Sky is the limit in Qatar

STOREYS. With the many developments, the oil-rich city has a plan to construct five air-conditioned stadia ahead of the World Cup in 2022.

I travelled to Qatar many years ago to attend a wedding. A few days ago, I travelled again to Doha, unfortunately for a funeral. On both occasions we did not stay very long to explore the country. Having visited the other entire Gulf region, I really did not think there was much to see in Qatar. However, it seems that the movers and shakers of that country have another opinion, and though they seem to be swimming in a controversial sea of allegations, Qatar managed to snatch the title of the first Arab country to host the FIFA World Cup to be held in 2022.
We arrived at the newly inaugurated Hamad International Airport and I was really taken by surprise at how big and advanced this terminal looked compared to the old airport.
It was interesting to see that most of the immigration officers were Qatari women. Although our officer was busy talking on her mobile during most of the arrival procedures, her sharp eyes noticed that I forgot my mobile on the counter. So as soon as we left, she came running with the mobile in hand, such a nice gesture from her.
A fleet of taxis were waiting outside, Lo and behold, among all the mostly Indian taxi drivers, ours was actually from Ghana. I immediately told him that whenever the Black Stars played, I wore my Ghana T-shirt. For this, he gave me a big smile. We then talked about his stay in Qatar, and he told me he preferred his previous employment in Dubai but that he was still thankful for the job opportunity.
As we approached Doha centre, I noticed many new high rise buildings that have shot up, making it look like a mini Dubai. However, as soon as one left the city centre, it was all about villas and town houses. Another striking development was the huge, modern malls that were coming up. All with the world’s designer outlets having a branch in this country that is considered the world’s wealthiest nation. In this small, oil-rich peninsula, there are less than 300,000 Qatari nationals who live with more than 1.5 million expatriates. No wonder they have one of the highest GDP per capita.
Qatar has big plans for the World Cup; this includes building five air-conditioned stadia designed by a German architect. This huge expense for tempering the air, might improve the negative press about the impossible summer heat during the games. More surprises, I was told are on the way.
Upon departure and after immigration, I showed my boarding card to a woman at the information desk, who turned out to be Kenyan, and asked for directions to my gate. She said: Run, your gate is at the end of the hall and it is your last call. I have never run so fast in my life and the end was nowhere in sight..

About Qatar
Qatar is known for its futuristic skyscrapers and other ultramodern architecture inspired by ancient Islamic design, such as the limestone Museum of Islamic Art.