arabian peninsula.

Introducing Doha

Doha, which translates to "the big tree" from Arabic, is the capital city of the state of Qatar and it is the largest city of Qatar with population of around 1,3 million inhabitants. About 60% of the total population of Qatar lives within or in the nearby suburbs of Doha. The city is located on the eastern coast of the small Qatar peninsula in the Persian Gulf, which is again located on the north-east coast of the much larger Arabian peninsula.. The city was founded in 1825, and became the nation's capital after the country regained it's independence in 1971 from the British. Since then Qatar has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues, which Doha of course has benefited the most of. Funnily enough, the population of native Qataris is by far outnumbered by foreign population as there are only around 250 000 native Qataris living in the whole of Qatar.

Arriving Doha

We flew with Qatar Airways from Tokyo and arrived very early in the morning. The airport is small, but effective and we got through easily. We discovered that there was a free shuttle from our hotel, which would take us to the hotel, so we were very pleased with that. For our stay in Doha we had chosen to treat ourselves with a bit of «luxury» before our arrival to Africa, where we would be spending most of our time camping. So we had booked a room at the Radisson Blu Hotel, located about 20 minutes walking from downtown Doha. As we arrived pretty early in the morning the staff wanted to charge us for an extra night for checking in, but we refused to pay more as it would be to expensive, so we chose to just hang out in the lobby for a few hours until check-in time. The room was at least very nice. I have to admit though, that I did not feel very comfortable at the hotel as in the lobby there was often Qatari male guests, dressed in traditional white dresses/clothing, who seemed to stare at us in a very rude, almost hostile way often. Also I have experienced more friendly staff as well at way cheaper places in other countries...ah well. It really was a change of culture by arriving to Arabia compared to eastern Asia and Japan.

People of Doha

Chekib and Me:)

During my stay in Qatar I did not get to know anyone who actually were from Qatar. I tried to get in touch with some locals through grindr, but they were mostly all foreigners and not many seemed to be of interest for me anyways. The second day I did get in touch and met up with Chekib, an Algerian, living in Doha, who works as cabin crew for Qatar Airways. He turned out to be a really nice guy in every way, and we ended up hanging out for the next two days. The first evening he introduced me to two of his friends as well, Jamil, from Lebanon, and Naguib, from Morocco. They were also nice guys – we had dinner together on the second night of my stay, and I have to say it was kind of funny to see them argue about who spoke the better French and better Arabic of the Arabic countries.

Chekib was, as already stated, a very nice guy. He took me around in the city for sightseeing and well, to be honest, without him I don't think I would have gotten to see half of what I did while hanging with him. The main reason for this is that the climate in Doha is so hot and dry, and I actually would rather have just stayed inside than hanging out risking a massive sunburn, if it hadn't been for Chekib.

During our sightseeing it was very obvious to see whom were native Qatari and not. I have to admit that I was not too impressed with what I discovered. The very small Qatari population enjoys the benefits of the nations wealth very much, while the foreign population does not take part in this wealth almost at all. The sight of wealthy Qatari couples walking in the streets, with a 90 something old foreign guy «carrying» all their goods, was not impressive. We were also told by other foreigners that the native population has very little respect for the foreign population, and that they have heard many a horror-story of how some servants have been mistreated by their Qatari employers. We were told that the ethnic Qatari are probably doing «payback» to foreigners for the times the nation was under foreign rule, and probably experienced similar conditions themselves. This left us with very little respect for the ethnic Qatari as a native group in general though.

Dining in Doha

Doha has a few restaurants, but the variety of the restaurants is not as many as I have been used to in most parts of the world I have been to by now. It turned out that eating at the hotel would be an extremely expensive deal, so we opted to have breakfast/lunch at the Dairy Queen right next to our hotel all of our days while in Doha. Burger for breakfast is not a horrible thing though, but I am glad it's not every day as I do prefer regular breakfast, haha.

The first day we had dinner at Al Adhamiyah Iraqi Restaurant which was located in the Souq Waqif. The restaurant was a very nice place to eat, but I really can't say that the lamb tikka yogurt plate w/bread was a very tasty experience. It was dry and tasted way more burnt than grilled, unfortunately. We got a complimentary vanilla custard dessert though, so that was a nice surprise... or maybe it was the Iraqi waiter's way of flirting with us (because he did give me a very slight gay vibe...).  

