First Impressions of Doha

My first impression of Doha when I first landed was that it was a small town bursting at the seams trying to be a big city. By most accounts, it is a beautiful man-made city with its crystal clear waters, glistening lights, 5 star restaurants, markets and American chain restaurants. 

When the plane first started its descent, all I saw was sand, and what looked like, semi-permenant tents; and I wondered to myself, ‘where the heck am I going?’ After a few minutes, beautiful West Bay came into view and the landscape completely changed. From the air, The Corniche looks like a beautiful necklace sitting on a lady’s slender shoulders. 

Photo Credit: @glamgrid.com

Before I first visited Doha, I had done minimal research on dress code and women’s rights in Qatar. Other than that, I preferred to learn about the country first hand. So needless to say, I arrived here wide eyed and bushy tailed ready and excited for a new adventure. My adventure was that there was no adventure at all! I had arrived just in time for Ramadan and it seemed to me that the city all but emptied out for the hot months! The expats all seemed to disappear for the summer holidays and the locals too disappeared to exotic lands for their yearly break. I was wrong. I found out later that the city definitely slowed down – but the activities didn’t come to a complete standstill. 

I did the usual things, I went to the souk, tried a shisha, tried some fabulous foods at some world class restaurants, went to the museums, wander around The Corniche etc. But it was too hot for the beach or to go quadding. 

None the less, I’m back! I moved the whole kit and caboodle here recently and so far, we have been settling in well. My husband and I arrived 8 weeks ago and our dog followed a week later. Our first week in Doha had been fairly uneventful. We spent our time looking at accommodation options, re-learning how to drive (Doha Style), finding our way around town and generally getting over jetlag. 

Week two however, was a little more eventful. I saw one of our neighbours walking her 2 dogs and all but accosted her into a conversation. My theory was, ‘she has 2 dogs! She must be friendly!!’ And I was dead right. She and her husband are just lovely. 

Luckily, we have always managed to fill up our weekends; be it with brunches, parties on the beach, dinners, drinks etc. 

Generally, if you take it in your stride, Doha is an easy place to adjust to. The people are friendly and the city is small enough to navigate through easily, yet big enough to always discover new corners. Don’t get me wrong; I didn’t love the place the first time I visited. In fact, I never wanted to come back. But now that I’m here, I’m glad I gave it another go. Doha has surprised me pleasantly and although I still don’t love it here, I’m happy. 

Here are some of the lessons learnt so far from my move to Doha, Qatar:

• Things move at a different pace here. There is no point cribbing about it. Accept it, take it in your stride and you’ll have a much easier transition. 
• Doha is not a huge city; but neither is it as small as it initially seems. 
• Don’t be put off by the weather. During the winter, there are beach parties and bbq’s and in the summer, it simply moves closer to home; ie: house parties. 
• Almost 90% of the population is expat. So if you ever need any help, chances are there will be plenty of people around you who have at some point been through the same problems. 

Go on….. give it a go. Come to Doha. ☺

Al Wakra Family Beach, Doha
Photo taken with my Samsung Galaxy S3