I always make it a goal to never return to the same country twice, but when work makes you travel (and you make the most of that paid for travel) you get to live in the city of Doha for another 6 month stint. I was last here 4 years ago (see 2015 first impressions here) with time in-between spent finishing out my time in Europe, and moving to a small island in the Pacific (Guam). 

I thought the last time I left, that I had left no-stone-unturned, that I had seen everything, but coming back for a second time has allowed me to see this international city in a completely new light. I have a new found appreciation for what the country has come from (literally nothing) to the vision it is building for the future.

While my recap of 48 hours in Doha still holds true as some of the best things to do in this city, the continuous construction project that is Doha means it is ever growing — starting with the 2022 World Cup.  I had the opportunity to take a personal tour of one of the stadiums purpose built but for the occasion, Al Wakrah stadium.

Al Wakrah is just one of 9 new stadiums being built by Qatar. The whole complex is state of the art with a/c ventilation coming from each of the stadium seats, fresh grass specially designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the country and rows of seats that not only resemble the waves of the Gulf, but are removable. As a part of the bid to win the world cup, Qatar proposed to make the top half of the stadium movable. This portion of the stadium will be donated to less developed countries, furthering the international sport.

If you have read anything about the bid for Qatar to host the world cup, you are intimately familiar with the human rights accusations (violations) that country has been caught up in. In fact, I myself was surprised by all of the ‘other country national’ labor in 2015. Qataris, making only 10% of their own country, could not sustain all the construction – or any service for that matter – without all of their imported labor. There is certainly an obvious hierarchy that is extremely noticeable and unlike any I have experienced in the western world.

Questionable work force aside – I have been pleasantly surprised by the concerted effort in Qatar to make changes to their health and safety standards as a result of all the negative press.  The tour we took of the stadium was lead by ‘the’ health and safety guy who explained that their are now strict rules on not working 1000-1400 (hottest parts of the day) and continuous tracking on construction mishaps. Better, but still Middle Eastern labor rights standards.

90% of the population of Qatar come from 100 different nations. Doha is such an international mix of people that you get a completely different vantage point on the world. Texas Roadhouse sits right next to Papparoti (Malaysian bun bakery) across from Top Shop (British clothing company), juxtaposed to Zawaya (UAE perfume) all bundled up in one massive mall. In those malls, beautiful women clad in all black Hajibs shop for the latest fashion all the while leaving the air with the most wonderful scents. Nepal is a 4 hour $400 flight as is Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India. Arabic is spoken, but so is English, Tagali and French. It is everywhere, but still somehow Arabian at the same time.

Knowing what to expect out of the Gulf states (new money over historical artifacts), I feel like I am seeing Doha for the first time — rediscovering a place I have been before only to find that I have never actually seen it.

Let’s redux this adventure.

My time in Doha is now coming to an end. It has been quite the ride of new experiences and challenges; I am very much looking forward to seeing something besides brown sand, returning to Europe and not sweating the instant I walk outside. After 6 months here, I can safely give a review of the country as well as recommend where to go.

Firstly, if you think you are going to have this wild cultural experience in the country, think again. As far as I can tell, the country only just started to exist in the last 10-20 years and in fact has changed so drastically over that time, it is barely recognizable. Prior to gaining its independence from Britain in the 1970s, Qatar had little in the way of infrastructure or wealth, subsiding on a mostly Bedouin, nomadic culture. They have tried very hard to bring their society up to a modern standard – and in doing so quickly, there is little left in the way of Bedouin roots (at least for the non-Arab outside traveler).

This does not mean that Doha is not worth the trip as one can still experience a modern Middle Eastern culture; one that is completely safe and open to westerners, working its way to compete with neighboring giants of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Doha Top 5 experiences:

1 – Islamic Museum of Art – This museum has been named one of the modern wonders of the world. This is truly the jewel of Doha – the most extensive, progressive art collection in the entire Middle East sits on the waters of Doha. Even not being particularly keen museum or art person, it is more than worth a visit.

http://www.mia.org.qa/en/

2 – The Souqs – Completely rebuilt, the complex of waiving shops still takes you back into a world of old Arabia (which feels like something out of Aladdin). The best part – it’s not just made for western tourists and expats, locals also do much of their shopping there, including custom made thobes and abayas.

