Almost forgot about that.

A few friends spent last weekend galavanting in Qatar which made me think, “Hey, I’ve been there!”. Our return flight from Bangkok left us with five free hours in the tiny gulf country. Of course Molly and I were game to pay the $30 visa fee to get out of the airport for a few hours.

Our first stop was the Museum of Islamic Art. The architecture of the building is amazing. When you walk inside you immediately feel like you should whisper and walk on your tip toes. I would describe it as “grand.”

As you may have guessed by the name, the museum features Islamic art and artifacts. The collection draws from all parts of the Islamic world but Turkish items seemed to pop up most frequently. My favorite pieces to admire were the mosaics with geometric designs and the clothing.

As lovely as the museum was, I was pretty tired from the long plane ride and our busy stay in Thailand. I can’t say I gave each piece it’s deserved moment of contemplation… but I did enjoy the collection.

After the museum we walked over to a more traditional styled souk than the ones found in Abu Dhabi. A souk is a marketplace where you can buy anything and everything. In Abu Dhabi when you go to a souk you’re never sure if you’ll find stacks and stacks of brightly colored plasticwares or a fancy over the top offering of perfumes and carpets. At this souk I actually felt like I was in Arabia. Unfortunately for us, the shops were closed during the day.

We spent a bit more time along the water admiring this giant pearl… Ok, we were actually intrigued by a pair of men who climbed up onto the statue to have their photo taken with the pearl up close. It was puzzling and entertaining and perfect.

Eventually we headed back to the airport and continued on our way to Abu Dhabi. Although we only spent a few hours there, I’m pretty content with my Qatar experience.

xo, jill