So far, Bahrain has been quite unattractive in the looks department (I won’t say “ugly,” but that’s what I’m thinking). I’m not going to say I don’t like it here, but sights like these aren’t going to win any awards in the beauty department.
The Shias are mad so they burn tires and graffiti all over their own neighborhoods. It totally reminds me of the Oakland (or LA) riots. If you’re angry that you’re being screwed over by the ruling powers, why are you jacking up where you live?! Ooh, I really showed them by scribbling profanities all over my house . . .
My understanding is that the ruling class is the Sunni minority and the majority of the country is made up of Shia. They are poor and underrepresented in the government. Their attempt at a revolution failed last year, but they continue to protest in the evenings and on the weekends.
All that to say that aside from our trip out to the sandbar, I haven’t seen anything in Bahrain to rival what we saw daily in Muscat. But now I have a place to escape: Al Bandar Resort. I didn’t want to go, because it was way down on some other part of the island, but it turns out that “way down there” was only 20 minutes away. I guess this island is smaller than it seems.
It costs about $12 for adults and $7.50 for kids, but it’s worth it to be able to eat and drink by the pool during daylight hours. There’s a huge pool that wraps around like one you’d see in Vegas with a swim up bar (though alcohol is banned everywhere on the island during the month of Ramadan). Only 3 more weeks and I can stop talking about Ramadan.
I keep saying the water here is so warm, like a bathtub . . . I can’t explain it properly. All I can say is the ocean water in Bahrain and the pool water at the resort have ruined me for anywhere else. Normal people would probably find it too warm — I have never met a pool that was too warm. These temperatures are my sweet spot.
She loves the water, but she’s still really cautious and insists on holding on to Daddy’s hand (or Mommy’s or Calvin’s) while swimming.
Beyond the pool is a private beach and lagoon that is fed from the (very warm) ocean. Maybe someday we’ll come down here and spend the night in one of the huts along the water.
It was a perfect afternoon and evening of swimming, eating dinner poolside, and playing.
The boys spent hours hunting for crabs
Fisherman’s pose
Herding a crab — trying not to get pinched
Success!