- 15 hours ago
Qatar is a country that doesn't get the same amount of tourists as the UAE, but it really does have a lot to offer. Join me as I exploring beyond just Doha, but to the north and west of the country, as well as their magnificent sand dunes and inland sea!
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TravelTranscript
00:21I have not spent that much time traveling the Middle East, and I will say that it's
00:27because I'm intimidated. Like, especially as a solo female traveler, I think if I was coming, you know,
00:34with a group or, you know, even a couple other people, especially if they're from the region,
00:39I would be less intimidated. But coming here by myself, not fully knowing the culture, not wanting
00:48to offend anybody, and, you know, having some worries about my safety, being out by myself,
00:56because generally speaking, you know, I don't see a lot of women traveling this region by
01:02themselves. So I've had some hesitations, you know, I've had some hesitations coming to this region of
01:08the world. But I figured that since I was traveling to India, and Qatar Airways had this amazing stopover
01:17program where I got such a good deal to pay only a couple hundred dollars to stay at a beautiful
01:24hotel. Oh, my gosh, wait till I show you guys my hotel to just, you know, stay for four nights,
01:29see how I like Doha, go outside of the city a little bit. And I'm so glad I did. I'm
01:35so glad
01:36I came to Qatar. I have had an amazing time in this country. The people are lovely. And it has
01:44really,
01:45really given me the confidence to potentially see more countries in the region as time goes on.
01:51When most people visit Qatar, they do usually choose to stay somewhere in central downtown Doha.
01:59But I personally decided to stay a little bit further south in a beautiful coastal area called
02:05Al Wakra. Now why I decided to stay here is a number of different reasons. The first of which my
02:11hotel was
02:12right on the beach. So I went for beautiful morning walks at 6am when the sun was just rising.
02:18Absolutely beautiful. Second of all, my hotel. My hotel was incredible. It's called Souk Al Wakra
02:27by Tivoli. I highly recommend you guys look into this option, not only with just Qatar Airways,
02:34but many other airlines to see if it's actually cheaper to package a hotel and flights together.
02:40If you're planning to stay somewhere just for a few days, instead of getting things separately,
02:45because for me, it was significantly less expensive than getting them separately. And the third reason
02:52is because Al Wakra is a bit more of a local area, like the Souk at night generally draws a
02:58lot of
02:59locals. So I just wanted to kind of, you know, have that experienced instead of being just in Souk
03:05Wakif, which I'll show you guys later, which is a much more popular tourist area. But yeah, I was very
03:11happy
03:11with my choice, even though it was a little bit farther out, and I ended up having to take an
03:17Uber
03:17to get to downtown Doha. I still think having the beach nearby is definitely worth it.
03:29I had such a nice Uber driver who took me here from Nepal. And it actually just reminded me of
03:38a very
03:38interesting statistic about here in Qatar is that 88 to 90% of the 3.4 million population is not
03:50originally from here. Qatar actually got its independence fairly recently, I believe 1971.
03:56And at current moment, that large of a chunk of the population was born elsewhere. Sure, they have,
04:04you know, the residency permit to actually stay here long term, but most are not actually citizens.
04:11In a way, it reminded me of Dubai specifically. I think the UAE as a whole has more local citizens,
04:18but Dubai as a city is basically all immigrants. So it's actually kind of, hello!
04:26There's a cute school group going in here. So yeah, it's kind of interesting that most people who live
04:31here aren't actually citizens. But yeah, we are now here at the National Museum. There's a cute little
04:38school group that's going in that just waved at me, so nice. And I thought this would be a great
04:44place to
04:44start off our day because this of course tells the history of Qatar and the building itself is super,
04:51super majestic. So I thought this would be a wonderful place to begin our day. Truly one of the most
04:58fascinating buildings that you will find anywhere in Doha is the National Museum. Opened in 2019,
05:05this museum was designed by world-renowned French architect, Jean Nouvel, and its unusual appearance was
05:12actually inspired by something found naturally in Qatar's desert, which is called a desert rose.
