Circumnavigating the world was never our original plan.
This is something that is easy for us to forget now that everything is in motion.
The idea did not immediately come to us. It took months of brainstorming sessions, research, and a great deal of trial and error before the roadmap finally began to materialize.
It is so wild to think that at this exact time last year, we had absolutely no idea what was in store for us.
I am beyond grateful that the idea came to us in the way that it did. With every new location along the way, it has become evident that this was the perfect journey for us to embark on.
A year of life in Europe taught us so much and expanded our horizons greatly, but we were ready to take an even bigger leap.
The fact that our path has led us from west to east has given the entire experience a rhythmic flow. Every new country is just a little bit more exotic. A little further away from everything we know.
Visiting the nation of Qatar did not come without some apprehension. We were very aware that we were going to a place with strict Islamic laws and values.
While Dubai and Abu Dhabi also fall into this category, the rapid globalization of the UAEβs economy makes those cities feel at least somewhat relaxed on customary restrictions.
We were definitely under the impression that Qatar would be a noticeable shift from what we were used to in TΓΌrkiye and the Emirates.
While it is definitely imperative to understand the nature of Sharia law and brush up on basic guidelines of public conduct before visiting, we were amazed to discover that Qatar is experiencing a globalization wave of its own!
It is a far more international and open-minded society than we realized. In fact, we found it to be just as welcoming and comfortable as its neighbor to the southeast!
For context, I should give a brief background on the nation of Qatar and how recent history has shifted its standing on the global scale.
Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, Qatar is considered to be one of the Top 7 wealthiest countries using the metric of GDP per capita.
The entire nation is smaller than the state of Connecticut, but their natural gas exports led to the fastest economic growth the world had ever seen during the early 2000βs.
Obviously, smaller countries with smaller populations tend to fare better when it comes to the βGDP per capitaβ statistic. Qatar, Monaco, Luxembourg, and Singapore are the Top 4.
However, that doesnβt change the fact that Qatar is an extremely wealthy nation.
Similar to the development in the UAE, Qatarβs capital city of Doha has become an international business hub full of beautiful skyscrapers and pristine infrastructure.
Quick aside for my fellow camera enthusiasts out there. Our Sony A7iii camera absolutely ROCKS in low light! I took this right after the sun went down and I was in awe of how the reflections on the glass just popped!
Believe it or not, ALL of this development and economic growth has occurred in the last 30-40 years. It is absolutely mind-blowing to see pictures of Doha in the late 1980βs when it was essentially a small desert outpost.
What is really fascinating about Doha is that it has been built with the expectation that this parabolic growth will continue!
The cityβs infrastructure was built to be able to accommodate millions of residents. However, the total population of Doha in 2013 was only about 500,000, roughly the same size as my hometown of Milwaukee, in fact!
Today? About 2.5 million people call Doha home. That is a 5x increase in just one decade!
It is hard to even comprehend that Qatar was once a very poor country that relied heavily on pearl divers to keep the economy going.
Nowadays, the gas and energy industry has made Qatar an economic powerhouse.
You may have heard of this country for the first time when they hosted the FIFA World Cup a few years ago.
This is the largest sporting event in the world by a large margin, and it is a massive economic prize that many countries have to apply for through a bidding system.
For context, the Super Bowl averages about 150 million viewers worldwide. The FIFA World Cup Final in Qatar drew in a whopping 1.5 BILLION viewers. In other words, close to 20% of all humans on Earth π€―
It was a shocking choice when it was announced that they were going to be the host, and we later found out that there was quite a bit of corruption behind the selection.
I wonβt get into all of that because it is quite a dense topic, but it immediately confused many people purely because Qatar did not even meet the prerequisites that a country needs to qualify as a host.
They did not have the proper amount of stadiums, available hotel accommodations, or even safe weather conditions for the players!
The World Cup is always held in the months of June and July, but the sweltering temperatures in the Arabian Gulf were literally deemed unsafe for soccer games to be played.
Because of this, they moved the event to November and December, an unprecedented adjustment that is honestly still hard to believe actually happened.
Also, the strict laws around alcohol sales and consumption in Qatar became an extremely difficult hurdle considering that soccer fans really like drinking beer!
They ended up compromising with βfan zonesβ where alcohol sales were permitted, but the stadiums never caved into selling beer as a concession.
As a massive FIFA sponsor, Budweiser became extremely frustrated with the intense restrictions around their products.
Despite the cloud of controversy, the event ended up being a massive development driver for Doha and Qatar as a whole.
Every inch of this city feels cutting edge and pristine.
