Back home

hi family and friends. of course i have talked to mom and dad several
times upon my return, so this email is to my aunts and uncles w/copies
to friends just to let you know i have returned safely. it was a
fabulous trip, probably my most favorite ever. it enlightened me as to
how the usa "fits" in the world. i lost my rosy view and have a more
realistic idea of our economic future in relation to china and other
upcoming super powers. i'm still very proud to be an american and
would rather live here than anywhere, but it all just "feels"
different. that's what world travel is supposed to do for you, so i
guess it worked really well this time. i've never been sick on a trip,
but was hit w/food poisoning, intense vertigo and/or a flu bug that
made me violently lose all my food the last 2 days of my trip. that
was before traveling 2 more days of not eating (i was scared to) to
travel half way around the world to get back to home sweet home. it
shows one can will themselves to do whatever one needs to do to get
back home. now that i'm in winston-salem, i am feeling better. instead
of writing details about my last week in united arab emirates, let me
just wrap it up by saying it was over the top. i have never seen such
bright, shiny people, places, cars, houses, jewelry, hotels, palaces,
mosques, etc. ever in my life. if you ever get the chance to go, do
so. these arab gulf states are phenomenal. i had the time of my life,
riding camels, smoking sheshas (i didn't inhale the flavored tobacco),
eating seafood, gazing at the dazzling sites, mingling w/the locals
and just absorbing the likenesses and differences of a totally
different culture. hope you all are well and thanks for your prayers.
if you want to see any of my photos, let me know and i'll put you on
my list. it may be a month from now before i get all that together as
it will take me a while to "recover" (smile). otherwise, happy travels
and take care, angela

Dubai

hi mom and dad - sorry i couldn't call you again yesterday or today,
but our day trips were not back in time for the guest services lady to
assist me w/the operator in the hotel. we weren't back from the camel
desert safari until 11:00 ish pm last night and the lady left the
hotel at 6pm. we are just getting back now at 10:00 pm the next day
(thursday) and there is not a phone for public use here (that takes
cards). we are now in abu dahbi, the capital and most wealthy emirate
in the united arab emirates. this country alone brings in $1.5 billion
a day, every day, from oil production. can you imagine? we went to
several spots today (more later), but tomorrow is the highlight - the
emirates palace. it is like the burj hotel in that it is rated like a
7star hotel. it was built for the big shots who rule these gulf
states. we are having high tea (smile). it's all pretty amazing and
again, sureal.
this trip has been like a dream. none of this opulence seems real.
everything looks so beautiful and way over the top, like a fairyland,
like oz. again, i ponder the difference in life style of these arabs
and the asians, who are soooooo poor in countries like vietnam,
cambodia, etc.we all know "life isn't fair," but this takes it all to
the next level. i am so thankful that i was born in my family, in the
usa, and have had the opportunities i have had. i am soooo fortunate
to be able to travel and see all these places in the world. romy, our
egyptian guide, says very few americans come here. i don't know why,
except the costs, because this is one of my best trips ever. the arabs
live in luxury unbeknown to our standards. it is phenomenal. i have
learned so much about their very different culture. their head ruler,
sheikh zayed, is the only dignitary here who travels w/a body guard.
the arabs are very friendly people, very humble, very happy, very
religious, very rich and evidently don't pose a threat to the leaders
of these gulf countries. romy says the leaders mingle w/the common
folks and can be seen on any given day at the mall, shopping or at a
public event chatting w/his people. it's hard to imagine that obama
could do that. our culture is much more dangerous and poses way more
threats.
tomorrow is our last day on the tour so this really will probably be
the very last email. we tour all day tomorrow and leave tomorrow night
for the airport at 11:00 pm. our flight leaves at 1:55 am. (after
midnight). technically, it's a saturday flight and i'll fly 24 ish
hours through many time zones, to arrive back in the usa late on
"your" saturday. i will need to sleep a day or two to stay healthy, as
you can imagine i'll be dog dead tired. i haven't told you until now,
because i didn't want you to worry, but i have had 14 nose bleeds on
the trip. it has been a real hassle. i know it is because of the dry
airplane air and the dry air here too. i have had to carry around a
roll of toilet paper every day in my backpack. how sexy is that? the 2
most inconvenient times have been once at the market (when i could
have been chatting w/the locals and shopping) and once at the spa at
the wet hamman (like the steam room). i think i am fine now for the
long trip home. it's always something. i feel so pitiful when i
compare myself to these many 80-year old folks who i know have lots
more aches and pains. i think traveling has kept them young. i hope i
am lucky enough to be the same. take care, angela