The second day I was hanging with Chekib and his friends in the Souq Waqif again (as this is the only place to hang out in Doha) and this time I luckily had a way better dinner, at Shisha at Damasca One Restaurant. As the name of the restaurant states, this is a place for shisha, but the food was pretty ok as well as I had a chicken schwarma plate, with hummus w/beef and cheese and a salad on the side. I thought the portions would be small, and that we all would be sharing, but I was wrong – as Chekib didn't want food and the other two just shared a meal them in between , so I was stuck with a whole bunch of food. I almost literally rolled out of the restaurant afterwards, haha.

The last day I was hanging with Chekib again, and in the Katara village we dropped by the very charming Red Velvet Cupcakery where I had a cinnamon cupcake, which was great. We then headed for lunch at Souq Waqif at Zaatar W Zeit, a Lebanese fast-food place, where I had a chicken wrap, which actually was really nice, and then later I had a latté caramella at Café Tasse, which is the one café that Chekib recommended in the area. For dinner in the evening I hang out with Kenneth, as it was just before we were to leave. So we chose to eat at our hotel at the Indian Changri Restaurant, which is said to be the best, or at least one of the best, Indian restaurants in Doha. So we both shared a chicken tandoori which really did taste well. SO if you go to Doha and really like Indian food: I can definitely recommend this restaurant at the Radisson Blu Hotel:)

Sightseeing in Doha

We had actually no idea what to see while in Doha, other than the famous skyline and also the local market located downtown, the Souq Waqif, which we was recommended by the staff at the hotel. As we had arrived very early and was very tired, but had to wait until afternoon to check in, we tried to get a couple of hours of sleep when we were able to check in-before actually getting to do anything this very first day. Se we only got to go to the city center just before the sun was about to set. Also the one thing I DID want to experience while in Doha, was the socalled «singing sand dunes», which is an area in the desert where the sand dunes literally makes music as the wind hits them. I was though told by the staff in the hotel that this only happens during winter, and that going to the dunes at this time of the year would be a total waste of time, and EXTREMELY hot, so they did not recommend it.

Souq Waqif

Souq Waqif is the most important souq in Doha. In the Middle East a souq is defined as an open-air marketplace or commercial quarter. Souq Waqif is renowned for selling traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, and souvenirs and has now also become a hot spot for art and galleries as well. The souq is also home to dozens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world, as well as Shisha lounges. Although this market dates back at least a hundred years, it has been recently restored back to its «original» glory. It is now considered one of the top tourist destinations within Doha, which is very understandable when you see the area for yourself.

Souq Waqif is a really beautiful area, and offers a lot of nice places both to dine and to shop in. The newly renowned buildings are so perfect and clean that it almost feels like you are on the set of a movie production or in a theme park. In many ways it feels very artificial, but it is still very beautiful. It is impossible to visit Doha and not come by Souq Waqif, so I don't have to recommend this area at all. Though there are major changes going on in the area, as just right next to the souq there is major construction work going on, which is to become the new city center of Doha, but this will probably still take many many years to be completed, as they were still doing digging and groundwork while we were there.

Doha Corniche + Skyline of Doha

Doha Conriche is the amazing waterfront promenade extending for several kilometers along the Doha Bay, and which is very popular for walkers, joggers, bikers and in the evening also fishermen. It is in very short distance from the Souq Waqif, and at section where we cross from the souq it is very short distance to the Grand Mosque and the Museum of Islamic Art as well, which are two other very prominent sites of Doha. Doha is definitely most beautiful at night, and the walk we did here during the late evening was amazing as we had a perfect view of the amazing skyline, the mosque and the museum of Islamic art, which all are lit really beautifully in the evening. It was also amazing to observe the fishermen and the locals just hang out and enjoy their evening, and also to see the fishermen boats, which obviously also is the home of many of the fishermen.

