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Summer Premium Aventures – Another Long Doha Layover

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Another Long Doha Layover
Summer Premium Adventures

Singapore and Bangkok Trip Report

In this Summer Premium Adventure (Warning: Long!)

With me on the ground, I had to navigate around the airport and to the transit area. Thankfully it was a short walk from the aircraft to the transit area.

the wing of an airplane
The 777-300ER that brought me to Doha. As usual, I like big Turbofans and I cannot lie.

a window with a plane in it
Thank you plane.

At least it wasn’t a hike that required multiple walk-ways to clear – just the one

an airplane at an airport at night
Airlines you don’t see every day if you live in Europe – US-Bangla (A Bangladeshi airline)

a group of people walking down a walkway
Towards the transit area

Once again, I had popped out at a point where boarding pass and items needed to be checked.

That was done quickly thanks to the premium lane. With that formality completed, I had other things on my agenda.

a group of people in a large building with a large yellow teddy bear a large yellow stuffed bear with a black lamp
Hello Bearlamp. Tell me where the pharmacy is, please…

I headed down to the information desk – which is near BearLamp t0o locate a pharmacy (A Kulud Pharmacy is near the B Gates wing – easy to find from the Bear Lamp – although good luck finding it on any Hamad Airport map)

a group of people walking in a large room with a large screen
And making a map that’s readable in this airport would be a good start.

Yes. It was getting to the point where I was admitting I needed more than a little pharmaceutical help to get me over this hump.

With the most overpriced Imodium instants I’ve purchased (not that I was in a position to argue at this point of the game), my next stop where the lounge and yes the small room.

a blue and white box with blue text and white text
Don’t get me started.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge.

My boarding pass was blipped and I was allowed into the hallowed territory of the Al Mourjan lounge.

a group of people in a room
And we’re in.

I headed over to the blue seats near the top of the lounge – namely as it’s not too far from the small rooms and it’s a near-constant supply of drinking water.

a large wet floor with a staircase and people walking
The pool. No dipping in it, please. Or drinking from it.  

a blue chairs next to a table
My home (taken later on… the canned drink is cold seltzer)

a pillow on a lamp
My kidnapped pillow in-situ.

And yes. This is where I switched to water for nearly the rest of this trip.  I had fully intended to use this lounge when I was booking this ticket originally (as it has a great dinner, drinks and breakfast offerings)… but the food in the lounge was the last thing on my mind.

Because when I’m ill, my appetite goes through the floor.

a chandelier in a room
To be honest, I was fast going off my food.

a group of cans in a row
Although soft drinks weren’t a bad idea.

One of the lounge agents started to clean up the area where I was… and I asked if knew where I could find a paperclip. Why? I needed to swap my SIM Card over in my phone. Part of the problem was I still had the SIM I picked up in Thailand SIM in my phone and not my normal UK SIM.

Thankfully, the lounge agent  had a phone opening tool.

a person holding a small object
Small things.

I returned the opening tool to him as I swapped back to my normal SIM card.

With my phone back to normal, and I had a couple of walks around the lounge to see if there were any other nicer areas to rest in.  I struggled to say the least (and it was a bit late to switch to the airside hotel).

a room with a table and chairs  a display of information on a table a glass door with a sign in front of a building a group of people sitting in a lounge area a glass railing in a building a row of chairs and a table with lamps a glass wall with a table and chairs a staircase with lights on it a long hallway with a large white floor with blue chairs and a large white floor

a room with blue chairs and a person sitting on a computer a room with blue chairs and a man standing behind it

I woke up, of course, feeling rubbish as hell. Even cold water couldn’t shake the nasty feeling I had off, and I’ll be honest – I was very close to offloading myself from the next flight.

I drunk some more water and had another comfort break.

Then, like anyone who has spent time with medical professionals, I self-assessed myself so see how bad I was.

  1. Could I walk?
  2. Could I walk for more than a few minutes without wanting the toilet?
  3. Did I feel nauseous at all when walking?
  4. Any other signs that I was ill?

So, 1) yes 2) yes 3) No and 4) nothing but tiredness.

Not the greatest conditions for me, but I would take it… and chance the journey back to the UK.

I had a look at the snack and drink options – but apart from water, nothing was calling out to me.

a coffee machine on a counter  a sink with bottles and cups on it  a trays of pastries on a table
Pastries and cakes.  

a plate of food on a tray
Omelette and Mushroom bites.

a group of airplanes at an airport
A Doha Morning.

With time ticking on, I made my way out of the lounge, and checked where I was going.

And those hopes and dreams of a nice departure gate were crushed with a double-digit C gate listed.

Yes – another bus transfer. Fifth one this trip.

a large building with a large wall and people walking around
Down back into the maelstrom.

a large yellow teddy bear with a light on it
See you again Bearlamp one day.

a sign in a building
C, D or E?

I headed down the CDE gateway and down the travelators (as the bussing complex is in the middle of the long arm of the terminal – so no luck with the transit system in this case).

people walking on a walkway in an airport
Down the travellators.

a group of people in an airport
Into the basement.

Boarding for QR175 was in full swing by the time I got to the gate. I presented myself and was informed that the premium bus had long gone, and I would have to take a normal bus (shock and horror). The ground staff apologised and I thanked them for their helpfulness.

With a blip – I was allowed to proceed and head towards the waiting bus in the Doha heat. It was time to head back to Europe.

Even if I wasn’t feeling 100%.

Next: QR175 Doha to Oslo

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