united arab emirates has been a whirl of excitement - this is it for now, final one in usa

so sorry i haven't written but we have been way busy w/traveling
around the united arab emirates with a more than full schedule. we
were in fajarah for 2 nights and are now in our 3rd night in dubai.
tomorrow we travel to abu dhabi. dubai is the fastest growing city in
the world and it is like "emerald city" in the wizard of oz.
everything gleams and is the biggest and bestest of anything any of us
have ever seen! (a lot of these folks have traveled to over 100
countrie and have seen a lot more than i have.)
yesterday we went to the mall of the emirates (4th largest in the
world) and saw ski dubai, a ski resort inside the mall. we ate at a
restaurant that the view was the slopes where the skiers came
downhill. we also visited dubai harbour, marina, and yacht club, where
billions of dollars are invested and it shows. we saw the burj
khalifa, the tallest tower and building in the world, which houses the
armani hotel. we also went to the dubai mall, the largest mall in the
world, with over 1,500+ stores. sheikh zayed road is magnificent, with
towering buildings alongside. in 1990, there were only 2 tall towers.
it is hard to comprehend. today for lunch we are going to the burj al
arab hotel, the only 7 star hotel in the world for our $200 lunch
(smile). i can't wait to see what we are served. i'm sure it will be
fine. tonight we are going on a desert safari in 4 wheelers in the
desert, to ride camels and eat under the stars in an arab tent. this
is the life. tomorrow we have an 8 hour drive to abu dhabi and have
our farewell dinner. friday is an all day tour and then we leave at
1:30 am (after midnight on friday, wee hours of saturday). we'll fly
again over 24 hours again to get back to the usa, through frankfurt
germany. not sure if we go through saudi arabia again or not. we will
be beat i'm sure. i have adopted an 86 year old man on the trip who
reminds me so much of uncle charles. he has not felt well and missed a
lot of the trip. i give him updates and he says he doesn't know what
he'd do without me. he's a sweetie, having been on 3 around the world
cruises and over 120 countires. i asked him what his profession was,
and he said usa government and he'd have to kill me if he told me. i
told him not to worry, i changed my mind and didn't want to know.
know that i am safe. the middle east crisis is indeed real and i am
witnessing it firsthand. i am so thankful i am here now, because there
are so many rumors of what is to happen in the near future. we get a
briefing every morning from our egyptian guide who is \'in the know."
so much to tell, so little time. i'll wrap it up in a final email
early next week, once i get to usa and sleep a day or two. take care,
happy travels, angela

United Arab Emerites to Dubai

the computer here in farajah is really complicated and taking forever
(very different keyboard and mouse system) so i will be brief and
write more later. we have been at a resort and spa for 2 days and
learning a lot about uae. know that we are safe. all is wonderful. it
is 7 am and we are leaving momentarily for dubai, which is the
highlight of the trip. we will be traveling all today and touring most
of tomorrow, but i will try to write in the next 2 days. i am also
going to look for a phone, as it is the only place my card can be used
on this entire trip. it costs almost one dollar for one minute to use
the computer, so you can imagine how much a phone call is. i love you
and miss you and will touch base soon. hope you all are well.

