Saturday Oct. 4
Last night the Mirisolas met their friends, the Hayses, for a dinner buffet. Remember we had a huge lunch at 3PM yesterday? So Peter and I opted out. Peter got room service, a tuna wrap, and I got nothing! I was done in!! In PJs at 8:30!
Today was another day of "Relax at the Resort!" Just what we needed after our hike/climb/swim yesterday!! Swimming, doing the "Lazy River," eating, reading, kayaking, putting cold cloths on our heads or around our necks, snacking on watermelon and other strenuous activities! Suzanne even had her sunglasses cleaned by a server!
Peter and I found a place we could order a cappuccino! Delicious and served by a lovely young woman from Nepal. She and her husband are here for 3 years working at the resort.
Serena and I did share a "first" for me.....,a camel ride down the beach! I wouldn't want to ride hundreds of miles like that but it was exciting!
Dinner tonight at Capri Court, good Italian food but not very good service! First time here we waited so long.
I hope to finish "Lost Horizon" before turning out the light.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Friday, October 3, 2014
What a Wadi!!
Friday Oct. 3
Up at 7, breakfast at 7:30 and at 7:45 off to Wadi Shab, 2 hours south on the Gulf. A wadi is a dry riverbed running through the mountains that still has some water but can fill during powerful rain storms. There are several in Oman that are tourists attractions for hiking and swimming with a guide. Wadi Shab, according to our guide Habib is the most natural, the most accessible and the most visited.
Our hired car was, well, we felt like we were taking a trip with Liz and Ed. It was an old Toyota van with one back door slider!! The driver had a friend with him who was dropped off halfway to our destination. Imagine getting in an old van in a country that borders Yeman and driving "who knows where!" But, not a problem. I wouldn't say the driver was at all charming like Habib, our Wadi guide, but he was proficient!! Got us all there, in one piece, in the allotted time!!
We drove through a couple of decent sized cities nestled
between the rocky, craggy mountains until we came to a very desolate area, same mountains, very few tiny villages located along a beautiful 4 lane highway with
street lights down the middle and powers lines on the side of the highway. It was like this all the way to our destination. We saw wild goats and camels and very little signs of civilization.
We arrived at Wadi Shab at 10:30, met Habib, our guide, and boarded a small boat to cross maybe 50 yards of water to where we started our 2 1/2 mile round trip hike into the mountains along the quite diminished river. Twice in the past 7 years, hurricanes have flooded the river banks and the small subsistence farms along the old riverbed. The hike was a bit challenging and circuitous, some of the large rocks were slippery and the ascent was gradual but ascending. And, of course, it was HOT, in the mid 90s.
We walked through the river a couple of times; we were prepared by wearing water shoes. Near the end of the hike, we stripped down to our bathing suits and swam or floated in the river the rest of the way to a cave entrance. I had had it by then so I declined the cave swimming tour and Peter joined me on a rock in the shade while the Mirisolas did the cave tour. We actually met and chatted with a couple, she a Muslim from Texas teaching in Oman and he, born in Oman, but a Bengladeshi by nationality.
Mirisolas enjoyed the cave but did admit it was strenuous. Inside the cave they encountered some friends from Bahrain who then accompanied us on the return trip with their guide Juma. It was a descending hike with more shade so seemed faster. By the time we got back to our van and driver at 2:15, I was pretty much "totaled" but we all regained our strength at a local restaurant where we had chicken curry, salad? lentils and Indian flat bread cooked like a crepe but thinner and tastier. And lots of water!! Juma's friend owned the restaurant so he, Juma, helped us order and helped serve us since it was the holy day and there wasn't much help. We then wended out way back to Shangri-la in a pretty quiet van. Arrived shortly after 5:30. A long day but we DID it and it was awesome!!
