Day 10: Doha

Welcome to Qatar, the richest country in the world! 

But seriously, Qatar is actually the richest country in the world. This became increasingly clear as we departed from the airport and approached the city of Doha. The skyline is absolutely incredible:

Doha at night (stole pic from internet)

Professor Bailey referred to Doha as "Disney World" - because 10 years ago there was almost nothing here. Doha saw how Dubai was able transform itself into a major economic and tourist attraction, followed their model, and is now turning into a strong rival. 

The security in both the Kuwait and Qatar airports is almost nonexistent compared to the U.S. I didn't even have to take my belt, shoes, or sweater off. We were also allowed to bring liquids through (which I did not know until getting to the airport; thus I have none of my toiletries with me). The plane ride was short, thankfully, because there were what seemed like millions of screaming children throughout the entire airplane. When we got to the Qatari airport I saw someone wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and we talked a little about poor Derrick Rose's injury. It made me feel a little more at home to meet a fellow Bulls fan, even though he was from a completely different part of the world!

Qatar is very different from Kuwait, in a lot of ways. For one thing, alcohol is legal in Qatar, unlike in Kuwait. It seems much more green (fake green, but still), and there is so much less abandoned construction. Our hotel is extremely nice. We're on the 30th floor at the Intercontinental Doha City, and have a stunning view:

Picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea

We ventured out toward an area of Doha that was right near the water and had a bunch of art galleries and restaurants. We saw an exhibit by Louise Bourgeois that was pretty interesting. Outside was one of her many sculptures:

Spider

We then went to a beautiful Turkish restaurant and sat outside near the water. We ate all sorts of delicious food, although I don't even know what half of it was! Kabobs are definitely my favorite; the spices are just so interesting. Desert included lemon-mint ice cream and baklava - my absolute favorite! Walking back to the taxi stand, someone yelled out the window of a car "I love America!" How did they know we weren't from Europe?

It was a nice first night in Doha. Tomorrow we are going to the Museum of Islamic Art and the Souk, which should be amazing. I'm excited for a great weekend!