Super machi!

Plans. We make them, and when things work out, feel pleased with ourselves. Not thinking anything of all those things we never considered that never went differently. It's pretty cool really, when you think about it, when things just go to plan :-).

But I think it's probably even cooler in some ways when they don't! Case in point being our current involuntary holiday in Doha. A bit over a month ago I had no plans to be anywhere but home. Then my friend tells me of his upcoming wedding, so the new plan takes shape, a week in India. Attend the wedding, say hello to a bunch of friends from uni I hadn't seen in years, and then a quick trip to see the parents then back.

Most of that worked out really well! Met a lot more folks than I'd expected. Four days of mostly chilled out catching up punctuated by frantic planning of the next meal or dance practice for the Sangeet. Or helping the groom get ready while trying to get him to relax :-). So all the usual wedding stuff.

The trip home was even more relaxed! But then on the trip back a combination of things led to us making it to the terminal at Doha minutes after the gate had closed for our Oslo flight :-(. And here we had things so well planned out, get back to Asker mid afternoon, the car waiting for us to avoid the hassle of the last leg, all the good stuff.

Instead, we've ended up with the day in the city I've transited through often enough, but never stepped out into. The complimentary hotel turned out to be a short walk away from the water as well as a whole bunch of sights! So we dropped our bags, grabbed our complimentary breakfast and set off.

Searching for footpaths can lead to a bit of confusion, we found, but in the end we made it to the promenade by the water and before long, the Museum of Islamic Art. An impressive building from the outside (and one you see constantly on the on-board entertainment screens if you fly Qatar :-D) but the really impressive stuff is found inside! We spent a few hours exploring, the building as much as the exhibitions, before returning to the cool confines of our hotel.

We ventured out in the evening to the Qatari National Museum, a building seemingly built to mimic mesmerising desert rose formations. This time however, we decided to pass on the inside :-).

So here we are, watching the many lights of night-time Doha, hoping to catch the flight to Oslo early tomorrow. Who knows where our plans are going to lead us to next!