Day One in Sandland

We logged 15 hours of flying time with Lufthansa yesterday and arrived in Saudi Arabia in one piece. Flying from Denver - Frankfurt - Bahrain is faster than the Minneapolis - Amsterdam - Dhahran leg we used to fly back when I was a kid. Maybe it goes by faster since I fall asleep right away where as a toddler I used to try and stay up and watch whichever movie was showing. Yes, flights go by faster when you sleep on them.

Mom and Dad were waiting in Bahrain for us and after slipping the customs agent 10 euros worth of Bahraini dinars, we passed through security and started on our way to Saudi.

Bahrain has certainly changed since I was last year five years ago. Manama, the capital city, has skyscrapers lining the Persian Gulf and is littered with bright and neon lights, fast food chains, and speeding drivers.

Our first stop was a tour of the "black flag" district, a strict Shiite neighborhood where inhabitants have been known to set fire to the car tires of innocent passerbyers. My Dad, always one to try and impress his guests, thought it would be a great initiation for Emily on her first visit to the Middle East. Needless to say, a great hush of anticipation fills the car when Dad takes us on these wild adventures. I'm happy to report despite receiving some wild looks, our car made it out of the district with car tires intact.

The next stop was to cross the 13-mile Causeway, a bridge that joins Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The bridge is divided in half and each side is identical: 6.5-miles long with the same humps and bumps along the road. The only difference is, you kiss goodbye to a modern Middle Eastern culture and say hello to the most conservative Muslim country in the world. Pork, booze and rights for women are left in Bahrain. Sorry to say. Fortunately, Westerns have become experts at sneaking all of the above into the country on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. These have become the tricks of the trade.

We made it home late, well after midnight, and were greeted by a very tired, but happy-to-see-us Golden Retriever, Jasmin. Day one complete. Tomorrow we travel to Damman to the new international airport to pick up Michael, Bryan and Elisabeth Benchich (M & B were my best childhood friends). They are here for the 75th year anniversary of Saudi Aramco and are coming back into the country for the first time in 14 years. Can't wait to see them.

Peace,
LF