As the main hub of Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport in Doha is very impressive and serves as a common stop-over for travelers from Asia going to Europe.
Doha also has an amazing public transit system that was literally built for The World Cup alone!
Both the trains and stations are on par with some of the nicest systems we have seen in Europe, and it is robust enough to serve a city 3 to 4 times as large as Doha.
This goes back to what I mentioned before about planning for the future. It is pretty clear that Qatar is expecting their population boom to continue.
Another iconic symbol of Qatarβs economic boom is the beautifully futuristic skyline of the West Bay.
These skyscrapers had some of the most unique designs we had ever seen, and the best part was the colorful lights that would come on at night!
There were plenty of good spots to admire the skyline along the bayside walking trail, but our favorite view was a public plaza in MIA Park.
There were tables and lounge chairs right next to the water, and there was even a cafe that made shockingly delicious pizza!
Although I have mostly been focusing on the modern aspects of Qatar, there is also a magical touch of Ancient Arabia that quickly became our favorite part of this unique country.
The best example of this is the Souq Waqif, a well-preserved old fashioned Arabian market with all sorts of shops and restaurants.
Walking through this market literally feels like being transported back in time. It is designed to represent what a spice and silk market would have looked like back in the day.
We had the BEST falafel and shawarma in Qatar, two Middle Eastern delicacies that we fell in love with in the UAE.
They are also known for their fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice, which is the perfect combination of sour and sweet!
Another very popular activity at the Souq Waqif is to enjoy shisha, a form of tobacco that is smoked through a water pipe.
If this sounds familiar, it is very similar to what we refer to as βhookahβ in the States.
The only difference is that hookah uses artificially flavored tobacco, whereas shisha uses a far more natural combination of shredded tobacco leaf, molasses, dried fruit, and honey to create the flavor.
Because alcohol consumption is almost completely illegal in Qatar, going out to a shisha lounge is how Qataris like to let loose on the weekends.
These small cultural differences were some of the most fascinating things to observe during our time in the Middle East!
To complete our adventure in the Arabian Gulf, we knew we had to experience a desert safari.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most exciting days of the entire circumnavigation so far.
We were picked up at our hotel in Doha and driven a few hours south to what was essentially the middle of nowhere.
We had absolutely no idea that a day in the desert could be so much fun!
It started out with a camel ride which was honestly a little terrifying π
While I have gone horseback riding before, I didnβt realize that camels were so much taller than horses.
The saddle on top of the camelβs hump is about 7 feet off the ground!
After the initial shock wore off, it was absolutely incredible to look around at the sand dunes going for miles in every direction as the camel trotted us around.
Camels were once a vital component of traversing the vast desert, both for travel and trade.
It once again felt like we had traveled back in time!
We also got to hold a falcon, which is a very popular pet in the Middle East.
It was amazing to feel how strong their talons were!
If camel riding wasnβt terrifying enough, our next activity was dune bashing.
The only way I can think to describe this is extreme off-roading in the sand.
Because the sand is so soft and shifts so quickly, 4-wheel drive vehicles can go up and down the dunes at extreme angles without tipping over.
It took about 5 minutes for us to go from nervous apprehension to complete joy. It was SO much fun!
It is very hard to describe with words, but some of the angles we took over the dunes looked like it was nearly impossible for us to stay upright.
This was something we had never heard of before visiting the Arabian Gulf, but it is a very popular activity that we highly recommend trying out!
The safari ended with one of the most jaw-dropping sunsets we have ever witnessed. The arid terrain gives the sky a deep red tint as the sun nears the horizon.
We have never seen colors like that before!
As darkness descended, we made one more stop at the inland sea on the southeast corner of the Qatari peninsula. This is where Qatar ends and Saudi Arabia begins.
Seeing the desert meet the sea was such an awesome sight. The sand was unbelievably smooth. It was also the first time we stepped foot into the Indian Ocean. 3 down, 2 to go!
We couldnβt have possibly enjoyed our visit to Qatar any more. The desert safari was an experience we will never forget, and Doha was such a fascinating city to explore.
We were also surprised by how affordable it was compared to the UAE! It wasnβt the least expensive country weβve visited by any means, but the value of the experience was surprisingly excellent.
Qatar was definitely a long stride into the unknown, but our next destination was the most intense culture shock we have ever experienced in our lives!
More on that in the next one π
WOW! That sounds absolutely amazing! What an incredible adventure the two of you had. Want to go back? I'd love to have you be my tour guide! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to read about the next escape in your adventures!
So Glad you got to Qatar. This is the Switzerland of the Middle East. Next time back also try a tubing trip down some of their amazing rivers. Turquoise warm water.