The Old Kangaroo Route

06 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , ,

“I’m forwarding my Bahrain tourism article published in The Australian today,” the former Bahrain-resident and ancient history scholar wrote to me.

Deborah Hope’s The Keys to the Kingdom  highlights why a Middle East Tourist should follow the the Kassite kings’ and Hormuz Princes’ examples and take at least two days to stop in Bahrain.

While Deborah lived here, she not only studied the ancient archeological sites at Sar and Barbar but she was part of the team who wrote Bahrain’s application to UNESCO for its “Pearling Heritage” in Muharraq.

On Saturday, the same day the article was published, Sheikha Mai was in St. Petersburg for the UNESCO announcement that Bahrain’s Pearling Heritage corridor had been added to the World Heritage List.

The irony was I read Deborah’s article on my Iphone while sitting in my car.

I was stuck for an hour and a half in a huge traffic jam as the blue-flashing lights of the police and civil defense vehicles maneuvered through cars to put out the fire set across the freeway.  Much of the delay was caused by drivers who tried to push their way to the front by driving on the shoulder, leaving no space at all for the emergency vehicles.

Deborah did mention that during the evenings a visitor would be wise to avoid Budaiya Highway as it is the area where many demonstrations take place.    I will add that the last week around 8pm the Northwest area of the island, after the Yum-Yum Tree Roundabout in Mahooz and just after the Geant/Seef Mall area just before Karranah, was plagued with fires across the highways.

At least they follow a schedule.

A big Shout-Out to these Queens of Bahraini History, Architecture and Culture for their hard work.  With time, the positive voices will drown out the negative ones.

Arriving Late for the Jubilee Ball

02 Jul 2012 2 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Stories from Far Away Lands - Travel Tags: , , , , , , ,

It’s a fantastic time to visit London.  Everything has been spruced up for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics.

We arrived June 17th, the day after the Big Party.  I made up for missing it by purchasing HELLO Magazine’s Diamond Jubilee souvenir edition.

Through October, you can still enjoy an exhibit of the World’s Most Photographed Woman at the National Portrait Gallery.

A photographic documentary of the last 60 years, the exhibit includes some of the most famous 20th century photographers and artists.   The formal and regal Dorothy Wilding’s and Cecil Beaton’s 1952 coronation portraits to the Sex Pistol’s “God Save the Queen” album cover and Andy Warhol’s graphic re-interpretation of the Queen are all on display.

The exhibit includes American Annie Leibovitz’ 2007 Queen Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace photo.  This was from the photo shoot which brought about “Queensgate”, a controversy that led to the resignation of the BBC One’s head.  I love this photo.

Leibovitz was given twenty-five minutes to photograph the 80-year old Queen.  All the photos were taken inside the palace.  At the last minute, Leibovitz asked the Queen for a final photo wearing the admiral’s cape but not the tiara.  Her image was digitally placed in the garden photo taken the day before.

I was naughty and took a photo of this great 3-D portrait before the guard swooped down on me and my little friend.

“Madame, you are not allowed to take any photos.”

Really?  It seems I am the first person who is not allowed to take a picture of the Queen.

If you are not in London, you can view the National Portrait Gallery’s 716 photos of the Queen online.

Annie Leibovitz’ other, more formal, photos of the Queen can be seen in her book, Annie Leibovitz At Work.

In this wonderful book, Leibovitz describes photographing Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was a body-builder and not the Governator; working as a photographer for Rolling Stone; and her by-chance opportunities with the aged architect Philip Johnson, writer Irving Penn and artist Agnes Martin.

She took photos of many, many famous people like Nicole Kidman before she had all that work done on her face and Hillary Clinton with short-hair.  Somebody needs to re-send that photo to Hillary.  I think she needs a new hair style.

There is a photo of Carl Lewis taken just before he competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics – Yaoo – Za!

Sorry Queen, I got a little distracted.

Dubai’s Changing Skyline

20 May 2012 2 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Stories from Far Away Lands - Travel Tags: , , , , , , ,

Dubai Bus Stop with Burj Khalifa in the background

As the sign says

“Dubai is…

A map that gets updated every day.”

