On December 5, 2024, I was traveling to a region I had never
been to before and never imagined I would visit as a tourist – Doha, Qatar, in
the Middle East. Getting there was quite a long journey. Starting from
Taichung, I took the High-Speed Rail to Taipei Songshan Airport (台北松山機場).
2024年12月5日，我踏上了一段從未想過會成為觀光客的旅程——前往中東的卡達首都 多哈（Doha）。要到那裡路程相當遙遠。從台中出發，我先搭乘高鐵前往 台北松山機場。
Taipei Songshan Airport is much smaller compared to Taoyuan
International Airport, but it still offers many food options in its food court,
which was rather quiet with many empty tables.
松山機場雖然比桃園國際機場小得多，但美食街的選擇依然不少，只是當時非常安靜，座位也多半是空的。
I flew with Xiamen Air (廈門航空). Guess how much I
paid for a one-way ticket from Taipei to Doha? It was a 12-hour flight covering
approximately 6,900 km — and it cost only CAD $292.23!
我搭乘的是 廈門航空（Xiamen
Air）。你猜我從台北飛到多哈單程要多少錢？這可是約 6900 公里的航程，飛行時間超過
12 小時，票價竟然只要 加幣 $292.23！
It wasn’t a direct flight. The first plane took me to
Xiamen, China, where I had to connect to another flight to Doha. Although the
first flight was less than two hours, a complimentary light meal was served.
這不是直飛班機。第一段先飛往中國廈門，再轉機到多哈。雖然第一段航程不到兩小時，但仍提供了免費輕食。
By the time we arrived at Xiamen Airport, it was almost 10
p.m. Soon after, many stores began closing, except for one where I wanted to
buy some Xiamen specialties — and it had plenty to choose from.
抵達廈門機場時已接近晚上十點，許多商店開始關門，僅剩一家還開著。我很想買些廈門特產，而那家店的選擇相當多。
The second flight, from Xiamen to Doha, took almost nine
hours. It was my first time flying with Xiamen Air, and both the service and
meals were satisfactory.
接著從廈門飛往多哈，約九個小時。這是我第一次搭乘廈門航空，整體服務與餐食都令人滿意。
I arrived in Doha before 6 a.m. and couldn’t wait to visit
Souq Waqif, a traditional Arabic market!
It was still too early, so there were no tourists around
before 7 a.m., only some foreign laborers cleaning the streets.
飛機於清晨六點前降落在多哈。我迫不及待想去的第一個地方就是 瓦其夫傳統市場（Souq Waqif）！
一到多哈，第一站要去的是瓦其夫傳統市場，就像傳說中的《一千零一夜》。
不過當時太早了，早上七點前幾乎看不到觀光客，只有外國勞工在清潔街道
According to Google AI, Souq Waqif is over 250
years old, with its origins as a marketplace for Bedouins and fishermen dating
back that far. While the current, renovated buildings are from a 2006
restoration, the site itself has been a center for commerce for centuries, with
the name "Waqif" meaning "standing" in Arabic, referencing
the tradition of vendors standing to display their goods.
根據 Google AI 的資料，瓦其夫市場已有超過 250
年歷史，最早是貝都因人與漁民的集市。雖然現今的建築是在 2006 年整修的，但這裡幾個世紀以來一直是商業中心。「Waqif」在阿拉伯語中意為「站著的」，象徵商販站著展示商品的傳統。
We passed by a restaurant called Café Tasse and
decided to try an Arabic breakfast in Souq Waqif. Immersed in the Arabic
atmosphere, we imagined ourselves as characters from One Thousand and One
Nights.
我們路過一家叫 Café Tasse 的餐廳，決定在市場裡享用一頓阿拉伯早餐。那一刻，我們彷彿融入了阿拉伯風情的氛圍中，幻想自己成了《一千零一夜》的人物。
景色宜人、食物可口、價格合理——一套餐點約 加幣
$27。唯一的小插曲是，一隻貓不停地來騷擾我們，最後服務生用噴水驅趕牠。
After breakfast on the patio, I went inside to use the
washroom — and was shocked by the elegant, classical interior design!
早餐後我進店裡使用洗手間，一踏進去就驚呆了——古典又優雅的室內設計，真是令人驚艷！
Along the way, a few locals approached us offering private
tours. One of them showed us pictures of attractions he could take us to. We
agreed to the deal — and our first day in Doha began!
接著我們繼續散步，在市場附近看到許多駱駝。我不記得自己是否曾在現實中看過駱駝。
原來這是每日早上
8 點與下午
4 點舉行的 皇室駱駝遊行（Royal Camel Parade），展現卡達傳統文化與遺產。
沿途有幾位當地人向我們推銷導覽行程，其中一人展示了他能帶我們去的景點照片。我們便一拍即合——多哈的一日遊開始了！
First attraction was the Doha Corniche, where the
city’s modern skyline could be seen.
首先來到 多哈海濱大道（Doha
Corniche），可遠眺城市現代化的天際線。
The next attraction was the National Museum of Qatar,
designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and inspired by the shape of desert
roses.
接著參觀了 卡達國家博物館（National
Museum of Qatar），由法國建築師尚·努維爾（Jean
Nouvel）設計，靈感來自沙漠玫瑰的形狀。
Next was the Mina District, built on the site of the
Old Doha Port. I loved the pastel-colored buildings. Walking among the
restaurants, cafés, and shops felt relaxing, partly thanks to the beautiful
December weather — not too hot, not too cold.