angela

Oman to UAE--Days 11-13

it is friday morning, day 13 (i think), and we are getting ready to
leave by motorcoach to United Arab Emirates. it is a 5 hour drive w/a
checkpoint along the way. our guide is hoping we will not have to get
off the bus to get our passports stamped upon entry, but it is
possible. we are having a grand time. the past few days in oman have
been exceptional. yesterday i was in the restroom in the local mall
and there were several young girls in their abayas, putting on makeup.
i asked if i could take their photo and they were extremely pleased.
long story short, i stayed in there over half an hour chatting w/them.
they made up by face like an omani lady (lots of eyeliner and mascara)
and took photos of me. they gave me samples of the makeup, red
lipstick, etc. as souvenirs. it was soooo much fun and needless to say
an invaluable experience. (photos later) last night we attended the
muscat international festival where omanis from all over the country
showed their arts and crafts. it was indescribable. i had the best
photo opportunities ever, as they were proud of their wares. of course
i was prioritizing them in the photos as they were so beautiful and
different, but i did get their handicrafts in the background. it is an
unwritten rule not to take photos of women in this country. one has to
ask to even take a photo of the men here. the experience in the
restroom yesterday and at the festival were giant exceptions to the
rule regarding the photography of women. i have been lucky! last night
we all had the opportunity to smoke the shesha (hooka in other arab
coutries) at the local restaurant. this is a tall water pipe where one
smokes flavored (cherry, grape, strawberry, etc.) tobacco, cooled
through water. i, like bill, did not inhale (smile).it was just a
photo op.
this trip has been so very enlightening in regards to how very
differently people live around the world. when i think of folks in
other places in asia, it breaks my heart (not that there is not
poverty everywhere in the world to include the us, but the
discrepancies in asia scream!).
as i said earlier, before the oil and natural gas discoveries, these
gulf states were poor as well. rame says that many of the locals don't
handle their finance well, because the change was so sudden. also, he
says many of the children are unruly because the parents have too many
$$ and toys and are too busy "playing."
we went to the grand mosque in muskat on wednesday. because my long
skirt had a split in the side, the guide bought me another long dress
for covering myself totally, to include my ankles. i had asked him
before leaving my attire was ok and he had said yes. evidently because
it was mohammed's birthday, the omanis are especially conservative and
strict about tourists visiting their mosque during this time. any
other time he said it would have been fine. because of my booboo, i
have a new outfit. it is extremely colorful and exactly what the older
omani women wear here. my friends on the tour have been teasing me
about "showing leg." no alcohol is served countrywide, even to
tourists today in his honor. this will last for several days.
there are many likenesses and many differences in these arab countries
and the ones i recently visited (egypt and morrcco). primarily, one
sees no poor people here begging and the vendors don't seem to care if
you buy from them or not. in most tourist locations they pretty much
tackle you to get you to buy from them as opposed to buying from their
neighbor. rame says that tourism is not important in any of the arab
gulf states because they are so very rich. it is hard to comprehend.
they don't seem snobby, just self sufficient and pleasant, ready to
assist you if you need it. they all speak english.
don't know what the internet opportunities will be for the next 3
days. i know after that i will be at a hyatt again, and will have one
for sure. take care, it may be a few days, but thinking of you and
having the time of my life. all is well, angela

