Weekend in Doha

Two weeks ago, we jetted to Doha, Qatar for a quick getaway. We briefly considered driving but grabbed some plane tickets at the last minute. 

We realized it was almost five years exactly since we'd been to Qatar on a brief layover home from the Maldives. It's a charming city and I was thrilled to get to revisit the Souk and see the Museum of Islamic Art for the first time. 

Doha's harbor and corniche are beautiful. The skyline has some impressive buildings, a lot like Abu Dhabi but on a smaller scale. They're getting ready to host the World Cup in 2022 (amidst some controversy about laborer safety) so it'll be interesting to see what changes in the next 8 years. 

The Museum opened in 2008 and is stunning- the architecture (designed by I. M. Pei), the exhibits, the view of downtown from its terrace- all stunning. We stayed for hours and the building was even more beautiful after dark.

One of my favorite pieces.

A jewel-covered falcon.

Our other favorite part of the city is Souk Waqif, just across the street from the Museum. On a Friday night, it was alive, teeming with (mostly) locals and full of food, stuff for your house, and trinkets.

When researching for our trip, I came across a recommendation to visit the "pancake ladies" in a particular square. On our way to find a traditional Qatari restaurant, we stumbled upon the ladies. Multiple tables set up with homemade food of all types, and pancakes (crepes) made to order. I got mine with an egg and cheese and it was delicious (and less than $1).

We wanted to eat some Qatari food and asked the information desk to point us in the direction of a good spot. For about $14 we tried three dishes: noodles with an egg on top, a pasta dish, and chickpeas. Pretty good!

One thing we didn't get to see on our last trip was the falcon souk. There are numerous shops with sand boxes filled with falcons on posts, like below. Almost all the birds have helmets on so they're not tempted to hunt. It was fairly empty when we were there, and I understand that it can cost thousands of dollars (or more) to buy a good falcon and the equipment. 

While we were wandering around, we saw a young boy entertaining his friends with a falcon. He was animated and charming and I was dying to take a picture of him until we saw he and his friend basically feed a baby duck to the falcon. Needless to say, the bird of prey acted exactly as nature intended. Poor ducky.

The next day we met up with a dear friend and had lunch in the Souk before exploring some of Doha's new developments. The Pearl, a grand island still under construction, will be an enormous mixed-use space with shopping, dining, and houses/apartments when it's finished. For now, one of the marinas is nearly complete and we spend the afternoon eating fancy cake and wandering around.

We also stopped at the exhibit celebrating Qatar's National Sport Day. It was a great place for families with little kiddos- lots of interactive play areas and an opportunity to run around. We also got to meet the mascots. 

And my souvenir? A terrible cold that is still taking its toll on me. Still, fun weekend!