My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
On Sunday Ben and Carly went back to work. I caught up on sleep during the day, and then that evening we went to the Souq Waqif which was described as both very authentic and very touristy. It was, one of my favorite things: a marketplace. The original one had burned down and it had been rebuilt relatively recently with oil money so it felt very authentic, if in hauntingly good shape. This was the place where I could get souvenirs, random household items, tortured animals to take home as pets, spices, rugs, so many things.
I enjoyed this sign by the tourist booth
Then for the third time that week, we hopped a barrier because it was easier than finding the long way around.
These lamps are typical of the region
The view from the square:
We rushed by the animal section because Carly didn’t like to see all of the howling animals crowded in cages. There were kittens and all kinds of birds, parrots that didn’t look nearly as healthy as the ones who had visited the ship in St. Thomas, I think there might have been turtles, and then there was a special room for falcons. People spend more money on falcons than I would ever feel comfortable spending on a car.
And there were camels! I didn’t ride these camels, though.
This one was standing funny.
There were so many middle eastern cuisines to choose from so Carly and I got an appetizer at a Persian restaurant while we waited for Ben to join us.
This place was ornately decorated and had a fountain in the middle. This was the place Carly recognized for the atmosphere.
The only restaurants that served alcohol in Qatar are in hotels. We were not in a hotel. I got a sparkly fruity drink, and Carly ordered tea that came in this cool pot:
We also had a fried eggplant appetizer that wasn’t battered (which I think is what we were expecting). We scrapped the goo out of the eggplant onto some flatbread and it was delicious.
Then we went to a Syrian place for out main course and ordered a whole bunch of stuff while we waited for Ben to arrive. There was a great salad, grilled meats, meat in hummus, and some things from the bakery which turned out to be a lot like sauceless pizza. It was delicious.
We wandered back through the market toward the water and found some miniature camels
and Aladdin’s lamps
I felt like I was in the Aladdin part of Disneyland, except it was just a bit more authentic and less touristy. But it was still very clean.
The pedestrians wear robes:
This pearl sculpture was by the boats.
Ben haggled with the boatmen and we boarded our boat.
After a few minutes another family joined us and we set off.
The night was so clear. It was such a spectacular view of the skyline.
Here is the whole thing. That white triangle is the light from the boat, and I think the little one on the right with the pink top is the original hotel which was once the only big building in Doha.
The boat drivers played loud music that I thought I must have heard at a Zumba class. And of course there was an instrumental version of ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ I picked my favorite building which is a triangular one you can’t see that’s still under construction. Ben likes the pink space ship or a D shaped building that is hard to see in this picture. I hadn’t noticed that one before.
I tried to take some pictures of other boats but it was dark and we were moving so they didn’t come out very well.
I love boat rides.
The Souq and a Boat Ride