Flying home for Christmas… after my first few months in Thailand I was super excited to be flying home for the holidays, back to Samatan, excited to see everyone and Suzi and spend time enjoying the colder weather and countryside, and of course, the Christmas spirit that Europe does so well. As soon as I landed, the contrast from the tropics was there; the bare trees, the pale blue sky and fallow fields, and Christmas decorations strung up in all the villages.
It was a lovely three weeks, going back to all our old haunts; our favourite villages for strolls and driving through the beautiful countryside. Fun to go Christmas shopping in Toulouse, and dark, starry walks into the village with all the decorations glistening. There were beautiful ruby and crimson sunrises on Suzi’s walks, and Christmas carols being sung at the Christmas markets.
And me and dad also ventured into the mountains to the cute town of Saint Larys in the Pyrenees, where you can ski. But we just strolled around in the snow and went ice skating, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the mountain streams and churches and black horses grazing the slopes.
It was all over too soon. Already counting the days to our next reunion…
Finally, Christmas! On my way back to France I had a layover in Doha, with Qatar Airways. Exactly 24 hours. I knew I would have time to rest and explore, and the great thing is when you book with this airline they allow you to include a stopover and it’s virtually free. You pick one of the hotels that is part of their package, and it’s like an extra mini holiday.
So, I arrived in Doha at around 6am. You get a visa on arrival, and the taxi to the hotel took only ten minutes. The hotel, The Royal Riviera is simple but perfectly fine for a short stay, and does have a cute rooftop pool and free breakfast.
I dumped by bags, and by 9 am, was heading off into the desert. I booked a tour in advance because I had always wanted to explore the desert, and there is one just a couple of hours outside the city. I chose the company Falcon Tours and found them very professional. They picked me up around 9 am, in a giant Land Cruiser. We drove for about an hour, till we got to a place on the outskirts of the desert, a sort of tented camp. There were camels, falcons, and we could buy hot tea. Holding a falcon was interesting. They are so heavy!
From there it was straight into the desert. They deflated the tyres slightly and we were driving right on the sand, up and down the dunes, sometimes sideways, sometimes backwards. It was incredibly exhilarating, to say the least! We made a couple of stops to admire the view, see the inland sea, and also try dune boarding. It was fun whizzing down the dunes on a board!
We went down to the sea, and I took a walk along the shore. So surreal to be by the sea in the middle of a desert. You could see the rugged land of Saudi Arabia across the water. Then we were off again, back to base, my driver blasting Urdu music on the radio, and me falling in and out of sleep.
In the afternoon I took a stroll along the Corniche, the long promenade next to the water here, and went for a ride in a dhow boat, across the water and back. I watched the sun set, and that was that. Back to the hotel to chill by the pool for a few hours, and then, to bed. Except I instead fell asleep by the pool and inadvertently spent a night out there, under the stars. Desert camping experience?? Check.
By 6 am, I was heading back to the airport, finally ready to fly home for Christmas, a cool little adventure here, wrapping up this whirlwind year.
Practical stuff
Getting here- Qatar airways flies from most corners of the world and if you’re clever you can book a stopover for almost no extra cost.
Where to stay- if you’re on a stopover you’ll be limited to the hotels included in the package. But still, they are central, close to the airport and just fine for a short stay. Mine also had a cute pool.
What to do- definitely do a desert safari! If you have more time you can visit the islands nearby, go shopping at one of the malls, or the old town.
When to visit- I was there in December and found the temperature perfect for exploring, not too hot, but maybe a little chilly in the pool. Summer is very hot, and the months of Ramadan will limit you slightly on what is open. Just ask my sister, who flew through at that time of year…
