Gulf Gate Manama

Not much - just waiting at the airport for the flight! Bahrain was both nicer and more boring than I thought, the weather is a lot more forgiving but it's not worth more than about 3 days exploration tops.. Unless you like to get really nittygritty :P

Apparently the Bahrain-Saudi border is on a little island [not sure if it has an official name], which hosts a rest point on either side of the border, complete with matching observation towers. The whole road, which is 45km long, is called the King Fahad Causeway on the Bahraini side, with a different Saudi name.. Interesting stuff! :) Due to it being Ramadan and us not being ...

... of Dubai. There were two interesting buildings - the World Trading Centre, which has 3 wind turbines in the middle of it that produce its power, and a pair of buildings I dont remember the name of that's shaped like two quarter-pikes [skate ramps]!

Our driver then took us to some random palace grounds thingy - basically, it's where the king keeps all of his camels. And there were LOADS of the buggers! We got to go in and stroke one of the baby camels, who at 3 ...

... the Board of both Yemenia and Felix Airways that would get me on a Felix flight from Sana'a to Seiyun.  I told her I needed a ticket or ticket number first since Felix wouldn't know anything about the Yemenia arrangement when I got there and that I wouldn't fly to Sana'a without one since I was going to Seiyun, not Sana'a.  She tried to satisfy me by saying that the board member would write a note and sign my ticket which should assure the people at Felix.  I decided that was acceptable ...

... less than 3)---everything was on paper and the guy was placing copies all over the place, adding things, and stapling. It was now past 9 and the taxi still wasn't here. While checking out, the admin from the local company called and said they were sending someone to pick me up. We cancelled the taxi, but this meant that I would probably get to the plant even later. Had to wait another 15-20 ...

... the fact that the windmills would shake the building, they are not used. X - Excess (forgive the stretch, but "x" is a tough letter). I've seen more Maseratis, Bentleys, Ferraris, and top-of-the-line BMWs on this small island than I've ever seen in the US. Y - Y'all. While it is an expression that goes unused in many parts of the US, people generally know what you mean when you use it. Say it here and be prepared for blank faces. Z - Zed. Not zee. I don't know if I'll get used to that.

... then drove to the East coast of the Island to Durrat. They're building a huge island/city (similar to the Palm Tree in Dubai). Very cool and VERY EXY! From there we went to the Bahrain International Raceway, which will be hosting the V8 supercar series in November. What a facility! We were even taken to the 8th floor of the tower (something exclusive to the ...

... you are in the military it is worth the trip. For the most part the people are friendly, the food is good, and the weather is tailor made to sun worshipers. The beaches are sadly lacking in bikini clad women, but the local yachts are fantastic. Lots of British bars and restaurants, and a majority of the locals speak English. If you respect the local customs and standards there is no reason you can't enjoy your visit and get some great shopping woven into your tours of the ...