Tournament ended ok I guess.
I’ve been lazy since I returned. A little jet lag which I’ve embraced rather than fight. Still going to bed around 6-7.
The trip cost roughly $12k total Canadian. About $3k Canadian for flight. $207/night for 14 days American. Tickets to 13 matches $2850 American. Spent roughly 1k American while there.
Most frightening part was first flight Vancouver-Seattle. They required proof of vaccination which caught me off guard. Luckily I had a picture on my phone which they accepted. Could have been a disaster.
Qatar airways is very nice. Fed me well and would have no problem flying with them again. Business class looks incredible. Doha airport(HIA) was average. I imagine they bought all the awards they receive. Nothing wrong with it, but heavily caters to business flyers. Was shocked not to go through customs. Just scanned my passport and jumped on the metro through the nothing to declare exit.
Doha is a lovely city. Tried to keep an open mind. The museums were beautiful, and I had a great time at Souq Waqif. Not exactly a dream destination, but a nice place to spend a couple days. Really enjoyed the food, but I’m far from picky.
The stadiums were wonderful. Excellent sight lines for each game I attended. Getting out took a while, but that wasn’t shocking. Concessions were garbage, but fairly priced garbage. How I regret not having the opportunity to watch Messi, but I saw some wonderful games. Ecuador v Senegal was my favourite. You know it’s a wonderful sport when those two nations provide your best memories.
I wish they had done a bit more with my container, but it did its job. The supermarket and metro transfer were nice surprises. The quality of the container, and lack of hot water were disappointing. Mediocre at best, but didn’t spend much time in it.
All in all, I couldn’t ask for much more from the experience. I even met a lovely woman. Feel very fortunate that I was able to watch that much quality football over such a short period of time. Would do it again in a second.
I wonder, do any of you wish you made an effort to go? Obviously the destination was
suspect, but the event wasn’t.
Thank you for letting me talk about my experiences.