http://www.souq-waqif-doha.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souq_Waqif

3 – Shisha (or Hookah as we call it in the western world) – The one thing I discovered in Doha that was a complete surprise to me was Shisha. A cultural practice; and probably the best legal buzz I have ever experienced, I soon become really picky over the ‘best’ places to go. You health nuts don’t snub your nose, I am one of you and was easily converted over long afternoons puffing this strong flavored tobacco. Order a pipe once a weekend, totally fine 🙂 If you are looking for some of the better places for Hookah in the city, below are my personal favorites:

Shisha Lounge, Sharq village – outdoors, with a beautiful view of the complex pool one of the few places you can smoke shisha and have an adult beverage http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/qatar/sharq-village/dining/al-wanis-shisha-terrace

Sharq village also had one of the best spa in Doha, themed after old Arabia:

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/qatar/sharq-village/spa

Shisha Terrace, Four Seasons – Air conditioned, but encompassed in all glass for a stunning view of the also impressive hotel complex. No adult beverages, but the smoothest shisha I have found in Doha

Damascus, Souqs – There is no shortage of places to smoke hookah in the Souqs, but one of the better places is the upstairs of the Syrian restaurant named Damascus. Air conditioned in the summer and open to the elements in the winter, its scenic and serves a full meal along with your choice of shisha flavours. Best shisha combo (ask anyone) is grape-mint

http://damascarestaurant.com/

4 – Friday Brunch – Probably the best brunch I have ever had in my entire life was at the Kempinski hotel on Boxing day (26 Dec). Read any guide book and they will tell you that Brunches in Doha are a mainstay. Not just because they are one of the most extravagant spreads of food you will lay your eyes on, but even better, they come with an all you can drink package. In a town which taxes the Hell out of its alcohol (think Vegas drinking prices), this is the best deal in town.

Kempinski Hotel – A great way to see the latest gem of Doha, the Pearl

https://www.kempinski.com/en/doha/marsa-malaz-kempinski-the-pearl-doha/dining/friday-brunch/friday-brunch/

Top 20 brunches in the city:

http://www.timeoutdoha.com/gallery/55521-the-20-best-brunches-in-doha

5 – Night on the Town – Weekends in the Islamic world are on Friday & Saturday, but Thursday & Friday nights are your best evenings out. Because drinking is limited to the western hotels, ‘the’ places to go are the latest 4-5 star resorts. While this certainly puts a damper on ‘retro-cool’ places to frequent, you do have a guarantee of meeting every expat in Doha as the options are limited.

Jazz bar, & rooftop lounge St. Regis – Tag these two places with a Friday brunch and you have the best night out in town. The jazz club in the St. Regis has a partnership with the Lincoln center in New York City where they bring out some of the most talented jazz musicians in the world to play to an often half empty intimate lounge. Absolutely wonderful opportunity. If jazz isn’t your thing, then stumble over to the rooftop lounge next-door for the latest in EDM and fancy cocktails.

http://www.stregisdoha.com/

Sundowners, Sharq village – Another Friday mainstay. This place is one of the few that has the option of old school hip hop, EDM or lounge. Spend all evening here with food, drink & shisha options to chill out after dancing on their beachfront dancefloor.

http://www.eventsdoha.com/sundowner-session/

W hotel, Crystal Lounge – If you are looking for a great place to dance, this is it. With mixes of old school hip hop and modern music, the W never disappoints.

http://www.whoteldoha.com/

A note: Nightlife and the 2022 World Cup

It will be interesting to see how this conservative country copes with having an influx of western football fans invade its small nation, particularly fans who have an ingrained culture of drinking. While being drunk in public is not something Qataris look favorably upon, they tend to accept it if done discretely. So the plan is to host tents where wristbands allow you to enter and partake in a beverage or two…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3077037/How-Doha-transforming-2022-FIFA-World-Cup.html

Final thing to do (but you can do it anywhere in the ME) – Ride a camel of course! There is no desert without camel rides so hope on. Lots of cool opportunities to do so, and also catch a wave on a sand dune while you are at it.

