Desert storms

Jan. 8

Thursday morning spawned a dust storm - it is winter here after all, and the past few days have been unseasonably warm (but thankfully so!).  At home, I hear there have been super cold temperatures and piles of snow, but here, up till now, it's been gorgeous, almost too hot to go outside on the upper level and tan (for me anyway).  But today, the wind has kicked up, the air is cooling off to a more seasonable 16 C, and with the wind, the dust and sand from the desert of which this island is made blows freely.  Even the Weather Network shows current conditions as simply "Dust".

The air is quite hazy, but we have planned to go out anyway to see a couple of the local sights - my friend's friend will drive us south into the desert to see the Tree of Life, the first oil well, and then when we return we will hopefully see the Fort or the Grand Mosque.  Timing will be the key, since Lisa has a client appointment later in the day, and we'd also like to have some lunch together.

But first stop, the Tree of Life.  Many cultures and countries make reference to a Tree of Life, this one is called that because it has been growing, seemingly miraculously, in the middle of the desert for over 400 years, with no apparent source of water.  We must park a fair distance from the tree and walk across the windy, dusty desert to get up close.  Although an iron fence at one time protected it from vandals, there appears to be no protection from anything right now, and I was able to touch it (for luck?) and marvel at the wonders of nature, to see green leaves in the midst of such an expanse of arid sand.

Nearby, they have put a very cool "human" sundial, so that if you step on the current month, your own shadow will point to the correct time (it's hardly accurate to the minute, unless you're Twiggy).  And yes, it was about 12:10 p.m. when this pic was taken:

As we drive back towards town, we pass by several oil wells, most of them quite a bit smaller than I envisioned, less than 2 stories tall in most cases.  They are, essentially "portable", since the smaller pockets can dry up within a couple of weeks, so the drills are then simply moved to a new location.  It's too windy and dusty to leave the car for very long, so I just quickly grab a couple of shots of drills and the pipes that carry the crude to the nearby refinery, as we stop briefly.

Closer to town, we see a delivery bike (food is delivered here by motorcycles with large boxes on the back, as they are more easily maneuvered through the constant traffic), and the wind is so strong that the driver must lean into the wind just to stay upright.

The sand blows across the road, just like the snow does here in Canada.

 Traffic is horrendous, since it's almost the weekend (work weeks here are Sunday - Thursday), so we opt to do the Grand Mosque today, and leave the Fort till tomorrow.  I am forced to admit I remember little of what I had learned in high school about the Muslim faith, and feel inadequately knowledgeable about the current state of affairs in this area of the world.  Fortunately, my hostess and friend has been living in the Middle East for the past few years, and is able to guide me toward keeping a neutral tone.  Our tour guide, while knowledgeable, seems intent on not just providing information about the Mosque itself, but also about the Muslim faith.

It seems only fair to listen, since they have provided a "loaner" abiyah and hijab (gown and head covering) so that we can enter the temple.  No women are allowed to enter without covering, and it feels odd in some ways and familiar in others.  I recall as a child in the Mennonite church, that women were expected to wear "head coverings" to church, which were really just small caps made from a thin mesh and bobby-pinned to the hair.  Symbolic at best, but the similarities between Muslim and Mennonite symbolism and a loose interpretation of the culture kept revealing themselves.

The Mosque itself is huge, and beautiful without being grandiose.  The chandelier in the great temple is made from Austrian crystal, and the marble floors are mostly provided by Italy.  While Daya and I tour the Mosque, Lisa (a Muslim) makes a run to the liquor store.  Somewhat ironic....

Shopping in the souq

Jan. 6 and 7

One of the things that I had read about Bahrain was that it had the oldest pearl diving business in the world.  And of course when this close to the source of gold, one really must at least check it out.  Plus, Daya loves to shop as much as I do.  So off to the souq (open market) we go.  Daya calls the driver, and he picks us up and drives us downtown.

My first impression is that it's a little bit like the 5th ave. market in Playa del Carmen, but it's much bigger.  And of course the culture and ethnic flavour differs vastly.

The shops have a variety of souvenirs from Bahrain, other GCC countries, India, Turkey, and Pakistan.  Beautiful brass coffee pots, carved wooden collapsing bowls, camels made of camel leather, pashmina shawls of various qualities, and a million different colours.  There are high quality knockoff designer purses, fabrics from all over the Middle East, designer and Arabian perfumes, sweets, electronics, spices and nuts, and of course jewellery.

The area is crowded, the streets narrow, barely wide enough for a few people, yet cars are parked along the shops, and others driving along, trying to pass.  Merchants call to us as we pass, "Madame, we have nice purses here", or "Come into my shop".  Nothing has price tags, you have to ask "how much", and the first price is always inflated, and the negotiations begin.  Even low priced items, 2 BD, usually come down to maybe 1.5.

