"Land Cruisers and Gold" Top 5 Page for this destination Qatar by hjohnso4

Qatar Travel Guide: 806 reviews and 1,678 photos

UPDATE: I recently returned to Doha after a three year absence and was amazed by the changes. In anticipation of the 2006 Asian Games Qatar is suffering a building boom as hasn't been since the 1970s. The New Doha is quite remarkable: a few nightclubs and bars have opened; traffic has increased threefold; the number of namebrand shops has doubled. I could go on. Having recently completed a multi-billion dollar natural gas infrastructure project, the money is rolling into the country and the air is heavy with the sound of 'investment.' A downside is that whatever traditional architecture has survived the wrecking crane so far will likely disapear.

Qatar is a fascinatingly dull country. Unless your idea of a good time is lounging about 5-star hotel lobbies, or driving Land Cruisers to the mall, you shouldn't visit.

Little known fact: Qatar has a 'slave' economy. Workers are 'imported' from India. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Phillipines, to name a few, are paid perhaps $200/month and are housed, worked and treated rather poorly, to say the least. This is the case in all of the Petroleum States of the Arabian Gulf. Building booms are not possible without cheap labor.

Even the Desert, which covers the entire country, is marginal and unexceptional. Go to the UAE or Oman if desert adventure and impressive sand dunes are what you are after.

Qatar is sitting on the largest known natural gas deposit and will sooun be wealthier than Kuwait. The gilded, nouveau-riche, vulgarity will only spread...

Pros and Cons

Pros:Excellent, Tax-Free Income
Cons:Boredom
In a nutshell:Worth a Try

Last visit to Qatar: Sep 2006
Intro Updated Jan 15, 2007
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Reviews (11)

Taxis Transportation (2)

To date there are no public buses in Doha. Taxis are the standard mode of transportation in town, and are quite cheap.... more travel advice

The Docks and the Fishing Fleets Things to Do (3)

In stark contrast to the Corniche and the relatively modern buildings that line it are the docks which cater to the... more travel advice

Uber-modern Mall Shopping (1)

The City Center Mall is as modern, if not more so, as anything you will find in Europe or the US. It boasts the usual... more travel advice

The Suburbs of Doha Off The Beaten Path (2)

A drive out of Doha will take you into such landscapes. When you are absolutely stunned by boredom one weekend, try a... more travel advice

Hotels (2)
See All Residential Compound

Warnings Or Dangers (1)
BOREDOM

Travelogues (2)

1 - 2 of 2

Comments (12)

MM212 Sep 28, 2006 at 1:29 PM Report Abuse

Very interesting perspective on Doha and Gulf region in general. Thanks for sharing!
freya_heaven Aug 10, 2003 at 5:59 AM Report Abuse

Interesting pages, thanks. Hoping to visit Oman relatively soon.
dsantosh May 26, 2003 at 6:38 AM Report Abuse

nice page..good info
floss1 Jul 23, 2002 at 12:00 AM Report Abuse

good information!!!
Lebanese Jul 20, 2002 at 2:11 AM Report Abuse

Nicely Done!
John195123 Jun 9, 2002 at 9:20 PM Report Abuse

Nice page! I`d love to see more... in person!!
AVentura Feb 19, 2002 at 1:28 PM Report Abuse

Happy Birthday !
heather74 Feb 2, 2002 at 9:53 AM Report Abuse

I live here-ALOT of this is true :)
Irina Dec 13, 2001 at 6:26 AM Report Abuse

Sounds realistic. Keep writing, Hal! :-)))
alma_h Dec 9, 2001 at 12:49 PM Report Abuse

interesting