Borders to Bahrain

Its all about cruising through Saudi Arabian desert to the tunes of my dad's collection of 70's hits. So surreal. There is nothing like looking at miles, and miles of open, sandy desert while the Beegee's scream stayin' alive. Well, at least yesterday it was, today it was all about sitting through hours and hours of customs and car trip while the rest of my family screamed at each other in Arabic. Luckily I had my shuffle with me...man that thing can be a life saver.







So, a couple days ago My father Baba, step-mother Khalti-Nabila, sister Lujain and I all piled into my dads car and we drove 4 hours through Saudi Arabia to Bahrain. All in all an amazing trip. I wish we had more time there, i wish i wasn't so jet-lagged, and i also wish i was traveling with folks whose idea of sightseeing isn't mall hopping. There is nothing more frustrating than traveling for hours just to find yourself in another mall that looks exactly like the one you left at home (except that people smoke in these malls). However, i do have to admit that one of the BEST MEALS OF MY LIFE i got in a mall in Saudi Arabia. it sounds rediculous but its true. I wish i had a picture of the place so i could put it up here but i was so delirious from how good it was it didnt dawn on me. It was soo god damned good that I worry for the mans soul who owns that place. How the hell did he make chicken and rice taste like that? I am sure there is a sketchy answer in there somewhere, and if there is i dont want to hear about it. The place is so good that people travel from Kuwait and Bahrain, hours, just to sit in a cafeteria, just like you would see in any mall in the states, and eat from this Persian vendor's wonderful, wonderful food.

So, after that we went to Bahrain, i secretly hoped to run into Michael Jackson but we had no such luck. The King of Pop must be celebrating the 25th year of Thriller somewhere else. Instead we spent the evening exploring Bahrain's Old Town, which is essentially an oldschool marketplace. after that we went back to the hotel for the rest of the night. The next day we drove around a bit, checking out the island and stopping in at a really nice seafood restaraunt before we left. We also stopped at another market long enough for Baba to get a parking ticket and for Lujain and I to walk around a bit on our own. This was my favorite part of the trip. Lujain on her own is really quite sweet and helpful, friendly and fun to be around. We joke around in English and she does her best to teach me Arabic without losing her patience or making fun of me too much. When we are around her parents its another story; there is alot more screaming and whining involved, conversations in Arabic I don't really follow (or want to). Of course they are the ones arguing, i really have no idea whats going on, and do my best to seem as neutral as possible. I know that some of this is natural, growing pains of a 10 year old but I cant help but feel like i am directly to blame in some way. There is definitely some jealousy issues going on. It sucks feeling like I am in a competition with my 10 year old sister for my fathers attention, I'm sure she feels the same way. I am glad that its not always like that though. Lujain and I on our own get along great. the other day we were reading together, playing pool, and when we are out she never acts up too badly. She loves Beirut (the band) and we have made plans to drive around the city and take pictures as well as find new places for us to go reading together. I am really looking forward to those trips, and like being an older brother for a younger sister. I think I'm good at it, i hope she thinks so too.
















So, what I learned about Bahrain:
-its an island
-the weather there is more humid than kuwait. so, this time of year its a bit cooler but more comfortable. Sumer time must really suck there.
-a decent amount of motorcycles.
-car accidents everywhere
-it is the closest place for me to go and get a legally alcoholic beverage.
-it has a much more metropolitan feel to it. Especially compared to where Ive been in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. More crowded feeling, more diverse, more things going on, more laid back. At least that was my impression. I would definitely go back.


Jetlag sucks. Alot. Its hard to sleep, its hard to be awake, and it fucks with your appetite big time. When trying to sleep, it feels like there is a string, a bass string along my spine that someone has plucked just once and it is just continuously vibrating. When my eyes are closed, and i am as still as possible I can feel these vibrations going off in my fingers, at my elbows, behind me knees and the tips of my ears. My palms tingle. I can hear my heartbeat too, but its a separate rhythm, more steady. Jetlag sucks.

(ok..really tired, lots of photos to put up but im too exhausted to spend the time to do it. Thanks to Lauren for giving me this awesome camera for Christmas which i used A BUNCH. All these pics were taken by me except for the one i have used for my profile. That was taken by Lujain.)