Qatar is DisneyLand

So…only a month or so after the trip, and another trip since then, I’m finally getting back to the blog. Sorry guys, apparently the month of March just disappeared.

Yes – we went to Qatar from March 8 to 11. Why? you might ask. And, having been there, I have to admit, it is a good question. Qatar is not really a HOT vacation destination. It was not high on our list either, except that the opening round of the MotoGP season is held in Doha, Qatar.

Jack and I decided that, if we weren’t gonna make it to Laguna this year, why not Qatar?

I played hookie from school for 2 days to do this!! The races were WELL worth it. The track leaves a LOT to be desired, from a spectator’s point of view – great for TV though. We saw very little of Doha (not that there was much to see) but had a great time in the VIP suites at the track.

So why the Disney reference? Well…

1. There is no trash in Qatar. Not on the street, not in the parking lots, nowhere – this is VERY unlike Cairo.
2. There are no pedestrians in Qatar. Apparently everyone has a car and/or a driver, so not even the hired help walk anywhere.
3. No-one uses their horn in Qatar, unless it is as an emergency measure. (I’m living in Cairo – the land of the continuous horn)
4. No-one speaks Arabic in Qatar. All the workers are southeast Asian, Mexican or Indian. Most of the affluent Qatari speak English – there is no reason to learn or use Arabic.

Even the track was kinda Disney-esque. There was practically nobody there! We could walk the paddock any time with room to spare (see the photos). The racers were (mostly) very friendly and amenable to pictures or autographs. There were NO vendors – we have no schwag from Qatar except our passes and a shirt from the race-tour group where we got a lot of our passes. Not much material crap to show for the trip – but great pictures and memories.

Here are the pictures.