Outside of the souq

The buildings in the Msheireb area.

Architecture tended to be blocky around here.

Just outside of the souq I found the camel pen.

You can get lots of close up photos of these beasts.

They look ungainly but they are well adapted to the climate.

Across the road is the Clock Tower.

The Al Shouyoukh Mosque.

I decided to have a change of scenery and caught the metro to the Corniche station where I hoped there would be views of the skyline and harbour.

Workers were busy putting down turf.

A small glimpse of the harbour. Notice it's quite windy (and dusty).

They were also constructing shaded walkways.

It was much cooler underneath.

Umbrella decorations.

I had no desire to go trudging further in the heat so I found a pizza lunch in another part of Doha. It was just only edible and expensive. Most foodstuff is imported.

And that was the end of my half-day whirlwind tour of Doha. On the way back to the hotel I passed the odd shaped building again.

I had a shower and napped until it was time to take the hotel shuttle to the airport.

So it was goodbye via the other airport landmark, which bookends the "sad koala" at the first stopover.

That outing satisfied my curiosity about the region. I don't think I'll ever be back. Everything is harsh and stark in that climate, and can only get hotter. I'd much prefer greener and cooler climes.

Off to the souq

I had a few places earmarked to visit in half a day, and the Souq Waqif (bazaar) was one. Research had informed me that the way to get around where walking was impractical was to use the metro system. A network diagram and detailed descriptions can be found on this page.

Before I set out, I got some riyals from an ATM inside the hotel.

This is a commercial or shopping centre near my hotel. I found the shape interesting.

This was my point of entry into the metro system, the Umm Ghuwailina station. Inside I found a spotless and fairly empty station, ticket vending machines and far more staff than passengers, all eager to help me buy a ticket and show me the right platform. Most (all?) of the staff were foreign workers. I think they had been hired for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2019.

The carriages were new and there was a lot of room.

The outside of the souq.

Closer up.

A garments alley.

Handicraft.

Outside restaurant.

First floor dining.

Looking towards the city centre.

The Fanar Tower.

Another view of Fanar.

Exterior shops.

One of the many cuisines available.

Notice the huge fans.

It was not lunchtime yet.

The Art Centre.

After the souq I had a bottle of fruit juice for refreshment in a nearby shady passageway. There was also free WiFi for me to catch up.

Buffet breakfast

I was looking forward to this. I like filling up for the day with a good breakfast and hotel buffets offer lots of variety for a fixed, albeit high price. Before that I took a couple of pictures of the atrium.

Looks less cluttered from a bird's eye view.

I usually start with cereal topped with fruit, nuts, yogurt and soy milk like I have at home. After the cereal I had some hot food, together with fruit juice and coffee. I tried some of their international dishes. Some were more authentic than others. However there is a limit to how much I can stuff myself so I took small portions of each.

The buffet area.

Nobody came to write a docket for me at my table. So on leaving I caught the attention of staff and paid with my credit card. I wonder what would have happened if I had just walked out. Nobody seemed to be tracking where guests were seating themselves.

It came out to be somewhat more than I would pay in a good hotel at home.

A stopover in Doha

I had decided to take a Qatar Airways offer of a visa-free stopover in Doha with a cheap hotel room to break up the return trip. I knew that other aspects such as meals would be expensive but I was curious enough to book one night, giving me a morning and afternoon to sightsee.

After landing and going through immigration, I spent a bit of time looking for the pickup point for the hotel shuttle. The arrivals area was busy with others like me. With an inquiry I found the right place to wait. They were running well off schedule. Eventually we took off for the hotel. We drove along wide but deserted highways. Near the hotel some businesses were running, judging from the lights, but it was rather subdued. The night air was warm, as expected.

We went through a scanner to enter the Oryx Rotana and I checked in. They said I could keep the room until my departure in the afternoon, instead of the usual noon checkout. That was good, it meant I could take a shower after a hot day out seeing the sights. It also meant there were lots of rooms to spare.

The room was your usual standard air-conditioned comfy room you can find anywhere in the developed world. I had only a daypack and had packed just enough clothes for the stopover. I took a refreshing shower and went to bed. Fortunately Doha time was a couple of hours ahead of Budapest time so it wasn't so late by my body clock.