Day 9--Oman--muscat souk

last night was our valentine's dinner in the hotel. it would have cost
us $100 each if we had paid "normally." it was included in our trip
cost. all were fabulous arabic foods that were very exotic, so
interesting and different. these delicacies were complemented by other
international exotic foods. there were large families of 8 and 9
eating at the tables....so, $1,000ish for one dinner for so many
families there. things here in the gulf coast region are very
exclusive and expensive. these folks have more money than they know
what to do with. it is beyond comprehension. one could not afford to
travel here alone (without being with a tour group) unless they were
very wealthy. thank goodness for vantage travel!
the morning was filled w/trips to various cultural sites that i won't
take time to notate. we are at the muscat souk as we speak and i found
this internet cafe close by. i wanted to touch base briefly to let you
know all is well. actually, all is phenomenal! life in the gulf is
very exciting. all of the cars are new and most are either white,
gold, silver, etc. it doesn't feel real here. our tour guide says that
oman (current country) is the poorest of the gulf states and it is
like a picture postcard everywhere one looks. we just left one of the
10 palaces of the sultan of oman. royalty has lots of perks (smile).
most go so i can wander around in the souk (market). it is a shopper's
paradise. we'll be touring here in oman 2 more days. hopefully i can
find another internet cafe, but if not, i'll touch base when i get to
united arab emirates. hope all is well. take care, angela

Day 8--Qatar Continued

toured the entire day to include: (1) shahania camel racing track and
complex - over 2,000+ camels - watched the trainers and camels by the
hundreds, racing around the track for about 45 minutes) (2) qatar
equestrian center - housed pure arabian, show horses (3) aspire sports
academy and complex - best center of its type in the world (4)
vellagio mall - built similar to bellagio in las vegas w/sky painted
at the top of the mall, gondolas in the middle in water channels,
carrying passengers, etc. - by far, the most extravagant mall i have
ever seen to include only exclusive shops like gucci, channel, etc. -
the emir's wife wants the expand the sports academy, which is next to
the mall. even though the mall structure was just built in 2006, they
are getting ready to tear the entire mall down and rebuild it
elsewhere so the sports arena can be expanded. that's $$ and power!
(5) qatar village - exclusive cultural housing and community complex
(6) the pearl project - exclusive community to include an even more
exclusive mall - had rolls royce and proche showrooms - prices ranging
from $600,000 per car and up (7) other various cultural islamic stops
it is really hard to take in the enormous amount of wealth here. it is
truly unbelievable. i knew these folks were rich, but not like this.
gas for cars less than a month ago was 18 cents for super for a litre.
it's gone up a few cents this month. the qatari people don't pay
income or sales taxes and have free water and electricity on top of
their free housing and cars if they work for the government. the qatar
village has put out an "invitation" to artists throughout the world to
come and design for qatar and live free in these exclusive mansions,
no 2 of which are alike. what a deal. i just can't understand how
there is sooooo much wealth here and so much poverty in other parts of
asia - hong kong, vietnam, cambodia, etc. well, i can.......oil and
natural gas pretty much sums it up. before that, these gulf states
were poor too.
long day today, must hurry and finish packing, as bags have to be out
by our doors by 4:30 am tomorrow for an early flight. in the time i've
been back today, i've been taking photos of the these gorgeous
grounds. rame says the next hotel is much more spectacular, but it's
hard to imagine. the arabian sea here is turquoise and so inviting.
the sands are pure white w/no trash anywhere. the skyline view of the
city is breathtaking. it doesn't "feel" real, but as our guide
says.......it's so very real even though it sounds too good to be
true, it is true. tomorrow we fly to muscat, oman. since we stay in a
grand hyatt like this, i am sure internet is expensive like it is
here. it's over $10 USD for 30 minutes, and like i said some of the
keys are in different places, so it's hard. we'll be there 4 days, so
i'll try to touch base once. take care, angela
i guess it is obvious that this will be one of my most favorite
destinations, primarily because the culture here is so very different.
the arabic foods are my favorite, the arabic people are very friendly
and the dress of both men and women are so very interesting.
enough......  i just wish you could come and see. ps-the weather is
"perfect!"

