Source::AP news
For scores of foreign soccer fans, the road to the World Cup in Doha starts every morning at a barren campsite in the middle of the desert.
Visitors who found hotels in central Doha booked up or far beyond their budget have settled for the faraway, dust-blown tent village in Al Khor, where there are no locks on tents nor beers on draft.
Others simply wanted an adventure. On Wednesday a DJ blasted electronic dance music around a fire pit as a smattering of fans lounged on beanbags, sipped sodas, and gazed up at big screens roughly an hour from Doha.
Even so, Al Khor fan village is not cheap. Haidar Haji, a 27-year-old architectural engineer from Kuwait said he’s paying $450 a night for his sparse makeshift shelter, which authorities advertise as a “perfect destination for a truly enjoyable and lavish stay.” The tents are equipped with plumbing and basic furniture. The site has a swimming pool and an upscale Arabic restaurant.
Qatar’s frenzied building program delivered tens of thousands of rooms through new hotels, rented apartments, and even three giant cruise ships. But soaring prices have forced many thrifty fans into remote desert campsites and giant fan villages in Doha’s outer reaches, including one near the airport consisting of corrugated box rooms.
Paola Bernal from Tabasco, southern Mexico, wasn’t sure what to expect from the first World Cup in the Middle East. But she said she’s been surprised by how long it takes to traverse the world’s tiniest host country. The buses from the campsite are a “mess,” she said, and stop running at 10 p.m., forcing fans to fork out large sums for Uber rides.
Al Khor’s arid grounds are no selfie-taker’s paradise. But Nathan Thomas, a site designer, said he was very pleased with the “authentic Arabian” result. The only major worry, he said, is security. Not every tent is in an eyeshot of a guard post. Tents have no locks. Their flaps easily untie.
From the Free Zone Fan Village, in the desert south of Doha, fans were lugging suitcases across large swaths of artificial turf under the glare of stadium lights. The manufactured cabins are some of the cheapest available accommodations, starting at roughly $200 a night. Every few minutes, low-flying planes roar over the village to the old airport, which has been reopened to handle daily shuttle flights to the tournament. Banners plastered on the trailers urge fans to “Cheer up.”
Many complained of excessively long waits to check-in. A crowd of guests waiting in line Wednesday night said they couldn’t get their rooms because the reception desk wasn’t sure who had already checked out. “We wanted good vibes, good energy, to be with other people,” said Mouman Alani from Morocco. “This is very disorganized.”
“Cristiano Ronaldo is playing his last World Cup, I’m here just to see him,” Mohammed said, referring to the superstar competing for Portugal in the tournament. “To attend this is a dream for me since I was a child.” Said Aman Mohammed, a 23-year-old from Kolkata, India
“Honestly, you can find more alcohol in Tehran. I was gazing into space in the campsite common area, and had little idea how to fill her time. Doha’s swanky hotel bars were miles away. We thought they would open up more for the foreigners to have fun.” said Parisa, a 42-year-old Iranian oil worker who declined to give her last name, citing the political situation in Iran._APnews
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