almost western

 DaddyO doesn't like malls (notice his frown in all the pictures:) but when it's 110 degrees outside an air conditioned building was very appealing.


Best of all was that there was a kids area, totally free, that provided fun activities for the little ones to get some energy out.

wishing well at the end of a maze

tramp

fishing pond

 DaddyO found a refreshment that he and CJ could enjoy.


 My friend introduced us to Stickhouse, a chic popsical store that I loved



As we strolled around the shops, if it hadn't been for the women in burkas and men wearing kafias, I would have thought I was in any western mall.

mixed maza platter

DaddyO and I enjoy exploring the cuisine of each country we visit. Bahrain cuisine was right up our taste buds. We love Middle Eastern food, and Bahrain offered fresh delicious dishes that were just a fraction of the price we pay in the states.

al shola

If I could have, I would have stopped at Al Shola to pick up their mixed maza (appetizer) platter for every meal. We simply drove up to the front of the restaurant, gave the employee waiting outside our order, and a few minutes later he would return with a bag filled with fresh warm pita bread, shwarmas, and savory dips and salads.


We never made it back to the house without devouring a couple pieces of the bread. It was delicious on it's own!

marwareed bakery

 Our other frequent stop was the Marwareed Bakery just around the corner from our friend's house. Even in the 100 plus degree weather an outdoor stone oven was fired up and and a group of men worked on kneading, rolling, and baking the bread. Our normal order was five cheese stuffed pieces of pita bread. The man would roll the cheese into the middle of the dough and then stick it to the side of the oven to bake. I would have loved to have gotten a video or pictures of the process but being the only westerner (let alone girl) there ordering I thought it better to try to blend in.


The best part of eating in Bahrain though was enjoying all the wonderful meals with friends.

We spent most of our free time swimming in our friend's outdoor pool while in Bahrain. I did the morning swims and DaddyO took the evening ones, although we both ended up in the pool together quite a bit. I'm not a big pool person but I must I could get used to a covered courtyard one. The sun was never an issue, I hate having to slather sunscreen on the kids,and the shower was just a couple steps away.

EJ tried swimmies for the first time and was excited to find out she could do cannonballs in the deep end on her own.

CJ squealed and kicked with excitement each time he got in the water. I think he's going to be a fish just like his big sister. 

The Royal Camel Farms was not on our list of things to visit while in Bahrain,  but ended up being a highlight. I’d never seen so many camels!


We discovered it while perusing the "things to do" list on Trip Advisor. The camel farm was ranked #9. Being only 20 minutes outside of the city so we thought we would check it out


Sheikh Mohammed (Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, and constitutional monarch of Dubai) set up the farm to preserve the presence of the camel in Bahrain which, before cars were introduced, was the Bahrain's foremost mode of transportation.

It is open to the public but not at all touristy. It was another 110 degree day so we headed straight for the shaded shelter.


The camels were friendly and gentle. Not at all the ornery animal I expected.We could get as close as we wanted!

EJ was in her glory to find friends in Bahrain who enjoyed dressing up just as much as she did.


They were so sweet to share all their dress up clothes with her!

It only seemed fitting that DaddyO would feed CJ his first food. A mushy mixture of milk and rice cereal was prepared and CJ was more than eager to start eating.

The first grocery store we visited was alosra on the island of Amwaj. Since there is a big expat community on that island the grocery store is a high end mix of western and Arab products.We visited this store quite a few times.


I loved their aisle dedicated to dates. Who knew there could be so many different kinds?


DaddyO loved it all. I guess that is what being on a boat so long will do to you.


We made a couple late night runs. We weren't sure if it was bad taking the kids out shopping at 10 p.m. at night. We were still dealing with the time difference and getting them down before midnight seemed impossible.


We were surprised to find quite a few kids out shopping that late and learned it was actually quite common. With 110 plus weather during the day, nighttime is the best time to be out and about.


If I could have chosen any souvenir to bring back with me from Bahrain it probably would have been their grocery cart. EJ loved pushing it around!
 

I've been looking forward to this photo-shoot for four months. A few hours after meeting DaddyO at the airport I grabbed the SLR camera and started shooting.


CJ was all smiles for his Daddy which made it easy to capture some good ones. 


EJ took a break from princess pretending to get in a few shots.


 I've been told I'll never take as many pictures of the second as I did of the first. I'm trying my hardest to prove that wrong.