One afternoon, the Burj Khalifa is there and the next morning …

Burj Khalifa blasting off into space. Photo by Mojo in April 2012.

It blasts off to parts unknown.

Another Pomegranate Noir Story

09 May 2012 2 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , , ,

June begins the summer exodus.  People fly to other continents to escape the summer heat.  The school year over, military and expatriate families bid farewell as they move onto their next work assignment.  May is the month for good-bye parties.

It started with my friend author Melissa van Maasdyk.  She and her husband Glenn are off to Canada for a new life adventure.

Uncertain what exactly they will be doing, at their good-bye dinner we toasted to “future travels,” “a new beginning in Canada, Uruguay or Panama” and “until we meet again.”  To the very end, Melissa lingered with me and her friend Reem, standing in the parking lot, saying good-bye until Glenn gently reminded her they had to catch their plane.

Another blow was the sad news that after successfully launching the Bahrain Writer’s Circle and editing My Beautiful Bahrain, Robin Barratt’s wife got a new job outside of Bahrain.  Soon he will leave to start fresh somewhere else.

His Navy father’s three year stint complete, our baseball team’s star pitcher’s family is moving to some new secret location.

One of the baseball coaches, a teacher and our martial arts trainer, is taking his family back to Washington state to teach at a new school there.

By June 9th my yoga training will be complete.  My teacher, her philosophic husband and a fellow yogini are headed back to their respective countries.

As Bahrain’s future remains uncertain, two ladies from my sculpting class are headed back to Europe.  Several fathers of the children’s school mates and one of sculpture class buddies have been transferred to Dubai where the grass is definitely greener.

And after eight years in the Junior school, Ace and Mark are graduating and following their sister to the Senior school.  No more chauffeuring for me, they will take a bus to school.

Another tearful, hopeful time.

Culture Clash – If Only It Was This Easy

27 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by Eva the Dragon in Island Tales - Expatriate Living, Stories from Far Away Lands - Travel Tags: , , , , , ,

As I chewed my Paul’s sandwich in the Mall of the Emirates, I watched a Chinese woman surrounded by a crowd of people blow her nose onto the marble floor.  I thought of this sign and wondered whether management should put up a “USE A TISSUE” sign.

In fourteen languages it might work.

Touring Bahrain? Get Your STREETSMART Guide

17 Mar 2012 6 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Food for the Mind - Books, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

You are invited to the Streetsmart Bahrain Book launch party.

Yeah!  The party I have been waiting for.

My friend, author Melissa van Maasdyk, promised she would have her Bahrain travel guide ready before the Formula One in April.  And she did it.

Sunday night was the official reception.  As we drove up to the soon-to-be opened, second wing of the Kempinski Grand and Ixir Hotel, we waited for the line of dignitaries’ cars to be valeted.

“Who are all these people?” Mojo asked.

Arab men dressed in elegant white thobes, African women in long gowns, European ambassadors in business suits, and glam women in high-heels all hurried into the lobby.

“Melissa seems to know everybody in Bahrain,” I said.  “The UN people love her book so much they asked the Director General of UNIDO to speak tonight.  Some must be with him.   And there is Debbie and Mohammed,” I said, pointing at the Bentley pulling in behind us.

Mohammed and Debbie Al Asfoor, the Arabian Sheik perfume designer/creators, are one of the thirteen Bahraini insiders featured in the MY WAY sections (pg. 89) of the guide.   With her enthusiasm for Bahrain, Melissa charmed these Bahrainis into revealing their favorite, and previously unknown to outsiders, places to shop, eat and chill.

As we walked through the lobby doors waiters greeted us with shots of fresh watermelon juice as the Bahraini jazz band 13th Note played.

Melissa introduced me to interior designer Ammar Bashar who created the fabulous entry way for the amphitheater where Andrea Bocelli sang last week.

The very stylish Ammar accessorized his made-in-Bahrain suit with a Hermes scarf instead of a tie.  In Streetsmart he gives away his style secret – his shoes are custom made by a local shoemaker named Ghuloom and has his suits made in the souq at a “fraction of the cost of Seville Row”.   To find these places you need the map in the guide.

