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Mideast/East Africa Cruise
December 19, 2024 - January 8, 2025

 

We did an absolutely wonderful Middle East/East Africa cruise itinerary aboard the Norwegian Dawn. The ship departed from Qatar and traveled to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Seychelles, Madagascar, Reunion, and Mauritius. The diversity of culture, climate, religion, infrastructure, scenery, and more made each port a truly memorable experience. Even though the end of the vacation presented us with some concerning challenges, I am glad that we did this cruise.

Things I Really Enjoyed

Things I Would Do Differently

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Qatar

This trip was full of contrasts and firsts. Our journey began with a 12-hour flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. This would be our first time traveling to the Middle East and our first time flying on Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways was laid back, but strict about some surprising things. One of the things that they took very seriously was making sure that you boarded in the correct boarding group. Their employees actually went through the line, looking at each passenger’s ticket to verify that they were standing in the correct slot for their boarding group. If not, the passenger was asked to wait until their boarding group was called or stand in the correct line.

When booking a seat on the flight, I used the same strategy that Traci and I have used for years. Traci likes the aisle seat while I like the window seat. For long flights like this one, I normally book our preferred seating with the hope that no one bought the middle seat between us. We thought our strategy had worked out until finally a man motioned to Traci that he had booked the middle seat. Darn!

This was the first time traveling to a predominantly Muslim country. The announcements on Qatar Airways were given in English and then in Arabic. The man sitting between Traci and me seemed to be a devout Muslim. He prayed several times during the flight. He would lift his hands to the sky and then bow towards his tray table. He would repeat these motions several times until he completed his prayers. He even set the alarm on his phone to remind him when it was time to pray again. When he was not praying, he was listening to the in-flight channel that reads the Quran.

As for me, I managed to get through the entire 12-hour flight without watching a single movie. I used the time to prepare myself to direct the middle school pit orchestra rehearsals of the musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It is an after-school theater program whose rehearsals would begin shortly after we returned from our trip. Between wrapping up tasks at work, traveling to visit family, attending holiday parties, and packing for this trip, I had fallen behind in my musical preparation. Therefore, I used a digital copy of the score on my tablet which allowed me make notes. I was very pleased with my progress during the flight.

Getting through immigration in Qatar was very efficient. By the time Traci and I arrived at the immigration area, there were only three people ahead of us in the non-residents line. We could have made it through the process sooner; however, language barrier issues with the family ahead of us caused a delay. The family was from an African country and they spoke neither Arabic nor English. The immigration officer was trying to get one of the women to stare at the screen for a facial scan and photo. She needed to stare at the screen until a green checkmark appeared. Unfortunately, the lady did not understand the instructions from the officer. She would glance at the screen and then immediately look back at the immigration officer before the green checkmark appeared. The immigration officer would get frustrated and try again to get the lady to stare at the facial scanner longer. The scenario was kind of funny to me, but very frustrating to the immigration officers who were trying to communicate with the family. The lady was also struggling with the fingerprint scanner. Eventually, they just sent the family to an office to get processed. Traci and I were then able go through immigration in less than 5 minutes.

The airport was where we really began to notice the cultural differences - mainly the traditional Middle Eastern style of dress. I also needed to pay close attention to which door I entered when going to the restroom. I had to make sure that the male symbol referred to the male washroom (a.k.a. restroom) and not the male prayer room.

Traci and I would spend three nights in Doha, the capital of Qatar. We booked the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel. I chose it because of its location. Also, we are lifetime platinum members of the Marriott loyalty program. This entitled us to some perks such as a free upgrade.

Getting to the hotel from the airport was simple. We took the red line metro to the DECC Station where we would find our hotel just across the street. The metro, like everything else in Doha, is very clean. You will not find a single piece of trash on the ground nor will you find any graffiti. I almost was not sure that we were entering a metro car because the doors of station are large shiny mirrors that open like a secret passage through the wall of mirrors.

I was initially confused about which car of the metro Traci and I should enter. There was a car labeled "Family" which had a picture of an adult male, adult female, and a child. There was another car labeled "Standard" that had a picture of adult men. Seeing this, I thought maybe the standard car was only for men; however, when the doors opened, I saw that there were adult women and men in the car. Therefore, Traci and I joined them.

