Wednesday, January 24 - 6PM Gulf Time - Bahrain

Today we flew from Kuwait City to the tiny island Kingdom of Bahrain, situated in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain is frequently called the Pearl of the Arabian Gulf and is an archipelago of 33 low lying Islands in the heart of the Gulf, offering a blend of ancient and modern. Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia a 25 km causeway - both a symbolic and virtual link between Saudi and Bahrain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain

I thought Kuwait City was something.

Bahrain is even more spectacular. Bahrain was the first of the Gulf States to discover oil - in 1938. The City is very modern. There is construction everywhere - the same was the case in Kuwait City. One difference though is that you wouldn't see many Kuwaitis working, except in cushy government jobs. Here, Bahrainians seem to actually have jobs. You might even find one driving your taxi. That would NOT happen in Kuwait.

The city has one of the most spectacular skylines I have ever seen. There's no such thing as a basic skyscraper. The designs are creative and unusual. The most spectacular are two 60 story triangular shaped buildings - still under construction - that were designed so that they harness the winds off the gulf. There are three "bridges" that connect the two towers. Then, they will place wind turbines on each bridge to generate power and the buildings will be self-sufficient for power. I've never seen anything like it. They have it all figured out over here.

Bahrain is growing, literally. They dredge sand from the gulf and replace it to enlarge the Island through land reclamation. They are building an entire financial district using this method.

Tonight we meet up with 8 more on the tour who were not on the Kuwait extension. We have a Moroccan dinner tonight. Last night we ate Lebanese at a favourite restaurant of the Kuwaitis. It was neat to eat where the locals hang out. There, locals might be distant relatives of the Royal Family. About 80% of the patrons were in their traditional dress with the rest decked out in their designer clothes. We were joined for dinner by one of the directors of the tour company here locally, Sleeman.

Sleeman is Lebanese but has worked all over the world. We had a great chat about the tourism industry in the region. In addition to providing in-bound travel services to folks like us, he books travels for the local Kuwaitis. Even having done that for several years, he still speaks with amazement about their travel habits. One client paid $200,000 US for 30 days in London. I asked about the planning cycle for travel and he said it was 'short'. Clients often call him from the airport to book a month somewhere. He also books school travel trips for Kuwaiti kids. When Kuwaiti school kids fly...they fly business class.

A few other things that I forgot to tell you about Kuwait. The retrieval of my luggage was no big deal. The hotel drove me to and from the Airport to collect my bag so it was not nearly the adventure of the previous evening. Also, I had the opportunity to use an Arabic phrase that I had learned to throw at my taxi driver of my arrival night. "La hawla wala quwwata illa billa". It translates to "There is no power, but that of Allah". It is used at the arrival of the unforseen and to help defeat feelings of frustration. It seemed appropriate for the circumstances and he appreciated the gesture.

I awoke my first morning in Kuwait to see on the front page of the Kuwait Times a photo of an American who had been arrested for selling drugs. He was on his knees, with his hands tied behind his back and was in front of a large banner of the Justice Ministry. All the seized drugs were spread out in front of him in the foreground. The whole thing had shades of those terrorist/hostage videos/photos. He will be executed. Maybe hung in the park next to the Sheraton - that's where they used to do it. They sure don't fool around here.

Kuwait is a dry country, both literally and figuratively. There are no natural water sources. All water comes from the Arabian Gulf and is desalinated in huge facilities. Also, alcohol is illegal. Our local guide, Eddie, who has lived in Kuwait all his life and is Catholic said he has a well stocked bar. As long as he keeps it in the house and keeps things quiet he gets no trouble. I didn't ask who his dealer was, but he seems to have a reliable source! Although he has lived in Kuwait all his life (he is of Indian and Portugese heritage), he's not a Kuwaiti and never will be. From what I can figure out, only those connected to the Royal Family are Kuwaiti and can have citizenship. Most have at least 4 houses in Kuwait alone - not including vacation homes around the world- and 3 or 4 cars and a bevy of foreign help.

We also drove by a huge oil refinery complex. I mean HUGE. It went for miles. It was destroyed by the Iraqis as they retreated when the Americans came to liberate Kuwait.

Back to Bahrain. Today was a free day so I walked around the city and along the waterfront. Bahrain isn't dry and many Saudis come over the causeway to "party" and do stuff they can't in Saudi Arabia - like drink and go to movies. Our hotel is a hotspot for Saudis with 7 bars and dance clubs. Our guide for the whole tour, Aili, is from Vancouver and said we should check it out as it is quite a spectacle to see the Saudis let loose.

I guess I neglected to mention our unusual arrival to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Aili said that there would be a surprise for us upon arrival. We were met my some Sheikish looking guy in his white dishdash (robe) and headscarf. He was from the Ministry of Information. They were doing some filming for tourism promotion and we were the eye-candy. They gave us a VIP reception and a photographer from the local paper was there - again, some guy, kid actually, in a white dishdash and red headscarf. We will be in the paper! Flying into the Island I saw the US carrier group that have been stationed in the Gulf to piss off the Iranians. I assumed it was US as there was a large aicraft carrier and I don't think these countries' navys have them.

So far I have been diligent in respecting the Muslim custom of 'not showing too much skin'. It wasn't an issue in Kuwait as it was only 20 degrees or so. It is much warmer here in Bahrain and I'm not sure I am going to be able to keep it up. I've seen a lot more westerners here - many wearing shorts and t-shirts so things here seem to be a bit more relaxed.

Today on the waterfront I saw a woman jogging in her black Abaya and veiled. Only her sunglasses and Nikes showing. Crazy.

Well, the Internet cafe I am in has little booths with curtains and is creeping me out a bit so think I will go back to the hotel and get ready for dinner.

This picture doesn't really do justice to the buildings.

A closer look. Notice the propeller mount on the bottom bridge.

Part of the new financial island. Notice the three Sheiks waving from the building on the left.