Day 7/8--Doha Qatar

our guide is egyptian so we are getting current personal updates on
this situation as we tour around the arab gulf states. ramy (guide)
was supposed to meet us in bahrain for touring, but could not leave
egypt because the airport was closed. it is complicated.....more
later.........we are lucky all worked out as well as it has.
yesterday was filled w/info regarding qatar and their wealth. it is
unbelievable. the average citizen makes$143,000 a year from the
government + free (beautiful, new) housing + a new car every other
year + a free education of wherever they want to go in the world
(harvard if they are excepted!). if they work for the government, they
usually retire in 5 or 6 years! wow........
this is a very strict country, only serving alcohol at 3 places in the
entire country - grand hyatt (our hotel), ritz-carlton and the
diplomatic club. 90%  of the people are islamic and less than half who
live here are native qataris. they are encouraged to have large
families (6-10) to correct this in the future. opposite to china, they
are encouraged to have children and they get lots of $$$ per every
child!
the gulf people were mainly tribal and poor until before the oil and
gas boom in the 80's at which time they came extremely wealthy "over
night." when 9/11 happened, the arab people wanted the world to see
them for who they were, not terrorists so they opened their arms and
invited the world "in." still, there are few tourists due to
misconceptions. we are the only tour bus in the country touring as we
speak. there is a cruise ship of folks touring too, but that is it!
tourism is not big here like in egypt (15%).
yesterday we went to the islamic art museum, the al fanar islamic
museum  and the waquf souk. we viewed the beautiful skyline of very
interestingly shaped buildings from several viewpoints. qatar is more
interested in have unique buildings that tall buildings like dubai.
they name their buildings w/names such as the tornado, the rocket,
etc. they are currently competing w/dubai to see who is first at
building an office structure that revolves (not just the top floor,
but the entire building).
gotta go, last day to tour qatar. hope all is well, thinking of you,
having fun and learning even more.....angela

Day 6-7 to Qatar

left manama, bahrain just before lunch yesterday on qatar airlines.
the airport was extremely interesting as most of the passengers were
dressed in traditional arabic clothing. the men had on their long
robes (thobs) and head garb and the women in their abayas or berkas.
at first it was very intimidating to just see these very differently
dressed folks. now, i am quite comfortable chatting with them, men and
women, and learning so much. if i am curious about something -
clothing, customs, food, etc., i just approach them and ask them. they
are very kind and helpful and i don't feel any anti-americanism at
all. they are actually very friendly. again, i think people around the
world even w/such different customs are more alike than different, be
they muslim or christian.
we are now in doha. qatar and staying for 3 nights at the grand hyatt
hotel. it is on the arabian sea and magnificent. i had a really
interesting experience happen to me yesterday/last night. the hotel
collected our passports upon arrival, to make copies, and were to
return them immediately to us in our respective rooms. after 3 hours,
i still had no passport back from them. i decided not to panic
(because it wouldn't have done any good) and check out the grounds -
find computer center, gym, beach, etc. last night around 6pm, i
decided it was time to be concerned so i went to the front desk to
inquire. i created a flurry of excitement w/about 5 of the staff
looking very upset. one accompanied me to my room and told me he had
personally put the passport on the desk. i was very polite, but told
him he was mistaken because i did not receive it. the hotel guest
services manager then got involved and asked me to be patient and not
worry because he would get to the bottom of it. long story
short.........after 2 more hours, he personally came to my room,
apologized endlessly, gave me my passport which the man had delivered
to another room, and offered to upgrade me to $1,000 (usa$) suite a
night because i had been so pleasant about "the situation." i learned
a long time ago that you get better customer service w/a smile rather
than complaining about everything, like most americans seem to do
abroad. he showed me the suite which was an even better view of the
arabian sea that the one i already have (which is beautiful enough).
since i had already unpacked everything in my current room, i smiled
and asked him - is it possible to get a complimentary bottle of red
wine, free internet, and a massage treatment instead? he smiled and
said, of course madam. he then wanted to give me the suite and the
bottle of red wine, but i declined and thanked him back endlessly. i
brought copies of my passport to give the hotels upon arrival so
nothing like this would happen, but i just didn't dig it out of my
purse at checkin yesterday. i will from now on (smile), but this was a
sweet deal, now that i have passport in hand.
this morning i was the first one to get to the breakfast cafe at 6am.
there were fabulous foods to try to include 10+ kinds of feta cheeses
alone, marinated lemons, 10+ kinds of exotic fruits, nuts and seeds
(each), and an endless variety of veggies, cereals, egg, rice, and
meat dishes, etc. today we take a panoramic city tour, view the ships
at the harbour, visit the islamic art museum and tour/shop at the
local market and souk. tonight we have a welcome dinner to meet all of
the folks on the tour. it will be the first time everyone is finally
together. take care and will touch base again tomorrow. having a great
time and learning a lot, angela

