How I did it: The flight I booked to Nairobi from Toronto stopped in Doha, Qatar.  It was the cheapest fight available and happened to be on Qatar Airways.  We got in at 6pm their time and had 13 hours to kill.  The airport duty free shop stays open all night and that is all they have to offer.  We planned ahead and found out through couchsurfing that it was very safe so we decided to try to leave the airport.  For $30 we had a visa in 10 minutes (as Canadian passport holders, an american entering at the same time as us had no problem getting one as well).  We decided to go to Souq Waqif based on the couchsurfing recommendation as it is a 24 hour market with restaurants.  It is fairly fake but still a great experience and bustling late into the evening.  We grabbed a cab (KARWA) after taking about $40 US in qatari rial and headed into the city for about 32 QR - very cheap.  The rest is history.  I have never felt safer anywhere.  We walked along the Corniche (the walkway along the water - intense skyline!) and even met a few people (a traveler and a local) who we hung out with and ate some local food in Souq Waqif.  we stayed out until 3am with no issues and could have stayed longer because checking back in took no time and the airport was a boring place to wait until 730am. 

Lessons & tips: You likely haven't heard of Qatar Airways but it is a very nice airline to fly long haul.  Decent leg space for economy, a welcome package with earplugs, socks and eye mask, and your very own TV with recent movies and shows (and games!). 

If you have a transfer in Doha they will mark your baggage and boarding pass yellow to indicate that you are departing again and send you off on the shuttle to the departures section.  Do not listen to them!  The shuttle will stop at arrivals first, just get off here.  If they try to tell you to get back on the shuttle (due to your yellow tags) just explain that you want to get a visa to leave the airport and they should let you off. 

Take a taxi!  It is tempting to walk but you may find yourself stranded between destinations:  there are tons of cabs but you can only catch them in very specific locations (the airport, malls, the market) and they will only rarely stop elsewhere.  There are really sidewalks either as everyone drives (gas is about 30 cents a litre) and traffic is crazy with few crosswalks for pedestrians. 

Have cardamom tea if you can.  And eat at a Qatari restaurant (there are a few in souq waqif).  I can't remember the names of the dishes but the descriptions are in english on the menus - I recommend the flat bread with cheese and thyme.  Mint tea too. 

The mall is worth a trip just if only to see the extravagance.  You can get anything that you would here, even many familiar stores and restaurant chains are available there.  And the malls have skating rinks!

Most people speak English here but you'll soon find out that your cab driver, the person making your sub, etc. none of them are qatari.  Most jobs are done by people from other countries like India, the Philippines, and others who are brought over to do these jobs. 

Resources: Couchsurfing.com  We weren't there long enough to stay with anyone but they helped us decide what to do with our time there.

KARWA taxis

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May 08, 2011, 11:25PM PDT | 0 comments | 2 cheers