The Strangest Day of My Life in Doha, Qatar
Peter Schimke Peter is a freelance writer and author of the novel ‘Beyond Blue’. He has travelled extensively over the past decade and for some reason ends up where there are no tourists to be found. Cocktail bars, bookstores and skate parks are the places you might run into him. He currently calls Singapore his home, as he his banned from Shinjuku, Tokyo (after publishing his book).
I only spent one day in Qatar’s capital Doha, but this day had more curious sights to offer than many of my other trips. Flying from Japan to Europe, I had the chance to make a one-day stopover in Doha in 2007. Back then Dubai was just about to boom, appearing on people’s travel radars.
As I was just 21 years of age, I was very enthusiastic about my visit in this Golf state that was largely unknown to me. Actually that is an overstatement, as I had no clue whatsoever about Qatar and Doha. Nonetheless, I was excited and somehow expected to find the ‘little brother’ of Dubai. Little did I know that I was about to discover a few dirty secrets, which the country surely would love to hide, especially now that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar.
Also read: 10 Must-Visit Attractions in Dubai
The Ghost Town
Image credit: PYONKO OMEYAMA
Arriving just before six in the morning, the light was about to wake up Qatar as my plane touched down. The request for my passport at the immigration was quickly followed by the demand for my credit card. As asked for what he would need it, the immigration officer answered without looking at me: “for money”.
Just outside the airport I was greeted by a herd of taxi drivers willing to take me anywhere. As I hadn’t done any research (my fault), I simply told the driver to take me to the ‘City Centre’, which I thought was a reasonable request. After settling on a price he drove on – not without complaining “you have more money, come on.”
Image credit: Francisco Anzola
My first impressions were great, seeing the sunrise as we drove along the Al Corniche, which is a circular road alongside the bay waterfront. Coming closer in the distance were tall buildings that I expected to be the city centre. But the closer I come, the more I feared a lingering thought to be become reality. The dozens of skyscrapers were entirely empty and some of them slightly unfinished. It was a scene out of a disaster movie, in which everybody had fled the city.
The taxi driver dropped me off at a mall called ‘ City Centre’. As he took my money, he politely added that it was not open yet. There I was wondering around in Qatar that was until now not more than a ghost town.
Where is everybody?
Image credit: pjmorse
On the way to the ‘City Centre’, we passed a few houses around which there could have been life. Walking alongside the bay front, I tried to make my way back. Although it wasn’t very hot yet, there weren’t many people around. Luckily I found someone selling juices and fruits, offering me an awesome breakfast by the water.
As I made it back to older part of town, I still didn’t see many people until suddenly there was a large group of men gathering at a square. They seemed busy trading something, so I naturally wanted to know what. In a country where the majority of women wear full hijabs, I was extremely surprised to see around hundred men trading illegal copies of porn – a lot of porn – nothing but porn. Not really sure how to take this sighting, I decided it was better leave the porn market to avoid any complications.
Want to go for a ride?
Image credit: Free for Commercial Use
I finally found some real shops, buying tea, dried fruits, and some spices for my friends and myself. I even found a nice little Indian eatery for an extended lunch break. The chatty owner even offered to take me on a tour through the country, but I politely denied as my flight to Europe was at 11pm that night.
However, it wasn’t the last ride offered to me. During the hot afternoon I went to inspect the little harbour at the bay front. Daydreaming around the big boat, I suddenly noticed a big and expensive car pulling up next to me. I jumped out of the way, believing to block some rich sheik from getting to his yacht. Rolling down the window, an elderly man of about 60 years appeared in front of me.
Questions about where I am from, what I do here, and how long I would stay, were quickly followed by ‘let me show you around’. Although normally my alarm bells would ring, I didn’t think I have to fear much from an old and seemingly rich Arab man. Maybe the locals are just really nice and want to show foreigners exactly that – so I went into his car for a ride.
After a minute or so, he told me to put my backpack down, which was lying up until then on my legs. Although I overlooked the first signs, it became very quickly clear that he had an interest in my legs. His hand followed his continuous gazes. At first I still thought I was misinterpreting something. I said “I hope you don’t expect anything from me in exchange for showing me around.” As he answered, “not if you don’t want to”, I knew I had to get out of the car. At the next traffic light I was up and gone, only slowly realising what just had happened. Guess where I had ended up by chance – at the ‘City Centre’ in the ghost town.
Also read: Middle East Travel: 6 Safe Countries for Your First Trip
Perhaps I only mention the most extreme experiences throughout the day, but it was curious how many strange things can happen in one day. The things I didn’t mention included an illegal taxi ride back to the airport and someone asking me to get him a visa for Europe after only talking to me for one minute. I wonder what Qatar is like these days – maybe I should have another look.