Up at 7, breakfast at 7:30 and at 7:45 off to Wadi Shab, 2 hours south on the Gulf. A wadi is a dry riverbed running through the mountains that still has some water but can fill during powerful rain storms. There are several in Oman that are tourists attractions for hiking and swimming with a guide. Wadi Shab, according to our guide Habib is the most natural, the most accessible and the most visited.
Our hired car was, well, we felt like we were taking a trip with Liz and Ed. It was an old Toyota van with one back door slider!! The driver had a friend with him who was dropped off halfway to our destination. Imagine getting in an old van in a country that borders Yeman and driving "who knows where!" But, not a problem. I wouldn't say the driver was at all charming like Habib, our Wadi guide, but he was proficient!! Got us all there, in one piece, in the allotted time!!
We drove through a couple of decent sized cities nestled
between the rocky, craggy mountains until we came to a very desolate area, same mountains, very few tiny villages located along a beautiful 4 lane highway with
street lights down the middle and powers lines on the side of the highway. It was like this all the way to our destination. We saw wild goats and camels and very little signs of civilization.
We arrived at Wadi Shab at 10:30, met Habib, our guide, and boarded a small boat to cross maybe 50 yards of water to where we started our 2 1/2 mile round trip hike into the mountains along the quite diminished river. Twice in the past 7 years, hurricanes have flooded the river banks and the small subsistence farms along the old riverbed. The hike was a bit challenging and circuitous, some of the large rocks were slippery and the ascent was gradual but ascending. And, of course, it was HOT, in the mid 90s.
We walked through the river a couple of times; we were prepared by wearing water shoes. Near the end of the hike, we stripped down to our bathing suits and swam or floated in the river the rest of the way to a cave entrance. I had had it by then so I declined the cave swimming tour and Peter joined me on a rock in the shade while the Mirisolas did the cave tour. We actually met and chatted with a couple, she a Muslim from Texas teaching in Oman and he, born in Oman, but a Bengladeshi by nationality.
Mirisolas enjoyed the cave but did admit it was strenuous. Inside the cave they encountered some friends from Bahrain who then accompanied us on the return trip with their guide Juma. It was a descending hike with more shade so seemed faster. By the time we got back to our van and driver at 2:15, I was pretty much "totaled" but we all regained our strength at a local restaurant where we had chicken curry, salad? lentils and Indian flat bread cooked like a crepe but thinner and tastier. And lots of water!! Juma's friend owned the restaurant so he, Juma, helped us order and helped serve us since it was the holy day and there wasn't much help. We then wended out way back to Shangri-la in a pretty quiet van. Arrived shortly after 5:30. A long day but we DID it and it was awesome!!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Chillin' on the GOO! (Gulf of Oman)
Thursday Oct. 2
Ahhhh! Shangri-la!! In honor of our location, I downloaded James Hilton's LOST HORIZON, the original Shangri-la, to my Kindle! This resort is phenomenal!! I'd have to say it's one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen! The cove on the Gulf of Oman, the fabulous beach, the multitude of pools, the spacious verandas with lounges, the servers who bring bottles of water in a small ice-filled coolers, ice cold cloths for face, neck or head, slices of watermelon and who take orders for food and drink.....all ringed by 3 beautifully detailed Arabic designed hotels.....all ringed by barren, craggy, soaring mountains.
This morning we put on our bathing suits and cover-ups and went to the restaurant that offers breakfast for all who stay here. It was a great buffet with quite gallant servers who carry your full plate back to your table. We spent the whole day at the pool, at the splash pad, floating down the "Lazy River," swimming in the Gulf and looking for shells. It was heaven!!
While at the beach, some local fishermen came into shore and threw out an anchor. A couple of resort chefs stood on the beach wearing their chef hats and aprons while one fisherman walked ashore with a crate of live fish. One chef weighed the fish on a scale he had brought to the beach and paid the fisherman for the fresh catch. Wonder how they tasted?
