Many of you probably ask the same question we all asked when we first received our trip itinerary---what is Doha? In fact where in the world is Qatar??....well we're here in Doha, which is the capital of Qatar. It is quite the change from the poverty we witnessed in Kenya as Qatar is considered one of the richest countries in the world as it has the highest per capita GDP.
We woke up early this morning to head back to Brackenhurst and then Nairobi. We left the lodge a little after 6:30 and arrived back to Brackenhurst around 10. We packed up the luggage, said our goodbyes to Bailey, Taylor, and Heather who are staying in Kenya and then headed for Nairobi to catch our flight. Traffic en route to Nairobi is not ideal so getting to the airport was slightly stressful. We arrived at noon with our flight departing at 1:00. Thankfully we all made it through immigration and on to the plane in time. I think all of us were ready to head home but left a piece of our hearts in Kenya. Homeward bound though--first leg, 5 hours to Doha.
Here in Doha Qatar Airways has put us up in a hotel for the night because we have a 12.5 hour layover. The hotel shuttled us from the airport and during the drive we got some incredible views of the city. This place is insane. If you have ever been to or seen pictures of Dubai, this gives it a run for its money. The architecture, design, and lighting of the buildings is unbelievable. I took some photos that I'll share later but since it is night they don't show up as well. So just google image it...you'll see what I'm talking about. This is my first time in the Middle East and this city has not disappointed.
Our hotel is awesome as well. It is one of the high rise buildings in the middle of the city with a pool on the 26th floor where you can look out and see a lot of the cool architecture around. We had a buffet dinner here as well which was fantastic. A great variety of Middle Eastern foods and of course my favorite were the desserts--a berry cobbler-like dish that reminded me of my mom's dump cake, chocolate tart, and many other assorted sweets. I feel like eating is all I have done the past two days.
This post is short but thought I would update on where we are. We have to head to the airport at 5AM as the airline requires you to arrive three hours before a flight to the USA. We fly out at 8:45AM and are scheduled to land in DC 13.5 hours later at 3:30PM. Pray for safe travels and a quick recovery from jet lag. My goal is to stay up tonight so I can sleep on the flight and get back on schedule but we'll see how that works. Regardless, it will be nice to be back in North Carolina.
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