20231223 AAAA Trip - Cruise day #5, Doha, Qatar, the sequel

2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip 
Day 98/105 - Cruise day #5 - Doha, Qatar - the second day

You know you're in the Middle East when the pedestrian crossing signs look like this

Today is our second, and last day in Qatar. Our tour today was Highlights of Doha and promised to take us to a souq, a mosque, and more. If only it was that good...

This is our 37th cruise. We've done every imaginable excursion you can think of. Today's set a new bar for poor excursions. From a tour guide who couldn't count guests to stops with nothing to see to limited time to explore despite the stated itinerary, today's excursion was terrible.

That said, here's what we saw and did.

First  - the passenger terminal is pretty cool. 

I mentioned the aquarium yesterday. Today, a diver blew us kisses as we descended the escalator.

Our first stop was the Souq Waqif - a traditional Arab souq, or shopping area. Vendors have small shops featuring souvenirs, textiles, spices, jewelry, and so on. We like touring souqs, but unfortunately, we had little time. Our guide walked us quickly through a small area. We had no time to explore or view the merchant's wares.

Yup - a big thumb - no idea why

Next, she walked us out of the souq to a falcon hospital. 

Falconry is a big thing among the elite in the Middle East. This hospital specializes in the care and rehabilitation of falcons. We couldn't go in - just peer through a window. 

We did see some falcons that were outside and others that were for sale.

The hood covers the eyes to keep the birds calm during training

She then walked us to stables where a few Arabian horses were kept.

Finally, we were free to explore. Unfortunately, that only left us 25 minutes - hardly time to explore since we needed to be back at the meeting point.

A palace where the royal family receives dignitaries

The mosque connected to the palace

We walked to a tram where we took a 15-minute ride. 

It was packed and standing room only. There was no narration and we couldn't see much of anything. It was a waste of time.

From there, we walked to the bus, except the bus wasn't there. We stood and waited at least ten minutes for the bus to arrive. We boarded and headed to Katara Cultural Village with the promise of mosques and more.

Traditional pearling boats

Unfortunately, we were not afforded any time to actually enter and view either of the two mosques we saw.

A really pretty mosque - too bad we weren't given time to enter

Pidgeon towers

We did stand for ten minutes in an amphitheater designed to mimic ancient Greek amphitheaters. 

We viewed the gold mosque and headed to the bus.

Again - an interesting mosque with no ability to enter

We continued on.

The final stop was at The Pearl - a manmade island. It is an exclusive address and there were many high-end shops.

We had a photo stop, but there wasn't much to see.

We boarded for the return trip to the ship.

A sculpture honoring Qatar's history of pearl diving

Former pearling boats

Flags of partner/cooperating countries

A shopping area made out of shipping containers

To say we are disappointed is an understatement. Doha is a very interesting city and we would have loved to really tour it. Our choice of excursions from the ship turned out to be really poor. Ahh, well.

We played afternoon trivia and crashed and burned today.  The failures:

• Alfred Hitchcock never won a Best Director Oscar but did win a Best Picture Oscar for (Rear Window or Rebecca)?
• We guessed Rear Window – it was Rebecca
• How many dots make up a single cell in Braille?
• We guessed 16 – it was 6
• What European country has the oldest continually operating brewery?
• We guessed Ireland – it was Germany
• Who wrote Heartbreaker, Islands in the Stream, Chain Reaction, and Emotion?
• We guessed Dolly Parton – it was the Bee Gees
• What one word is an anagram for Monday?
• We couldn’t figure it out – it was dynamo
• What interstellar actor’s memoir was entitled, Get a Life?
• We guessed Leonard Nimoy – it was William Shatner
• How many points are on the maple leaf on the Canadian flag?
• We should have known it was 11, but we guessed 15

We had a late lunch so we skipped dinner tonight. We tried our hand at evening trivia and fared better, taking second place.  The misfires:

• Elizabeth Bennet is a character in what fictional romance novel?
• We didn’t know – it was Pride and Prejudice
• What 1995 movie featured the tagline, “As if?”
• We stupidly said Legally Blonde when it was Clueless
• What human organ was first transplanted in 1967?
• We should have known it was the heart but misunderstood the question and said the kidney

Oh well. Even with the frustrations, it was still a good day.

We flip time again tonight, this time losing an hour going back to Gulf Standard Time for the remainder of the cruise. We're back to UTC +4 or nine hours ahead of the US East Coast.

Tomorrow, we'll be on Sir Bani Yas Island in the UAE before a couple of sea days and then Abu Dhabi.