Qatar From the Outside

I took Qatar Airways to Denoasar, Indonesia and what luxury it was! Even in economy the seats were comfortable with lots of leg room, a TV screen on the back of each seat, and a courtesy package containing a toothbrush, sleep mask, earplugs, even a pair of socks. The hostesses all have their hair in neat little buns at their necks and wear boat shaped burgundy hats that remind me of the world war II era. They were all young with fine features and ready smiles. The food and drink were gratis. I had lamb for my evening meal and a tofu scramble for breakfast. On a later flight, I was so close to the engine I could barely hear so I nodded when I was offered my breakfast and got a Nutella and almond crepe with a sweet custard sauce...yummy!

Never have I seen so many shades of brown skin and such a variety of traditional dress as was in the Doha airport. There were women in intricately patterned saris and shawls wrapped around head and shoulders, a few in black robes and burkas with slits, men in crocheted hats, and the Saudi dress of white robes and turbans. What a feast of cultures!  I noticed that the women in saris pulled their shawls over their heads, becoming colorful sleeping lumps. I spoke briefly to people from a couple of African nations, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka to name a few.

I read that the layover time in the Doha airport is a minimum of eight hours which gives plenty of time to shop, a smart economic move, I say. There was a big-time mall atmosphere in the airport and perfumes were big. For those who wanted to take care of devotional matters while waiting, there was a mosque I didn't attempt to enter. There was a foot washing station and a prayer room attached to each women's restroom, separate and more private, of course. In the Muslim culture, men and women pray separately. Signs in the airport are in English and what I think is Hindi. It is a form of calligraphy so graceful, almost lyrical to me as I imagine it almost singing.

The inside of the airport was all I saw of Qatar