05:19Now, despite the name, a desert rose isn't actually a flower. It's a beautiful crystal formation,
05:25created when minerals crystallize in sandy environments, forming these sort of overlapping
05:31petal-like shapes. And that's exactly what you see here, these enormous interlocking disks that
05:37almost make the building look like it's growing straight out of the desert. But then when you go
05:43inside, it's kind of an interesting contrast where you have Qatar's traditional past, but also its modern
05:49ambitions. The permanent exhibition is divided into 11 galleries covering three main chapters. The
05:56beginnings of Qatar, traditional life in the country, and the development of modern Qatar. It starts
06:02by exploring how the peninsula was formed before moving into the lives of the people who eventually
06:07settled there. You can learn about the Bedouin communities who survived in the harsh desert
06:12environment, and the fishing and pearl diving industries that supported Qatar's economy long
06:17before oil was discovered. This is an absolutely beautiful museum that I would recommend you guys visit,
06:23and it really is fascinating how such a small Gulf nation underwent an extraordinary transformation in a
06:30relatively short period of time.
06:41Really, really should have brought my hat today guys, but the postcards I bought for my Patreon patrons,
06:48link in video description if you guys are interested. I'll have to do for now because I am going to
06:55try,
06:56I'm going to try to walk, you know, to a few places. I'll stop inside for sure every 10-15
07:05minutes or so,
07:07but yeah, there is also the metro which I want to go on at some point, but I feel like
07:13walking around
07:14still gives you like the best idea of what a city is like. So as you guys can probably guess,
07:20my attempt at walking from place to place did not go well, and it's really interesting because at first
07:28I felt fine and I thought I was managing and then it hits you. It just hits you all of
07:35a sudden like
07:36you can't go on like you're just suddenly way way too hot and you're gonna pass out. So I ended
07:42up having
07:43to pop into a cafe where it's air conditioned. I wrote the postcards and then grabbed an Uber to take
07:52me to the post office and send them and after that decided to go to the mall because yeah, it
08:00was,
08:01it was way too much to attempt to walk around during the day.
08:05This is ridiculous guys. This is all a mall. I mean I have been to Dubai mall which is also
08:18spectacular but this is like on another level. I figure that while it's so extremely hot outside
08:29I may as well come to Place Vendôme which is definitely one of the best malls in the city
08:36because it's also in Lusail which is this newer part of the city that was really built you know
08:43around the FIFA preparations that they had a few years back and once the weather isn't so hot I
08:50definitely want to walk on their promenade because they have some amazing architecture in this area.
09:29I'll see you next time.
09:29I'll see you next time.
09:53This is incredible, you guys.
09:57Guys, how cool are the Katara Towers that they have here.
10:05Definitely one of the most unique buildings I have seen.
10:09Katara actually has a lot of really interesting, distinct architecture, but from what I saw in pictures, this was like
10:16the one.
10:17This was the one that I really wanted to see.
10:20It houses both the Fairmont and Raffles Hotel inside.
10:26So let's go take a closer look.
11:14Well, I may have not seen as much as I initially planned to this afternoon.
11:20But at least I got to see what I think is my favorite building in Doha that I'm aware of
11:26anyway at sunset.
11:28So for that, I am happy.
11:30But now, guys, we have to, we absolutely have to go to arguably the most famous place in Doha, which
11:37is Souk Waukif.
11:39And that is important because it's in Doha's older area, actually kind of close to where we were at the
11:45start of the day,
11:46where they used to have some of the first trading markets where people would trade livestock, spices, well, I guess
11:54pearls, I assume, since that was such a big part of, you know, Qatar's exports at the time.
12:00And what I'm hoping to actually see is people, because I don't know if you guys noticed, but literally, it
12:08feels like everywhere I've been today, other than inside the museum, because there was like school groups, I have seen
12:15next to no people here.
12:17Like, obviously, it's hot.
12:18I'm the only crazy one to walk around during the day.
12:22I get that.
12:23But even here, you know, in the evening, in this beautiful area, there's next to nobody.
12:29I don't know.
12:30I don't know if other people just go to districts that I haven't been to yet, but I'm hoping the
12:38Souk will have some, you know, action going on.
13:20I don't know if other people just go to school.
13:23I don't know if other people just go to school.
