Doha - Qatar

This website is about BOTH Doha, Qatar and Dubai, U.A.E. Even though they are both Arab territories they both are so very different from each other. I wanted to visit these places because of what I had heard about their spectacular architecture and wealth. I found much more.

As you navigate this website please feel free to skip around. I really do not want you to miss anything, however, if you feel the need to move ahead do not just stop at Qatar, PLEASE make sure you get to the Dubai pages as well.

From the minute I stepped aboard the plane from Kathmandu to Doha I felt something strange.

First of all the flight attendants were Pacific Asian and not of Arab descent.

Secondly the plane was almost entirely filled with Nepalese men most of whom were in their early 20s. Where were they all going?

After Saudi Arabia and Oman, Qatar is the most conservative society in the world. Alcohol and gambling are not allowed, although alcohol can be purchased in bars in international hotels. Alcohol can also be purchased from the Qatar Distribution Company on the far outskirts of Doha. It is the one liquor store in the entire country.

The Qatari people are fabulously wealthy and have the highest per capita income in the world. The economy is backed by the world's third largest natural gas and oil reserves. Very few Qataris actually work. Everything is done for them by people who they import from third world countries. These people have next to nothing and welcome any kind of employment offer. Unfortunately many do not realize the conditions under which they will be working and living once they arrive, and even if they do they may not have any choice. A great majority of them are employed in the construction industry and are responsible for building the stunning office buildings and uber luxury homes and apartment buildings in which the super rich reside.

Our tour guide drove us through the spectacular downtown area for a close up view of all the odd shaped buildings. We were told, however, that the occupancy rate is very low. We actually saw very few people in the downtown area.