December 25, 2010 – Bill's Blog

: We Did It!

Yesterday I took the kids on a summit climb to the top of Jebel Al Dukhan, which means the Mountain of Smoke. It is the highest point in Bahrain. It certainly not K2, but the kids loved it! They scrambled up the rocks and had pretend adventures. It was surrounded by oil wells and a military base so they could pretend they were James Bond spies.

I read later where the place is now off limits to tourists due to the military camp. No one bothered us however. It is December and the best weather for doing outdoor things in Bahrain. It would be sad if this area was prohibited because it is one of the few outdoor things to do in Bahrain. You can see our rental car below in the back ground of the photo of Oliver.

Kids take to climbing quite easily. I was a bit nervous on the top when Oliver approached the cliff. It is really safe however and perfect for kids. They found a bunch old tools and waste from some construction workers. I wonder why it is called the Mountain of Smoke.

I am catching up on my blog posting from Bahrain.

Curtains for Privacy at a Bahrain Restaurant

In the morning we organized our clothes and de-cluttered Marita’s apartment. I spent most of the time attacking an Acacia tree in her back garden. I cut off some branches near the ground to allow the plants underneath to flourish as well as make it look more like a tree and less like a bush. We also cleaned out a lot of the dead vegetation. I asked why she didn’t develop her back garden more and put some picnic tables and chairs out there. She replied that December is about the only time of the year that one can spend quality time outside as it is extremely hot and dusty most of the year. The backyard does look much nicer and I’ll finish up tomorrow.

We went out for a big lunch at a restaurant called Al Abraaj. The food was spectacular! I highly recommend the restaurant, and there are five of them on the island. I had the stuffed “hammour” fillet, which I believe was catfish. The typical Middle Eastern starters and salads were also great. The Turkish bread with the dips labnah, hommos, and mutabal were delicious. The most interesting thing about the restaurant were the curtains in front of each booth. They have curtains so the Bahraini women can take off their head dress and eat without other men seeing them. This does not include the Indian and Bangladeshi waiters.

Nadia and Ale Posing in Front of the Al Fateh Mosque in Manama

In the late afternoon my brother-in-law and I played tennis on the hard courts of the Riffa Views International School. I haven’t played a tough opponent in years and it showed. I enjoyed the workout however, and want to play more while I am here.

My Christmas spirit has completely gone. In Serbia with the snow, cold, and the live Christmas tree, I was totally into it. But with coming to the Persian Gulf desert, the Christmas spirit has fizzled out. I hope to regain a bit as we approach Christmas day. Still no internet and I’m dying without it.