I’ve been on some long flights in my life. My direct flight from Seattle to Doha ranks among the longest I’ve ever experienced.
After a little more than 15 hours, we touched down at Hamad International Airport.
The sun had already set by the time we entered Qatari airspace, but the lights of Doha stood out clearly against the backdrop of the desert and the gulf. There was no mistaking it.
We did catch a wonderful golden sunset right as the plane started its long descent into Doha, Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to see flying above the clouds over the Persian Gulf.
Once deplaned, it was a standard long walk down the terminal, down sets of stairs, etc. into the passport control. Even though the flight landed close to 6:00 PM local time, the airport had an air of an early morning arrival. Hardly a soul was seen at the other gates.
Passport control was a breeze. However, waiting for checked bags took the standard forever.
Hamad International was alive with activity after passing through customs. Hundreds were lined up behind the belt barriers holding signs representing many different football federations waiting to pick up jet lagged dignitaries (or people proactive enough book a ride). I made a bee line for the taxi queue and within minutes was on my way to the hotel.
The expressway leaving the airport was lined with purple (or is that maroon?) colored lights. Everything was on-brand the whole way with no shortage of evidence that the World Cup was in Qatar.
The eight kilometer trip passed by a large FanZone near Hamad called the Passenger Overflow Area and provided a glimpse of Stadium 974. I’ll be at Stadium 974 for the Thanksgiving Day match between Portugal and Ghana.
We also experienced traffic. Once all was said and done, I was at my accommodations and unpacked by the time Ecuador made it clear that Qatar was going to be the first host nation to lose its opening match.
My first night in the host country was a bit challenging. Thanks to “FIFA” (as the locals have called it when referring to the World Cup, most bars remained open well past 3:00 AM local time. What I had thought was the pounding music from the hotel’s own bar was instead a rooftop pub featuring live music. Nothing like a little bit of loud music to make sure your jet lag is able to fully set in.
After being awaken by the call to prayer at 4:29 AM, I decided to call off any further attempts of sleep.
Tough way to start off a Monday, but at least I have many hours before the USMNT face off against Wales this evening at 10:00 PM. It’s #OnlyFoward from here.