It was about a 20-minute ride on the metro to get to the station we needed. Each metro stop was announced in English and Arabic along the way.

Riding the Metro

 

 

 

Traci and I emerged from the DECC Metro Station to find ourselves surrounded by skyscrapers in all directions. The city is very clean. You will not find a morsel of litter on the streets, sidewalks, or anywhere.

We simply needed to cross the street to get to our hotel – the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel. To enter the hotel, we had to pass through security. Our luggage was placed on a security scanner belt while Traci and I walked through a metal detector.

I was surprised to see the hotel lobby decorated for Christmas and to hear Christmas music playing softly in the background. After all, we were in a predominantly Islamic country.

Traci and I got checked in; however, since it was just after 9 AM, our room was not yet ready. Since we are platinum members of Marriott loyalty program, the receptionist told us that we could relax in the Executive Lounge on a 42nd floor and have breakfast which was being served until 10 AM.

The view from the Executive Lounge was jaw-dropping! We could see the city's skyscrapers and some neighborhoods that were beyond the city. The houses and other buildings beyond the skyscrapers were either beige or off-white. I would later learn that the reason for the monotone buildings was to keep cool by reflecting the intense sunlight instead of absorbing it.

Breakfast on the 42nd Floor of the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha

 

 

 

The breakfast in the Executive Lounge included bread, Danishes, breakfast meats, eggs, beans, cereal, and salad. During our time in Doha, Traci would learn that she actually enjoys eating salad for breakfast. I saw some unusual offerings on the breakfast buffet. For example, instead of pork bacon, there was beef bacon. Muslims do not eat pork. The beef bacon was a little darker than pork bacon and has a different taste. I liked it, but I still prefer pork bacon. The buffet had chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. The sausage looked and tasted more like hotdogs and thus I treated them as such for breakfast. I put ketchup on mine. The other unusual offer was watermelon juice. Neither Traci nor I like watermelon. Traci tried it, but did not like it. The scrambled eggs were quite interesting. They looked more like a yellow soup with chunks of egg in it. In fact, I put the eggs in a bowl. Despite the runny look, they were not too bad. It was not until our final morning at the hotel that I started to suspect that the extremely runny eggs were not intentional. On that morning, the scrambled eggs look like the scrambled eggs that I am used to eating and not like soup. Hmm.

Upon returning to the lobby of the hotel, the receptionist informed us that our room was available. We had been upgraded to one of the hotel's apartments. The receptionist escorted us and it was a good thing that she did. The Marriott Marquis consists of two towers. Our apartment was located in the South Tower. More confusing were separate elevators to go to the apartments instead of the suites and rooms.

Traci and I were amazed when the receptionist showed us where we’d be staying. It was a corner unit on the 21st floor with an incredible view of the city - especially at night when the skyscrapers were lit up and displaying all sorts of animation. We fell in love with the view. For the rest of our stay, we would pause every time we entered the apartment to just gaze out the large windows.

View From Our Apartment at the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha

 

 

 

The apartment had a kitchen that included an all-in-one washer/dryer, dishwasher, fridge, microwave, and range. We had a living room, a guest bathroom, and master bathroom. We were overjoyed with our accommodations - especially because the cost converted to just a little over $100 per night.

The only negatives that I could find about the apartment was the extremely hard mattress and the strange locations of some of the light switches. The mattress felt like I was laying on a piece of plywood covered by a sheet. I have never laid on a mattress that firm in my life. The floor was probably softer than that mattress. The light switches for the bathrooms were not only outside the bathrooms but around the corner. This became a challenge when I woke up in the middle of the night to answer Nature's call.

Despite these minor inconveniences, our vacation was off to a fantastic start. Unfortunately, we made a mistake that we would regret for several days - that is, we let jetlag get the best of us. We knew that we should avoid taking a nap. I suggested that we take a walk along the Corniche which is a 4-mile road and pedestrian walkway along the city’s waterfront. Traci agreed, but when I turned around, she was already curled up in the bed. It took me a while to convince her to get up. We managed to make it to the elevators, but when I noticed that she seemed to be really cranky, I abandoned our outing and let her get back in the bed. I joined her. We ended up napping almost four hours. Our nap on the world's hardest mattress was surprisingly refreshing. Even my left ear which had been clogged as a result of the 12-hour plane ride combined with going up and down the elevators of the Marriott was now back to normal. The downside to this refreshing nap was that it took us almost a week to adjust to the time zone.