Last Day in Bahrain

as you know, yesterday was my birthday and thanks for the sweet
wishes! we ate at the coral beach club for lunch yesterday and the
staff there (arranged by shams, our bahrainee guide) brought me a
strawberry cheese birthday cake which i shared w/everyone. everyone in
the restaurant, even the arabs, sang to me. it was great! last night,
the hotel (manama sheraton) sent an exotic orange flan and white
chocolate birthday cake and a big bowl of fruit. it was a surprise and
very nice. we had our "goodbye to bahrain dinner" tonight and i took
it to share there too. i gave half to our group and the other half to
the waiters, who were thrilled to have such a fancy cake. i'd rather
have the photos of the cake than the cake itself. we thought our
second desert was coconut ice cream but it was a very exotic rice
desert. our dinner was a combo of grilled lamb, chicken, interesting
veggies and 3 kinds of saffron rice dishes w/various dried fruits and
berries. i soooooo love the food here and am really living it up and
getting my money's worth.
today we went to the bab albahrain souq (marketplace), the world trade
centre, the gold market and the adjoining various buildings in the
financial district. there is so much wealth here that it is hard to
comprehend. in the few days i have been here, i am already used to
seeing the women in berkas and abayas and the men in thobs and the
head dress. i even ask many of  them if i can take their photos, alone
and then w/me. they seem very pleased and friendly and the men love to
have their pictures taken. about half of the women love it too. i have
learned soooo much about the arabic culture and the gcc (gulf
countries corporation-i think). it's like the similar countries in the
eu-european union, except they all have their own currencies. the
group of countires include: bahrain, qatar, oman, united arab
emerites, kuwait and saudi arabia. all of their economies seem to be
booming from what the eye can see. they too though, are having issues,
but not as many as most countries, regarding economics. almost every
car i see it mega fabulous, new, expensive and quite sexy! it's
different to see the women driving in them wearing berkas.
in our group there are 10 of us now, 2 men and 8 women. everyone here
is from california or up north (new york, pennsylvania, etc.) i am the
only one from the south. sometimes there is a language barrier between
us (smile). i try not to talk southern, but i just can't help myself!
tomorrow we leave, fly to doha, qatar, where hilary spoke to the arab
leaders recently and where the world cup will be held next. the other
8ish(?) folks get here tomorrow night around midnight like we did a
few days ago. not sure what the internet opportunity will be there,
but i will try to find a computer. if i don't write in few days, you
will know i was unsuccessful, but i will try! take care, safe travels
and until we meet again. loving the middle east, angela