= Other Country Nationals (formally known as TCNs or Third country nationals – other country nationals was deemed more PC).

Picture: OCN worker in Iraq courtesy of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_country_national

OCNs are the backbone of the workforce in Qatar, and for much of the wealthy Middle East (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc.). Qatari’s do not fight in their own military, drive their own cars, do their own laundry or cook their own food. They have an infinite stream of people (mostly men) pouring into the country looking for opportunities to make living (all of which is sent back to support their families in varies developing nations in the orient).
This workforce is not limited to the country of Qatar, it also exists on nearly every military installation in the Middle East. Varying in scope, Al Udeid (a large Air Force base in Qatar) has one of the largest populations of contracted outside workers. With the sheer size of military operations, the government contracts out a significant portion of its support services as it cannot sustain regular ops of that magnitude for things like food, construction, cleaning, MWR and other basic services.
Many have heard of the controversial deaths incurred while building the massive stadiums for the upcoming World Cup games. In fact the Qatari government has made marked improvements to help improve the conditions of the workers sweating in unbearable heat on top of sky scrappers. Even with some of these improvements, however, treatment of workers in Qatar that are either non-western or non-Arab are still sub-par at best.
Qatari law dictates that in order for a company to sponsor you over to Qatar to work, they must also provide housing. This is not a bad deal except that those same rules do not provide standards for housing conditions. Nearly all the OCN workers live in large compounds with 4 or more to a room (dubbed ‘man camps’ by the US military). They work at least 6 days a week (many of the workers I spoke with work a month before getting 1 day off) and make a minuscule amount of money, summing somewhere around $300 a month depending on the job.
Probably the most shocking practice is the confiscation of passports by the contract owner. The company gives generic reasons for doing this, but I cannot think of any other reason than power over their work pool. By doing this, they control when (if) they can leave the country. They also control contract hoping for better wages. While I use the word ‘worker’ to describe many of these laborers the translation in Arabic is closer to servant or slave. In restaurants you will also see signs that bar these same people from entering, which is clear and even expected, discrimination (not that they could afford to eat out or have a drink in a western hotel). This practice is known, has been written about and still remained largely unchanged despite protests from the international community.
Yet the stream of workers continues to flow. Many of the workers I met on the base were highly educated in their home country including lawyers and doctors. Regardless of their education, they still made more money working in the Middle East than they did practicing their trade in countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Philippines.

Unlike the US there is also no path to citizenship. You could be born in Qatar, have lived in Qatar for 30 years and established your entire life in the country, but you will still never be Qatari. You will also not enjoy the same rights, privileges and social status of a Qatari. You will be treated differently depending on what nation you are originally from (UK/US seem to be at the top of the tier with Nepal, Sri Lanka & Filipino being some of the lowest). You could speak fluent Arabic, be Muslim and wear an abaya – but it is does not matter. To be Qatari means you descend from a certain bloodline that can be traced back a few hundred years.

I had the pleasure of meeting a few University students who originally were from Sudan. Although they grew up in Doha, went to Qatar university and spoke fluent Arabic they did not consider themselves Qatari and were in fact very critical of the country and the native born Qataris. They reinforced the believe that immigrant workers are in fact the only thing propping up the wealthy country.

Learning the conditions that these people lived and worked in completely shocked me, especially when I learned it didn’t matter if they were contracted by the US government or the Qatari government. There is a  clear divide between the extreme rich and poor. The two groups of people live and work in two totally different worlds with the differences being so starkly obvious: one with Dior sunglasses, red bottom shoes and a land cruiser with driver – and the other – soiled work suits in mass buses with no air conditioning (provided by their employer only to bus their workers to and from work). There were so many workers hitchhiking on the side of the roads trying to get to A to B or running walking across the five lane highway system.

The western world is not without its issues, however, this kind of extreme exclusivity to wealth is still hard for me to accept as ‘simply part of the culture’. When it is so institutionalized as it is in both overseas military operations and in Middle Eastern countries, and you have a limited amount of time and resources, how do you change it?