We finally made it out to stroll the Corniche that evening. The Doha skyline is beautiful but at night it is absolutely stunning! The skyscrapers are lit up with thousands of lights. There are animations playing on the building. There are boats that are all lit up as they float in the water. Traci and I took this all in as we walked the pedestrian walkway in the surprisingly chilly evening air. We began to realize that we did not bring enough long, casual clothes. The daytime temperatures in Doha during our December visit got as high as the mid 70s Fahrenheit during the day. However, it would sometimes drop to the upper 50s during the evenings and mornings.

All along the Coniche were small eateries, playgrounds, bike rentals, and other recreation. Tour boat operators would approach us to sell us a boat tour. Apparently, the price is negotiable because each time we said no thank you and continued walking, the price would drop. One operator went as low as the equivalent of $5 USD for a boat tour. We declined.

There were a lot of families with children out and about that evening. We were wondering if the kids had school the next day. It turns out that the schools were on winter break.

Strolling the Corniche

 

 

 

 

 

On our way back to the hotel, Traci and I made a stop at the City Center Doha Mall. The mall is actually attached to our hotel. It was a typical mall with a lot of familiar businesses, such as Footlocker, Applebee’s, etc. I also saw some businesses that I have seen during our travels in Europe, such as the Carrefour grocery store. The mall was crowded. I was anxious to see how people were dressed and how they behaved in this predominantly Muslim society. I saw many people dressed in traditional Middle Eastern clothing, but also many dressed in Western style. During my research about Muslim culture, I saw more than once that women should avoid exposing their shoulders and knees. I also read that public displays of affection are generally frowned upon - even something as simple as a couple holding hands. I found out that either some people did not get the memo or Western culture is generally accepted in Qatar. I saw an example of each of these during our mall visit but very few. I would later hear from more than one Qatari resident that Qatar is an open-minded society. This might be, however, when Traci and I went online to find information about the upcoming Qatar Marathon, we noticed that the site seemed to only post pictures of women runners if they were wearing clothing that covered their shoulders and knees.

We stopped by the food court at the mall where I had an expensive slice of beef brisket that tasted mediocre at best. Back at the hotel, we ended up taking the wrong set of elevators to get to our apartment and had to backtrack. We would eventually learn that you could travel between the North Tower and South Tower on floors 7 and lower. We were required to walk outside past the pool if we wanted to change towers on Floor 7. Even though it was chilly during the evenings and mornings, I still preferred this floor because the hotel's Tulum Restaurant always seemed to be pumping some really nice house music.

Traci still had energy when we finally found our way to the apartment, so she used the hotel’s fitness center at 10:30 PM to work out. I, on the other hand, could barely keep my eyes open even after that wonderful afternoon nap. I was in bed by 11 PM. I woke up at 1:30 AM and was not able to go back to sleep. I laid there until my alarm sounded at 5 AM.

Traci and I had breakfast in the Executive Lounge of the hotel at 6:15 AM. We could not get over the stunning view of Doha from the 42nd floor while we dined. This view was made even more spectacular by about a hundred hot air balloons in many different shapes floating over the city. I was told that this was a part of the Qatar National Day celebrations that is commemorated on December 18. It commemorates the unification of Qatar under Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani in 1878. Traci and I arrived in Qatar on December 19, a day after the national holiday, but there were still celebrations and Qatari flags everywhere we went throughout our 3-night stay. I was told that the fireworks and parades were canceled this year because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors. I found it interesting that in the U.S., the wars were referred to as Israel versus organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah; however, in Qatar, the wars were referred to as Israel versus nations such as Lebanon and Palestine. I even had someone tell me Israel versus Philistine. Now that's a throwback. I thought Philistine went extinct in biblical times. I always changed the subject when the topic of war or politics came up. My parents taught me that it is best not to discuss politics, religion, or money.

