Ramee Suites 3 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.

... little towns like this too in Saudi?! (I knew only the big city!). The bus trailed along like a motorized camel, and I began to notice that the sides of the highway was wired all along the desert. Wondered why that was: surely we were not driving past anyone's prime desert property! No it was to keep the camels from straying across. It was then that I got sight of my first camel, its mouth edging towards a shrub. From then on it was a variety of camels-black, white and brown ...

... 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.

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<br>

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... to match the sand. I spent the rest of my time watching movies on the TV in the hostel. One evening I went out to a restaurant, tired of the food I had in the hostels fridge I ate the only thing they had on the menu. Meat after about 3 months without. I felt guilty as I had before, not guilty because of the animal but guilty because I was not keeping my vow.. not that I had ever made a vow particularly but the feeling was there regardless. I didn't really enjoy ...

... the Ritz Carlton! Despite not quite finding a weekend idyll, the kids made the most of being on the beach: searching for elusive crabs, watching schools of fish, swimming and snorkeling. Even Chloe had her first dip in the sea and she smiled and "gooed" the whole time. The kids left knackered from the sun and play and we all felt dosed up on some vitamin D!

... to get their multiple exit re-entry visas to leave and re-enter the country. Gladys got hit with a bit of the same, as she had a single exit/re-entry visa. That meant she could have come to Bahrain; however, she is due to fly out to England to visit family two days after our return which means not enough time to put another exit/re-entry visa into her passport. So in the end, we left with James to Bahrain. Seems simple...except...on the way to pick up Dawn, I am ...

... of the outfit is. The rest? Businesspeople. Bahrain has a rich history, which you can read about in a couple of minutes on their website, www.bahraintourism.com. Some higlights--they were the first country to yield oil that had been drilled for, in 1932, now commemorated by an Oil Museum. They like to dive for pearls, and sell them for a lot, and this also has a museum. And for those of you oldsters not in the know, Michael Jackson lives here somewhere, but something ...

... kernels, split lentils, and sesame seeds. Overall, it was beautifully done. Several of the Koran's were as artistic as some of the most wonderfully illustrated bibles we had seen in the past. After a session on the internets, we went back to Anand Bhavan for a small dinner. Our host suggested Manchurian rice (cauliflower and other vegetables fried into balls and cooked in a spicy sauce, over an almost Chinese-style fried rice) and Cumin rice (cumin sauce over a fragrant lemony rice ...