Qatar

Qatar I spent six hours in this place, and even though I was only in transit, as I said in the descriptions of Pakistan, Mauritius and Johnston Island, I can well say I was there. I managed to send the postcard to Gilberto, who now keeps it jealously in the album of my collection. (He has already instructed his son that when he kicks the bucket, the album goes to me.) The outside temperature is enough to kill you: 40 degrees at six in the morning (September). Here they call in the Pakistanis and Indians, who do the worst jobs and who can put up with the great heat; they even wrap their heads and whole bodies in these white cloths precisely to withstand the heat.

Through the big windows of the brand-new Doha airport I see that the first-class passengers coming down the gangway of Qatar Airways flights are accompanied in beautiful cars to their homes; that's why I saw many of them driving around among the runways and car parks of the airport. The flight that brought me here from Beijing arrived at sunrise, and towards midday the Qatar Airways Airbus 330 departs for Milan. Here there's the circuit where they hold the motorcycle Grand Prix. I'd love to visit it, a pity you need a visa to get in; it'll be for another time. I think I'll use this airline before long, which like Emirates has very high standards on its aircraft. 11,000 square km and 600,000 inhabitants: Qatar is a happy island for the resident Arabs, though not for all the emigrants who work there. Here oil rules the roost.

Modern buildings and artificial islands are under construction, as in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates. Here monarchy prevails and the head of state is an emir. The riyal is the local currency. In the waiting room a black African gentleman hears me speaking Italian and, coming up to me, speaks to me and tells me he lives in Milan. I was a bit impressed by his Italian, so well spoken; he tells me he's Nigerian and that he uses this airline because it's excellent. Bye bye