Traci and I made our way down to the hotel lobby to meet our tour guide at 7 AM. He was actually a few minutes early. I received a phone call on my mobile phone at 6:57 AM from the front desk of the hotel telling me that our tour guide had arrived. Fortunately, Traci and I were already in the lobby.

I booked this 4-hour Private City Tour In Doha, Souq Waqif,Courniche,The Pearl,Katara online via Viator. This is where I made my Middle East rookie mistake. I booked our tour for Friday not realizing that Friday is a day of prayer in Islam. Just about everything was closed that morning and the streets were relatively empty. We were told that some businesses would open in the afternoon but our tour would be finished by then.

Our tour began with a photo stop of one of the Sheik's palaces and then it was off to the famous Souk Waqif. A souq is a market or bazaar. It was closed for Friday prayers when we were there. We were told that normally there are so many people there that you can barely walk. Our Friday morning visit had its advantage in that the place was basically empty. We were able to see the entire souq in a short amount of time. There are various sections of the souq that are dedicated to selling goods like textiles, spices, art, animals, etc... All of these were closed; however, there was a tea shop that was open. Our guide bought Traci and me some Qatari tea called Karak Chai. I am not a tea drinker but I am so glad I took our guide up on his offer. That was the best tea I have ever had. It was a black tea containing milk, saffron, sugar, cardamom, and other spices. It tasted like dessert. Besides, this hot beverage was perfect on that chilly December morning that had my nose running.

Souq Waqif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our guide continued to lead us through the various sections of the souq where there seemed to be surprises around every corner. I was not expecting to see a boutique hotel in the souq but our guide said that some visitors love to be in the middle of all the shopping action. As we walked, I begin to hear a man saying something in Arabic on a loud speaker. I assummed he was praying but our guide told us he was conducting the bird auction. Sure enough, when we emerged from one of the alleys, there was a large group of men and cages containing many different species of birds. Traci and I were wondering if Traci was allowed to be there because we saw no women. Our guide assured us it was okay.

Leaving the bird auction, we came across the falcon souq. This building was closed but we were able to look through the window and see the birds. Falconry is a major pasttime in Qatar. The birds are used for hunting. The Qataris are serious about their falcons. There is a falcon hospital. Additionally, owners are allowed to transport their falcons in first class and business class of the airlines. During our visit, there was a falcon handler in one of the squares of the souq who offered us the chance to hold one of his birds for the equivalent of $3 but we declined.

Birds are not the only animals sold at Souq Waqif. There is a section selling horses and another selling camels. Our visit to Souq Waqif was fascinating.

Animals Sold at Souq Waqif

 

 

bird auction

 

falconry is a major pasttime in Qatar

 

 

Next we were driven to the National Museum of Qatar which was also closed for Friday prayers. It is an interesting building that was built in the shape of a large desert flower. We tooks some photos and moved on.

National Museum of Qatar

 

 

 

While were being driven to our next sight at often unnecessary high rates of speed, I had some time to chat with our guide. This young man speaks four languages! He was born in Qatar; however, since his parents immigrated to Qatar from Pakistan, our guide is not a citizen of Qatar. Qatar does not have birthrite citizenship. I was told that it is nearly impossible to become a citizen of Qatar. Most of the people who live in Qatar are foreign workers. Very few are citizens.

The most interesting part of our conversation came when I asked who are the popular musicians in Qatar. Our guide pulled up a music video of a popular Qatari singer whose name I have forgotten. It was a high energy song in which the singer was praising the current Sheikh of Qatar. The music had a lot of drums and kind of reminded me of Bollywood. However, it was different enough that I would not mistake it for Bollywood. We definitely don't hear that genre of music on the radio in the U.S. where I live. The guide played the music of several other regional artists as we rode along. I really enjoyed this listening session.

Our half-day city tour continued to please us. The sun was shining brightly. The morning chill had given way to a mild day which no longer required a jacket. We were driven to the Mina District of Doha which is the location of the old port. There are colorful buildings in the district. There is an interesting section in which old cargo containers were painted and combined to create stores. I would have liked to explore this cargo city but we did not stop there. Instead, we were given some time to walk around the port and amongst the colorful buildings which were closed that day.

