Ramee International Manama

Out of the widow Bahrain looks like lots of dust with skyscrapers on. Inside it is a strange mix of Christmas decorations lots of tour groups who look like they might be going on pilgramage, 25k rolexes in duty free, mcdonalds,costa and free internet to keep us amused. We've got 2hrs to kill - body clocks already out of sink! Am going to try and learn some nepalese from a podcast.

... it was then that I realized: I loved the desert (deep down inside), why then did I not think of making this trip before?! The bus began to accelerate and we were soon on the Riyadh highway. It was all night, and I could see cars zipping ahead. We went on for abot 200 Kms and the driver decided to make a stop at a highway restaurant. All got down, some to stretch their legs, others to grab a bit/a cool drink, or simply to take a walk around.<br><br>Soon, we were back on the ...

... to the west and Qatar to the east. We didn't know where it was until we were due to fly home via the island. It's interesting to note the road bridge (King Fahd Causeway) which links the two countries and is 17 miles long. Soon to be surpassed by the Bahrain to Qatar 'Friendship Bridge' currently under construction at 25 miles - it will be the longest bridge in the world.

... 15 91;&#1602; &#1575;&#1604;&#1604;&#1610; &#1601;&#1610;&#1607;&#1575; &#1608;&#1575;&#1604;&#1604;&#1610; &#1605;&#1575;&#1601;&#1610; &#1575;&#1581;&#1604;&#1609; &#1605;&#1606;&#1607;&#1575; &#1601;&#1610; &#1575;&#1604;&#1576;&#1581;&#1585;&#16 10;&#1606; &#1573;&#1604;&#1575; &#1602;&#1604;&#1608;&#1576; &#1575;&#1604;&#1576;&#1581;&#1585;&#16 10;&#1606;&#1610;&#1610;&#1606; &#1575;&#1604;&#1591;&#1610;&#1576;&#16 10;&#1606 ...

... felt rude and, considering there was no where to run to, a bit at risk if some Saudi husband didn't appreciate my gazes. Seemed like maybe a bit more men coming back than women/families. 4) Finally Saudi customs, where we stopped, the driver showed our papers, and we moved on without any check. Unbelievable that I could have smuggled forbidden alcohol, pork, or pornography for my trip! And here I was so worried about the OTC "drugs" that I was bringing in that I even printed ...

... to do again. I learned a lot at dinner; it was the most diverse group of which I have ever been a part. France, Pakistan, Australia, Lebanon, Canada, India, and Turkey were countries represented and the conversation was delightful. The only disturbing part of the evening was finding out that every so often, a water truck is sent out to nourish the Tree of Life! We're off to Dubai for the weekend -- I'll write another report from the UAE...

... we attributed to Ramadan. We had nice dinners of burgers, chicken quesadillas, and pork chops. It was quite nice. After that, we headed off to Starbucks to pick up a Bahrain country mug. Every country we have visited or lived in in the Middle East has a country mug so we have three of them (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan). We went to Seef Mall, where I went in to find the Starbucks and everybody else debated seeing a movie. The Starbucks ended up being closed for ...

... they feel obliged to serve something) the captain said "20 minutes to landing - cabin crew please prepare for landing". We were in the air for 25 minutes maximum. Very few passengers on the plane as most Qatari would fly Qatar Airways direct to London. Airport was easy - not many people. I paid for our visas in advance on the eVisa site. I thought this was a good idea - one less hassle at the airport. Cost 7 BD(Bahraini Dinar) (25AUD) each ...

... local schedule so that we'd not wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Once again shooed upstairs to the family section, we had a Greek salad (although there was the traditional feta, there were also carrots and corn), hummus (bitter and tasted like it was from a mix), Lebneh with zatar (basically sour cream), and Shish Tikka (meat). All of this was served on Disney-themed placemats and snowman-in-winter plates. I'm not sure what the recommended specialty of the place, but in ...

... to say, although I love cheesy kids movies, Ice Princess was pretty bad. Anything to do with some physics equation explaining figure skating just can't be good. I'm still pretty tired, so I will try to sleep on my next flight as well. I only have 2 hours here before boarding, so hopefully I can find a nice place to sit and attempt to read my book. Meiling