14:01i am a sweaty mess but i am a very happy sweaty mess my friends what an incredible day even
14:10though
14:10this is of course the most touristy area of the city it is incredible you have to come here it
14:18is amazing in an interesting way it actually reminds me of marrakesh you know a little bit
14:24definitely not as chaotic they're definitely not as aggressive as they are in marrakesh
14:30at the markets but you know there's a little something there and it's really cool to walk
14:35through all the small side streets lots of great restaurants lots to do so definitely check it out
14:43but anyways uh i am going to head back to my hotel because tomorrow morning is actually going to be
14:50my full day tour of the north and the west of the country that will definitely you know go outside
14:57of the usual tourist track uh when people come here so of course if you only had one day in
15:03doha you
15:04should probably do all the things that i did today if not more but if you have a few days
15:10definitely make sure you venture outside of just the main city sites
15:45so
15:50so
16:23This is such an alien environment to me guys like on so many levels. I don't think I've ever been
16:34in a place like this. Obviously, I've been to the desert many times in the past. I've been to you
16:40know, the Sahara in Egypt. I've been to Jordan in Morocco.
16:46But this is quite different. Like this is quite different with the more rocky, very white sand sort of landscape
16:56and then to have these mangroves here like very, very interesting.
17:01Like the fact that a lot of Qatar used to be underwater, obviously, you know, is a huge factor in
17:09all of this, all the unique sort of vegetation that has adapted to the climate here.
17:16And maybe you could say I'm even slightly adapting. Like, yes, yes, it is incredibly hot. I don't think I
17:23could probably go more than, you know, 30, 30 minutes in the heat. Even that would be too long.
17:29But somehow it's not as shocking as it was the first day I arrived. When I first arrived, it was
17:37just way, way too intense. But somehow, right now, I actually don't feel too bad.
17:44When you think of Qatar today, you probably picture futuristic skyscrapers, luxury hotels and incredible wealth. But just a few
17:53generations ago, life here looked completely different.
17:56To discover what Qatar was like before oil and gas transformed the country, we headed north to explore the abandoned
18:04village of Al Jumail.
18:06Walking through these crumbling stone houses is hard to imagine that this was once a thriving coastal community where families
18:12lived and worked for generations.
18:15Back then, Qatar's economy depended heavily on the sea. Fishing was essential for survival. But pearl diving was one of
18:21the region's most important industries.
18:23Men would spend months at sea diving into the Persian Gulf in search of natural pearls, often without modern diving
18:30equipment.
18:31It was dangerous and exhausting work, but the pearls they collected were traded internationally and provided a livelihood for thousands
18:38of families.
18:39Life on land wasn't much easier. Fresh water was scarce, summers were brutally hot, and homes were built using locally
18:46available materials like limestone, coral stone and mud.
18:50But everything began to change with the discovery of oil in 1939. As Qatar modernized and new economic opportunities emerged,
18:58communities gradually relocated, leaving villages like Al Jumail abandoned.
19:03And just a short drive from there is another remarkable reminder of Qatar's past, Al Zubara Fort. Built in 1938,
19:11this fort was originally used to provide security and to monitor the surrounding region.
19:16But the real historical significance lies in the ancient trading town nearby. During the late 1700s, Al Zubara was one
19:23of the Persian Gulf's most prosperous pearling and trading centers, connecting merchants across Arabia, India and beyond.
19:31However, following conflicts and attacks, the town was largely destroyed in 1811 and eventually abandoned.
19:37So with having that history, in 2013, Al Zubara was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary
19:44historical significance.
19:46What a day, guys. I'm so glad that I decided to go outside of just Doha city center, because while
19:54of course it is impressive, you know, the architecture there, how modern everything is, it's incredible.
20:01But having this sort of, you know, dichotomy between how people in Qatar first lived, you know, the more Bedouin
20:11sort of tribes to how everything changed once oil and gas was discovered in the region.
20:18I really enjoyed the tour that I did today. I'll have it linked in the video description.
20:23And I'm actually an affiliate of Get Your Guide. So if you use my code Alina McLeod 5, you can
20:29get 5% off any tour.
20:31I'll have that linked in the video description. But yeah, I think next we are going to go for lunch.