Mina District

 

 

 

We were then driven to a park located along the Corniche. Here we were able to marvel at Doha's icon skyline. There are some really oddly-shaped buildings. I could not seem to take enough photos. In the park were some leftover sculptures from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Soccer that took place in Qatar.

Doha Skyline

 

 

 

 

We were driven across town to the Katara Culture Village. Katara contains shops, eateries, a cinema, concert venues, and even a beach. Our guide led us around pointing out interesting sights such as the Gold Mosque and some really large pigeon houses. The highlight of our visit was the amphitheatre where people go to listen to concerts. The amphitheatre was built in the style of an ancient Greek structure but it is not ancient. It was completed in 2008. The acoustics are incredible. Our guide demonstrated this by standing in the center of the stage and clapping his hands. The sound reverberated throughout the amphitheatre.

Katara Culture Village

Katara Culture Village Beach

 

Gold Mosque

 

pigeon houses

 

concert venue

 

 

 

 

 

Our final stop was the Pearl. The Pearl is a man-made island that hosts a ritzy neighborhood. There are high-end car dealers (Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Bentley, etc...), high-end stores, and restaurants. There is a 6-star hotel and many expensive condos. We had a look at the marina and then posed for pictures above the canals that were built to mimic those of Venice.

The Pearl - Glitzy Man-Made Island

 

 

 

Our guide dropped us off back at our hotel. We had really enjoyed the 5-hour tour despite just about everything being closed for Friday prayers. Our guide gave us his contact information in case we had questions or needed recommendations during the rest of our stay in Doha. He was a very pleasant person.

We returned to our apartment and as usual, paused to admire the stunning view of Doha through our large windows. Our apartment had not been serviced by housekeeping but this was expected. They do not work on Fridays because of Friday prayers.

Traci got changed into her running gear. I advised her to wear her running tights instead of her shorts. I was worried about her exposing her knees in this conservative society. She followed one of her stretching videos and then went for a 7-mile jog along the Corniche. Doha has the reputation of being one of the safest cities in the world, so I was not concerned about her jogging alone. As for me, I still was not adjusted to the time difference, so I took a 3-hour nap on our ridiculously hard mattress.

Later that day, we had a complimentary dinner at the Executive Lounge of the hotel and then headed out into the evening to explore. Our destination was the Museum of Illusions. I came across this during my research of things to do in Doha before our trip. The Museum of Illusions is located in the Gate Mall which is across the street from our hotel. Thanks to the advise of the doorman at the hotel, we crossed the busy street via the underground walkway of the metro station. I was impressed with the staff at the Marriott Marquis. They had memorized our names after only a day and they were always courteous.

Our visit to the Gate Mall was different from our visit to the City Center Mall the previous day. The Gate Mall had a lot of high-end brand stores but was practically empty. I noticed that more people in this mall were dressed in traditional Middle Eastern clothing. Traci saw a sign for a Nike store and we set off to find it. After looking at the map and finally asking a security guard about the location of the store, we were told that it no longer exists in the Gate Mall. Fortunately, the Museum of Illusions still existed.

Traci and I spent about an hour at the Museum of Illusions and had an enjoyable time. It contains optical illusions, puzzles, and opportunities to photograph yourself in some mind-bending scenarios. Initially, Traci and I were the only clients at the museum but about a handful of other customers arrived later. An employee led Traci and me through the museum explaining some of the illusions and photographing us with our phones at the various fun photo opportunities. It was a fun visit.

Museum of Illusions

 

 

 

 

Before returning to our hotel, we stopped by the City Center Mall across the street in hopes of using an ATM to get the local currency - no luck on that front. I tried at least 4 ATMs but my card did not work at any of them. In contrast to the Gate Mall, the City Center Mall was bustling.