It was a day at the races for the Qatari’s, which since we are talking about a race in the middle of the Desert, involved camels. Yes ladies and gentlemen I went to a camel race and lived to tell about it

The experience itself was so quintessentially Qatari – it is ironic really. First take everything you know about horse racing and throw it out the window; in the world of Middle Eastern camel racing there is no gambling, actual jockeys, booze (of course), mass crowds with fancy hats or really very many spectators. The races last for about 15 minutes and get this – you race next to the camels in a 4×4 truck.

This is probably the coolest difference between horse racing and camel racing – actually racing next to the action. While we were spectators, the locals ride next to ‘their’ camel. Every camel in the race is owned by a Qatari. Rather than having a jockey that ensures the camel knows where they are going, they have a ‘monkey’ aka an electronic whip that the owner controls. As the race nears to the end, the owners try their best to get their unmanned beast to be the first to finish. While there are no cash prizes for any of the race wins, the larger races do a have a ‘consolation’ prize of a Lamborghini for first place and a Mercedes for 2nd and 3rd. Not bad for a race that doesn’t accept betting.

A camel itself costs upwards of $1M riyal or about $350K and is in its best racing age at 5. Previous to mechanical technology, a 5 year old child used to be the lucky individual atop of the camel. The practice has since been banned as inhumane (surprisingly).

Having gone to the Grand National, as well as my fair share of small town races, I have to say camel racing pales in comparison. I am sure it is fun for the few rich individuals that can afford to race their $350K camels for a Lamborghini, but for the rest of us commoners, it is downright boring. How do you have a race that you can’t drink or bet on? It is definitely not American and would have zero chance in England.

In so many ways this is what I have discovered about the Qatari culture. They have similar attempts at typically western events, but nearly all of them leave you feeling like it is a cheap (but more expensive) imitation of the real thing.

Drinking in general is a good example of this. There are places to drink, but it is only allowed in hotels. Who finds the hippest places in hotels? Drinks are overpriced, music is imported and the atmosphere is that of an expensive hotel trying to be cool. They aren’t bad, but nowhere close to the nightlife scene you would expect in a capital city.

With the ever expanding would of newly oil-rich nations, who knows what is next for camel racing. But I can tell you – the only race I will be watching in the future will be one where I can watch ‘my horse’ race to the top.

One of the first opportunities I got to go off base was to one of most impressive malls I have ever seen, the Villaggio. Modelled off the Venetian in Vegas, this massive indoor mall is a clear attempt to bring blue skies and moderate temps to a place that will never have either.
The interior has a river running through the middle where you can take a gondola ride past H&M, Sephora and array of western beauty and clothing shops with titles written in both English and Arabic. After closing my jaw at the pristine floors, high ceilings and impressive architecture, I ran immediately to the most western thing possible, Starbucks.
To my surprise there was a long line of mostly locals dressed in traditional Hajib/abaya (black covering women wear in public) and Thobe (white long robe men wear). Each ordered their respective coffees in English, to a cashier that was not Qatari and did not know a lick of Arabic, then promptly sat down to join their respective friend groups.

This scene alone sums up Qatar in so many ways and at the same time boggles the rational mind. The word Starbucks and Middle East should never be in the same sentence.

Public attire seems to be the most obvious difference between what one would expect to see at Starbucks in any other region of the western world vs. the Middle East. The man’s Thobe seems generally practical for the heat of the area. It is white, provides sun coverage, is airy and light. Little known fact – the black top of the headdress worn by men was actually used to tie up camels when Bedouin tribes still existed on this arid peninsula.

Then there is the Hajib and abaya. A controversial garment by western standards, it is perceived to be a physical sign of how limited women are in Arab culture. Being a women myself, I must admit that simply looking around in public makes me question how much freedom women actually have in the State of Qatar. With the oppressive heat, the black abaya’s the locals have draped around their bodies and face seem like an unnecessary layer of sweat induced silk. Some think that this is what the women wear all the time when in fact it is only around mixed company.

The base I am currently stationed at has a list of clothing requirements for everyone, but are considerably more critical of the small percentage of women. No sleeveless shirts, no short shorts, bikini’s must cover appropriate areas and conservative clothing is always preferred. With how many rules, judging eyes and critical thoughts seem to go towards what women wear, abaya’s are seeming more and more appealing. You wear what you want with your girlfriends, then just put on a silky robe when in public. No judging eyes to worry about.

