Justin C wrote in
:

's a shame really, the history to be seen in the region is mind-
blowing.
There were well established civilisations there while most of Europe
were still living in mud huts.

Justin.


The burial mounds all over Bahrain are most mysterious. In their
national museum is a great model of what is inside them. Also in the
museum, in its own little room, is a tiny Bahraini flag and little "moon
rock" NASA was supposed to have taken to the moon and brought back.
They seem very proud to have had a little piece of it.

The history of Bahrain stares you in the face every time you turn a
corner in the old part of the city where we used to stay at Middle East
Hotel, a cheap hotel a couple of blocks from the Gold Souk...easy
walking distance. 39 dinars a day with a simple restaurant for
breakfast before going to work on the USS La Salle or USS Coronado for
the Charleston Naval Shipyard Tiger Team. We always stayed there and as
repeat business were treated very well, in spite of the spartan
surroundings. I lost one rented Toyota Corolla in their dirt parking
lot outside the hotel kitchen when a sudden storm rained on the desert
island. There are no STREET DRAINS! The place became a LAKE in about
10 minutes! For days huge pumping trucks sucked water out of the
flooded streets, dumping it in the Gulf, I suppose. I still have the
waders I bought, a Bahrain souvenir...(c;

It's been about 20 years, but I'd go back to Bahrain in a heartbeat.
The Bahrainis dared me to go to their tailor shop and have a custom
linen suit of clothes made, then showed me how to dress in it. I
thought they would be offended by my dressing like them. Au contraire!
They stopped me on the street to say how well I was dressed, properly,
even correcting my headgear arrangement to their amusement. "How crazy
you Westerners are to walk around in the hot sun with your head
sunburning.", was said to me several times. The tailor made it all by
hand. I got to watch and be fitted. Then, he dragged me around to the
shops in his part of the souk to show off his handiwork for this
American. I still remember how well I was received.

Damn these wars are ruining a lot of great travel opportunities.

In a gold shop, the Bahraini proprietor who was making a custom gold set
for my wife wanted to look at my wedding band. "Very nicely made.
First Class work!", he exclamed, "But, only 14 carat! Very cheap!"

Thieves broke into my home, opened the satin lined, velvet case his 22K,
hand made, gold filigree jewelry with real Gulf pearls was in. They
opened the case, saw how yellow the real gold was, figured it was fake
and tossed it onto our bed with the other junk they didn't want. It was
the most valuable thing in the house!......