Kids Birthday Party in Doha: Burger King

YAY - Another kids birthday party in Doha. And there's more kids as the last kids birthday party in Doha we attended in Chowking. And this time, there we were with Kayra, our youngest. Although, she cried a lot - being the first birthday she attended - well, to be exact, the first event she ever attended outside the house. At six months - yes, we were pretty conservative for her this time around.

All in all the party is really great with kids, love the cake especially.

blowing the cake! - pink!

an attempt for a family photo! 

another one!

picture with the birthday celebrant on the table - beautiful birthday girl too busy looking somewhere else!

something about this birthday party - the Turk looked really happy! haha

another shot at our family

another attempt again to take picture with the birthday girl. Our bubble blower Kayra is crying while Mom laughs 

Hope the adorable 1-year old had a blast with her birthday party!

Keep exploring!

Dining Out in Doha: Wagamama

So, Wagamama opened this week and off we head to try the new restaurant. British management - Japanese food - Almost all Filipino crew! Well, the combination may be too racial discriminatory but the food and service is overall pleasant. 

The food tastes like authentic Asian - but I seriously think that their Ramen is a so-so and that Chowking is better. Sorry, a little biased here. And in Chowking, it's way cheaper. But then again, Ramen is not really my forte. I'm nore of a rice person than a noodle-fanatic. 

The ambiance in the restaurant is okay, child-friendly and cozy. Our six-month old had a great time in her baby chair - which is so cute (well, the baby is cuter of course!) There were these kids chopsticks which the kids love and we totally adore the kids meal which are the "mini" meals of the adult menu. I should have asked the mini meal myself. 

And the big crayons kept the kids busy while waiting for food - which actually didn't last too long a wait. 

If there is one complain - all the juices and drinks are way too sweet, easy on the sugar please! Well, maybe it's because of the freshness of the fruit but we don't think so. Drinks tasted too sugary for our taste. 

And yeah, the chairs have no cushions, the kids were struggling to reach the table. 

Two complains versus lots of raves. Not bad. I just love new restaurants and their new recruits - we call them fresh blood - great customer service experience guaranteed. 

All cute for the meal! 

kids waiting for the meal - they were quiet - so cool!

he was so happy when he saw the miso soup in the menu!

his mini meal yakisoba is really not that mini - so worth it at QR21! 

and look at him use the kids chopsticks! 

YUMMM! 

A real pro now!

the mini salmon meal - i ate this and was too full!

I forgot what this is called but this is like the Japanese version of calamari with wasabi mayo - gone in seconds!

Wagamama Ramen - I just love the tofu! 

Mai Thai and strawberry drink - not particularly impressing for our taste 

she loved the Ramen more than I did! 

So, are we satisfied? Yes. Value for Money? We are in between. Would we come back? Maybe. If we can't bear waiting in line for Chowking restaurant chains and we need a quick fix for Japanese/ Chinese food craving!


Keep exploring!

Exploring Jakarta: Taman Safari

Our family's first safari experience and it was in Indonesia! Our favorite part of the world - Southeast Asia! Of course, we are biased!

The trip to Taman Safari, albeit challenging with kids, is so delightfully educational and sweet. What an adventure is was to see all the animals so free and happy. So unlike the animals in Doha Zoo (well, at least before, now that Doha Zoo is undergoing rehabilitation - we will see!)

But then this was a safari, not a zoo, duh! The good thing was that we went with our hosts' car all throughout the safari - pretty cool just driving through the safari. There were lions, elephants, giraffes, lama, camels, zebras, rhinoceros, monkeys, gorillas, anteaters and all other animals the kids would love to see (if I have missed out anything at all!)

We intend to see more safaris in the future and Taman Safari is a great kick start for this type of family adventure!

More about Taman Safari in the link.

i was really very tempted to talk about "interdependence" during the safari ride hahaha

taken really close to the car window - yikes, Mr. Deer!

gotta love all the animals coming at us! the shout and the scream of the kids - priceless! 

hello there, Mr. Zebra - the donkey with the black and white stripes! 

Our Little Mr. Elephant was too overwhelmed with elephants - he insisted on getting out of the car the moment the safari ride started - we saw elephants first! 

and oh look - elephants!

uuugghh - this is too close for comfort! 

okay not so amused here as we are so used to camels! hahaha

all set with her tiny carrots!

hello there again Mr. Deer!

here you go Mr, Lama! What pretty eyelashes you have!

don't stick your head inside pleaseeeeee!

bamboos - I can't believe they are so amused with this - their mother grew up with bamboos everywhere! 

the cheeky monkey all set with his bananas to feed the animals - if only he was not that scared - haha!

Thanks be to God for great friends and great adventures with family!


Keep exploring!
  

Exploring Jakarta: Kidzania

So what do you want to be when you grow up? In Kidzania, they can do these things NOW. There's no need to wait for the time the kids grow up. The time is now - in the kids world.

Kidzania Jakarta is the very first one in Southeast Asia. (The Philippines will have Kidzania soon and we are all so excited about this too.)

There are over 70 professions for kids to try out in Kidzania- Jakarta. All these professions can't be experienced for one session. There's usually two sessions during the day, morning and afternoon session - need to be really early to maximize the time.

As for us, we did enjoy what we had experienced. Well, at least the kids did for sure. They earn money, they spend money to earn money -exactly like the real life! Valuable lessons there for sure.

Our three-year old Kerim just felt a little out of place sometimes because most of the professions are for 5 years old and up. No wonder kids his age pay half the entrance fee. But still, it is worth the experience. He did get to experience some professions as well anyways.

Kids were so dead tired by the time Kidzania closed for the morning session. Dead tired and more knowledgeable about the real life and their "future."

Kylie the Window Washer   - not in Qatar please! 

Kerim the Window Washer - oh boy!

Electronics - someone made TV!  

Our little Tinker Belle gets digital!  

so true  -watching TV is sooo yesterday! 

look who wanted to join Kylie!  

Really someone wants to be a dentist?

and here she goes - checking out some mannequin's teeth! 

SOO SERIOUS!  

someone wants to be a painter! And he met a friend! 

reviewing his colors before going to work! 

at the same time, someone is ready to make pastries 

all set to bake!

while the other one paints! 

now ready to race!

all gear up!

And the winner is... Kerim! 

Now as a tea boy - hahaha!

while someone is leveling up her skills! 

 There are lots of professions we would still want to explore but we ran out of time. Maybe next time. Or maybe we could head out to Kidzania - Dubai.  Well, one of these days.

How fun it is to be a kid - everything is within reach of their imagination! And with places lie Kidzania,  little minds can further be stimulated. It's really awesome when you think about it.



Keep exploring!