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JANUARY 2013
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
THREE PERFECT DAYS
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DOHA
a handful of Mr. T–grade gold chains for a
very reasonable sum.
Msheireb also boasts some of Doha’s
best ethnic restaurants. You decide to go
Keralan at
Al Osra
,
which does amean fish
curry, served with bu ery
paratha
and a
tangy mango
lassi
,
all for less than the
price of a knockoff luxury timepiece.
From here, you scurry past the insis-
tent traders and retrace your steps to the
St. Regis, where you’re booked for a treat-
ment at its
Remède Spa
.
With everymuscle
being expertly tended to, you’re back in the
lap of luxury, and you’d be lying if you said
it didn’t feel good.
Next, it’s a five-minute stroll to
Katara
,
a “cultural village” showcasing aspects
of Qatar’s heritage that risk being swept
away by relentless modernization. You
decline the chauffeured golf cart and
wander among the mock-Arabian build-
ings, pausing now and then to look in on
an art gallery. Having admired the lovely,
blue-tiled central mosque for a bit, you
move on to the
Opera House
,
where you’ll
catch the first half of a performance by the
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
The QPO is famed for incorporating
classical Arabic music into its repertoire,
but tonight it’s Ravel, with the full orches-
tra pulling out all the stops for
Boléro
.
At
the intermission, you discuss the benefits
of tax-free income with expat culture
vultures before you shuffle off to
L’wzaar
SeafoodMarket
,
one of the many excellent
regional restaurants in Katara. You select
a healthy-looking hamour—a local meaty
fish—and six giant Omani prawns. They
come grilled to perfection and accompa-
nied by an array of delectable mezes.
Finally, it’s back for anightcap at
Vintage
,
the upscale bar at the St. Regis, where the
Czech lager is served in iced pewter tan-
kards and the patrons look like extras from
CasinoRoyale
.
Thela erturnsouttobeapt:
NotonlyisDohaknownasadiplomatichot
spot, but the bartender here shakes a very
goodmartini. While the cheesy lounge act
diminishes the mystique a li le, you find
yourself nodding in time to the music as
you se le into one of the shadowy nooks.
This, you feel, bodeswell for Doha’s future.
Even the bad stuff is pre y good.
Abu Dhabi–based freelance writer
ALISTAIR
CRIGHTON
has very nearly recovered from his
afternoon of dune bashing.
BOARDING PASS
With the sparkling Persian Gulf on one side and a sprawling desert landscape on the other, Doha offers a dramatic
getaway for adventurers, history buffs, culture aficionados and hard-core shoppers alike. United can take you to Qatar’s capital city
with convenient one-stop service fromWashington Dulles through Dubai. Before boarding, consider purchasing a day pass to relax in a
spacious United Club; memberships are also available.
For more information or to book your flight, go to united.com.
FORTHE BIRDS
Falconry offers a soaring
reminder of tribal traditions
In modern Qatar, falconry may
be a status symbol for the
wealthy, but the sport itself
stems from an earthier concern:
protein. The Bedouin of old
trapped falcons in the autumn
as they migrated across the
Arabian Peninsula, using baited
cages festooned with nooses to
snare the raptors’ talons. They
then trained the falcons and
subsisted on the small game
that the birds would capture.
While these old methods
are still used, most falcons in
Qatar today are imported from
Central Asia. At Doha’s Falcon
Souq, birds come with prices
ranging from $275 for a puny or
truculent male to $8,000-plus
for a prized female saker falcon.
There’s never a shortage of
customers—as Qatar’s rampant
development continues, falconry
is seen as a link to a way of life
that’s growing increasingly
remote. (And when birding
buffs aren’t buying these regal
creatures, they’re taking pictures
of themwith their cellphones.)
AT THE OASIS
Persian Gulf views
at Sealine Beach Resort
