Random Thoughts and Observations

I heard my first call to prayer the other night.  It was a very harmoniously sounding chant.  We have them everyday in the mall (we also have a mosque) but I haven't heard it.

Getting internet sites from the US is difficult.  For instance, Netflix will not allow me to rent movies because it doesn't go out of the US.  Anyone knoe how to access a US server so I can get movies?

There is so much dust in the air that the roof of the building accross the street looks the same color as the gravel of the reclaimed area.  It is so hazy that it looks like smoke in the air.

Westerners get a lot of attention here.  It is a little weird coming from the US and be treated so darmatically.  I went to a grocery store (think K-mart with food) and got some almonds.  Two weeks later I went to get more and the guy who had only seen me once started packing the almonds for me before I asked.  This is not unusual.  The coffee clerk remembers me, the car park attendant remembers me, the security officer remembers me.  It is a strange feeling to be treated so differently.  There is also a very distinct stratification of natioalities here.  Westerners rank very highly, especially Americans and Brits (which accounts for the treatment I have been receiving).  Not that we do not have the same thing back home, but here it is more overt.  In some ways the way it is here is more honest.  This is especially true of the Indian work force here.  The caste system is firmly in place.  Most of my top level managers are Indian while at the same time most of the laborers are also Indian.  But there is a significant class distinction.  The Filipinos run all the shops or work at the mall.  Bangladeshis are mainly the outdoor labor force.

I found an organic food store and the manager has special ordered some frozen blueberries for me.  He even called to let me know they are arriving and when I can pick them up.  They are a super food so eat lots of them!  Very healthy for you and high in anti-oxidants.  Finding a place where I could oredr these was a happy day for me!

I went to  the Brit Club the other night...took a taxi for good reason.  When time to leave, no taxis in sight.  The manager sent me home with their driver.  He was a shia, the group that is having the demonstrations, but he spoke very well of how he feels the gov't is really making strides to ensure all Bahrainis are fairly treated.  It gives a person hope.  The irony was that the highway going in the opposite direction was completely shut down due to a burning road block.  There really isn't any confrontations, just these mini acts of sabotage.  Regardless, most of the people here, sunii and shia, hope these demonstrations go away.  It really is a pleasant country and I have no concerns for safety.

I miss the beasts...they are in my dreams almost every night.  My sister, who is watching them, calls hers monsters.  So, when she sends me email, the subject line is beasts and monsters.  Very catchy.

I had to read the instruction manual for the washing machine...yes, a guy needing to read the instructions.  Let me tell you, washing clothes is a BIG hassle here.  You must manually program EACH cycle.  AND, the machine only holds about 3 towels...OR 10 shirts...OR...three pairs of jeans.  Then it gets really fun, no dryer.  Everything needs to be hung on a rack.  The only good news is that things dry very quickly here.

You don't drink the water here.  It is potable, but desalinated and nasty tasting.  You have water delivered.  The cost is around $3 per 5 gallon jug and they bring it weekly.

I have yet to see a movie here, but there are three theaters all within walking distance that show most of the Hollywood hits as they come out.  They also show hits from Bollywood.  The Indian expatriate community in Bahrain is almost 40% of the population.  They have some economic clout.

All the TV stations, except Arabic, are subtitled in Arabic.

Driving is a challenge.  Cars will drive over the center line until the decide which lane they want.  Even the traffic signs say "Pick a Lane"  and I am not jokng.  That is verbatim what the signs say.

If the police see you talking on the phone while driving they will pull you over and make you pay a fine.  The fine is $13 so everyone still talks on the phone.  I do know someone who was caught.

There is a nice breeze today so it doesn't feel so hot.  The problem is, it makes you forget how hot it really is so keep drinking water!

That's it for now...more random thoughts and observations later.

Peace!