i think i'm finally 'malled out'. they love their malls here. i guess when it's 125 degrees outside with 98% humidity, the air-conditioned procurement of unnecessary objects sounds pretty awesome, right?
the intercontinental doha has a daily shuttle to the 'city centre'. which i figured was a central part of the city where i could wander about the streets like a . . . well, i was going to say an aging, upper-class, caucasian hooker, but probably more like a tourist. turns out the 'city centre' is a mall. yep, with stores just like the ones at the malls in abu dhabi. but it was a free ride, so i went. they have an applebee's there, which struck me as oddly ridiculous. maybe audrey would want to come over here and work for this 'bee's outpost instead.
the other shopping excessiveness that i had heard was amazing (a strong word for a mall, i know) is the 'villagio' (they love all things italian and parisian here). this mall is similar to 'the venetian' in vegas in that it has a canal that runs through it complete with gondolas and middle-eastern men trying to look italian while steering the barca through ooohing and aaaaahing shoppers. lame? yes. it was pretty though. i started at the end where all the stores are that i cannot afford - versace, harry winston, prada - you get the idea. places i didn't dare step into cause i was wearing flip flops and a t-shirt (well, pants too).
to get a taste of the local culture and flavor, we went to the waqif souk the other night. its a true souk (and luckily not a mall). to me, it reminds me of china town in nyc but with no streets full of cars; just cobblestone paths with major foot traffic. at the souks, the vendors will follow you to try to get you into their shop - which for me is quite daunting. i'm pretty good at shopping (just ask jeff). i certainly don't need any pressure in that area. its organized pretty well too - textiles in one area; animals in another (yes, animals). we came across an entire side path full of baby chicks, ducks and bunnies (in anticipation of easter, i'm guessing). most of the chicks were spray painted in lovely pastel blue, pink, and yellow. they looked a little displeased.
jeff took movies at the souk too, but i'm having so much trouble uploading the photos, i'm not going to attempt the video. we dined at a mediterranean place called 'tajine' where we sat on the roof and watched in wonder at the droves of humanity. there was baby camel on the menu, but jeff was too chicken to try it. after stuffing ourselves, we walked down to a coffee shop and smoked grape mint shisha (same thing as hooka). here's jeff looking pretty comfortable for having a hose in his mouth. personally i don't get the whole hooka/shisha thing. its fruit-flavored smoke!
this internet connection is starting to annoy me, so i'm taking off for a run.
if i were to put concealer over my entire face, would it disappear?
also, since i have so much time on my hands, i've decided to take up juggling. yes heidi, i know that way back in the early 90's we wasted an entire bag of apples in this attempt. but there was beer involved and i'm going to try sober this time.
fuzzy baby chick hugs,
tricia
the intercontinental doha has a daily shuttle to the 'city centre'. which i figured was a central part of the city where i could wander about the streets like a . . . well, i was going to say an aging, upper-class, caucasian hooker, but probably more like a tourist. turns out the 'city centre' is a mall. yep, with stores just like the ones at the malls in abu dhabi. but it was a free ride, so i went. they have an applebee's there, which struck me as oddly ridiculous. maybe audrey would want to come over here and work for this 'bee's outpost instead.
the other shopping excessiveness that i had heard was amazing (a strong word for a mall, i know) is the 'villagio' (they love all things italian and parisian here). this mall is similar to 'the venetian' in vegas in that it has a canal that runs through it complete with gondolas and middle-eastern men trying to look italian while steering the barca through ooohing and aaaaahing shoppers. lame? yes. it was pretty though. i started at the end where all the stores are that i cannot afford - versace, harry winston, prada - you get the idea. places i didn't dare step into cause i was wearing flip flops and a t-shirt (well, pants too).
jeff took movies at the souk too, but i'm having so much trouble uploading the photos, i'm not going to attempt the video. we dined at a mediterranean place called 'tajine' where we sat on the roof and watched in wonder at the droves of humanity. there was baby camel on the menu, but jeff was too chicken to try it. after stuffing ourselves, we walked down to a coffee shop and smoked grape mint shisha (same thing as hooka). here's jeff looking pretty comfortable for having a hose in his mouth. personally i don't get the whole hooka/shisha thing. its fruit-flavored smoke!
this internet connection is starting to annoy me, so i'm taking off for a run.
if i were to put concealer over my entire face, would it disappear?
also, since i have so much time on my hands, i've decided to take up juggling. yes heidi, i know that way back in the early 90's we wasted an entire bag of apples in this attempt. but there was beer involved and i'm going to try sober this time.
fuzzy baby chick hugs,
tricia
2 comments:
Did you get to pick your baby camel at the restaraunt like you do sometimes with lobsters?
Limes baby! Juggle limes! Then at least you can have a mojito, or a margarita, or lime juice w/ice & hard liquor. 8o)
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