Qatar

Qatar hit differently from anything I'd expected flying in from Kathmandu. The first thing that got me was the scale of Doha's skyline — standing on the Corniche, those glass towers across the water looked almost unreal, especially at night when the whole row of them lit up in blues and golds and reflected off the Gulf. But then you'd turn around and there were wooden dhows bobbing right in front of you, the same kind of boats that have been on this water for centuries. That contrast kept following me everywhere.

Souq Waqif at night is where Qatar felt most like itself to me. The low whitewashed walls, the arched doorways, the warm lamplight — and then suddenly white horses clip-clopping along the lane past the old police post. I just stood there for a while taking it in. The air was warm and dry, carrying cumin and cardamom from somewhere nearby.

The best meal I had was on a rooftop somewhere near the Fanar tower — that golden spiral minaret glowing in the dark behind a spread of grilled meats and mint tea. I wasn't expecting to feel so comfortable in a country I'd never been to before, but Qatar has this quality of letting you sit and settle into it.