That morning, my desire to went to downtown was so rushed. I couldn’t wait to get a closer look at Doha. But my rush was stopped for a moment, I continued to calculate in detail fo transportation budget which I needed for five days in Qatar. So that I didn’t leave too much of remaining balance in Karwa Smartcard later.
My calculation decided to top up the balance for about 30 Riyal for entire trip, majority of trip would use city bus. This amount didn’t include Karwa Smartcard price for about 10 Riyal.
Avsec: “Hi, No No No….Sir, Sorry, you can’t capture the building”, the South Asian looking officer approached and stopped me when pointing my camera at a side of Hamad International Airport from the airport bus platform.
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry sir….I don’t capture the photo yet, I’m sorry”, I immediately put my Canon EOS M10 into a folding bag.
Avsec: “Nice….Nice”, smiling while shaking his head. “Where will you go?“
Me: “I’m waiting for bus no. 727 to Nuaija. Do you know, When it will come?”
Avsec: “Oh, you better ask to Karwa Officer….Him (he pointed to a fat officer who was busy with his clipboard)”.
I went to him and asked the status of Karwa Bus No. 727, then he asked me to wait about ten minutes.
Nervous, my first time in using Qatar city bus. If Dubai, Bahrain and Oman prefer red color for their city buses, Qatar had decided to use green color for it.
I was the first passenger on bus which had just been parked. A few minutes later, one by one, Hamad International Airport workers entered the same bus.
During trip, Karwa Bus slowly and leisurely ran while crossing city’s streets. Like other modes of public transportation in civilized cities, it ensured that every passenger felt safe.
Payment was made by tapping Karwa Smartcard on tap machine which located next to driver. You need to know that steering wheel in Qatar is placed in left side. While there, I entered and got off a bus always from front door. Of course, before getting off from bus, I had to check remaining Karwa Smartcard balance on the same tap machine.
Riding bus for thirty minutes, my eyes continued to stare at all the prints of city’s architecture which was passed, as well as various activities of local people who were observed.
As soon as I got off from bus, the wind hardly blew against me, carrying soft particles of sand with it. “Is this the taste of desert wind? “, my heart mumbled for a moment. My naked eyes had to be sacrificed to repeatedly hit by soft sand. I couldn’t longer look for my rayban glasses which I didn’t know where I put it in my backpack. The temperature of twelve degrees Celsius forced me to immediately reach Casper Hotel, where I would stay.
After walking for a kilometer and a half and in twenty minutes, I finally arrived at a hotel Which appeared to be the result of turning a residential complex into a simple inn.
Later I would tell to you how comfortable that simple dormitory is….?