Doha

Layover - Doha, Qatar

Embarrassed in front of myself

The journey TO a final destination can sometimes be as interesting as THE destination. (Well, almost.)

Doha, Qatar did not disappoint.

I had been looking forward to this pit-stop because I have never been in The Middle East. It was bound to be interesting, right???

I definitely saw my fair share of Arab men wearing their signature long white robe and white headscarf. And while I found the look attractive (Picturing my t-shirt and shorts wearing Gene in one makes me giggle 😁), the pragmatist in me certainly wondered how they keep them so clean. (A quick Google search reveals the men have multiples and keep them "handy" so they can change if needed.)

I also saw many Muslim women wearing the full black clothing covering them from head to toe with only their eyes exposed.

Wha surprised me most, though in hindsight it should not have, is how the vast majority of people were wearing western-style clothing, and other than my being "white" I really did not stick out or feel like a minority.

I kind of wanted to 😆 I really wanted to feel immersed, but then the light bulb, "Duh, Kristina, you were in the airport, not the city itself."

You would think I would know better - an airport is a microcosm of the world, not a perfect reflection of the city where it's located.

It was interesting, nonetheless, and while I am now super confused about burqa vs hijab vs niqab, (I have been on the internet trying to figure out what the correct names for the clothing the Muslim women were wearing), being in Doha was a great reminder of how we, Americans, are just a slice of the world, not THE world.

I did get a kick out of the signs in Arabic, and seeing Prayer Rooms was definitely out of my normal everyday experience.

Woman's Prayer Room

I think this can is even smaller than the small cans at "home" and it was THE perfect amount of soda.

I appreciate their attention to recycling.

But on to more important things - the FOOD.

KFC, Burger King, Harrod's, Pizza - yup, it was an airport.

But far more interesting was the food at the Qatar Airways Lounge - FANTASTIC. All of it! Fresh, interesting and delicious. Just like the food served on the flight.

Not a great photo but a DELICIOUS Chicken Biryani - I want to try to make this at home.

Another "lick the plate clean" dish.

So yes, I did, in fact, pig out on desserts.🤣. On the right - the BEST Baklava EVER! Learning lesson: I always associated Baklava with Greek food. Yes, it is that but it also considered an Arabic Sweet.

The chocolate cake was DECADENT!

Lots of pretty choices! Can you see why I couldn't have just one???

(Takeaway: There's just no excuse for the endless low-quality American food we get at home.

I will just leave it there.)

An 8-hour layover gives you lots of time to kill, and as my final flight wasn't leaving until 1:30AM I hit a wall and decided to take a 2-hour nap in a sleeping area in the Qatar Airways . (I also called Gene and asked him to set his alarm to call me in case I slept through mine LOL.)