20:36And then later, later, later on in the day, we are going to head out into the desert and go
20:43dune bashing.
20:55Thank you very much.
20:57Well, friends, I am going to have the full local lunch experience.
21:03I'm like in my own little cabinet and I am trying this rice dish.
21:09I believe he said it was called a mundi.
21:11And I guess there's different kinds depending on, you know, whether you get beef, which I did or chicken.
21:17So yeah, that looks super good.
21:18And then over here, the salad is huge. I asked for a small one, but Arabic salad, lots of veggies.
21:26And then they give you a side of lentil soup. Looks amazing.
21:32It's actually very hard to get the angle right while sitting on this pillow.
21:37So let me move everything back.
21:39All right. We're going to use it as a back rest.
21:43All right. So first, let's try the soup.
21:47This is so hot.
21:53It's nice.
21:56I don't know if it's just me, but it has like a hint of corn.
21:59It's like actually very light and has a hint of corn to me.
22:03And now let's try the Arabic salad.
22:06I think this is a dressing, but I'm not quite sure.
22:13Yeah, it's a nice dressing.
22:18All right. Let's try the Arabic salad.
22:26Mm.
22:30Awesome. Thank you so much.
22:33Shukran.
22:35And I forgot to mention I got a fresh mango smoothie, which I'm so excited to try.
22:40And then let's try this big boy.
22:44There's no way I'm going to eat all of this.
22:47It's nice because the rice looks like it has a few different things in it.
22:51It has like raisins, carrots, different kinds of spices.
22:55So I'm going to take some beef with rice.
23:02Mmm.
23:04That is really good.
23:05Actually.
23:06I love the raisins in the rice.
23:11Mm-hmm.
23:13The beef is also really tender and the price is here.
23:16I have to say, guys, like some of the other restaurants, you know, that I've been to so far in
23:21Doha, I found to be quite expensive.
23:23Of course, they're the ones kind of aimed at tourists.
23:26This is the first place that I've seen super reasonable prices.
23:30Like I think this was 22 riyals.
23:33So that's like, I think like 10 Canadian, maybe like seven U.S. for this huge dish.
23:39The Arabic salad was five.
23:41So like $2.50 Canadian, $1.50 U.S.
23:45So if you're coming here, definitely keep an eye out for where locals go.
23:49I'm sure it'll be super delicious and far more reasonably priced.
23:54Let's try the mango.
23:55Ooh.
23:56She's thick.
24:03I'm so happy right now, guys.
24:06I'm so happy right now.
24:08There you go.
24:08There you go.
24:35There you go.
24:53that's so cool wow that's so impressive
25:02oh my god they're professionals no right okay i was just like there's no way that's his first time
25:09oh my gosh wow
25:55oh my gosh
26:00a lot of sand man i did oh my god but yeah it was faster than i was expecting like
26:07i was like oh
26:07my god no you'd fall you'd fall off but i mean at least it's a soft landing but yeah oh
26:15my god
26:16you eat a lot of sand so as i'm sure you guys could probably guess this was my highlight this
26:22was absolutely the highlight of visiting qatar to be in the middle of a desert going down these dunes
26:31in a way that i didn't even think was possible but the other very cool thing that we got to
26:38see
26:38was something very rare which is qatar's inland sea known as kor al-adeid what makes this place so
26:48unique is it's one of the few places in the world where towering sand dunes meet the sea the inland
26:54sea isn't actually a lake it's a natural tidal inlet that's connected to the arabian gulf with
27:01sea water flowing deep into the desert it is a unesco recognized nature reserve and is very
27:08difficult to get to unless you have uh the kind of 4x4 vehicle that uh we went on today so
27:15if you guys
27:16are interested in doing this amazing tour i will also link it in the video description uh i just had
27:23the most incredible time uh had such a great guide and yeah what an amazing way to basically finish off
27:31my time in qatar so i'd love to hear from you guys in the comments let me know if you
27:36have been to qatar
27:37what was your experience and stay tuned stay tuned for the start of my adventures in india which will
27:44obviously be a huge odyssey in and of itself but as always i am sending you guys so much love
27:51keep being your own kind of beautiful bye guys