Day 15 - Qatar, Doha city

Human spotting in this new city

Wowza where are the humans in this place ????

Okay, I get you're a young city and there is alot of space and you want to build the greatest of cities so the people will come, but geez this place is soulless. Take us back to Zanzibar pleeeeease!

Our stop in Doha was a brain fart when we booked our trip. We thought , "yeah, let's stop a couple of days in Doha" rather than pass through the airport like we always do and let's see what it has to offer. Mental note, 1 day is plenty.

Skyscrapers everywhere

Firstly, the temperature was nothing like we expected and froze our backsides off. Who would have thought that 20 degree's is freezing when we have been enjoying tropical high thirties for the last 3 weeks. The point is we definitely, didn't come prepared for this cold weather at all. You can imagine the stares we received with me wearing a light cotton dress (yes, length below the knees with shoulders covered) and Andrew in shorts when we arrived. Oh dear!

Trying to enjoy the Hop On Hop off Bus

So whats on offer in this city? It's definitely not a walking city so we scrapped that within the first 30 mins of trying. Everyone drives here which makes the traffic horrendous and the taxi & bus systems really cheap. It actually has a Hop On Hop Off bus around Doha and have found these useful to establish what might appeal when we have limited time in a city. Unless you are interested in alot of construction, then go for it otherwise its a waste of time and money. The whole city is under construction and at most stops we are advised how progress is coming along. We'll be letting Trip Advisor know our thoughts on that one.

Our favorite place was the Souk Waqif, a market that has been around for centuries. We explored the labyrinth like alleyways with goods for sale ranging from fabrics, spices, perfumes , garden equipment and pets! There were stacks of shops, restaurants and the waft of shisha cafes everywhere. Now were talking. We enjoyed the local cuisine several times and watched the passing parade of people. Sheiks in their crisp white robes, ladies in their abaya (a long black robe that covers the entire body).