Let's Go to the Mall
You have to go to the mall! We were told that activity was a must, that it would give us our best chance at seeing typical Qatari family life. It makes sense that in a country where summer temperatures can get upwards of 110° the people want to go to a heavily air conditioned, climate controlled environment. Who wouldn’t want to escape the sun and heat and go to one of the five Starbucks? Doha locals have a wealth of mall options, and we had the opportunity to visit the Villaggion, part of a massive entertainment complex. The building spread out next to Khalifa national soccer stadium, the two enormous structures standing together like twin national monuments. From the outside, it had the telltale signs of shopping establishments at home: sprawling parking lots, a sandy toned exterior intersperse with muted colors, a Cheesecake Factory next to the entrance. There were also a few signs that this was different, however. The pricey SUVs, sedans, and sports cars in the parking lot wer...