Bahrain

For the few that have been asking...here's a few tidbits from my time in Bahrain

Bahrain is a small island country (on 34 mi by 11 mi) on the Persian Gulf.  It is believed that it was home to an ancient civilization called the Dilmun. Then the country was taken over by various groups of Persians, the Portuguese, and then the British. The country only became under it's own rule in 1971 and has ben running as a Kingdom since 2002.

The Grand Mosque

Deciding that I wanted to explore a little bit of the country of Bahrain, I went one weekend to take a look at the Grand Mosque. The mosque is one of the largest in the world and offers free tours daily to all that are interested in viewing it. I was under the mistaken idea that the mosque was older and from one of the original societies that inhabited this island. In reality, the mosque is barely a quarter of a century old. It was build by the late Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa between 1984 and 1988.

Even though there isn't the ancient historical factor to add allure to the mosque, it's beauty holds it's own appeal. The late Sheikh poured millions into the building of the mosque and the attached Islamic Center. The outside courtyard floor tiles are made from Venetian marble, the glass globes that adorn all the lights hanging from the ceilings are hand-blown Parisian glass and the elegant, but understated chandelier in the main room of the mosque is created from Swarovski crystals.

The tour itself is nice and pretty informative, but be aware that you need to adhere to local dress to enter...that means long skirts or pants for women (they'll provide you with a burka as well).

The Souq

The Souq is a combination of meeting place and large multi-city block mall. You can buy everything and anything in this place. You wander between narrow walkways with barrels of grains in a rainbow of colors on one side and men drinking chai and smoking shisha on the other side. It's a great place for people watching and for buying things at slightly more reasonable prices, but be prepared to haggle when they realize you're American.

The Al Adeem Animal Park

My roommies and I decided to go visit the Animal Park. We didn't know exactly what to expect, but wanted to see what types of animals they'd have out in the desert. The Al Adeem Animal park is located about midway down the country, next to the NASCAR race track and a very sketchy water park (that is supposed to be one of the happening places in the summer regardless of it's questionable looks).

As we drove to the entrance, we were greeted with cutouts of many different animals lining the sides of the road that lead into the park. Instantly, childish glee took over and we were quite content to take ridiculous selfies with the different animals. If nothing else, this made the trip worth it.

Your 1 BD entrance fee gains you a 30 minute microbus ride to the outreaches of the park where you get to glance at a dozen different types of gazelles, some camels, monkeys, goats, and a bird water park. The animals each have their own little enclosures and seem content to laze in whatever shade they can find. The bus driver likes to blaze around the road, only stopping for a few seconds at each location to tell you what animal can be viewed from the window, so have your cameras ready if you hope to catch a shot of anything.

After the bus ride, you're dropped off at the "Wild Animals" enclosure, where you walk through an air-conditioned building viewing lions, bears, hyenas, and wolves outside in their own little enclosures.

It's not the best "zoo" I've ever been too, but it was well worth the $2.67 I paid to get in.

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a large Mesquite tree that's over 400 years old that grows in the middle of a desert area where the only thing else around it is oil drilling platforms. The root system for the tree delves deep into the earth and soaks up what little water it can find since it is located in one of the most arid areas in the country. This ability to survive in such an inhospitable area is what provides most of the mystere for the Tree and what makes it such a tourist destination.

The Tree is surrounded by ancient ruins that date back 500 years and may have been related to the Dilmun society. There is even a myth that the Tree is the one that Eve takes the cursed apple from.

So that's kind of where I'm at. Hope all is well wherever you all are.