Qatar was a 12-hour layover from Singapore to South Africa via Qatar Airways, one of the cheapest flights we could get for about SGD $1,300. Scott had departed about a couple weeks prior, so it was back to solo traveling for me – I’d missed doing that, just exploring nooks and crannies at my own pace. For my layover, I took advantage of their free guided tour into the warm embrace of the desert. Here are some sights I snapped.
Hamad International Airport has this impressive yellow teddy bear in the foyer (Lamp Bear by Urs Fischer). It was definitely eye-catching! I was glad to have seen it in person after reading up on it online.Some sculptures that caught my eye, and an animatronic T-rex hidden in a corner somewhere at the airport. Very cool.I headed to a booth at the airport and signed myself up for the Doha City Tour, because why not. The middle east had always been so foreign to me, and I’d always wanted to experience the blanket of 40°C heat for reals. Here’s my ticket for the tour – I blurred out the important details, of course. Also, it was technically my birthday in Singapore (Qatar is five hours behind), and thanks to the free wifi in the airport, I was able to pick up a surprise Skype call from family (mum, bro, aunt, uncle, cousins) wishing me thus, right as I exited the air-conditioned building and into the sweltering heat that was the desert. Happy birthday to me!This was the only picture I took with my dSLR before the lens fogged up due to the oppressive heat outside of the freezing van – fearing for the lifespan of my camera, I decided to leave it in the van for the rest of the trip and take photos with my phone instead.Some grainy shots of The Pearl-Qatar.We headed over to the Souq Waqif, a bazaar of shops selling lots of interesting handicrafts.Our group had free reign to explore the Souq – this was the flag that we were to meet under.Love the stylistic architecture.Taxidermist at work.