For dinner we took a small shuttle bus to a restaurant/Souq area at the resort. We did a little shopping and then found our way to Asia, a sleek Asian restaurant. Since this is the beginning Eid Al Adha, a Muslin holiday that celebrates the time of sacrifice, no alcohol is being served at the resort. So.....no drink before dinner! We had wine back in the room so we had a nightcap and played a couple of hands of Hand and Foot with Suzanne and Serena. To be finished tomorrow night.
Ahhhh! Shangri-la!! In honor of our location, I downloaded James Hilton's LOST HORIZON, the original Shangri-la, to my Kindle! This resort is phenomenal!! I'd have to say it's one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen! The cove on the Gulf of Oman, the fabulous beach, the multitude of pools, the spacious verandas with lounges, the servers who bring bottles of water in a small ice-filled coolers, ice cold cloths for face, neck or head, slices of watermelon and who take orders for food and drink.....all ringed by 3 beautifully detailed Arabic designed hotels.....all ringed by barren, craggy, soaring mountains.
This morning we put on our bathing suits and cover-ups and went to the restaurant that offers breakfast for all who stay here. It was a great buffet with quite gallant servers who carry your full plate back to your table. We spent the whole day at the pool, at the splash pad, floating down the "Lazy River," swimming in the Gulf and looking for shells. It was heaven!!
While at the beach, some local fishermen came into shore and threw out an anchor. A couple of resort chefs stood on the beach wearing their chef hats and aprons while one fisherman walked ashore with a crate of live fish. One chef weighed the fish on a scale he had brought to the beach and paid the fisherman for the fresh catch. Wonder how they tasted?
For dinner we took a small shuttle bus to a restaurant/Souq area at the resort. We did a little shopping and then found our way to Asia, a sleek Asian restaurant. Since this is the beginning Eid Al Adha, a Muslin holiday that celebrates the time of sacrifice, no alcohol is being served at the resort. So.....no drink before dinner! We had wine back in the room so we had a nightcap and played a couple of hands of Hand and Foot with Suzanne and Serena. To be finished tomorrow night.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Off to Oman
Wednesday Oct. 1
For dinner last night Peter and the kids made trofie for trofie al pesto. Delicious!!! Pete was later than usual but was home before we all left the dinner table. What a long day he has: gone by 7:30 AM, home by 7:30 PM (even later when we're not here!). During and after dinner I did 2 loads of laundry in preparation for our trip today to Oman. By the time I went to bed the second load was finishing in the dryer.....takes a while!
This morning Suz and I went to the base for our workouts and errands. At home we spent the rest of the day getting ready for our trip to Oman. Pete got out of work early; the kids got early dismissals from school, the rental car was returned to the car rental dealer and we were off to the airport in two cabs at 1:30. At the Bahrain airport we got boarding passes and cleared security easily and waited at our gate for a bus to take us out to the plane. We did notice that the plane for Riyadh. had ONLY men waiting!! The plane ride was 1 hour and 15 minutes; and now we're 8 hours ahead of Harwich. All announcements on the plane were in Arabic and English.
In Oman we deboarded onto a bus and at the terminal went through passport control where we purchased visas, $14 each or 5 rial (1 rial = $2.62). Stopped at duty free shop for wine, got our bags and hopped into 2 taxis ($40 each) for the 45 minute drive through Muscat to our resort on the water, Shangri-la!! The drive was exciting, to say the least!! FAST DRIVER!!! Once out of the city, the drive was on 2 lane roads through the rocky mountains! Once there, we were in heaven!! What an awesome place.....3 hotels in one resort built around a lagoon and magnificent swimming pools.
After getting our rooms (Serena's bunking in with us) and setting ourselves up, we went to a cafe, had a light supper, walked around and retired to our rooms around 10 PM, Oman time. Lucas likes being reminded this is a 5 star resort: he speaks more softly, walks instead of runs and acts "classy!"
Tomorrow's our "day off!" Relaxation is our theme!