Back at the hotel, Traci went to the fitness center to get in another workout. I chilled in our apartment admiring the city view. I eventually ended up walking back to the City Center Mall to get some food from the food court just before it closed at 10 PM. This time, I got a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. I was surprised that the young lady at the counter gave me packets of ketchup to go along with the pizza. I did not know that putting ketchup on pizza was a thing. I did not use the packets. I brought the pizza back to our apartment and devoured it. All that evening and well into the night, I could hear live music emanating from one of the nearby buildings. It sounded similar to the music that our guide shared with us during our morning tour. I thought maybe it was a wedding celebration but later I would learn that it was probably celebrations related to National Day. Traci eventually returned from the gym and then knocked out some compliance training for her job that she did not have a chance to finish before we left for this trip.

I had another terrible night of sleep due to jet lag. I was wide awake at 4:30 AM and then got out of bed around 6 AM. Traci and I had breakfast in the Executive Lounge and then made our way to the hotel lobby to meet our tour guide by 9 AM. I had booked the Private Full Day Guided Tour in Qatar North and West via Viator over a month before arriving in Qatar. We had a different guide than the day before. This young man was dressed in traditional Qatari garb consisting of a long white robe called a Throbe, a white head scarf called a Ghutra, and a black head rope band called an Agal. I sat in the front of his SUV while Traci sat in the back. I was a little thrown off when one of guide's first questions in our conversation was "How old are you?" I told him my age and then laughed and told him that this is a cultural difference. I told him that in the U.S., we would not ask a stranger their age. Unfazed, he asked Traci her age. Traci told her age. He seemed genuinely surprised when he told us that he thought we were 20 years younger than we are. He told us that he is 23 years old.

The tour was an 8-hour tour of the northern and western regions of Qatar. It was memorable but not always for good reasons. It seemed our guide was constantly delivering bad news. I noticed he was wiping his nose periodically with tissues. He informed us that he was sick. He said he did not come to work yesterday but decided to come today because he felt better when he awoke this morning. Of course, this alarmed the germophobe in me as I was seated in the front seat. Next, he told us that the tour was going to take a little longer because he recently rebuilt the engine of his SUV and needed to drive below a certain speed limit to break it in. He also told us that he did not want to turn off the engine because he was afraid it might not start again. Yikes! This is a desert tour. I don't want to be stuck out there.

This was an 8-hour tour that involved a lot of driving to get from one sight to the next. Before the sightseeing, our guide made a stop at a tea shop in a small desert town. The waiters, whose faces were completely covered by a bandana except for their eyes, came to our vehicle to take the order and to deliver the tea. Our guide ordered the delicious Qatari tea for Traci and me. That is some good stuff!

Our first sightseeing stop was Al Khor which is also known as the Purple Island because the flowers turn purple at a certain time of the year. The amazing thing about Al Khor is that enough sea water has made it far enough into the desert to create a marshland seeming in the middle of nowhere. Given we live on the east coast of the U.S., we've seen a marsh before and thus Al Khor was not much different than others we've seen. Again, the draw to this sight is its location in the middle of the desert. Our guide stayed in the SUV with the engine running while Traci and I went off to explore the marsh via its boardwalk for 20 minutes or so. There is lots of water vegetation. I was impressed by how clear the water is. You can see small fish and crabs swimming in the marsh. I spent a few minutes watching two crabs steal a dead fish from each other.

Al Khor (a.k.a Purple Island)

 

 

We were driven quite a distance along a desert road to get to the next place of interest. I chatted with our guide along the way. I asked him about popular musicians in Qatar. He pulled up a playlist on his phone of some really nice Middle Eastern music. I was impressed by the bass in the drum beats. He told me that he is also a musician. He plays a guitar-like instrument called an oud. I would have loved to have heard him play.

We had a bit of a snafu when the air condition suddenly stopped working. It was not a hot day so this did not bother me but it sure bothered our guide. He pulled his SUV over to the shoulder, opened the hood, and began troubleshooting. He was not able to find the problem but he found out that the a/c worked if he disengaged the recirculated air button. It was a good workaround until he could do more research later.

Our next stop was Al Zubara Fort. This thick-walled fort was constructed in 1938 and is now a museum. Traci and I spent about 30 minutes exploring the place. We enjoyed a film on the difficult work of pearl divers while we were at the fort. Qatar used to be know for its pearling industry. I would say that the film was the highlight of our visit. We spent the rest of the time looking at the mostly empty rooms of the fort.