On our first tour through the souq, I find lots of things I'd like to buy, but I don't want to spend all my money on the first day, nor do I want to fill my suitcase.  But I do find a few treasures.  In between shops, Daya tells me funny stories, she has a ton, and we laugh all day.  It's so good to be with my friend again!

But we can't find a smartwatch for her.  And the shops close from 1 - 4 pm every day, then open again till midnight.  So we go from the souq to the mall, and finish our first day of shopping at the mall, finding a few good deals there.

The next day, though, we go back to the souq, so that I can find some loose pearls, and gold earrings. Bahrain has the oldest pearl diving industry in the world, and I would love to take some pearls home and design my own jewellery.  Finally we are able to find everything we came for, and it's getting late.  As we wander about trying to find our way back to the front gate, we come across a beautifully decorated mosque.

Alex has reserved places for us at a wine tasting at the Royal Golf Club,  So we race home, grab a bite to eat, get fancy, and off we go.

The wine is amazing.  And my host is very knowledgeable about wine , since he is qualified to teach wine tasting.  For the second time in my travels, I am fortunate enough to be on the company of someone from whom I can learn about wine.  I'm sensing a trend here.

Camels and Burial Mounds

Jan.6

The morning dawns clear and warm, and we decide to spend the morning planning the rest of the week.  There are so many things to do, but I would like to focus on things that I can't do anywhere else.  So, we decide that we will have a bit of lunch, and then check out the things that are close by, within walking distance.  It is really warm out (actually, it feels hot and humid to me), but we are in a Muslim country, so long pants and tshirts are required.  And bottles of water, and sunblock, and sunglasses...

Our first stop is the camel farm that is only a short 10 minute walk from Alex and Daya's villa.  Here they raise camels, mostly for preservation, but also for milk.  They are really dromedaries, only one hump, but are just as cute.  About 100 camels reside at the farm, and I have a blast, taking pictures.

From there, we walk to an archaelogical dig of several burial mounds, just around the corner, interesting largely because of the size of the mounds.

Finding that they are constructing new residential buildings close by, we wonder if more mounds were there that were simply plowed under, glad that there were some that had been preserved.  The landscape is so different from what I'm used to, that I must take a photo or two.

Birthdays in Bahrain

Jan. 4

Arrived safely last evening, to the happy faces of my friends, and a beautiful, warm evening.  As we drive to their house, I marvel at all the interesting light displays on the buildings, palm trees, and light posts.  It seems I arrived shortly after the country’s national birthday, and all the decorations are still out.  We stay up very late, talking and catching up, and drinking the most wonderful wine.  They give me a quick tour of their beautiful home, and I fall in love quickly with everything!

This morning, I rose, took a shower and dressed, and opened the door to “my” room, and was told to go back to bed, because the maid would bring me breakfast in bed.  Wow!  My amazing hosts had already eaten, but they joined me in a coffee, and we picked up the conversation easily.  It’s the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday today, and also my hosts, Alex’s!  They tell me that the work week here is Sunday to Thursday, but today is a holiday, so we can relax and celebrate Alex’s birthday, first by going shopping for his present, then by going out for dinner.  Score!

Daya and I head to the mall, which unexpectedly has mostly the same stores I’m used to seeing at home, including the food court.  After finding a few things, we head back, where their friends Angel and Mike meet us, and Alex breaks out the champagne and a selection of very good cheese.

Finally, we head to Le Sauvage, a restaurant on the 34^th floor of a major hotel in the capital, Manama, where we revel in beef tenderloin from Argentina, and several wonderful side dishes, and a beautiful Pinot Noir. That’s when I find out that I am privileged to be in the company of someone qualified to be a sommelier.  How on earth did I get so lucky? 

The view from the restaurant is beautiful, and I get a few shots from the camera on my phone, but everyone is tired, so we go back and say good night.  What a fabulous vacation this is turning out to be!

On my way

Yesterday, the flight from yyz to lhr was largely uneventful.  Or was it?  Upon getting in line to check into my flight, I thought I recognized the couple in front of me.  When she turned her head a little, I was sure of it, and she confirmed with a hug that I was in line behind a woman with whom I had worked several years ago. It was great to catch up with her and her husband, who I also had worked with. 

But the evening was fantastic.  Having been unsure of what my situation would be like when I arrived in London, and whether I would even be allowed to leave the airport, K found that because my luggage had not been checked through, I needed to go through customs in order to get my bags.  Carrying a Canadian passport does have its advantages, as well as having a friend to stay with, and I was asked only how long I would be in the country.  So off I went to find my friend almost first in line to greet me, and having a cab already booked, we were on our way to Watford.

