The City Sleeps

I had heard the Qatar airport has free sleeping areas and showers, so I got in line at a Qatar Airways information desk to find out. I get to the front of the line and hand the woman our tickets and she says, “Oh yes, we can provide a shuttle to a complimentary airport stay with meal vouchers.” “Oh…yes, thank you.” 

I reviewed our paperwork at immigration and alerted the officer that he stamped our passports and papers with “2015.” He looked surprised and scritched out our incorrect stamps and gave us new ones. 

At our hotel three men bowed on prayer rugs for evening prayers in the hallway between all our rooms. He sang the call to prayer and I was surprised we couldn’t hear it blasting and echoing over the city like in Cairo. 

From the dinner buffet I tried lamb fatta, chana masala curry, cucumber soup and yogurt, then had halawa tahini (sesame sweet?) and mohalabia (sweet coconut pudding with pistachios and golden raisins) for dessert. YUM! We thanked God together for bringing us safely thus far and prayed for his continued grace and guidance. 

I slept soundly for two hours, and now at 3am find myself wide awake, thinking about our day, watching the city streets seven floors below me while a golden crescent moon rises.