Luckily for Melissa, New York based Bahraini photographer Ghada Khunji (pg. 51) was in town for the opening.  I had not met her before.  Like me her favorite aspect of Bahrain is the warmth of the Bahraini people and its multifaceted cultures.  And one of her favorite places to exhibit her photos, eat, have a spa day and a yoga class is at La Fontaine Center for Contemporary Art (pg. 49).

I took a photo of my new friend Errin Stone the Chef and Manager of the Al Riwaq Gallery (pg. 116) getting his book signed.  Just last month Errin helped me host our book club meeting.  He came up with five fresh salads, sandwiches and of course Red Velvet Cake for us to nibble.  Afterwards the members texted me “It was the best book club meeting we’ve had in awhile.” I attributed it to the art and the gallery’s atmosphere.

On the globe Bahrain is small.  But Melissa still managed to bring together Bahrainis who had never met.

Words Bookstore owner Rana whose family has literally lived in Bahrain for centuries met the perfumer and creator of Green Bar, Reem al Khalifa (pg. 168) for the first time.  I had never heard about Green Bar’s made-in-Bahrain line of pure rose waters (pg. 171) but Rana who uses her line of plant-based skin creams said “I’m so glad to meet you.  I love your products.”

Besides these Bahraini gems, the guide includes Bahrain’s key tourist sites – Tree of Life, Barbar Temple, Bahrain Fort, Saar Settlement and the Bahrain National Museum, shopping highlights and the restaurants with the best food.

Next week when my family visits, I am going to travel “off road” and will follow Melissa’s guide deep into the souq to visit Azzam Ayurvedic “that wouldn’t be out of place in Harry Potter’s wizard’s market, Diagon Alley” and through Muharraq’s alleys to the first coffee shop founded by an out-of-work pearl diver.  My brother-in-law who keeps a photo album of his favorite dishes will love going deep in the heart of Gudaibiya to sample the BEST tikka in Bahrain.

I may or may not tell you about our adventures.  Unlike Melissa, I like to keep secrets.

If you want to tour the real Bahrain or need a detailed guide for a day trip, you can pick up Streetsmart at Words Bookstore on Budaiya Highway, Jashanmals in Al A’ali Mall, or the Virgin Mega Store in Bahrain City Center.

If you stay at the Kempinski in City Center, a copy will be in your room.

To get copies of Streetsmart Bahrain for your Formula One visitors, you can email editor@streetsmartbahrain.com.

Melissa and Jamal Shaheen Muharraq carpenter

See you at Jamal Shaheen’s carpentry shop on Road 1125 behind the unmarked wooden door on your left shortly after entering the street (pg. 69).

My Beautiful Bahrain

08 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by Eva the Dragon in Food for the Mind - Books, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: , , , , , ,

Some people are doers and some people talk a lot.

Robin Barratt is a doer – and a creator, an organizer, an inspiration and an all around good guy.  Just a little over a year ago Robin told the Bahrain Writers’ Circle that he would put together a book about Bahrain and get it published.  And he did it.

My Beautiful Bahrain compiled and edited by Robin Barratt

My Beautiful Bahrain is now available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon.

Forty writers from fifteen countries contributed short stories, mini-memoirs, poems and articles about this tiny, tiny island kingdom in the Arabian Gulf.

Based upon my numerous trips to the Ministry of Traffic, my short story “Ali and the Hummer” was chosen for the anthology.  I was inspired by a mysterious Arab woman clad in black leather I saw in the Seef Mall parking lot and another one driving a neon-pink Hummer who swerved in front of me near the Fateh corniche.

I am especially grateful to Robin for taking on a project no one else has done before.  Just as he made his contribution to the community, Robin is leaving Bahrain as work takes his family elsewhere.

That is what this book is about – Bahrain’s timeless appeal.  Since the Babylonians settled in Qal’at al Bahrain, people from all over the world have landed on the island and enjoyed their respite before sailing back into the world.  Nearly everyone who experiences living in Bahrain fondly – and longingly – remembers their days in paradise.

To view a Kindle ebook, you do not need a Kindle Reader.  You can download the free Kindle software onto your computer or IPAD or other tablet device.

WARNING reading My Beautiful Bahrain may tempt you to taste the forbidden fruit.  Do not read while driving.

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