For dinner last night Peter and the kids made trofie for trofie al pesto. Delicious!!! Pete was later than usual but was home before we all left the dinner table. What a long day he has: gone by 7:30 AM, home by 7:30 PM (even later when we're not here!). During and after dinner I did 2 loads of laundry in preparation for our trip today to Oman. By the time I went to bed the second load was finishing in the dryer.....takes a while!
This morning Suz and I went to the base for our workouts and errands. At home we spent the rest of the day getting ready for our trip to Oman. Pete got out of work early; the kids got early dismissals from school, the rental car was returned to the car rental dealer and we were off to the airport in two cabs at 1:30. At the Bahrain airport we got boarding passes and cleared security easily and waited at our gate for a bus to take us out to the plane. We did notice that the plane for Riyadh. had ONLY men waiting!! The plane ride was 1 hour and 15 minutes; and now we're 8 hours ahead of Harwich. All announcements on the plane were in Arabic and English.
In Oman we deboarded onto a bus and at the terminal went through passport control where we purchased visas, $14 each or 5 rial (1 rial = $2.62). Stopped at duty free shop for wine, got our bags and hopped into 2 taxis ($40 each) for the 45 minute drive through Muscat to our resort on the water, Shangri-la!! The drive was exciting, to say the least!! FAST DRIVER!!! Once out of the city, the drive was on 2 lane roads through the rocky mountains! Once there, we were in heaven!! What an awesome place.....3 hotels in one resort built around a lagoon and magnificent swimming pools.
After getting our rooms (Serena's bunking in with us) and setting ourselves up, we went to a cafe, had a light supper, walked around and retired to our rooms around 10 PM, Oman time. Lucas likes being reminded this is a 5 star resort: he speaks more softly, walks instead of runs and acts "classy!"
Tomorrow's our "day off!" Relaxation is our theme!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
WOW!!! Busy Day!
Tuesday Sept. 30
Dinner last night was from a local shawarma take-out. We had chicken, lamb and beef shawarma. All were excellent! Watched some TV and had an early night.....Peter was planning to get up at 5:30 AM to watch the second half of Monday Night Football. What a mistake!!! He actually didn't watch too long before going back to bed!!!
No spinning/walking today. Too much else to do!! Suzanne and I headed to a nearby tailor where we took the 2 pieces of fabric she bought yesterday to have a tunic made for each of us. They will be ready before we leave Bahrain. Total price for each tunic: 4 BD for fabric+6BD for tailor = approximately $25.00. Not bad at all!! The tailor's business had the following information:
Al Jazera Tailoring "Specially we doing all type of European & Amwrican Dress, Short, Pants, Jackets, etc......"
Peter was ready to go when we got back so off we went, back to Manama, to the Central Market. What a place!! A gigantic roofed building with no walls and no AC, just aisle upon aisle of produce stacked high. We were familiar with most of the fruit but several types of vegetables were unknown to us. The vendors approached us as we walked by; men pushing carts followed us hoping we'd buy and use one of them to haul our stuff!! All we bought was basil and parsley for pesto; 2 bunches of basil for $.25 each and 1 bunch of parsley for $.50. We did stop for a small Arabian coffee each; Suzanne and I were the only women sitting in the coffee shop area!
From there we proceeded to the meat market which is also huge, but air-conditioned, AND smelly!! Peter and Suzanne were beside themselves with the fresh meat odor! We stayed by the door for a couple of minutes while Peter took a couple of pics and then we left. We all took a couple of basil leaves to smell to stave off the meat odor! The fresh fish market was much better! Also air-conditioned and loaded with large and small fish of all colors and types, shrimp, blue crabs, octopus, etc. Suzanne bought 2 kilo shrimp and had it cleaned for 3BD or $7.50. We were so hot and sweaty by this time that we went home to change and take a break before heading out on the road again.
