Doha

« I'm really curious – has anyone who's here been to Qatar?! I never would have thought I'd end up there... and even for a wedding trip (just 2 days, of course, but still!). Qatar is kind of hard to label simply as a dream destination... but yet it tries to make it work))

Qatar is a typical oil-rich Arab state, a country that’s certainly wealthy yet surprisingly small. It’s located on the shores of the Persian Gulf (with water that’s some unreal shade of blue). The climate is extremely hot. A visa for tiny Qatar costs about $87! There aren’t many historical sites to see – the history is practically being made here and seen through our eyes! The country is young – just 50 years old. The capital, Doha, features either not-so-tall buildings or already iconic skyscrapers! Only about 20% of the population are Qatari nationals; the rest are mostly workers who have come here in search of a better life from poorer countries.

They say Qatar is 6-10 years behind the UAE. The country is incredibly rich. And the local residents (Qataris, not expats) are quite wealthy too. But if you suddenly want to become a Qatari citizen – forget it! You have to be born a Qatari.

The women walk around in traditional, black, and very obscuring clothing – the abaya, but despite that, sometimes you can catch a glimpse of some colorful outfits underneath, and their fingers are adorned with Louis Vuitton bags.

Bottled drinks in Qatar are cheaper than tap water. Qatar itself doesn’t produce any food products – everything is imported. Fuel is unbelievably cheap. There are no pedestrians. Walking in uncovered shoulders and skirts above the knee is pretty unusual (local guys look at you strangely...). Outside of Doha, there isn’t much to see in Qatar. But you can see all of Doha's attractions in one day.

And now the most interesting part – you can see Doha completely free. If you’re flying with Qatar Airways and have a layover in Qatar from 5 to 12 hours, the airline might offer you a complimentary 3-hour excursion around the city! Oh, and yet another thing – international experts accuse Qatar of sponsoring terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Hamas. »