I am so tired already. It's 7am in Doha, and the temperature's already over 30 degrees, Bizarrely, the airport doesn't seem to have air-conditioning.

Here's hoping this is not the way it's going to be at the circuit – desert heat is strong enough with a cool room to run to, but without? I might actually melt.

My body thinks it's 4am, and all I want to do is sleep. But no chance of that – on the next flight within the hour, and then I'm only airborne for about 45 minutes, nowhere near long enough to sleep properly. And like every other F1journo out there, I have to hit the ground running as soon as I get to Bahrain – quick dash to the hotel to check in and change into something a bit less comfortable, and then it's off to the Sakhir Circuit to pick up my press pass and get started.

Most of the hotels in Bahrain can be found in Manama, about half an hour from the track on the other side of the island. I seem to have found the cheapest hotel in the country, so expectations are not sky high. Or even tower-block high – according to one review I found on the internet, the hot water doesn't work and the floors are so sticky that you can't stay still for too long without getting stuck. I keep telling myself I don't need hot water in a hot country, but I've not found a way of justifying the floors yet.

But enough postulating on what might be. There have been F1 fans aplenty and a few friendly journos on my travels, but I've yet to see anyone involved in the circus itself. Maybe I'm flying a bit too budget for their tastes?

For anyone out there thinking of attending the Bahrain GP in 2011, or maybe the season closer at Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways are worth thinking about. (And no, they've not sponsored my trip or paid me for advertising.) But for a discount flight – a good £200 cheaper than anything else I found – I've had an air travel experience of the sort I remember from my childhood. There was a goodie bag on the plane, really friendly hostesses, decent entertainment, and that's all I can tell you – I slept as much of the way as I could.

The Bahrain flight's now boarding, so the next post will be from the circuit. See you there, with some real news! Kate Walker Girlracer Magazine http://www.girlracer.co.uk

Arrived!!!  first photos...

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Comments (1)

• |2010-03-11 12:04:08 Sophie  - Kate...
  Kate... u'r awesome girl... love u... cant wait to read your posts on such an exciting adventure... GirlRacer Rocks!!!! haha..
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• |2010-03-12 07:53:51 Kate
  I am loving being here for girlracer - while there are some women here in the media centre, I'd estimate I'm one of between 10 and 20. The others all seem to be attached to big outfits - BBC, foreign media, etc. - and being the only rep for GR is getting me noticed.
  
  Hopefully it will get me some post-practice quotes - now that I've had that shower I will be pouncing on drivers left, right, and centre!
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