An hour later we were headed south to see the "Tree of Life." This site is more than 30 kilometers from Manama deep in the desert. The tree is a mesquite tree and is the ONLY tree in the area. The desert here is pretty flat, bleak, barren, isolated, bland and desolate. Folklore puts the tree at more than 500 years old and, because if its location, is believed by some to have been the original Garden of Eden. Back on the highway we drove past Manama west to the Royal Camel Farm where we were able to get pretty close to the camels. I had thought they were extremely tall so I was disappointed to discover a camel is only 6 feet tall at the shoulder and 7 feet at the hump.
We arrived back at Mirisolas just in time for Suzanne to head to the kids' school for a PTSO meeting and to pick up Serena (who was staying after school to take a quiz she'll miss when we're in Oman) and Nick (who was staying for Yearbook). Peter and I stayed home to greet Lucas when he arrived home on the school bus and to monitor his homework!
Dinner last night was from a local shawarma take-out. We had chicken, lamb and beef shawarma. All were excellent! Watched some TV and had an early night.....Peter was planning to get up at 5:30 AM to watch the second half of Monday Night Football. What a mistake!!! He actually didn't watch too long before going back to bed!!!
No spinning/walking today. Too much else to do!! Suzanne and I headed to a nearby tailor where we took the 2 pieces of fabric she bought yesterday to have a tunic made for each of us. They will be ready before we leave Bahrain. Total price for each tunic: 4 BD for fabric+6BD for tailor = approximately $25.00. Not bad at all!! The tailor's business had the following information:
Al Jazera Tailoring "Specially we doing all type of European & Amwrican Dress, Short, Pants, Jackets, etc......"
Peter was ready to go when we got back so off we went, back to Manama, to the Central Market. What a place!! A gigantic roofed building with no walls and no AC, just aisle upon aisle of produce stacked high. We were familiar with most of the fruit but several types of vegetables were unknown to us. The vendors approached us as we walked by; men pushing carts followed us hoping we'd buy and use one of them to haul our stuff!! All we bought was basil and parsley for pesto; 2 bunches of basil for $.25 each and 1 bunch of parsley for $.50. We did stop for a small Arabian coffee each; Suzanne and I were the only women sitting in the coffee shop area!
From there we proceeded to the meat market which is also huge, but air-conditioned, AND smelly!! Peter and Suzanne were beside themselves with the fresh meat odor! We stayed by the door for a couple of minutes while Peter took a couple of pics and then we left. We all took a couple of basil leaves to smell to stave off the meat odor! The fresh fish market was much better! Also air-conditioned and loaded with large and small fish of all colors and types, shrimp, blue crabs, octopus, etc. Suzanne bought 2 kilo shrimp and had it cleaned for 3BD or $7.50. We were so hot and sweaty by this time that we went home to change and take a break before heading out on the road again.
An hour later we were headed south to see the "Tree of Life." This site is more than 30 kilometers from Manama deep in the desert. The tree is a mesquite tree and is the ONLY tree in the area. The desert here is pretty flat, bleak, barren, isolated, bland and desolate. Folklore puts the tree at more than 500 years old and, because if its location, is believed by some to have been the original Garden of Eden. Back on the highway we drove past Manama west to the Royal Camel Farm where we were able to get pretty close to the camels. I had thought they were extremely tall so I was disappointed to discover a camel is only 6 feet tall at the shoulder and 7 feet at the hump.
We arrived back at Mirisolas just in time for Suzanne to head to the kids' school for a PTSO meeting and to pick up Serena (who was staying after school to take a quiz she'll miss when we're in Oman) and Nick (who was staying for Yearbook). Peter and I stayed home to greet Lucas when he arrived home on the school bus and to monitor his homework!
Monday, September 29, 2014
A Day of Contrasts
Monday Sept. 29
We had another relaxing evening last night. Peter played "Monster Doggie" with the boys in the pool; they loved it! We all sat down for a delicious home-made dinner and settled down for an evening of TV football, the 1PM Sunday game, on at 8 PM here. We're trying to figure out how to watch the Patriots Monday night game---4:30 AM Tues. Bahrain time!!!
