Much as I'd enjoyed our Doha stopover four years ago, I was in hopes, when we planned to break our journey in Qatar this time round, of getting out of the city, and seeing a little more of the country. OK, so May would be hot, but we'd tackled Oman in May, and very much enjoyed it.

It wasn't until we'd booked up the flights that we realized it would be Ramadan.

The fasting month is celebrated very strictly in Qatar. Not only is it discourteous to eat and drink in public during daylight hours, it's also illegal... Websites abound with survival advice for outsiders.

A road trip up-country began to sound like a really bad idea.

So here we are in Doha again.

Changes since last time? Well, Doha always had the look of not being quite finished. That cranes-everywhere, haven't-quite-got-round-to-putting-in-the-pavements impression has intensified if anything.

Partly that's because of the World Cup. But it's also to do with the embargo -- on trade, transport, and diplomatic relations -- imposed last year by other Gulf countries (primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE) because of political differences.

Qatar has been countering this by investing in infrastructure, and by rallying round the flag (in fact, building up a collection of Sultan pictures is an interesting activity that calls for very little exertion).











Fortuitously, the bid to reel in more tourists has meant that 80 nationalities, among them ours, don't have to pay for their visa-on-arrival any more.

Of course, a Ramadan visit also involves some changes of its own.

The last food for those fasting needs to be consumed by just after 3 am, so at our hotel, non-fasters get a room-service breakfast. Which is quite a pleasant thing. Who could quarrel with omelette and hash browns, rolls and pastries, butter and honey, a selection of cheeses (labneh, feta, and halloumi), a bowl of yoghurt, and a plate of fruit all delivered on a big tray to your door?

But certain services may have been suspended, or opening hours amended, and it's not at the top of anyone's priority list (quite understandably) to tell you about that in advance.

Anyway, stopover highlights:

-- Visiting the small but fascinating collection in the Arab Museum of Modern Art;











-- Experiencing (while getting thoroughly lost on the way to the Arab Museum of Modern Art), some of the Doha construction boom I noted above (Education City is just a drop in the infrastructure bucket, I think, but it also represents Qatar's ambition to transition to a knowledge economy);



-- Visiting the Ramadan bazaar that fires up after iftar near the Museum of Islamic Art. Here you can enjoy the atmosphere, browse the stalls (where all kinds of food, clothing, and artwork are on offer), slurp a date and avocado smoothie (fabulous combo -- we had it two nights running), and down a shwarma or a bowl of madhruba (this dish, also known as "beaten porridge", and apparently popular at Ramadan, involves cooking a mixture of rice, milk, butter, cardamom, and maybe other spices, along with chicken or other meat, until the whole thing becomes soft and mushy -- it's straight-up delicious);



-- Taking an evening trip across the bay on one of the many wooden boats that exist for this purpose. You can view the reflected lights, enjoy the fitful breeze, and realize how much you'd missed the beat of subcontinental film songs. (Nigel also got talking to one of the Bangladeshi guys who crewed our boat; he has worked in countries all round the Gulf, but likes Qatar best "because they're building so much here");





-- Visiting the Msheireb Museums, whose four component houses (restored heritage properties) impressively demonstrate city life in the 20th century, the uncertain beginnings of the oil industry, the history of enslavement in the Indian Ocean area, and the story of the original Msheireb area where the museums are situated;









So... I wouldn't choose to visit during Ramadan again, but our little weekend foray has been very enjoyable.