It is a misconception that these traditional forms of dress are somehow mandated by the Quran, when instead it is history that has kept this tradition alive. Many cultures in the Middle East have been conquered over and over again – one of the traditional ‘rewards’ of war were the women of the area. As a measure to protect their women, conservative dress not only became standard practice, but began to be tied to how pious you were. As there is no descintion between culture and religion, law and religion entites from two different sources tend to be associated with one another and blend over time.

Many westerners find the intertwining of religion with state law confusing and restrictive. Yet, we seem to forget that we lived under similar laws not so long ago. Europe was strong in its ties between the Christian crown and its state religion, in the fact the UK still holds onto its anglican ties. The United States is the only western country that never tied the two together, being still a new culture and concept compared to the 2,000+ years of history Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, hold over much of the world.

One thing is for certain, our fundamental values seem to be at complete odds with each other. The very principles that the Middle East supports, America was founded to change. In Qatar, and much of the Arabian Peninsula, your family name matters. Where you were born, matters. How pious you are/appear in public, matters. Everything you are and everything you will be able to achieve is based on what family you come from. The individual is not important. The family unit is above all things. Arranged marriages are still practiced and accepted. Blood lines must be kept pure.

From an Americans eyes it is easy to judge based on these external facts. Why can you not be your own person, define your own destiny? The effects of my actions, will either bring me success or failure, but these are my burdens to bear.

But are they?

To some extent, despite all our efforts, we are still defined by where we come from. How many of your friends climbed the social ladder? Moved from the Projects to middle class suburbia? Are you the first generation in your family to go to college, get a white collar job? In some cases I would hope the answer would be yes, but I have found that I get the answer ‘no’ more often than yes. Despite the fact that the ‘American Dream’ is in fact possible, we are still very much defined by where we come from more than we would like to admit.

So this of course begs the question, how different are we?

I was told earlier this year that I would get tagged for my first ‘deployment’ to the Middle East. Seemingly perpetually lucky in my life, I didn’t get Iraq or Afghanistan, but one of the largest main operating bases (MOB) just outside of Doha, Qatar.

As far as deployments go, my experience will be completely none standard – and definitely something you won’t hear broadcast on CNN reports or in ‘support the troops’ ads. This is not because we don’t work like crazy at MOBs, but because the threat level is low enough that we are allowed to have a few drinks, go off base and even get rare glimpses into the extremely interesting culture – and rising regional power – of Qatar. My first experience in my new Arab home, was that of the harsh weather conditions. As I stepped off the contracted aircraft into the July sunlight of the flightline (and into my new home for 6 months), I was immediately thankful I had taken the advice of those before me and had sunglasses on hand. I was also mentally prepared for the heat, although nothing can realistically physically prepare you.

The first few days I felt I could handle it – even had ambitions of walking everywhere even though I am one of the lucky few who has a car. It indeed feels like a hot hair dryer blowing on you constantly – which honestly was way better than the still, non-existent wind days. Sand storms are another pest – those traditional Arab scarfs are not just for show! I have heard it actually gets cool here in the winter months, however, it’s hard for me to believe that while I sit inside, in air conditioning and still manage to break a sweat. It is simply a fact of life here – sweat is part of your everyday. 150 degrees has been the average high, with the evening temp getting no lower than 90.

I entered Qatar at the time of Ramadan. Those familiar with Islamic cultural will know – it is a about a month period where Muslims do not eat or drink while the sun is up (a seemingly impossible feat when out in the draining sun all day – not even water is supposed to be consumed). I was reminded the instant I landed on ground that I was in fact, not on a US installation, but a Qatari one (and one that the Qatari’s like to periodically remind us of) – and therefore had to abide by the rules of the country (not just religious law, but actual law) – no eating or drinking in public for me either.

After making it through the long lines of Qatari immigration, I finally stepped foot into the military compound, greeted by my completely burned out replacement. “You are going to have a great time here” she said. It was then when I learned my new job for six months – booking bands, running the bars and ensuring we do everything we can to keep to moral of hard working troops as high as possible. I’ll take it!

Let the adventure begin.