Welcome to Doha, Gateway to the World

Sunday, July 28th - Doha, Qatar

Written by Genevieve Feiner, WD4H Team Member

After a long, yet surprisingly enjoyable 15-hour flight, we stepped off our 777 and into the humid heat of Qatar - 99°at 6:00pm!. Lucky for us, our heat exposure only lasted the length of the ramp, and soon we found ourselves inside Doha's stunning (and heavily air-conditioned) airport.

The Hamad International Airport is only 5 years old and is a destination in itself. As we made our way through, our eyes were dazzled by the displays of luxurious shops, such as Harrod’s, Cartier, Gucci, Hermes, and...of course...Burger King. Though there's a constant stream of international visitors, the airport has a sense of calm and serenity unlike any other we've experienced.

Our home for the 12-hour layover was the beautiful Oryx Hotel which is conveniently located within the terminal. After getting settled in our rooms, a few of us swapped our travel clothes for a swimsuit and took a dip in the pool, while others went to explore the airport. (Yes, you read that correctly - a pool, inside a hotel, inside an airport.) The water was divine! We relaxed in the hot tub before calling it a night, desperately hoping to beat jet lag and get some sleep before our flight in the morning.

Spoiler alert: most of the group was able to sleep through the night, but a few of us found ourselves enjoying delicious shawarma at the food court at 3:45am...oh the joys of travel!

Despite the sleepy time struggles, we gathered that morning with a new wave of excitement, ready to tackle the last leg of our journey: an 8-hour flight to Kigali. At our departing gate, we were joined by fellow travelers Arlene and Steve, who had just flown in by way of New York.

Next stop...RWANDA!