Doha has a bay covered with sparkly buildings--not huge skyscrapers but lovely building shimmering even at night. There was a flame burning bright in the distance. I'm guessing an oil refinery. I have only an hour layover, hence no chance to see more of the city.
So it's just shy of 7 pm here in Doha and yet the flight crew fed us breakfast on the plane about an hour before arrival. We had dinner upon boarding, 12:30 am New York time and 8 hours later breakfast. Only it's actually somehow 20 hours later and dinner time. But I just had eggs!
At the transfers section of the airport, the security official asked me where I had arrived from...I stuttered. "Milan?" he asked. I took it as a compliment. Silence, brain malfunctioning, I apologized in English and at the same moment we both uttered New York.
In Doha's airport there are signs for the following (in English and Arabic): Smoking Room, Toilets, Quiet Room and Family Lounge. Upon approaching these areas, however, there is also a Prayer Room. Full of shoes and then farther in, men lined up following the daily regiment of duty to their faith. I wonder, was anyone on the plane praying? I did. But religion for me isn't necessarily directional or active. I remember Abubakar, the dishwasher at the Flying Biscuit back in the day. He used to leave several times a day with a cardboard box he'd broken down to pray. I'm curious...what are the rules? It's the first time I've ever seen a prayer room in an airport.
A young man just passed by head-to-toe in white, a black band around his forehead holding his headscarf in place. Not only traditional, I imagine, but talk about some comfortable travel wear.
Here are the remaining departure cities for the next few hours: Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Bangkok, Chennai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad, Cochin.
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