I woke up this morning feeling like my internal GPS was finally working. The neighborhood looked familiar and I could have found my way to the Navy base by myself. In Juffair, where the Mirisolas live, there are private villas with an entrance gate right on the street and a stucco wall around the whole property, most of it only a few feet from the walls of the house, dividing it from the villas next door and behind it. There are also many high rise apartment buildings with few apartments occupied and many other apartment buildings under construction or construction halted!! All of the rest of the space is empty sand lots, some used as parking lots, some just waiting for future construction. Hardly anything green amid the whitish houses and lots!! Lots of cranes visible in the air!!
Suzanne taught her 8 AM Spinning class and I walked 40 laps (3 miles) around the track, ending with some yoga. At home, showered and left with Peter for Bab al Bahrain, the biggest Souq (market area) in downtown Manama, capital of Bahrain. We drove by the Summer Palace and the Grand Mosque again and then reached the financial district. What a contrast!! Beautiful, COMPLETED sky-scrapers, interesting shapes (one shaped like a screw!) full of blue and green glass and very nicely landscaped!!
We parked in a public, PAVED lot and walked to the Souq, a huge area with large, air conditioned buildings surrounding hot alleys of small and tiny shops selling fabric, clothing, herbs and nuts, jewelry , kitchen objects, toys, almost anything you could want or need. All purchase prices subject to discussion! And all merchants trying to lure you into their shops! We stopped in briefly at Wahid's trinket shop; Suzanne's a regular there!! Suzanne then bought some fabric for a couple of tunics. Peter bought a new watch band and had it put on. And, in the middle of our ambling around the Souq , I finally heard the "Call to Prayer!!" Quite impressive!
And it was SOOOO hot. The sweat was dripping off us! Fortunately, we were near a juice bar so Suzanne ordered us each a lemon mint juice. Very refreshing! Sitting outside the juice bar, we started chatting with a man and woman next to us. She is from the UK, visiting her daughter's family for her granddaughter's wedding. He is her Bahraini son-in-law!! She's been visiting Bahrain every year since 1980 when her daughter married the Bahraini after meeting at university in England!! He was dressed Western style but told us he's a Muslim. His daughter and her new husband are of the Bahai sect from Iran. They shared wedding photos with us and were a just delightful mother-in-law/son-in-law combination.
By this time we were still hot and we were beginning to be hungry. So we returned to Walid's, made some purchases, walked back to the car and continued on to City Centre Mall, a multi-storied, air conditioned, sleek and modern mall, comparable to the finest mall in the US. We had lunch at PF Chiang's amid women in full abaya and hijab with their children in total Western dress!! How do they eat? We didn't watch.....didn't want to be rude!!!
Anyway, an area full of contrasts!!!
We had another relaxing evening last night. Peter played "Monster Doggie" with the boys in the pool; they loved it! We all sat down for a delicious home-made dinner and settled down for an evening of TV football, the 1PM Sunday game, on at 8 PM here. We're trying to figure out how to watch the Patriots Monday night game---4:30 AM Tues. Bahrain time!!!
I woke up this morning feeling like my internal GPS was finally working. The neighborhood looked familiar and I could have found my way to the Navy base by myself. In Juffair, where the Mirisolas live, there are private villas with an entrance gate right on the street and a stucco wall around the whole property, most of it only a few feet from the walls of the house, dividing it from the villas next door and behind it. There are also many high rise apartment buildings with few apartments occupied and many other apartment buildings under construction or construction halted!! All of the rest of the space is empty sand lots, some used as parking lots, some just waiting for future construction. Hardly anything green amid the whitish houses and lots!! Lots of cranes visible in the air!!
Suzanne taught her 8 AM Spinning class and I walked 40 laps (3 miles) around the track, ending with some yoga. At home, showered and left with Peter for Bab al Bahrain, the biggest Souq (market area) in downtown Manama, capital of Bahrain. We drove by the Summer Palace and the Grand Mosque again and then reached the financial district. What a contrast!! Beautiful, COMPLETED sky-scrapers, interesting shapes (one shaped like a screw!) full of blue and green glass and very nicely landscaped!!
