Blogs from Bahrain, Middle East - page 9

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 bit, and then Senja began to swim around the pool with Alexander guiding him around with a training pole (not sure what else to call it) and throwing in a fish or two along the ... read more

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 my number and they can make any other suit based on the measurements they have on file. Pretty cool, methinks. Augusta and Shawn said they could also ship it over pretty cheap through the base. ... read more

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 have a name placard above his stall like most of the others... so, I went through the desert on a horse with no name. :) The instructor gave no instructions, so I relied on Shawn's ... read more

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 would see in the U.S. From there we went back home, Augusta and Kai took a short nap, and Shawn and I went to a hardward store for the metal/foil tubing that connects the dryer ... read more

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 on the nature/wildlife of Bahrain and had some stuffed animals. It was very well done though... with scenes put together... like the beach... showing which animals could be found there. Then we went to pick ... read more