Doha, Qatar

 After a short flight from Muscat,Oman we landed in Doha, Qatar…

We were only here for a couple of days due to a flight change so we took a half day city tour and did a bit of exploring on our own.

Our first impression was how different it was from Muscat in that it has many impressive skyscrapers everywhere. We stayed in a hotel in West Bay that was surrounded by tall buildings and enjoyed the views from the swimming pool.

Some more of the impressive buildings…

And at night they were even more impressive as many of them light up…

Here is a longer view…

However it was just as clean and felt just as safe as Muscat everywhere that we went.

Doha is the capital city of the country of Qatar…

It is connected to Saudi Arabia on one side and surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Geographically it is a small county with a population of 3.1 million with most of them living in Doha. 85 - 90% of them are foreigners who support the local economy and are primarily from South Asia and the Phillipines.

Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world because of large reserves of oil and natural gas which makes up around 70% of its’ economy. The residents pay no taxes and live very well.

As can been seen as we toured Doha the country has invested much to make the city a very pleasant one. There is a 7 km walkway around the ocean called Al Corniche which is quite lovely…

Here we are on Al Corniche…

Here is the skyline that can be seen across the bay…

Along the walk there are lots of sculptures with this one being quite famous…it is The Pearl which commemorates the pearl diving industry that made Qatar quite famous in the early days…

The city has many interesting buildings such as the National Museum which is shaped like a desert rose with many interesting exhibits showing the history of the country…

Then there is the Museum of Islamic Arts which is at one end of Al Corniche…

 

Next to it is the Dhow Boat village where you can get a ride at sunset. These wooden boats are the traditional boats of Qatar. We had one booked but again a mixup with pickup had us miss the ride. Sometimes when we travel things don’t always go as planned! 

As we drove by the Royal Place the Camel Guards were riding by…

Near the Royal Palace is the old souq which was very interesting….

They had a bird market full of colorful birds the Qataris keep for pets…

Then there were the falcons which are pets owned by the rich Qataris, many of them cost many thousands of dollars…

This one costs 42,000USD.

There is also a falcon hospital nearby…

The market was quiet colorful…

Another sculpture called The Thumb, didn’t quite get the meaning…

Doha has some very lovely areas including The Pearl which is a manmade island with a lovely marina, beautiful houses and views…

We spent one evening at the marina again with a long walkway with families out enjoying the evening, joggers and so on. Don also found a beer since we didn’t see either one in Oman. The evening was lovely and warm…

And again lights everywhere…

There is a section of houses that are built along the canals…

This unique building is a hotel, many 5 star hotels in Doha.

A very fancy shopping street…

A unique tiled mosque designed by a woman which is rare…

And you know you are rich when you have air conditioning vents on the streets! 

This is just a glimpse of Doha with so much more to see and do. Our impression is that it would be a pleasant city to live in especially if you have money as it wasn’t a budget stay. Plenty of lovely places to walk, places to eat and many cultural events, a mix of old and new.

A great day in Oman…Nizwa and the Mountains.

 One of our best days in Oman was a full day tour with a wonderful young man called Ahmed and two young colleagues and friends who were in Muscat for a conference.

Ahmed picked us up early in a Land Cruiser which seems to be the choice of vehicle here and we headed away from Muscat driving far up into the mountains. 

Ahmed was wearing the traditional male clothes of Oman…a long white collarless robe called a dishdasha and a brightly coloured turban called a massar. Most all the men we saw in Oman dressed this way.

Don got to sit in front and I got to share the back seat with the young women…one from Armenia and the other from Iran. Oh, the conversations we had that day and I learned so much from them. As one of them texted me when she got home, this day was the best of Oman and I agreed. Travelling is all about the people we meet that enriches our understanding of the world.

Here we are sharing a coffee and a few stories…

The mountains got higher as we drove…

The weather here this time of year is quite comfortable especially in the mountains but there is always the chance of a sand storm. We experienced one for a couple of days while we there as it blew in from Iran. Visibility is reduced, along with the air quality…

Our first stop was in a town called Niswa which has an old market or souq…

They sell a lot of dried fruit and flowers to make fragrant tea…

Lots of grains and nuts in their diet…

The palm tree not only supplies dates but also is used to make these colorful crafts…

One of the most popular stores was one selling dates which is one of the main crops in Oman. This store had so many types and flavours…cardamom, ginger, sesame and so on. And you could sample them all…

Another market sold mostly havla, a Middle Eastern dessert which had a flour paste flavoured with things like pistachios, cardamom, saffron and so on. It was gooey, sweet and delicious. This one had different types of nuts..

There were lots of students there and this one was counting his money to see if he could buy a treat. The boys here also wear the traditional gown.

We then headed into Nizwa Fort, a popular tourist destination in Oman. It was built in the 17th century and is a powerful reminder of the town's significance through turbulent periods in Oman's long history. It was a formidable stronghold against raiding forces that desired Nizwa's abundant natural wealth and its strategic location at the crossroads of vital routes.We climbed to the top of the walls to see the great views over the town and mountains…

Our guide who was 37 was concerned that we might not make it to the top and down again! 

There was a performance of traditional music and dancing by a group of men. There was a lot of drumming and chanting…

Attached to the Fort is an old Castle where visitors and the sultan’s family would stay…

Don relaxing in the visitors’ room…

All the chapters of the Quran…we saw this Holy Book on display in many places throughout our time in Oman.

The remnants of the ancient well, being a fertile valley it had plenty of water which was a valuable commodity…

The Iman’s room…he is the spiritual and prayer leader in Islam and would have been given a special room…

A few more pictures of our visit…

These little ones were so cute in their fancy outfits.

We then headed much further into the mountains to Jebel AKhdar or the “ Green Mountain”. On the way we stopped for a traditional lunch…

We then did a walk through some old villages that were perched on the side of the mountains. The scenery was spectacular! 

We walked from the small village below to the village at the top of the mountain…

The doors of Oman are all so interesting…

Old stones walls and walkways…

Hanging in to the side of the mountains…

In places the mountains were terraced to grow crops…

Stepping over stones as in places there were no walkways…

Through tunnels and then the final walk up to the vehicle…

Our little group sharing our stories and learning from each other…

Such a wonderful day! 

We had one other adventure in Oman when we went to Wadi Shab, unfortunately my phone got wet so no pictures! Hopefully it can be repaired when I get back to Canada.

We both enjoyed Oman a lot, again the people were so welcoming, the place so safe and so full of both modernity and ancient history. We are glad that we came.