Day 4 Touring Bahrain

day 4 has been long, but very educational. (1) the largest bahrain
fort, this one being the only world heritage site in the entire
country - it was built in the 16th century by the portuguese on top of
the ruins of earlier civilizations. the weather was windy and it was
muddy, but well worth the challenge. (2) camel farm that housed over
450 camels- it belonged to (and was merely a hobby of) the king's
youngest uncle. i took over 200 photos in less than half an hour. even
though i didn't get to ride this time, it was fun just photographing
them. camels are some of most favorite photos from egypt and morrocco.
they have such great faces and gestures. (3) Al Jasra Handicraft
Centre - artisans and craftsmen making pottery, weavings, wooden
products, paintings, instruments, etc. (4) king fahd causeway - this
highway connects bahrain and saudi arabia. we got as close to saudi
arabia as "infidels" can get. it's amazing to see the hundreds of cars
coming into bahrain (from s.a.) and only a very few going out of
bahrain (to s.a.). as many as 45,000 saudis come into bahrain "to
party" during the weekend, really boosting the economy. there are big
tolls on the bridge. obviously, bahrain benefits greatly from this.
(4) lunch at the coral beach club - fabulous lebenese food to include:
falafel, kibbeh, goat cheeses (mashalaleh, nabulsia, and halloumi) and
chahklish, only to mention a few delicicies of the famous restaurant
by the arabian sea. (5) 1st oil well in bahrain _ the oil boom started
in the eighties. before this, major trade included fishing and pearl
diving. (6) tree of life - many miles away, in jabal-al-dukhan, lies a
acacia tree that is 100's of years old (maybe a 1,000) in the middle
of the desert w/no known source of water. what a place of wonder! (7)
a'ali burial mounds that date back over 4000 years BC - some of the
tombs have been unearthed and show the remains of people put in a
squat position and connected in a beehive shaped design. heavy duty!
bahrain was once considered to be the garden of eden and the land of
the living. it has also been called paradise by many.
as you can see, it was a full day. we even went to addition places,
which i am not listing in the interest of time.
just for the record, since i have limited time on the computer, i am
writing these emails to my mom and dad. i am sending several of my
friends (to include you) a blind copy. PLEASE let me know if these are
just too long and/or too much, since about half of you still have jobs
(smiles from both groups for different reasons). you too will retire
one day and travel the world, i hope!!! this would be my wish for you
all. if you want me to take you off the list for now and just send
photos later, it will NOT hurt my feelings. please let me know. oh and
by the way, most of these computers are in arabic, w/some of the
characters in different places. this gives me permission to miswspqell
lokxts of wotkrds. (get it?) thanks in advance for understanding. you
gotta love it! take care. all is well in bahrain. angela (ps - also,
if you got this twoice, let me know and which email you prefer so i
can get a correct listing! thanks

Day 1-3--travel to Bahrain

I underestimated how long it would take to get here. we finally
arrived at the airport in manama, bahrain last night (monday) at 11:45
pm, getting to bed a little after 1:30 am. so basically it was
traveling for almost 2 full days! we had a stopover in saudi arabia
but were not allowed to get off of the plane (not that i wanted to).
several of the passengers deplaned and were told it was a federal
offense to have possession of alcohol of any quantity and kind and if
it was found on them in the airport, they would be arrested and
jailed! that got my attention, as i had squirreled away a heineken in
my backpack on the lufhtansa flight to drink later to celebrate my
birthday in my hotel room wednesday night after the tour (smile). i
quickly asked the flight attendant were the rules the same in bahrain?
she laughed and said no, for sure not. after chatting w/folks i have
learned that saudi arabia is soooooo extremely strict that many of the
citizens come to bahrain to party. they go the clubs, act wild, spend
lots of $$$ and then return to the mosque at home afterwards, in
prayer. sound familiar? people are definitely the same all over the
world!
we toured all day today. this sheriton is a lovely 5-star hotel w/lots
of perks: internet, spa, fruit basket in room, attached shopping mall
-  need i say more? this place is gorgeous. i can see why michael
jackson lived here for a while. i have never seen such beautiful
buildings ever! i've already taken hundreds of photos and it's only
the first day of touring. we visited the grand mosque (largest in
bahrain), the bahrain national museum and the muharraq island, the old
capital of bahrain. we also saw the shaikh isa bin ali house, the al
khamis mosque and the bahrain fort. the bordering arabian sea is
beautiful and not angry like in dubrovnik, croatia. we had lunch at a
local restaurant to include my favorites - eggplant, endless varieties
of peppers, hummus, fabulous bread, olives, lamb, tagine chicken (like
in morrocco), chickpeas, saffron rice, etc.