The afternoon sun was still warm and cast a burnt orange hue over the desert sands, with attractive shadows over the dunes. But there was nothing relaxing about climbing and slipping down those dunes at exhilarating high speed in a four by four whose tyres had had their air let out for the occasion.
We let out a few squeals with the twists and turns that cause the sand to turn into a storm only to be told by Mohammed the driver that when alone he would really be going “crazy”.
This is how Qatari’s party and some nights the desert is a mass of cars. Driving further out to the inland sea around 100km south of Doha, just in time for the sunset to watch the sun disappear into the horizon while sipping sweet tea is a glorious experience. There’s only a short strip of sea that separates Qatar from Saudi Arabia whose mountains were lording over the horizon.
It’s an exciting tour but actually, everything about Qatar is exciting right now. Louis Hamilton recently won the Grand Prix here in November 2021 and next year this tiny peninsular country in Western Asia will be hosting the World Cup in a brand new stadium built for the occasion in November 2022.
High rises with designer shapes tower over the coastline, shopping malls abound, and a slew of grandiose five-star hotels have all appeared within the last decade to cater for the expected influx of tourists that will descent on a population of two and a half million people.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
It’s hard to imagine that less than 80 years ago the economy was bolstered by a pearl industry. That collapsed with the advent of the Japanese manufactured pearl. Then in 1940 oil was found in Durkhan Field and now the economy was on steroids. Qatar is now the wealthiest in the world and most certainly the most powerful country in the Middle East yet the indigenous Qatari population is just 20 per cent of the two and a half million made up of expats and immigrant workers.
Billions of Riyal (local currency) have been spent on the infrastructure creating wide roads and a and a high tech gleaming metro as well as some lovely must-visit locations.
The Pearl
The Pearl manmade island
The Pearl is a plush man-made island where foreigners are allowed to buy homes. It has a hint of Venice with some Italianate architecture and a beautiful marina. There are plenty of speedboats and water babies can go kayaking and paddleboarding.
Sauntering around this stylish island especially in the afternoon sun is relaxing and romantic. There are plenty of restaurants too.
Katara Cultural Village
Located in between The Pearl and West Bay is Katara Cultural Village. It is home to two mosques. One was designed by Turkey’s Zeynep Fadiloglu and features Persian and Turkish tile and enamel work in shades of blue and gold similar to the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. Close by are a couple of oblong pigeon towers with holes and perches for pigeons. The second mosque, The Gold Mosque is smaller but its gold tiles dazzle in the sunshine.
There’s an impressive amphitheatre and beyond is a lovely sculpture called The Force of Nature depicting Mother Nature hurtling the world with a piece of cloth by Lorenzo Quinn.
Gallerie Lafayette is on High Street, a beautiful street that has its own air con – yes really. There are xxxx where cold air is pumped through to cool you down. I was glad to be wearing trousers, as a Marlyn Monroe moment would not do.