I took the train back to Berlin and prepared to depart for Doha, Qatar.
I knew that with this next flight, I would be departing from familiar territory. While western Europe is most assuredly very different than the United States, I anticipated that it would be much more similar to what I was familiar with than Qatar, India and Bangladesh would be.
My instincts did not prove me wrong. My time in Doha, Qatar was a fascinatingly foreign experience. Stepping off the plane and into customs, I was surrounded by people dressed very differently than me. While in the United States, I blend into the crowd with my t-shit and jeans, here I stood out like a sore thumb amongst the many men in thawbs and women in burqas. After passing through customs, I walked outside to see if I would be able to find a taxi to take me to the hostel I had booked for myself. It was almost midnight and I was ready to have a place to sleep.
After waiting for twenty minutes in the lengthy line of people queued for taxis, it was finally my turn to get into a cab. The cab pulled up. I placed my trumpet and my backpack in the trunk and slid into the passenger seat. "I would like to go to the Doha Youth Hostel at 17 Al Rayhan Street," I said. The cab driver responded with a quizzical look and broken English that was difficult for me to understand. Hmmm, no GPS, I noticed as I looked around the dashboard of the car. Perhaps the map with the hostel location marked that I've saved for just such an occasion will be of use, I thought. I pulled out my phone and displayed the map with the location that I desired to go to clearly marked. The cab driver appeared puzzled. After a few more attempts to communicate my desired destination, I stepped out of the cab. The cab driver had indicated that he was interested in taking a different customer, someone who was looking to travel to a destination with which he was more familiar. Perhaps another taxi driver would have a better knowledge of where I wanted to go, he said.
Ok. Sure, I thought. Maybe someone else will have a better knowledge of where I want to go.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
This scene repeated itself two more times before the airport official in charge of directing people at the front of the taxi line to their car became tired of having to refill my cab and redirect me to another vehicle. Stepping in to assist, he assured my third driver that the Doha Youth Hostel was behind the American Embassy, a landmark with which my driver seemed familiar. Excellent, I thought.
We were off.
That's funny, I noted, looking at the map on my phone as we drove away from the airport. It doesn't have the American Embassy marked on here. A strange omission. Perhaps security concerns...
Sure enough, upon our arrival to the neighborhood behind the American Embassy, there was no youth hostel.
After making a few phone calls and stopping to ask the locals for advice, my driver continued on. Apparently, two years ago, the hostel changed locations, he explained to me.
What? Two years ago!?! Had nobody gone there from the airport since then?
Another ten minutes of driving down dusty, poorly lit streets and we arrived in front the new location of The Doha Youth Hostel where the seven foot tall entry gates had been securely locked for the night. Having brought me this far, my driver was not deterred. He incessantly rang the door bell until the manager of the hostel was raised from bed and came to open the gate.
I had finally arrived! They had a room for me and I could finally sleep! I thanked my driver profusely and went immediately to bed.
Checking back in the morning, my faith in myself and in technology was affirmed. The hostel was exactly where I had stated it would be and where Google Maps had shown it to be: 17 Al Rayhan Street.
The Doha Youth Hostel and Al Rayhan Street:
That same morning, after another troubling transportation experience in which I waited approximately two hours for a bus which never arrived, I hailed a cab to try my luck again in an attempt to get to the Museum of Islamic Art at the Doha port. This time, I found much more success and after a pleasant drive through the city during which my driver pointed out a number of interesting local landmarks, I arrived at my destination.
The museum was beautiful. It was designed by famed architect I. M. Pei and was stunning to behold. The collections which it housed where equally amazing and I very much enjoyed my chance to learn more about Islamic arts and culture by visiting there.
Below are a few pictures and videos highlighting the museum and its collection:
The entranceway of the Museum of Islamic Art
An exterior panorama of the Museum of Islamic Art and its surroundings
The interior of the Museum of Islamic Art
A solid gold falcon encrusted in rubies, emeralds, diamonds and sapphires
(I want one.)
The following day, I visited Mike Farshchi at the Chevron Center for Sustainable Energy Efficiency (CSEE) at the Qatar Science and Technology Park. The goal of the Chevron CSEE is to educate the decision makers of Qatar about energy efficient building practices and to evaluate the performance solar energy systems in the gulf climate. Currently at the offices of the Chevron CSEE is an engaging interactive display explaining different lighting options and building temperature control schemes. The main purpose of the display is to communicate that by making energy efficient choices in the construction of buildings and public structures, the nation of Qatar will need to produce significantly less electricity and thus will have a greater amount of natural gas to export. Currently in the early stages of construction outside of the Chevron CSEE offices is the test ground for solar energy systems. Mr. Farshchi anticipated that by mid-2012 the test ground would be up and running, and a number of installed photovoltaic systems would be being actively evaluated for performance in the local hot, humid, windy and dusty climate.
After three nights in Doha, it was time for me to leave Qatar for Mumbai, India. I packed my things, checked out of the hostel and marveled at the fact that during the four days that I had been at the hostel, I had not seen a single other traveler.
Had I been the only person staying there?
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