Friday, October 30, 2009

28 October 2009, Wednesday & 29 October, Thursday

My flight left Houston on Qatar Airlines about an hour late at 21:45. I arrived in Doha at 19:55. Now I know why Qatar Airline is rated as a 5 star airline. In business class they pamper you the minute you get on the flight. All the flight are very soft spoken, most are Asians. Since business class was not full, I asked if I could be seated next to an empty seat so that I would not have to get my bag in and out of the overhead bin. I explained that I had a lower back problem and that it was difficult to lift things over my head. Before the plane took off I was moved to a window seat with an empty seat next to me. The TV screen is about 20" and is placed in the back of the seat in front of you. I had a nice salad and dessert and started watching a movie, but fell asleep. The seats go completely flat. They provide you with PJs and a very nice blanket (much nicer than the thin blankets you get on other airlines). When I woke up about 6 hours later, the flight attendant asked if I would like something to eat or drink. I told her that I wanted some hot water for my tea bag. She said that I had not had much to eat at dinner and that I should consider having something more substantial. I looked through the menu and picked something to eat, as I did not want to offend her. After I ate I watched a movie called The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. Then, I had a 3 hour nap. Then, I watched another movie called Management with Jennifer Anniston. Both movies were good ones, and ones that I had not seen before. Another 1-1/2 hours and we landed in Doha. As I got off the airplane there was a lady standing there with my name on a sign, and she instructed me to get on the bus to go to the terminal. Then, I was escorted into a small room and was offered something to drink. They processed my paperwork, and returned to get me. It was about a minute to go through Immigration Control and then we went through some doors and this man was waiting for us with my luggage. We went through Customs and then I was released to Jim. We were very happy to see each other. The interesting thing about landing in Doha at night is that the ground looks like it has snow on it instead of sand. The reason for that is the ground is made of lime stone!

Jim drove along the Corniche, and we looked for a parting space, but did not see any so we headed for the temporary flat where Jim has stayed since he arrived 7 September.

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