Day 1: 22 November – Doha, Qatar

(sitting in a Costa Coffee Shop in a mall in Doha)

Photo of the day: Fort at Al Zubara, with the Qatari flag fluttering in the breeze

After getting into Doha we picked up our rental car (petrol costs just 16p per litre and is a rare bargain in Qatar) and I tested out my navigation skills: the Qatari government isn't known for its leadership in street signage. We found our hotel by a total fluke and stayed in a suite which was about twice the size of our flat. The Doctor's bed could easily have accommodated five friends at the same time, I think. I slept ok, but I think that the microphone for the call to prayer before dawn was under my bed or similarly near.

In the morning we went for a drive around town and looked at the exterior of the new museum of Islamic Art that opens next week and at some dhows in the harbour. Then we went to a huge mall and enjoyed the delights of Arabic speciality retailers such as Carrefour, Timberland and Next. However where it differed from Bluewater was the people – ladies wearing traditional dress pushing a laden trolley down an escalator and the standard of driving and parking was amazing – lots of hooting and pushing with one hand holding a cigarette and the other a mobile. We weren't allowed to sit by the window when we went for lunch – that was a family area apparently.

After buying a ridiculous hat which you will see in photos shortly we decided to head out of the city and look around – so we headed for the fort at Al Zubara which is right on the north coast, about 120km from Doha. We got there after taking four wrong turnings so I think we have now explored half of Qatar in a day.

The fort was deserted apart from the keeper who opened the gate for me and pressed into my hand the padlock key for the “museum” - a collection of artefacts from the ancient city that was around here. The fort itself was only built in 1938 but looks a lot older. It was a fantastic atmosphere – very quiet apart from the odd car going past and the wind blowing around the fort as the sun set over the Red Sea. And we got to see a lot of the Qatari desert scenery on the way too (almost as absorbing as it sounds).

Off the airport shortly for the next leg to Delhi. Would I recommend a Doha stopover? Possibly – it broke the journey nicely, it was really good to look around, and it's good for passport stamp collectors like me. It's a bit bigger than I thought, but I don't think a lifetime of return discovery is in prospect.