Doha's Shining Dildo

One of the most prominent buildings of the skyline is of course the Doha Tower, also known as Burj Doha, an iconic high rise tower located in West Bay, the business district of Doha. In October 2012 the building received the CTBUH Skyscraper Award for the Best Tall Building Worldwide from the CTBUH (Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, based in Chicago). What makes the building impressive is that it has no central core, leaving more internal space available to its occupants. The design is unique, the first skyscraper with internal reinforced concrete dia-grid columns, which form a cross (X) shape that connects with the eye-catching cylindrical facade. The design is supposed to express the local culture, connecting the very modern with ancient Islamic designs (Mashrabiya). Islamic screens were designed to shade the building from high temperatures as well as the unpleasant sand residue found on glass throughout the region. There is only ONE major problem though: The shape! The notable phallic shape has made many of the locals upset and we were told that some refer to the building as a giant penis/dildo, a huge bling-version of a dildo that is. This has caused a reputation to the building, and made it really problematic for the owners to lease out the offices within, as no one seem to want to have their office in a penis-building. The building is therefore mostly empty, but so are most of the other buildings of the skyline as well. There has actually already been discussions of if they should tear the building down again, or at least change the shape of it... so future will show what happens, but honestly – I LOVE the shape of the building:) Is is BEAUTIFUL:)

Katara Cultural Village

The last day of my stay in Doha, Chekib brought me to Katara, which is a cultural village in Doha. It is located on the eastern coast between West Bay and the Pearl and spread over 1,000,000 square meters. To get there we had to take a taxi from the city center and pass through the west bay, which is the skyline area – and this was when I realized that this so-called business district is more a facade than an actual business area as there were absolutely no people to see, and most buildings seemed completely empty. Hopefully in a few years time they have managed to make it a vibrant area as well, cause it really is a nice area.  

Katara was soft-opened in October 2010 during the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, which has been held here ever since. It is located close to the Katara Beach, and many Qatari organisations have their offices in Katara. These include the Qatari Society for Engineers, Qatar Fine Arts Society, Visual Art Centre, Qatar Photographic Society, Childhood Cultural Centre, Theatre Society and Qatar Music Academy. The QMA manages the QMA Gallery in Katara. The buildings and facilities at Katara were deliberately arranged randomly in order to look and feel like a traditional Qatari Al Fereej. The most prominent structures are of course the amazing Katara Amphitheater, the pigeon-tower, Katara Mosque and

Katara Amphitheater

The Doha Amphitheater is a massive and impressive construction completed in 2008 and seats about 5000 people. The theater is according to their own webpage «a crafted balance between the classical Greek theater concept and the everlasting Islamic features.» It is located in the heart of Katara, under the clear blue sky, overlooking the radiant blue sea. It really is a beautiful place and offers many a great photo opportunity. Though when we were here it was almost unbearably hot here (or at least for me).

Visual Art Center: Eye To Eye

We also dropped by the Visual Art Center, located in the Katara, as there was an very nice exhibition called Eye To Eye by Brazilian artist Harding Meyer going on. There was also an exhibition of the World Press Photos of 2013, which was really good as well. I already stated once that I am not much of a museum guy, but I really do like these kind of things, like modern art, themed-art and also I like photography, so it was all I wanted. It was also very nice hanging with Chekib as it turns out that he shares many of the same interests as me.

Falcon Souq

The last part of my last day in Doha we returned to the Souq Waqif, made quick walk around and then moved on towards the Falcon Souq, wich is another market place. The only thing you could purchase here were falcons though. Really, FALCONS? Well I guess falcons has a special meaning to the Qataris. The price for a falcon is not cheap though. Even the cheapest one would be way to expensive for me – my major question is though, how to you house a falcon? The falcons inside the souq where all tied to a pole to the ground, and some had a cap/hood covering their head/eyes. They seemed calmed enough, and not to bother about it, but they ARE falcons and should not be tied up like this as they need a huge space to move around on. Animal rights is though not something the Qatari know anything about. As I was told: «They don't even care about human rights, so why should they at all ever care about animal rights?».

Sidenote: I guess Falcons do have a very special meaning to the Arabic population. In Abu Dhabi there is even a falcon hospital. Incredible.

Shopping In Doha: Villagio Mall

As usual I did not do any shopping in Doha, except for a few souvenirs, but there are a few place to go shopping, among them the famous Villagio Mall, which Kenneth dropped by. This mall houses many famous western brands, but it is not a cheap mall though, and as I had already experienced an Italian-themed mall in Tokyo, I did not care much for visiting this one. As already stated, the mall is Italianate-themed both as an Italian hill town, but also with a 150-meter long indoor canal with gondolas and is therefore a very nice place to visit. Inside the mall there is also the Gondolania Theme Park, an indoor theme park which includes the Gondolania Ice Rink, one of two ice hockey rinks in Qatar, which is the home of the Qatar Ice Hockey League and the regional Desert Cup tournament. It is the only Olympic-size rink in Qatar. Also included are a ten pin bowling center and a roller coaster.  

