Our five year adventure in Doha, Qatarended June 1, 2012, but the memories will always remain. It's back to Texas where I have decided...Qatar isn't cornering the market on "quirky", as I once believed. Thanks for opening my eyes to the world,Doha!
Since I've learned a few things from photographer, mentor, friend, and employer, Sherry, I decided to download a free trial of Photoshop for my own personal fun when bored. I posted my very first creation on daughter, Kayla's, Facebook page, whom by the way did not share my enthusiasm for my masterpiece. Her comment on my post:
While searching for her quote for this entry, I found that Kayla, had indeed, removed the picture from her "wall" herself. That little fact did give me pause about posting it on my blog, since she has been known to "defriend" me in the past for overstepping my boundaries in her Facebook world. It's a fine line, my friends, but with her blessings and permission I am free to post the following.
Kristi, Rafa Nadal, & Kayla sharing Tea at The Ritz
Ok, so maybe he wasn't really right there at that exact point in time, but he couldhave been. Probably the difference between man and the monkeys is that the monkeys are merely bored, while man has boredom plus imagination.
I can't keep the theme song from the Flintstones from popping into my head every time I pass this street sign next to our villas. With a little dyslexia, I can actually hear Fred belting out his famous "Yaba daba dooooo!". Streets signs are a fairly new phenomenon in Doha. Once upon a time, there was only a sprinkling of them, but they are popping up all over town. People usually give directions around here according to landmarks, such as Decoration Roundabout, Cholesterol Corner, The Clam, Immigration Roundabout, etc. No one would know what you were talking about if you actually interjected a street name into the conversation. My personal favorite given direction is..."turn by the mosque". Yeah, right. Good luck with that one.
Here's a bonus clip that is a real blast from the past. After I typed yaba daba do, a very old commercial came to my mind. Remember Brylcreem's slogan, "A little dab'l do ya."?
Theme from The Flintstones
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On my way home from work (that four letter word that I LOVE) the other day, I noticed that another beautiful Doha sunset was in the works. I snapped pics all the way home never finding that perfect vantage point. Forget the fact that I was negotiating turns and roundabouts while clicking away. Doha is not exactly "navigational" friendly, as there is no such thing as just making a turn here and a turn there to get to where you think you might land. It's complicated and hard to understand the process if you don't live here. After three years, I still don't understand it, but I am just a bit directionally challenged to begin with. Anyway, if you haven't been stepping out of the house at sunset, you may want to do so.
Here Comes the Sun~The Beatles
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Happy Birthday, Mom. Do something you never get to do...kick back, relax and enjoy!
Pic from my recent visit to Texas...it's me and my mom doing what we do best together. Eating out!
Texas Roadhouse
Mini post:
It's time for that semi annual weather report. Regardless of the few outbursts of frigid temps from the local newspapers, it seems that winter is passing us by this year. Yeah, we did bundle up for one of the evening tennis games, but I'd hardly call the breezy 65F it was that evening a visit from old man winter. So, the heaters that were passed on to us from expats gone by are still in storage waiting for a chance to strut their stuff. Trust me, I'm not complaining. With no heat in the villas to warm us if by chance the old man does make an appearance, it's not something I relish. Once the chill sets inside these concrete walls, it can take a while to warm up. So, let's keep these steady mild temps coming as long as we can.
Now, that's what I wrote in preparation of today's post. The following was added to the forecast this morning...
We shall see.
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I'll go out on a limb and say that Hong Kong Beauty Center would concur with that thought. I received a comment this morning on my Indulge Us post requesting a little more info on our experience at the center. (InsertShout out to Wendi!here) The one stop spa offers massages, facials, exfoliations, threading, haircuts, hair coloring, pedicures, manicures, and more. I'll try to keep this infomercial down to a minimum since I'm not being compensated. Hmm, but I could (and would) elaborate more for a few complimentary services!
Our experience:
Ok, it's not a five star hotel spa, but neither are the prices. If you want waterfalls and piped in Enya music, hit something more along the lines of the Sharq Village and Spa. If you are looking for some down to earth treatment with maybe a Chinese Polka streaming from a boom box, then Hong Kong Beauty Center is the place for you.
Exfoliation & Massage
I had a full body exfoliation and massage that lasted not one minute short of the three hours they promised. Be warned. There is nothing gentle about the process. Mark my word, you will have scabs the next day. The "crustiness" will go away and you'll be amazed at how soft and supple your skin will feel. I thought it was just the oil that they massaged in that made my skin feel so much smoother, but shower after shower proved that it was, indeed, the scrub. Score.
Eyebrow Threading
I found the process completely painless, though my girls had a different take. They had their brows threaded prior and warned me of how excruciatingly painful it was. Bah. They are wimps. I didn't feel a thing. Of course, this wasafterI already had my body sandblasted, so I could have been numb. Myrna (the beautician) did a great job of contouring the brow and gave helpful hints on perfecting them with an eye pencil.
Pedis & Manis
If you're looking for the big massage chairs, look elsewhere. These are basic procedures at nearly half the cost of other salons in Doha.
The true test:
Will I go back? Heck, yeah. Though, I wouldn't opt for the extra massage added on to the exfoliation. The massage during the scrub was enough for me. I thought I was done, only to be escorted into another parlor for another one and a half hours of massaging! I think I'll try a facial next, and maybe work in some hair color on my virgin hair :-)
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While searching for her quote for this entry, I found that Kayla, had indeed, removed the picture from her "wall" herself. That little fact did give me pause about posting it on my blog, since she has been known to "defriend" me in the past for overstepping my boundaries in her Facebook world. It's a fine line, my friends, but with her blessings and permission I am free to post the following.
