BACK
IN BAHRAIN
In Bahrain going to the souq is not only fun but THE tourist thing to do
~ most of the locals also shop there ~ AND there is no set
price ~ you always bargain ~ that is expected.
This is the Bab Al Bahrain 
~
Which means Gateway to Bahrain. It is the entrance to the Souq.
These are some of the scenes in the souq.
This is one of the main entrance 
streets into the souq.
This
is how most of 
the locals buy their herbs and spices.
This
is the part of the souq
they call the cloth souq.
The Gold Souq
This is the entrance
Most of the jewelry is now in this 3
story air conditioned mall 
in the souq. There are still many
shops around this area selling gold but it is nice to shop in AC.
This
can be pretty overwhelming
looking
at all the gold. It is mostly all at least 21 ct gold and looks much
darker than the gold in the states because of that. This is typical gold
for weddings and engagements. 
There is also a Manama Central Market
Here you will find fruit and vegetables 
from all over the world, meat, and fresh fish
There
are so many restaurants in Bahrain now that there are too many to
count. There is any and every kind of food that you would want to
eat. The service is wonderful and you have the feeling they are
there just to make you happy and have a wonderful dinning experience.
This is one of the Arab Restaurants
In a lot of the restaurants you will see the traditional bubble bubble
pipe being smoked. On many days they will sit outside and drink
coffee, visit and smoke their pipe.
The
Arab people are very hospitable folks. You are always treated as
guests no matter where you are or which shop you are in. One of the
traditions is to offer you Arab coffee. 
It is impolite to refuse their offer.
Hotels
There are too many to count ~ When we were here before the Gulf and
the Holiday Inn were on the beach. Now, due to the land reclamation
they are several blocks from the water.
This is an aerial view of the Holiday Inn
LeRoyalMeridien Hotel ~ the only one
with beach front and ocean now
Inside
the 
Gulf Hotel
The
Regency 
The Round -A-Bout in front of
the Regency Hotel
One
of the first industries in Bahrain was their pearl diving and trading.
All of the gold and pearls you buy
here come with papers that have been authenticated by the gem society.
One of the other large industries here in Bahrain is date farming.
This
is a date palm farm
These are dates ready to harvest ~
which is done in late August. 
There are
many things to do here in Bahrain.
They are really big into horses and horse racing.
There are many equestrian centers here and mostly they ride English.
There
is weekly Show Jumping in the winter months. There is camel ridding
and racing.
Camel Ridding
I
haven't had the nerve yet but I hope to before we leave here.
You can visit the Wildlife park and see some of the rare animals they
have.
There
is the local tradesmen making chests and furniture.
This is typical Arab 
furniture
You can visit the old towns and tour some of the old homes. This is a typical old arab door in the most common color blue
You can tour some of the villages where they still weave cloth and make baskets.
You can visit the southern part of the island and see the oil rigs that they have made to look like animals
You
can tour some of the mosques as long as you wear appropriate clothing and
cover your head.
This is a mosque
in Budaya
To photos of our house here in
Bahrain
