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Published: October 19th 2008
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Well i can't quite believe i've now been away from the UK for over a year....i left 1st October '07 and will be back in a couple of days, Tuesday 21st '08....so this will be my last blog
I've spent the last few weeks in Bahrain at my sisters place. It's very different from Koh Phangan of course, and took me a little while to adjust. I've been used to riding around on my motorbike, going off to the beach on my days off and enjoying the beautiful views of the sea and lush green palm trees....and although there are palm trees here, they are nearly all brown! It's just so hot and sandy here, and big buildings everywhere. I've got used to it now and it is a good place to be but not really a holiday destination as not a lot to do, especially in the daytime, unless you like shopping!
One thing i missed occasionally on Koh Phangan after being there a while, was wandering around a shopping mall and having a mooch around the shops. Here in Bharain...it's the extreme! I reckon you could go to a different shopping mall nearly every day of the
week!
Unfortunately for me, the first 2 weeks i was here it was Ramadan. This means no eating, drinking or smoking in public places between sunrise and sunset......so me and my sister would go off shopping, but Starbucks would be closed till sunset....shopping just isn't the same if you can't have a coffee and cake break.
My sister drove me around and shown me the sights (which doesn't take long as only a small island) There are a lot of impressive buildings around, but as this island is still developing it is also like driving around a building site with cranes all over the place where new high rises are been built on every corner.
Elaine and Jem were here for my first 2 weeks, then they buggered off to Cyprus and left me to cat sit their 3 cats....don't get me wrong, this was always the plan, they didn't just take advantage and piss off at the first opportunity!
So, we had a few nights out at some lovely restaurants with their friends. It was all a bit of a shock after eating so often at the night market in Koh Phangan, eating curries or noodles
for the equivalent of 60p....to now be in these lovely posh restaurants drinking lots of wine, eating off china plates and deciding which knife and fork to use!!
We met up with Jack and Karen a couple of times, Karens daughter Toni was visiting for a week so we all went for a meal at Upstairs Downstairs....a really lovely restaurant. I felt slightly underdressed in my jeans and t shirt!
Another night we went to Typhoon and actually got to sit outside (yes it's still very warm in the evening but not too hot to sit outside, but it seems a lot of the people that live here are a bit too used to their aircon and tend to sit inside) That night i was drinking Kia Royale! Champagne with a shot of liquer in it.....a long way from the Sangsom and coke buckets i drank so many of in Thailand! Luckily i haven't had to really pay for anything either which is a massive bonus....as i'm skint!
Elaines next door neighbour is Sonia (from Wolverhampton of all places!) and since Elaine and Jem have been away she has been great in having me over for a bottle
of wine and a chat a few times.....and i always end up with a whole bottle as she doesn't drink white wine, so even if i didn't finish the bottle i got to take it home for the next day....wonderful! We had a great night in watching Mama Mia! a great girly chick flick!
I've had a few days out on the lash with Den too. I'd have been pulling my hair out if it wasn't for him taking me out in the daytime. The only place in walking distance is a supermarket but with the added bonus of a Starbucks next door, but i don't want Starbucks every day so was very grateful for someone to go down the pub with.
I called a taxi the other day as felt the urge to get out, called it at 12.30 and they couldn't get me a taxi till after 4pm!! so that was the end of that shopping trip! Though was only going mooching for something to do so not a problem, i just got my book and went and sat on the roof instead.
I had another night out at Upstairs Downstairs with Paula and Nicky, just
drinking this time while Paula was arranging to hold an auction there in December for the BSPCA - (Bahrain Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
Me and Elaine spent 2 mornings at the BSPCA. They have something like 49 cats and 150 dogs that they are looking after and trying to re-home. The first day we had a good look around and spent time fussing some of the animlas, then went back another day and spent more time in the cattery as they need people to try and help socialise the cats there ready for re-homing. The cats here are huge! so much bigger than Thai cats, they have really long legs and quite big ears too.
So for my last weekend, well i had an invite to a party on Friday - Emily's 1st birthday. She is the daughter of Cat and Steve. I went with Paula and Dave who don't have children so we got to sit on the roof on a child free table...though to be fair all the kids there were either too young to walk or very well behaved so it was a very pleasant afternoon/evening. I couldn't belive it when we went
out onto the roof and saw that they had actually hired a chicken kebab man!! Wonderful little chicken kebabs, wrapped up in paper, with a dash of chilli sauce...! superb...and you could eat as many as you like! Paula laughed when i asked for my 4th one! Well, i hadn't ate much that day, and they were only small.
and now, well i'm just relaxing for the next 2 days, sitting on the roof in the sunshine reading till it gets too hot, then bit of TV or internet, then back on roof to wind down....haha, wind down! The only thing i'll be wound up about is in 2 or 3 days time when my flip flops will be packed away till next year!
enjoy my last few photos
.........and thats all folks!!
see you next week sometime...??!!
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