Day at the Spa
September 7th, 2009 by rsm
So with all the waiting… what do we do when we can’t go anywhere but within the confines of wire?
Why we wander. We visit with people, sharing rumors of how to get on a flight most quickly. I’ve gone so far as to actually be loaded onto and strapped into a seat in a very large plane, only to have to get off, regather all my bags and go back on the waiting list.
Today, then, I knew we weren’t leaving. So instead, I wandered to the USO. Very nice. I want to let y’all know that all those little care packages and donations to get to us. Yes, sometimes the civilian personnel rummage through the packages to find the spoils of the right snacks, usually without reading the note scribbled in crayon or to read the comics someone thought to include. But we get them. And one of the nicest things I have received so far: a fresh, clean, high quality pair of white socks. It doesn’t seem like much and for the most part, when we are traveling, we are loathe to take on more items like clothes, but sometimes there’s a little something at just the right time.
Luxury.
So with fresh socks on, I went to the coffee house, bought some tea and watched the sun rise. During the morning a number of local licensed vendors showed up to set up a little bazaar of sorts. Bright, glittery arabian dresses twirled in the breeze over tables of heavily dusted computer accessories, chess sets, pipes, and other souvenirs.
A Lieutenant Colonel I have been traveling with mentioned a place I should try and I did. A 1-hour massage… cheap. It was entirely chair-based, door wide open into the lobby area, so no funny business. The Korean ladies were obviously not trained nor certified in any particular style, but they were enthusiastic and worked hard. I appreciate that. Leaving the building I noted a number of guys getting a pedicure. It’s an infantry thing, I think.
Next up, haircut. Again, very inexpensive and yet very good quality from a kind Kuwaiti man named “Sham.” Unfortunate name, yes, but a good man.
To top it off, everywhere I walked was like being in a sauna today and the amount of wind stirring up the sand left me with a free dermabrasion.
Who can complain?
Hmmmm… a free dermabrasion… really? I know when I’m walking on the beach, the sand makes for a great pumice-like treatment for my feet.
Must try shoving my face in the sand when I’m back at the beach tomorrow.
See, women have known for quite a long time that its the little self-pampering things, like: deep tissue massages, pedicures and facial treatments that can get us through anything.
Glad you’re enjoying the tea.
Hmmmm… a free dermabrasion… really? I know when I’m walking on the beach, the sand makes for a great pumice-like treatment for my feet.
Must try shoving my face in the sand when I’m back at the beach tomorrow.
See, women [like Cleopatra] have known since ancient times that its the little things we do to pamper ourselves, like: deep tissue massages, pedicures, mud pack facial treatments, that can get us through anything. You should try a nightly mask, I’m sure your hundred and one bed buddies would find a new topic of conversation interesting, and perhaps you just might garner that luxury suite with padded walls reserved for special guests at the hospital.
Glad you’re enjoying the tea.