We parked in a public, PAVED lot and walked to the Souq, a huge area with large, air conditioned buildings surrounding hot alleys of small and tiny shops selling fabric, clothing, herbs and nuts, jewelry , kitchen objects, toys, almost anything you could want or need. All purchase prices subject to discussion! And all merchants trying to lure you into their shops! We stopped in briefly at Wahid's trinket shop; Suzanne's a regular there!! Suzanne then bought some fabric for a couple of tunics. Peter bought a new watch band and had it put on. And, in the middle of our ambling around the Souq , I finally heard the "Call to Prayer!!" Quite impressive!
And it was SOOOO hot. The sweat was dripping off us! Fortunately, we were near a juice bar so Suzanne ordered us each a lemon mint juice. Very refreshing! Sitting outside the juice bar, we started chatting with a man and woman next to us. She is from the UK, visiting her daughter's family for her granddaughter's wedding. He is her Bahraini son-in-law!! She's been visiting Bahrain every year since 1980 when her daughter married the Bahraini after meeting at university in England!! He was dressed Western style but told us he's a Muslim. His daughter and her new husband are of the Bahai sect from Iran. They shared wedding photos with us and were a just delightful mother-in-law/son-in-law combination.
By this time we were still hot and we were beginning to be hungry. So we returned to Walid's, made some purchases, walked back to the car and continued on to City Centre Mall, a multi-storied, air conditioned, sleek and modern mall, comparable to the finest mall in the US. We had lunch at PF Chiang's amid women in full abaya and hijab with their children in total Western dress!! How do they eat? We didn't watch.....didn't want to be rude!!!
Anyway, an area full of contrasts!!!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday-Back to School and Work!!
Sunday September 28
It's definitely Sunday but certainly feels like Monday! Pete went to work, kids went to school. Lucas couldn't find his backpack! Missed the bus, found it!! So Suz is driving him to school! Doesn't feel at all like Sunday!! I've arrived on Bahraini time!! It's 8 AM here, 1 AM in Harwich!!
Yesterday after lunch at the base, we retired at home after 2 to a lazy afternoon. Naps, TV until time to prepare dinner. Dinner was a grand affair in the dining room with china and crystal. After showers, the kids went to bed and the adults discussed the history and state of Bahraini and Arab affairs. No, we didn't come up with any answers!! Pete has loaned me two books by Bernard Lewis which I hope will enlighten me!! I retired about 10, very tired. But Peter had taken a long nap and I was sound asleep when he crawled in next to me in our bed on the third floor.
This morning......disaster!!! No water! I did manage to wash my face before it was all gone! Suzanne's landlord, Abdul Rahman, arrived to change the water pump from the water tank on the ground floor to the one on the top floor. Charming man, eager to chat, very good English. He changed the pump in his "work" thobe!
Suz, Peter and I went on a short sightseeing tour past the royal family's Summer Palace and the Grand Mosque to the National Museum for a tour of exhibits of Bahrain's culture and lifestyle. Clothing, wedding customs, birthing of children and a model souq or market were among the exhibits. In Bahraini culture, the groom's family takes care of all wedding arrangements! Part of the ancient archeological artifacts at the museum are burial mounds, rock and sand formations with compartments for more than one body. These were made in large groups like cemeteries between 2800 BC and 630 AD and are still visible in the desert.
We dropped Peter back at the villa about 11 and drove to the base where Suzanne taught her spinning class and I did 40 laps around the track. After doing a few errands, we picked Peter up and drove to Megamart, a sort of Super Target with groceries and department store items. Also checked out a "cold store," the Bahraini answer to a 7-11!!
