[#travel & Qatar] In a decidedly World Cup themed post, here’s my little take on Qatar vs Dubai. I visited for the first time this week, and jotting these reflections down:
⚽️General vibe: 0-0
Qatar is much like Dubai to me, similar in demographics and more, and when I said this to various people working in the hotels they nodded: ohh yes yes, same same.
⚽️Flight and time zone: 0-1
Qatar is a very quick flight from Dubai. Under one hour. There’s a time zone shift though! This caught me by surprise and I almost missed a meeting because of it. It’s one hour ahead of Dubai. Match point to Dubai here 😬
⚽️Shininess 1-1
I didn’t think I’d find a place shinier than Dubai but here it is. Qatar. The general vibe is like I describe the beaches of Dubai: manicured. Teachers told me this is attributed to the fact the World Cup was held there recently. Huge amounts were invested into the country. Apparently schools linked almost every topic to the world cup in the months running up to the World Cup. It is also one of the richest countries in the Middle East, and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. And it shows: the airport was so impressive, more so than Dubai (!) and decked out with the latest technology to help tourists get around. Match point Qatar for shininess.
🟰Overall, though, it’s a draw, folks. The countries of the Middle East are each very different, and my experience in Qatar was limited to just the schools I visited. Maybe one day I’ll circle back and learn more about the country - and it’ll be game set and match again. 🤭
Have you ever been to Qatar? What was your experience like?
🎥 Video featuring:
1) that beautiful tunnel (I wrote about yesterday)
2) being a happy passenger driving around Qatar
3) a snippet I caught of teachers focused on an activity during #Cambridge training day 1
4) living off what I call a healthy balance of both coffee and green juice all at once while travelling so much
5) approaching Dubai by night from the skies
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