We talked late into the night, almost finishing a bottle of 2008 Rioja from Spain in the process.  And still were not able to get completely caught up.  It was wonderful to see him again, and the night was too short, but he bundled me back in a taxi this morning to catch my flight to Manama, Bahrain.

Yesterday the bulk of the flight and the view was hampered by either clouds or darkness.  Today, I hoped that I would have a chance to see a bit of Europe as we flew over, but to no avail.  More clouds, for about the first two hours.  Then, finally a break, and I could see a range of mountains below – the Alps perhaps?  My European geography was never great, and is even rustier now, so I consult the map view on my little TV.  Budapest is behind us, and we moving toward Bucharest, so no, not the Alps.  Will have to Google this.

More clouds.  Lunch arrives just in time to distract me, and is way too much food, but quite tasty.  A really interesting variety of spicy meatballs and rice, potato salad, roll with butter, cream cheese and crackers, and a dessert that seemed to be a  cross between tiramisu and black forest cake fluff.

As we fly over the Black sea (according to the little map), I realize that we flew almost directly over Constantinople, and am reminded of a children’s story, was it a Dr. Seuss book?  Something about Constantinople or Timbuktu, was it Mr. Brown can moo, can you?

Now we are 2 hours from our destination, have bypassed Ankara, and will soon be over Batman, then the next recognizable name on the map is Baghdad.  I feel as though I’m in a spy movie!  The sun is already starting to go down, but in my home time, its only 8:55 a.m.  So I have lost almost a full day by the time I arrive at my final destination.  There is snow on the mountains below, but I know when I land, it will feel quite balmy.

And soon I will see another friend, the one I have come halfway around the world to see.

Boots back on for Bahrain

Wow, can't believe it's been so long since I've logged in here.  2013?  The time has flown past, and although Peter Pan hasn't taken me anywhere exotic, the boots have been walking (hopefully not all over you).  Since the last blog, I've been to Miami Beach (fantastic trip, but only a couple of days, primarily to visit with my talented nephew who now lives in Calgary, giving me another opportunity for going out west), and Louisville, KY (in November, not the best time, plan to go back for the Derby).

Now, Jan. 1, 2015, I sit in wild anticipation of a trip to the Middle East, although not in the Hot Zone.  My friend Daya has invited me to visit her in Bahrain, and it seemed like a fantastic opportunity to visit that area of the world, relatively safely, and inexpensively to boot.  Plus, I get a bunch of added value bonuses - like getting a chance to spend time with an amazing lady that I admire and respect and who is like me in many ways and we have so much fun together! Bonus two is getting a chance for a couple of visits with another friend in London, UK, once on the way over and once on the way back.  Arindam is someone else that I admire and respect, and I cherish my friendship with him and wish we didn't always seem to have at least one ocean or continent between us.

Jan. 1, 2015.  A great day to be cleaning, packing, doing laundry, figuring out how to work the new camera (good thing I have two long flights ahead of me to do some more learning!), thinking ahead about what I want to accomplish in this calendar year, and how I will do that.  A chance for change and a refreshed look at life, even though the only thing that is different from yesterday is one number in the year and having to "write" a new date.  New year's resolutions?  No, I usually set goals, and I accomplished many last year, so now I get to start on some new ones.

2014 was a pretty good year for me.  Fortune smiled, and many wonderful things happened that I was able to take part in, witness, or reap the benefits from.  A lot of friends were not so fortunate, and for them I wish the best that life can provide for them, and a relief from some of the drama and trauma that they experienced - loss of relatives or friends, loss of jobs, relationships ending, family members in trouble, major health concerns.  Having experienced the same pain in the past, and looking at these situations from the other side, I know that everything will eventually be fine for everyone, at least for a while.  Life is full of ups and downs, and right now, I'm up, and some others are down, so I'm reaching out my hand in case anyone needs help getting up and over.  As much as I can, anyway.

Jan. 1, 2015.  The funny feeling in my gut tells me that my life is going to change - a lot - although I don't know yet exactly how, or when, or why, or in which direction.  Over time, this is just a feeling I have learned not to ignore, since it has always been right - the stronger the feeling, the bigger the change.  Sometimes, it has been a big change for someone else, but I'm pretty sure this time it's for me.  The last time it was this strong, was five years ago, when my own long-term relationship ended - quite unexpectedly.  Will this trip be the beginning of that change?  Or is it just intended to be a break for me to relax, strengthen, and prepare for another change?  Or will something happen there that will open my eyes to a new opportunity, and give me the courage to listen and accept that opportunity and change my own life on my own terms?

Peter Pan, what say you?  Let's get those boots on, and find out!  Next adventure, please!