Al Zubara Fort is located in what was once a thriving pearling and trading town of Al Zubara. The town was sacked by fighters from Oman in 1811 and eventually abandoned. Over time, the desert sands covered the town and preserved it. Today it is an important archaeological site that provides a glimpse at what desert life was like in the 19th century. I was happy to learn that the Al Zubara Archaeological Site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was able to add our visit to my collection of UNESCO World Heritage Visits.

Al Zubara Fort

 

 

Traci and I returned to the small parking lot where our guide was waiting with his vehicle still running. He was still worried the engine would not restart if he turned it off. He told us that our next scheduled stop, Al Jumail, was under construction. He wanted to know if we still wanted to go there. Of course, Traci and I said yes. We did not come all that way to miss out on anything.

We took the short ride to Al Jumail. Al Jumail is an abandoned pearling and fishing village that was occupied during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, you can walk amongst the dilapidated stone buildings by the sea. There was definitely construction happening not too far from the ruins. Our guide suspected that they might be turning the place into a vacation spot given its location on the water. Time will tell.

Al Jumail

 

 

As our journey continued on the desert roads, our guide seemed to become more aggressive and wreckless with his driving. We did not encounter many other vehicles but when we did, our guide seemed determined to pass them even if it meant driving on the shoulder. He did not seem to mind driving the wrong way on entrance and exit ramps either. He continued to share music from his playlist with me. I enjoyed this but I got nervous when we started drifting across the lane as he took his eyes off the road to find the next track.

There was not much to see during our drive. It was a sandy desert lanscape with scrubby plants and the ever-present power lines. Occasionally, we passed by small towns where bedoiuns (people who live in the desert) now live in modern accommodations. I became curious when we passed a large building with a sign reading Cuban Hospital. We were told that many doctors from Cuba come to Qatar to practice medicine.

riding through western Qatar

 

We made a stop at a gas station. I assumed it was for a restroom break. As a quick note about the restrooms in Qatar, I noticed that several of them had a chart indicating healthy urine colors and recommendations to drink more water if your urine is too dark. On my way back to the SUV, I bought a bag of potato chips thinking that we would stop somewhere to get a meal during this 8-hour excursion. Had I known that we were not stopping anywhere else to eat, I would have purchased something more filling.

We had to go off-road to get to our next attraction. We rode on the desert sands for a short distance until we reached two large eroded rocks. Our guide pointed out that one looked like a bird and the other looked like a lizard. I agreed with his assessment. Traci and I walked around the rocks photographing them and even climbed them. I did not find them to be all that impressive. This was a rare case in which the pictures we took actually looked better than real life.

Desert Erosion

 

 

It had been a while since our guide delivered us bad news so now was as good a time as any. He told me that we were stuck. He had managed to get his SUV stuck in the sand as we were trying to leave the desert. He tried various maneuvers but they all seemed to sink the wheels further into the sand. Fortunately, there were two other men in the desert at the time. They came over to help. I, along with the other two men, attempted to push the vehicle while our guide attempted to steer it - no luck. Finally, one of the men who had a new SUV found a towing strap in his vehicle that was still in the packaging. He opened it and used it to pull our guide's SUV out of the sand - Whew! We thanked the men and were once again on the sightseeing trail.

Stuck in the Sand

 

 

The next attraction was abstract desert art. We were taken to see the East-West/West-East creation which is the work of American artist, Richard Serra. He was commissioned to create these 40-foot pillars by Sheikh al-Mayassa al-Thani of Qatar. The funny thing about our experience there was that Traci totally missed it at first. I had done some research before our trip, so I had an idea about what we were there to see. On the other hand, Traci normally leaves all the sightseeing planning and tour bookings to me. She likes to just show up be surprised. As we got out of our guide's SUV, Traci headed toward some people in the distance who were climbing on some rocks. I asked Traci where she was going and she told me she was going to check out the attraction. When I told her that the four pillars were the attraction, she replied in disbelief, "That's it!" I had a good laugh but I understood. In my opinion, it was underwhelming. To my unartistic eyes, it looked like the start of a construction project. We snapped a few photos and headed back to the vehicle.

