I left the busyness of Dhow Harbor to head to my next destination. At first glance, I passed a row of Catamaran ferries which leaning in a side of beach with guarding by big body security guards. What I understood at a glance was that this was part of cruise to Doha’s famous Banana Islands Resort. This was tourism activity of wealthy tourists who have to spend about 400 Riyal per night for just staying in a banana-shaped artificial island in the Persian Gulf.
I continued along corniche promenade. A forbidden path for cyclists that allowed every tourist to enjoy corniche view very freely on the wide expanse of promenade.
I arrived at the beginning of a very large city park. Being parked Doha Hop On Hop Off Bus in this park showed that this spot was one of main destinations for sightseeing tours around the city. Right next to the shelter, lied the front gate of a spot which was marked by a circular pond. The spot was the Museum of Islamic Art.
Simultaneously I was in a large park called MIA Park. MIA stands for Museum of Islamic Art. As the name implies, before going to it, everyone could certainly understand that this park was located right in front of the Museum of Islamic Art.
This park covering an area of approximately thirty hectares which orbited on a semicircular corniche. And MIA Park surrounded it on north, east and south sides. Fifty percent of the entire park was green area while the other half was used as a plaza, promenade, parking area and other public facilities.
This park was often be the official state venue for celebration of national holidays, but it was also often used as a venue for musical performances, bazaar activities or other regular concerts. The park also provided several food & cafe trucks for visitors at several points. Meanwhile, specifically on Tuesdays and starting on 17:00 hours, this park became a special public area for women who were usually led by personal trainers in cardio and fitness training.
In the eastern area of park there was a fairly long plaza, bordered by shady trees on both sides and in the middle there was a pond along the plaza. Creating cool conditions when the heat stinged the city. While next to this eastern plaza, there were kids playgrounds which were very spacious for the size of a park.
Stepping in the park on north side, I was presented with a garden shape which resembled a hill, rising from the south side and descending sharply towards the sea on the north side. Sitting on a slope with a view of West Bay area that looked closer to my eyes was a satisfaction in itself. To pampering visitors in enjoying the view of a scatter of skyscrapers, a large coffee shop area was provided on the north side of this park.
Back in the original direction heading my starting point, I passed a different promenade from the direction which I came from. Now I passed the southernmost promenade which was directly adjacent to Al Corniche Street. View of street on the left side was buildings with modern architecture. I could also see the Qatar Museum Gallery and a very large MIA Parking area.
With finishing in my visittion to MIA Park, my first day of exploration in Qatar was over. I would start my second day trip tomorrow.
Where was the next destination?….
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