Balkan Trip 3 - Belgrade, Serbia to Doha, Qatar - 25 October 2026

When I woke up this morning, I was in for two 'jhatkas'. The first is that I had become younger by an hour while asleep! The clocks changed on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 2 am because the UK and the European Union end Daylight Saving Time on the last Sunday of October, shifting back by one hour to return to standard time (such as GMT or CET). So, I decided to go back to bed and sleep off the bonus of one hour.

The second was least expected and it caused chaos to my schedule. I got a message from Trip.com that my connecting flight from Doha to Mumbai is postponed by 24 hrs, that is on the 27th instead of 26th. I was bewildered, because the Qatar Airways website didn't show any change in the scheduled connection.

I initially considered the message from Trip.com to be malicious and ignored it. Then Trip.com gave the reason for change as 4 hours delayed departure from Belgrade, essentially missing the connection in Doha. Almost soon thereafter, the Qatar Airways website also indicated the change in the connection from Doha for my reservation. However, they did not provide any status for the departure of the flight from Belgrade.

I decided not to take a chance with all this uncertainty and incomplete information. I left the apartment at 8.30 am for the bus stop. I had to wait for over 20 minutes to get the airport service but was at the airport in another 15. The Qatar Airways check-in counters were open. When I got to one of them the clerk told me that my bag would be booked only up to Doha and that I should go to the transfer desk and seek appropriate confirmation about the onward program. However, she assured me that any transit visa requirement, bag re-check-in, hotel stay and refreshments would be taken care of by the airline in Doha.

This meant a major change in my schedule from Mumbai to Bhuj, the departure date for which would have to be moved to the next day - with financial implications - and a fresh Air Suvidha registration. Besides, I had to inform the change in schedule to my reporting officer, for it involved taking a day's leave.

I had 7 hours to sit out in the airport before the rescheduled flight from Belgrade. Waiting such long hours in an airport is not new to me but is a first due to delay in the flight schedule. After a cup of coffee, which was charged for as if a ransom, I made my way to departure, completing immigration and security checks.

While waiting at the departure I went through my mind what I had learnt of Serbia as a country. The Republic of Serbia is a landlocked parliamentary republic with Belgrade as its capital and largest city. Between 1919 and 1992 it was part of Yugoslavia. The country has a population of about 6.7 million with Serbian as the official language. The Serbian Dinar (RSD) is the official currency.

The country is bisected by the Danube and Sava rivers which meet in Belgrade. It is an upper-middle-income mixed economy with key sectors in industry, services, and agriculture (notably a major global exporter of raspberries and frozen fruit). The country is experiencing ongoing student-led anti-corruption and political accountability movements alongside upcoming snap parliamentary elections - due on 26th October 2026.

Serbia is predominantly a Christian country (about 86 percent of the population), with Eastern Orthodoxy as the largest and most dominant religion. Muslims are about 4 percent of the population. Serbia has deep historical roots as the birthplace of 17 Roman emperors (including Constantine the Great).

I was told by the counter clerk that I was eligible for refreshments at the Rakhia Bar in the duty-free area. I was given a cold chicken sandwich and a cup of cappuccino against the boarding pass. I still had another 3 hours to kill. The relief was that the incoming flight was well on its way to Belgrade.

The wait at the airport was never-ending. Finally, a revised departure of 4 pm was lit up on the board and the gate announced. However, the departure was delayed till 4.30 pm. The saving grace of the flight was the excellent Thai beef rice served with crackers and cheese, bun and butter, cous-cous salad, tiramisu pudding and a can of Heineken. The food was exceptionally tasty.

I woke up a half hour before landing was announced and prepared mentally for what lay ahead. 21 hours of layover in Doha. What would they provide to catch some much-needed sleep? The flight landed in Doha a few minutes before midnight, 5 hours behind schedule.

A Qatar airline staff received those of us with connections to Australia and India. Those not requiring transit visa were given hotel vouchers and told to report after immigration and customs to the information desk for transfer to the hotel. I was told to enquire at the transfer desk about the carriage of my bag onwards to Mumbai. At the transfer desk I was told that the onward tag would be given at the time of check-in. By the time enquiry was completed, the staff arrived with transit visa and the hotel voucher.

I completed immigration, security and customs and reported to the information desk. Those guests with vouchers for the Grand Lux Hotel were aggregated and moved to the parking area for transfer in vehicles to the hotels. We were segregated into three batches. By the time I reached the hotel there was already a long queue at the reception. The guests were being dealt with quite slowly. The hotel room nomination and check-in, therefore, took time. I had a voucher to cover 250 QR worth of spend in the hotel.

After freshening up in the room I went down to the lobby, where I was informed, the dinner buffet is on. When I reached there, the buffet had closed for the night. Unsurprisingly so, for it was already past 2 am. Instead, I settled for freshly squeezed orange juice. And then, called it a day. A long, stressful and eventful day that started with the two 'jhatkas'.