It is said that electronics is extremely cheap compared to other places in the world though. I did check out the price for a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 and it is indeed cheaper than in Norway. Chekib told me though that prices drop significantly after a month of sale, as most Qatari with money would have already purchased the new stuff by then. I chose not to buy anything though as I don't want to travel around with the newest products in fair of it being robbed from me...

Some last words

I am very glad I got to meet Chekib as he is the sole reason why I really enjoyed Doha a lot. If it hadn't been for him I am not sure how I would have found this city to be. Kenneth even made a comment that of all the guys I have met this year, he is probably the one I am most likely to see again (because of his profession). Kenneth was right as I actually did get to see Chekib again when in São Paulo. As it was May it was very very hot. The average high temperature in May is 38,2 degrees Celsius, probably the hottest I have ever experienced. The record high was set in the month of June for 49 degrees Celsius once... I am extremely glad I never got to experience that kind of heat. In the evenings the temperature is way more comfortable and thats also the best time to explore Doha. There is a lot of beautiful places indeed, but the city is still a major construction site, and it did feel unsafe when we walked outside of the touristic areas – but we managed anyways. If I ever is to return to Doha then it is to meet up with Chekib and to buy electronics (and there is actually a big chance that I might do just that) – haha;)

Our Hotel, The Radisson Blu Doha

In Souq Waqif, first evening

First "desent" meal in Doha, dry as a desert...

Friendly, local guy from the souvenir shop.

Spices of Doha

Artificially colored chickens anyone? 

Cutest ever:)

You can literally get anything at this market

A servant of the rich waiting in his wheelbarrow for assignments/jobs.

Along the Al Corniche - Walking promenade

The Grand Mosque

Houseboats, in front of the skyline of Doha

Museum of Islamic Art (we didn't enter unfortunately).

Skyline of Doha, from the right...

Skyline of Doha, center part...with the phallic Doha Tower:)

Skyline of Doha, leff side of the view..

Cool architecture:)

Locals dancing and enjoying themselves at the Souq Waqif.

The streets of the Souq Waqif are beautiful at night:)

Building of the Falcon Souq, closed at night.

Cozy ATM:)

All hotels are modern and lit up somehow in Doha

Second Day in Doha

On My Way to Meet Chekib, the view from the road...

Cool gas station.

Jamil, Naguib, Chekib and myself at the Souq Waqif in the evening.

Chekib, myself and Jamil in front of the flag of Qatar

Hot guys;)

Just to mention: My hairstyle for the evening is Chekib's work...
he also soaked me in Arabic perfume this very evening....I smelled;)

I need a geenie in my bottle!

Inside an extremely beautiful restaurant! VERY NICE!

But we had dinner at a more simple restaurant for this evening.

Shisha is the big thing in Doha.

Hummus with beef, and bread:)

Aren't we cute together? :-D

Last day sightseeing: At Katara Cultural Village

At the Katara Beach

It's a beach  mosque.

Katara beach, with the "old" hotels in the background.

The Pigeon Tower, in front of Katara Mosque

The Mosque at Katara

The walking promenade was all covered in these shading "leafs", very nice indeed.

Katara Amphitheater

It really is an amazing structure. 

Me, in the center of the attention... too bad no one was there to witness it;)

Force of Nature by Lorenzo Quinn

Chekib at the Visual Art Center

Press photos of the year of gays and lesbians expressing their love for each other!

The supercute Red Velvet Cupcakery at Katara!

Going back to the city center...

The skyline from the Katara side.

Back to the Souq Waqif for the last time...

Honest workers... waiting for assignments.

At Falcon Souq

Yup they got camels as well.

Unfortunately the camels are tied up to the ground and have literally
absolutely no space to move around almost... really bad.

Who's that handsome guy?

Very Nice Latte Caramella at the Tasse Café.

Inside some sort of art exhibition in Souq Waqif.

Just gotta love Arabic interior.

Leaving Doha...

To the right in this photo you can see The Pearl, the man made island of Doha,
just like The Palm in Dubai. Didn't get to go there though,
but there is not so much to see there yet, and it's a very expensive area.

You can see the Skyline in the center of the bay.
Katara is located between the skyline and The Pearl, while
Downtown is located left of the skyline on this photo.