Qatar

Because there are not direct flights from London to Kathmandu one must fly through Dubai, Delhi or Doha to get between the two.  Since we had been to Dubai and Delhi we opted for Doha.  We also thought a little civilised R&R on the backside of such a hectic, dirty and culturally assaulting trip to Nepal would be a good idea.  So we planned three days of more or less nothing on the beaches of Qatar under the hot middle eastern sun before returning to London.  It was pretty much exactly what we needed.  Clean rooms in a hotel with high standards, good westernised food including fruit and water we could eat and drink to our heart's content without fear of falling ill was exactly the antidote to our rustic Nepalese expedition.   The last day of our trip in Qatar marked 18 straight days with the Stephensons, and I can say that not a one was sick of anyone.  They really are our travel soulmates, and really just the best of friends.  We look forward to many more adventures together!

Doha, like Dubai, is a relatively new city risen out of the rich oil lands of the middle east.  The wealth there is really phenomenal.  Because the country is so rich in oil, essentially every Qatari is rich, like really rich.  This creates a very unique culture.  While pretty, clean and upholding high western standards in many areas, this enormous wealth of those who have often done very little to achieve it creates a culture lacking in values that most people would esteem.  It felt like a big empty shell.  Exploitation of foreign labourers is a way of life (our flight from Kathmandu was full of nothing but younger Nepalese men all fleeing to Qatar under contracts of deceit to trade their lives away for slave labour).  Qataris can have whatever they want and as a culture they buy or build whatever they please even if it doesn't serve any purpose.  Take the city, for example, most of the buildings shaping the gorgeous city skyline remain empty.  It's all a facade.  Pretty yes, but not much happening there.  Theatres and exhibition facilities all remain empty and purposeless.  Walking around all of the beautiful structures feels like wandering a ghost town.  The shopping malls and souks are full of plump people filling their bags and fancy cars with whatever they please.  Education has taken a hit.  With so much automatic wealth, people don't value education much.  It's a pretty shallow society.  While I loved our three days of rest and relaxation in the sun, I have to admit I was pretty ready to leave this very bizarre, sparkling desert dystopia.

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