下一站是 米納區（Mina District），建於舊多哈港舊址之上。我被那一棟棟柔和粉彩色的建築吸引。沿著餐廳、咖啡館與商店漫步非常愜意，也因為十二月的氣候宜人——不冷不熱。
Nearby was a monument that reminded me of the 2022 FIFA
World Cup, the first ever held in the Middle East. Do you remember which
country won? The name starts with an “A” — you can guess or look it up!
不遠處的紀念碑讓我想起 2022 年卡達世界盃足球賽，那是中東地區首次舉辦的世界盃。你還記得哪個國家奪冠嗎？名字是以字母
“A” 開頭！
Doha was full of surprises. Beyond the Mina District’s
colorful architecture, the Qanat Quartier on Pearl Island also features
bright buildings, Venetian-style canals, and bridges.
對多哈我原本完全陌生，但所到之處都超乎想像。除了米納區的粉彩建築外，位於珍珠島的 卡納特區（Qanat
Quartier） 也以色彩繽紛的建築和威尼斯式運河、橋樑著稱。
To my surprise, there was even a Tim Hortons in Qanat
Quartier! While some Canadians complain about their own Tims, it seems to be
doing quite well in Qatar.
We then visited the stunning Katara Towers in Lusail.
Opened in 2022 for the FIFA World Cup, their design resembles two crossed
scimitar swords — a reference to Qatar’s national emblem.
接著我們前往 卡塔拉塔（Katara
Towers），位於盧塞爾（Lusail）。這座宏偉的建築於
2022 年世界盃期間啟用，外型如兩把交叉的彎刀，象徵卡達國徽上的傳統彎刀。
Our guide even brought us inside the towers, which house two
five-star hotels: Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha. I visited
Raffles Doha — the ceiling looked like glowing blue crystal, and the marble
floors had beautiful, intricate patterns.
導遊還帶我們進入其中一家飯店參觀。卡塔拉塔內有兩家五星級飯店：Raffles
多哈與 Fairmont 多哈。我參觀的是
Raffles 多哈——天花板宛如藍色水晶閃耀，地板則是華麗的大理石紋，氣派非凡。
Even the doors were exquisite — pure white with delicate,
carved designs.
連大門設計都非常精緻——純白色底配上細緻的雕花，展現高貴的質感。
Next activity: full of energy!
I did a few activities I never thought I would try — like
sand jumping, camel riding, and holding a falcon!
The camel ride lasted only a minute, but both the camel and
I were struggling, haha. It wasn’t easy for either of us. Then I tried holding
a falcon — Qatar’s national bird. It looked simple, but wasn’t! After two
failed attempts to make the falcon spread its wings, the staff shook my arm to
help, and finally, it worked.
那天我嘗試了幾項從未想過的體驗：沙丘跳躍、騎駱駝、以及抓獵鷹！
騎駱駝雖然只有短短一分鐘，但我和駱駝都快被彼此折磨翻了，哈哈。接著是體驗卡達國鳥——獵鷹。看似簡單，其實不易。前兩次都沒能讓牠展翅，最後在工作人員幫忙大力搖我的手臂下，終於成功！
The tour lasted about five hours and cost $350 USD for three
— not bad at all. The guide was friendly and professional, offering us free
bottled water and even buying us KFC for lunch when we agreed to pay an extra
$250 USD for the desert safari.
這趟導覽約五小時，三人共花 美金 $350，價格不錯。導遊親切又專業，還在車上提供免費瓶裝水，當我們同意再加 $250 美金 參加沙漠衝沙活動時，他甚至請我們吃了
KFC 午餐。
That evening, we had dinner at Baith Maryam Brothers,
a restaurant in Souq Waqif serving authentic Kuwaiti cuisine. The dishes were
flavorful — perhaps a bit strong — but overall tasty. I especially enjoyed the lentil
soup, which I’d always wanted to try.
I can’t remember exactly what dessert I had — maybe rice
pudding — but the Turkish coffee stood out. I didn’t know how to drink
it properly and only tasted thick, bitter grounds!
Overall it
was an interesting experience and the restaurant’s logo is impressive, like
calligraphy in a rounded moon.
晚上，我們在瓦其夫市場的 Baith Maryam Brothers 餐廳 用餐。這家餐廳主打科威特料理，風味濃郁。我特別喜歡 扁豆湯（lentil
soup），這是我一直想嘗試的中東營養湯品。
甜點我已不太記得，大概是米布丁（rice pudding）；但我永遠忘不了那杯土耳其咖啡——或許是我不會喝，只覺得又濃又苦，滿嘴咖啡粉！
整體而言是一次特別的體驗，餐廳的 logo 也很有特色，像月亮中的阿拉伯書法。
At night, Souq Waqif was much livelier, full of locals and
tourists. Some people enjoyed waterpipes on patios.
I noticed something curious — no homeless people, but quite
a few homeless cats wandering around. No wonder a cat tried to share our
lunch earlier!
有趣的是，我沒看到任何「無家可歸的人」，但看到好幾隻「無家可歸的貓」！難怪白天那隻貓會跑來找我們吃東西。
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