East-West/West-East by Richard Serra

 

With the artwork behind us, it was time for more bad news from our guide. He told us that he had just gotten off the phone with his friend who told him that the camels at the race track where we were headed had all been put back in their stables for the evening. He asked if we wanted to skip the race track and go back to our hotel in Doha. We said no. We had been on the road for more than 6 hours at that point. We were going to make sure we saw everything even if there were no camels.

It was a good thing we decided not to cancel our race track visit. The place was full of camels with their trainers when we arrived. I have never seen so many camels in one place in my entire life. There were hundreds! The trainers were walking or trotting groups of camels around the track. The interesting thing about camel racing in Qatar is that there are no spectator seats. Instead, there are driving lanes that allow spectators to drive beside the track while a race is in progress. Our guide told us that one person drives while the passengers watch the race. I am surprised that there are no accidents. The other interesting thing about these camel races is that instead of using a jockey, a small robot is attached to the camel's back. The robot whips the camel's back side to make it run faster. Our guide showed us a video of one of these races. It looked exciting. Given Qatar is a Muslim country, betting is not allowed.

The camel race track was hands down the best part of our tour. Traci and I were like two little kids as we stood beside the track waving at the trainers and taking pictures. They would wave back. Some were taking pictures of us taking pictures of them. This experience was a highlight of our time in Qatar.

The sun was starting to set as we were leaving the camel race track. This was my first time experiencing a sunset in this region. It was quite remarkable for me. The sky would turn orange. I would see this in the other cities we visited during the Middle Eastern portion of our trip.

Camel Race Track

 

 

 

 

We were finally driven back to our hotel. It had been a long day. Our guide seemed to be really suffering from his cold or whatever illness he had. He was doing more coughing and nose-blowing than he was doing in the morning. He was pressuring us somewhat to write a review of our excursion. He even offered a hotspot so that we could write the review and submit it before we exited his SUV. I declined and told him that I need a few days to gather my thoughts. In my mind, I also wanted to wait three days or so to make sure I did not come down with whatever his illness was before I wrote a review. We had already shared some of our feedback verbally during the ride back to the hotel. In general, we really enjoyed the camel race track.

As I reflect upon the excursion, I cannot say that I was blown away by anything we saw that day except the camels at race track. I really enjoyed the tea we received at the beginning of the tour. I also enjoyed chatting with our guide and listening to his playlist during the day. I would not say that this tour is highly recommended. It involves a lot of driving to see things that were not all that memorable (except the camels). On the other hand, if you have time and you just want to check the boxes of seeing as much of Qatar as you can, then, by all means, sign up for this excursion.

We had to get new room key cards at the hotel because Traci discovered that hers was no longer in her pocket. We assumed that it might have fallen out of her pocket during the tour - who knows? There was no problem getting new keys from the hotel receptionists.

Upon returning to our apartment at the Marriott Marquis, Traci washed a load of clothes. This was our first time using a unit that washes and dries your clothes in the same machine. We had dinner at the Executive Lounge of the hotel. Afterwards we took advantage of the time difference. Qatar was 8 hours ahead of the east coast U.S. at the time. Traci called her mother via Wi-Fi. I decided to log onto my Saturday French conversation group session. They were surprised to see me. I shared a little in French about our adventures in Qatar.

While I was participating in my French conversation group, Traci went to the City Center Mall that is attached to our hotel. I was so happy when she returned with a Qatar refrigerator magnet for our travel magnet collection. I thought we were going to have make a special trip to Souq Waqif just to purchase a magnet before we left the country. Fortunately, this was not necessary. Traci told me that she found souvenirs on the fourth floor of the mall.

The next morning, I could hardly believe our time in Qatar was coming to an end. I had really enjoyed our stay. Traci started off with a five-mile jog along the Corniche in the cool of the early morning. The rest of the day, we took our time packing up and then took an Uber to the cruise terminal. We would miss Doha but we were excited to begin the cruise portion of our trip. Continue...

Magnet Purchased At This Destination: (click to enlarge)

Entire fridge magnet collection...

 

UNESCO Site Visited At This Destination: Al Zubarah Archaeological Site

Intro/Qatar | The Ship | Abu Dhabi | Dubai | Seychelles | Madagascar | Reunion | Mauritius | next

 

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