After enjoying our night of comparable luxury in Mekele, we ate leftover birthday cake for breakfast and then took a short flight to Addis Ababa. Our afternoon arrival, however, was more than ten hours before Marc’s and my 2:00 a.m. flight out of Ethiopia, so we spent one last (predictably rainy) afternoon in Addis with our friends.1
Leaving Ethiopia, we flew on Qatar Airways, which is one of those airlines about which you always hear really nice things – and I can confirm for you that it is all true. The planes were new, the seats were spacious and comfortable, the food was good, and the in-flight entertainment had an almost bewildering amount of options.
Cairo was our ultimate destination, but our journey wasn’t direct; it included an eight-hour layover in Doha. This was awesome for two reasons: First, we got to see Hamad International Airport, which just opened earlier this year.2 After so many months in Africa, the shiny, ultra-modern airport was a shock to the system. With store after store of creature comforts and high-end goods, it was a veritable consumer’s paradise. I had to sternly remind myself that our trip was not over yet and that I could not therefore purchase new lipstick.
Second, because of the length and timing of our layover, we were able to take advantage of Qatar Airways’ complimentary city tour and pop into Doha.
Along with a handful of other bleary-eyed travelers, we were escorted through immigration by a representative, given a free visa for entry into Qatar, and loaded onto a small air-conditioned bus. Thank goodness for that air conditioning – even after the extreme heat of the Danakil Depression, it felt very hot outside. Our tour guide handed out bottles of water, telling us as he did so that, in Qatar, bottled water is more expensive than gasoline – which only costs 1 Qatari Rial (~$USD 0.27) per liter.3
Our first stop was a viewpoint near the Museum of Islamic Art. We popped out of our bus, admired the view, and snapped a few pics.
Next, we visited the Katara Cultural Village. There, we walked around and looked at the structures and outdoor artwork, as well as viewing a photography exhibition hosted inside one of the buildings.
Then, we stopped at giant residential/retail complex called The Pearl that is being constructed on an artificial island in the middle of Doha’s West Bay Lagoon and marveled at the opulence and amazing views of the water. Mere hours ago, we had been in Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. Now, in a jetlagged-dazed, we were wandering around the world’s richest country,4 strolling past Maserati and Ferrari showrooms. It felt surreal.
Finally, we went to the Souq Waqif, where we wandered around the mazes of market streets, checking out the wares, and drank a much-needed iced coffee.
After we left the Souq Waqif, we were driven back to the airport and escorted through immigration once more. We had just enough time to hit up a duty-free shop for some wine and grab a quick lunch before we needed to board our flight. Next stop Cairo!
1 We were able to stash our backpacks at their hotel, which was handy because it would have been another seven hours after our arrival in Addis before we could have checked in for our international flight.
2 While traveling in Namibia, we had met an architect who had been working on this project for years. It was interesting to see the airport after having talked to him about it so much.
3 For everyone back home in the States, that is just over a dollar per gallon.
4 The IMF estimates that Qatar’s GDP per capita in 2013 was $USD 145,894, ranking it first in the world. For reference, the IMF estimates that Ethiopia’s GDP per capita in 2013 was $USD 1,427, ranking it 175th in the world.