While we were on base , Peter had a long discussion with Rahman. When he was young, Shia and Sunni got along well and he had many Shia friends. Over the years the Shia and Sunni have become enemies because off Iran's influence and the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Like most Sunnis in Bahrain, he and his wife are upper middle class and own real estate (two villas that they rent to Americans) and have government pensions (she was a teacher). The Shia tend to be poor and a drive through Shia neighborhoods confirms that....tenement like housing, lots of anti-government graffiti, trash and scars from tire fires and molotov cocktails from anti-government protests. These protests are dealt with in a very heavy handed manner and most protesters are thrown in jail. He's sad about all this and also feels badly that these conditions and the radical Muslim elements in the wider Middle East give all Muslims around the world a very bad name. Peter was left feeling that if more people could sit and talk to a Muslim like Rahman (albeit it was a one sided conversation) we'd all feel better about the Muslim world. This is another example of how travel gets us out of our "echo chamber" and gives us a different perspective. Rahman is a wonderful man and Peter was glad to have had the opportunity to talk to him.
It's definitely Sunday but certainly feels like Monday! Pete went to work, kids went to school. Lucas couldn't find his backpack! Missed the bus, found it!! So Suz is driving him to school! Doesn't feel at all like Sunday!! I've arrived on Bahraini time!! It's 8 AM here, 1 AM in Harwich!!
Yesterday after lunch at the base, we retired at home after 2 to a lazy afternoon. Naps, TV until time to prepare dinner. Dinner was a grand affair in the dining room with china and crystal. After showers, the kids went to bed and the adults discussed the history and state of Bahraini and Arab affairs. No, we didn't come up with any answers!! Pete has loaned me two books by Bernard Lewis which I hope will enlighten me!! I retired about 10, very tired. But Peter had taken a long nap and I was sound asleep when he crawled in next to me in our bed on the third floor.
This morning......disaster!!! No water! I did manage to wash my face before it was all gone! Suzanne's landlord, Abdul Rahman, arrived to change the water pump from the water tank on the ground floor to the one on the top floor. Charming man, eager to chat, very good English. He changed the pump in his "work" thobe!
Suz, Peter and I went on a short sightseeing tour past the royal family's Summer Palace and the Grand Mosque to the National Museum for a tour of exhibits of Bahrain's culture and lifestyle. Clothing, wedding customs, birthing of children and a model souq or market were among the exhibits. In Bahraini culture, the groom's family takes care of all wedding arrangements! Part of the ancient archeological artifacts at the museum are burial mounds, rock and sand formations with compartments for more than one body. These were made in large groups like cemeteries between 2800 BC and 630 AD and are still visible in the desert.
We dropped Peter back at the villa about 11 and drove to the base where Suzanne taught her spinning class and I did 40 laps around the track. After doing a few errands, we picked Peter up and drove to Megamart, a sort of Super Target with groceries and department store items. Also checked out a "cold store," the Bahraini answer to a 7-11!!
While we were on base , Peter had a long discussion with Rahman. When he was young, Shia and Sunni got along well and he had many Shia friends. Over the years the Shia and Sunni have become enemies because off Iran's influence and the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Like most Sunnis in Bahrain, he and his wife are upper middle class and own real estate (two villas that they rent to Americans) and have government pensions (she was a teacher). The Shia tend to be poor and a drive through Shia neighborhoods confirms that....tenement like housing, lots of anti-government graffiti, trash and scars from tire fires and molotov cocktails from anti-government protests. These protests are dealt with in a very heavy handed manner and most protesters are thrown in jail. He's sad about all this and also feels badly that these conditions and the radical Muslim elements in the wider Middle East give all Muslims around the world a very bad name. Peter was left feeling that if more people could sit and talk to a Muslim like Rahman (albeit it was a one sided conversation) we'd all feel better about the Muslim world. This is another example of how travel gets us out of our "echo chamber" and gives us a different perspective. Rahman is a wonderful man and Peter was glad to have had the opportunity to talk to him.
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