"Congratulations! You are on your way!" - seeing these words on email made my day. I felt like I am already on a flight, on my way to a FIFA World Cup.
By evening when the excitement had sunk in a bit, I randomly looked up for flight tickets and Oops! Tragic 1 - no direct flights were available and prices for preferred ones like Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways were out of reach. The only budget-friendly option was that of Air Arabia which too had a layover of around 10 hours in Sharjah. At that moment, I felt so stupid of myself to have not checked it prior to purchasing match tickets. Out of fear, I immediately started looking for accommodation options and lightning struck again. Tragic 2 - minimum per night price at hotels, across platforms, were around Rs. 90K (USD 1,100), with no option of hostels to choose from. Numerous questions like availability of vegetarian food, water, level of security and others then started to bombard my head. These was basic homework I did before planning my trip to Europe but out here, I stood unprepared.
My heart sank and I remember telling my mom that most likely I would resell my tickets and rather not go for the world cup altogether. She could feel the pain in my words and her immediate reaction was - "What's there in money? You have been dreaming, talking about this for 8 years now. If not now, then when? If God has helped you get these tickets, there surely must be a master plan to get you there as well."
Anxiously, helplessly I started reaching out to my friends, contacts and mutual friends to help me find an affordable accommodation, suggestions for best possible routes. From time to time, someone was there to help me out. My fears on security were confidently laid to rest by my school friend, Pratik living in Oman. Few days into my random search, I finally came across few budget-friendly tickets by the Etihad and Qatar Airways. I just could not afford to miss out on this golden opportunity. With prevailing prices it does seem that I had hit a jackpot!
Jena, my ex-colleague from Goldman Sachs, was kind enough to introduce me to her friend (Rakesh) living in Qatar to possibly sort out my accommodation issue. Speaking to Rajesh that night made me all the more comfortable. With pride, he remarked that this is 21st century and Doha is no longer just a dessert. Water is abundantly available and so are the number of veg restaurants at affordable prices. Very graciously, he welcomed me to stay at his place all throughout the tournament and possibly even be my chauffer for match nights. But this was too much to ask for. I would never like my presence to create problems for others. All what I was looking for, was tips into affordable places to check-in. In his view, accommodation plans arranged by FIFA were the best bet.
FIFA in partnership built many accommodations to welcome worldwide fans. Fans have options like Apartments & villas, cruise ship hotels, fan villages, holiday homes, hotels to choose from. Price ranges from USD 84 at apartments to USD 5,000 per night at luxurious hotels. Personally, I would have liked to be put up in a Fan Village and embrace the vibe of a mega international event like this. However, its prices were very high and the idea of living in a cabin didn't convince me either. After much deliberations, I finally went ahead to book myself a room in one of this apartments.
As a popular saying goes - Lightning strikes thrice. Tragic 3 - COVID-19 related rules for visitors. Until a few months back, visitors from countries like India, irrespective of their vaccination status, had to undergo a mandatory quarantine in a government designated hotel. Thus meaning an extra day of stay in Qatar and that too in a hotel which most likely would have sky-rocketing prices. And the cherry on the top was, booking for such hotels were not available until 45 days of travel. Gosh, it felt like some form of energy was trying to prevent me from taking this trip. As we speak, thankfully, all mandatory quarantine and negative RT-PCR requirements have been done away with.
The only silver lining in this entire process was a seamless visa process. All match ticket-holders need to apply for a Hayya card which along with my passport serves as my document to enter Qatar. The application was completely online and the best part - it integrates all your bookings.
With most important things already taken care of, it was time now to plan the minute details like transportation, food, places to visit and activities to indulge in. I have literally created an excel spreadsheet to contain details like nearest metro stations to my favourite places, Google Map screenshots on distance to be covered in kms and time taken, veg restaurants and day-wise itinerary of things to do. I have identified the bus stops and their numbers which will help me in my daily transportation to stadiums and other places of attraction. For the first time in my life, I have purchased football jerseys of my favorite teams. The information made available by Qatar authorities and FIFA relating to transportation, stay, activities, and food are commendable. For sure, it will make my life a lot easier.
At Qatar, I now look forward to meeting my senior from school, Jailesh and Jaymin, a colleague from Oracle. Co-incidientally, Jaymin also has tickets for same matches. If things go as per plan, I might end up watching my favourite team (Brazil) and favourite player (C.Ronaldo) play in a stadium.
With the World Cup starting today, I am literally having goosebumps and butterflies in my stomach. I cannot wait to touchdown in Qatar, mingle in the vibe and experience my first FIFA World Cup. My feeling right now can be rightly described in below words from the famous song 'Waka Waka' sung by Shakira:
"You know it's serious, we're getting closer, this isn't over
Today's your day, I feel it
You paved the way, believe it"
Poursuis Tes Rêves (Chase Your Dreams), oh yes dreams do come true!
Image Courtesy - FIFA
