Weekend in Doha

I visited the lovely county of Qatar, which is a peninsula that shares a border with Saudi Arabia. Although it is only a few hours away by car from Dubai, women cannot drive through Saudi Arabia, and therefore I had to hop on the plane :) Qatar is home to about 2 million people and is ruled by Amir Hamad of the Al Thani royal family. Amazingly, it has the lowest unemployment rate of any country in the entire world.

While in Doha, the capital, I visited the Souq Waqif, an outdoor market with every type of Arabic gift you could think of. For food options, the Souq offers restaurants, shisha bars, and an area with local women cooking traditional food out of unlabelled casserole dishes. Guess where I chose to eat! :)

I also strolled along the beautiful coastline, visited the king's royal stables (open to anyone who wants to come pet the horses!), and visited a monument to the pearling industry which supported Qatar for many years. I ended my trip with a massage at the Sharq Village Spa, modeled after a traditional Qatari Village. All in all, a wonderful weekend away to visit a new country!

A map of Qatar (its the little brown country :))

The coastline of Doha (also known as the Corniche)

The Souq Waqif- outdoor market

The Pearl Monument, Doha

One of the Ruler's royal horses in the stables across from the palace.

The Sharq Village Spa, modeled after a traditional Qatari Village