Valle Hermoso - I'm told it is called the City of Three Lies because 1) It isn't a city (seems like one to me, though), 2) It isn't pretty and, 2) It isn't in a valley. Wow. Too much to really detail in depth, but I'll try to be concise. It was amazing, stressful, fun, laborious, hot, itchy, and about a million other adjectives. To be blisteringly honest, this trip was far and away better than touring any town/museum/monument alone in Europe. Life is so much about the people we come across and the relationships we build. And mission work helps [View Full Entry]

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One of the drawbacks to traveling to far away places is that it takes just as long to get back as it did to get there. From Augsta, Shawn, and Kai's villa to my home in Columbia, MO, it took about 30 hours. The trek home went from Bahrain to London to Chicago to St. Louis (after a brief landing in Des Moines to drop off and pick up some passengers). I had about a four hour layover in both London and Chicago... and when I'm not on a business trip where I can expense my meals, I really don't like [View Full Entry]

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Augusta, Kai, and I started out the day by going to the Grand Mosque. However, the Grand Mosque does not allow visitors in that are wearing shorts. So, we put this off for another day. We then went to the mall to grab a bite to eat. After that we headed off to the Souq to pick up my suit. When we got to the little shop I tried on the jacket and it fit very well. Everyone at the shop was very friendly. Also, they said that should I want to order another suit, I just need to tell them [View Full Entry]

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Today, we went to swim with a beluga whale! His name is Senja (not sure about the spelling, and it is short for Simone, I think, but it is the equivalent of Simon in Russian). So, he is a Russian whale. The place was a big indoor area used for dolphin shows, but only the trainer and a few other people were on hand. Shawn was the first to go and hopped down into the chilly water. Senja was waiting beside the edge. Thin instructor, Alexander, spoke very little English. Shawn put his hands on Senja’s front fins, leaned back a [View Full Entry]

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Today… I wore jeans. :) To start out the tour of the Grand Mosque, Augusta had to change into an abaya and we had to take off our shoes. They also gave us some juice while we waited for our tour guide. Ezra was our tour guide. She was very friendly (as was everyone there that we met or came across). The Grand Mosque (as all mosques in Bahrain) was built and continues to be funded by the Bahrain government. The mosque was built with materials all over the world… Italy, Canada (I think), and other countries. Its capacity is 7,000 [View Full Entry]

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Today we went to the Al-Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve and also the beach! :) It was hot and sunny again... around 95 degrees. On the drive out (maybe 25 mins.) we passed the Formula One circuit race track, the horse race track, the king's palace, and ancient burial grounds. At the wildlife park, before taking the bus tour, we walked around the entrance grounds and looked at various ducks, flamingos, and goats. The tour bus took as on a loop around the refuge. We saw ostriches, numerous goats, deer, and gazelles, as well as giraffe. I think they were all [View Full Entry]

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Today we went horseback riding along the beach. Kai stayed with Teresa (their Sri Lankan maid). The horseback ride started out at The Country Club. Before the ride, we spent about 30 minutes walking around the club and waiting. We also got to meet a camel. The day was sunny and hot, maybe 90 to 95 degrees (which isn't that bad, here, as in the summers it can get above 120 degrees). When the previous tour came back, we (and a few other Americans from the base) got saddled up and started the tour going through a neighborhood. My horse didn't [View Full Entry]

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In my previous posts I failed to mention that Augusta is pregnant again! :) Both her and Celeste are once again pregnant at the same time (though, not as clost together). Shawn and Augusta are already pretty excited. Shawn is already studying pregnancy stuff and bought a book for him and Augusta. Today, we went to another mall, shopped around, and then had lunch. The lunch area was covered with leaves (fake plant leaves) to give the feeling of being in the jungle (there were also some stuffed animals here and there), with fast food places lining the perimeter like you [View Full Entry]

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Augusta, Kai, and I started out the day searching for the Museum of Pearl Diving, which based on the tourist map is located very near the Souq. It was a fairly warm day (mid-80s) and very windy. We had Kai in the stroller (which is invaluable... as many a family has learned it isn't mainly used because the chile has trouble walking, it is used to keep the child in one place :). At any rate, we walked too far and hadn't seen it. We went a block over and doubled back... still no sign of the museum. We did pinpoint [View Full Entry]

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First we went to one of the malls and had lunch at KFC. We also walked around and went through some of the stores. Augusta was looking for a skirt. After that we went back to the Bahrain National Museum to see the rooms that we missed the day before. One room was on the life of the people in Bahrain. One of the most important events in their life is considered to be marriage, and so a large part of the room focused on how the woman is prepared, the wedding, the wedding night, the celebration, etc. Another exhibit was [View Full Entry]

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