Exploring Qatar: A First-Hand Travel Documentary on Culture, Food & Lifestyle
Introduction
Travelling use to be an adventure for some people while that same travelling use to be a nightmare for some. Some people will prefer to travel by bus to a long distance even when they have the money to travel by flight.I travelled locally for the first time when flight fare was very affordable. In my country today, if you can travel by flight, that simply means that you are living a luxury life.
When i traveled locally by flight, I still remember that while on transit, they served us local dishes even when the journey was a less than an hour journey.
To explain how short it was, let me give you a breakdown of how we spent our time on the air. We were told that the craft was about to take off and that we should fasten our seat belt.
After some few minutes, we were told that we are now at 33,000 feet above sea level. After sometime, the air waitress served us some light food and before you could know it, shortly after eating the food, we were told that we are close to our destination and is about landing now.
Going to work sometimes takes me more than 2 hours to arrive at the office but a journey of inter-states, took us less than an hour to arrive. Good thing is actually good.
Poverty is not good at all however, while we are chasing money, let us not forget that one day, we will leave all we ever acquired and return to our creator. We should strike a balance between chasing worldly things and remembering our creator on a daily.
Fig 1: Perfect view from the plane
My Trave to Qatar
The experience in my local travel was not same as when i traveled to Qatar. Though i went to India through Qatar however, most of my travel experience was captured in Qatar and the experience was superb.
I spent a lot of my time in Qatar and I will be explaining all my experience with pictures where necessary. If you intend to travel locally or internally soon, i will explain the clear difference between the two at the end of this post.
Fig 1: Entrance of National Museum Qatar
The picture above was captured at the front view of the National Museum Qatar. As seen in the picture, there is a Qatar flag mounted at the entrance of the museum.
Qatar is a perfect tourist country. It's a place you can have peace of mind from when you arrive to when you will leave the country. The national museum, international stadium and other beautiful places that i visited made my stay in Doha a worthwhile.
Food in Qatar
Qatar is a nice country. Their food is more than just food. Their food reflects their culture and global connection with the world at large.
With the little i learnt on Qatar, during Ramadan season, eating and drinking in the public and in daylight is slightly prohibited.
On international and local meals, Doha is a place you would love spend your holiday. They enough tantalizing meals that can make you want to come back to Doha again after your first visit.
When i traveled, i was lodged in a five-star hotel where i was served a delicious meal. The below meal was taken and it was a buffet. We were given the opportunity to serve ourselves.
Fig 3: Sumptuous meal served us
Lifestyle in Qatar
The capital of Qatar is Doha. The country is mostly populated by Muslims. Life in Doha is very peaceful and warm. The people accept immigrants and they are willing to work together with people. The country is population with skyscraper buildings and malls.
Doha is most driven by oil and gas sector and people tend to work in construction companies. To the best of my knowledge, the price of utilities as well as fuel seems to be relatively cheap.
To the best of my knowledge, housing in Doha is generally expensive hence, you afford a neat and very comfortable apartment, you will need to be gainfully employed. That is say that the cost of living in Qatar is relatively high.
In Doha, there are lots of fabrics that are cheaper than in any other country however; imported goods are very costly.
Since the country is mostly populated by Muslims, decent dressing is a must. You are expected as a citizen of the country to be at your best behavior at always.
The climate in Nigeria is similar to that of Doha. The weather is relatively hot like that of Nigeria. If you have lived in Nigeria before, then you can cope perfectly with the weather in Qatar.
Culture in Qatar
Qatar is richly rooted in culture and arts. Their love for arts and culture gave rise to the National Museum they invested heavily to build. The interior of the national museum is massive and you can spend your last savings if you don't control yourself around that vicinity.
The Museum of Islamic Arts is also located in Qatar. This institution in Qatar showcases the centuries of Islamic heritage that has existed in Qatar.
Qatar is a country that is rich in natural gas and oil hence is considered as a country for tourist attraction as well as an international center for business. No wonder the FIFA World Cup 2022 was hosted in the country. Since after the FIFA World Cup 2022, the country has gained lots of attention from far and neighboring countries.
Though Qatar has gained global influence, the Islamic culture and values remain rooted and unshakable.
Though English is largely spoken by the habitants of the country however, the official language that is associated to Qatar as a country is Arabic language.
Difference between local and international travels
1) International travels require international passport but Local travels do not.
2) International travels require visa but local travels do not require that.
3) Custom officers will check you and your baggage on international travels but that does not happen on local travels.
4) Having an extra cash with you is a requirement on international travels but nobody cares on local travels.
5) For some countries, you require a yellow card for international travels but nothing of such on local travels. Yellow card is a card that shows that you have collected the required vaccines needed for travel to such country. The requirement differs from country to country.
6)In local travels, nobody cares about what you are going to do there but that is not same for international travels. You must have a valid reason for your travel. This is one of the questions that will be asked of you when you are requesting for a visa.
7) Local travels involve the movement with the country where as international travels involves the movement outside of the country you base.
8) In local travels, local currency is normally used to make payment whereas for local travels, there is an option of paying with foreign currency (mostly dollars).
9) Considering the distance to be covered, local travel is always cheaper than international travels.
10) In local travel, no special preparation is required whereas international requires a deliberate preparation.
11) In local travels, chances of seeing foreigners onboard are slim whereas on international travels, seeing foreigners is almost certain.
Similarities
1) On both travels, you don't enter the plain with liquids. They will collect it at the airport.
2) You cannot enter the plain with sharp objects or metals without proper check.
3) Both requires fare payment and flight ticket.
4) Both local and international travels is normally for similar purpose. The purpose is normal for tourism, to visit family, business, education or just to go and relax outside the area you used to be.
Video 1: Live Moment in Qatar International Airport
If you are looking for where to travel to, try Qatar however, if you don't want to plan a full visit to Qatar but want to have a personal experience in Qatar, try Qatar Airways. With Qatar Airways, if you want to travels to a far country like India, be rest assured they will go through Qatar.
For any extra time that you will take before being transferred to your second flight, Qatar Airways will take good care of you. While we were waiting for our second flight to be ready, Qatar Airways lodged us in a classy hotel and took good care of us. The travel was an excellent experience that you would love to try yourself.
0 Comments