Quiet .... for now

Day 4 - Doha

Friday is the holy day so not much was open until after lunch. We took advantage of the lack of crowds to wander through the souk. It seems very safe, merchandise has only a rug thrown over it for security, I guess the extreme punishments for theft must act as some sort of deterrent. 

We had hoped to visit the falcon hospital but it was closed, but close by was a number of hooded falcons tethered to poles. We also walked through the stables of Arab horses used by the police and the yard with tethered camels which are paraded twice a day at the Parliament house opposite.

In the early afternoon we caught the train and tram to Lusail Boulevard, expecting some places to be open but apart from a couple of restaurants it was like a ghost town, and a very clean one at that, Doha seems to be the cleanest city in the world! Every piece of glass, chrome doors, walls and floors glisten without a mark anywhere. 

After lunch and a walk to the water we hopped back on the tram, looping back past the World Cup soccer stadium, and lots of construction everywhere. Alighting at Lusail marina we walked along the promenade, admiring the architecture of the extraordinary buildings before catching the train back to the souk. By this time the quiet from early in the day had completely dissipated, Souk Waqif was now busy and bustling with family groups and tourists.