Leaving Tanzania - Doha, Qatar City Tour
David (Nature's Gift Safari) picked us up at 5am! We got ALL of our bags packed up and headed to the Kilimanjaro Airport by 5:30am. We had some time at the airport to browse through the small gift shops and enjoy some coffee and sandwiches. We had a VERY long trip ahead of us - more than 30 hours to get back to Washington!
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| Playing cards to pass the time... |
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| Leaving Tanzania and Dar Es Salaam... |
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| Arriving in Doha, Qatar - sand storm |
Our flights from Kili to Dar Es Salaam and Dar to Qatar were uneventful. We had almost an 8 hour layover in Doha, Qatar. Qatar Airways offers a free city tour for passengers with a layover longer than 6 hours. The tour is limited to 20 people and is based on first come, first served. There were 18 of us, so rather than risk it, I was able to arrange a paid tour through the airways. We prepaid for the tour, $25 each. You need a visa to leave the airport, and that was included in the tour.
When we walked out of the airport, there was a guide and tour bus waiting for our group! There had been a sand storm in Doha earlier in the day, so visibility was limited. It was like fog in the Northwest. It was over 90 degrees at 7pm, and very humid. That was cool compared to the 110 degree daytime temps. It was also Ramadan. You are not able to eat and drink until the sun goes down. Respectfully, everyone is to abide by this belief. Thank goodness we were there shortly before the sun went down.
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| Entrance to Pearl Island |
Doha is the capital city of Qatar. Qatar is an Arab country off the coast of the Persian Gulf. It's population is 1.8 million with more than 1 million living in Doha. Qatar is the world's richest country per capita. We went from one of the poorest countries in the world to the richest in a matter of hours. In 2022, Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup, the first Arab country to do so.
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| Pearl Island |
Our 3 hour tour started off with a drive to Pearl Island. Pearl Island is an artificial island spanning almost 4 million square meters. Once fully completed, Pearl Island will resemble a string of pearls. It is home to residential developments, restaurants, high end retail shops and hotels.
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| Some of the amazing sights along the way! |
We drove to Souq Waqif and had 45 minutes to walk around and shop on our own. Souq Waqif is one of the largest 'standing markets' in Doha. They sell traditional garments, spices, handicrafts and souvenirs. It is over 100 years old but was recently rebuilt to represent current architecture styles. We had fun walking around and bought some ice cream. In front of the Souq was a large open area that recently hosted viewing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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| Souq Waqif |
From the Souq, we continued on to Katara Cultural Village. Katara, a cultural village, is home to a theater, concert hall, amphitheater, mosque, exhibits, galleries, and restaurants.
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| A Mosque at Katara Village |
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| They had telescopes set up to view the stars above! |
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| interesting artwork |
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| As we left Katara Village, you could see the men worshipping in the Mosque - note ALL the shoes outside! |
Our last stop was previously visited Pearl-Qatar Island. We were able to walk along the boardwalk and gawk at the beautiful yachts in the harbor. There are many expensive car dealerships and luxury shops.
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| A view of Pearl Island during the day! |
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| Pearl Island was beautiful - and full of richness! |
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| The bridge to Pearl Island in the night..........and day! |
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| Farewell - our last group picture! |
The tour was amazing and a great way to spend our time in Doha! It was well worth the $25. Once we returned to the airport, we had some time to eat and relax. Of all places, the boys found a Burger King!
Our flight from Doha to Phili went smoothly. We mostly slept and watched movies. We were coming to an end of an amazing experience. One that I was grateful to share with my family and the 14 others we traveled with. It has humbled us, and made us thankful for what we have. It has given us an insight into the lives of others less fortunate. I hope to return to someday and spend time with the amazing people of Tanzania and the friends we made!
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| A recap of our travels home....Tanzania to Qatar to the US |
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