So, despite all of the problems and hassles of living here, occasionally we get something nice. We don't get many USO tours through here (the last one was some folks from American Gladiators), and Bahrain is really lacking in a music/theater scene.

Last night I found out that Christian Slater and "some others" were going to be coming by the base today. The others? Kal Penn and Zac Levi, who might be even bigger stars than Slater at this point. So, Rebecca and I went over to the base at 5pm and stood in line to get signed autographs from these guys. They were all very gracious and nice about everything.

I must say, my inner 13 year old who had posters of Christian Slater on her wall is definitely squeeing.

	Lori and Christian Slater His IMDB biography says that he is 5'8.5", but I'm betting more on 5'6", considering the photo. He was very nice and posed for a ton of pictures.
	Lori and Joel Moore Yes, I didn't know who he is either, but he was in Dodgeball and a few other movies-- even an episode of Angel. He was also quite nice and very talkative. Apparently he's best friends with Zac Levi (star of Chuck), so I imagine that's how he got on the tour. You can see Zac Levi bending down to sign an autograph in between our heads.
	Lori and Kal Penn Kutner! Kumar! Very nice, and joked when he saw me raising my eyebrows at him about using hand sanitizer. He has a definite sparkle in his eyes and I can just tell he's super smart. I did have to wonder if this is what he thought he'd be doing when he went to work for President Obama's press secretary.

On Monday Rebecca and I went on a "desert safari," which is one of the main tourist attractions in Dubai. For the fee you pay, you get a trip into the desert and then you go "dune bashing." You end up at a "bedouin camp" for a meal and a bellydance show.

The dune bashing is hard to describe, but it was tons of fun. It was like being on a giant roller coaster that was always shifting; however, it was more frightening since there was no track and you were at the mercy of the driver. Fortunately, the drivers have a 2 month training course and then 1 month of driving without people in the car before they can drive tourists, so I felt pretty safe. The whole time I was doing it, I kept thinking of who would enjoy it-- Dad and Laura M. came to mind instantly.

Since I couldn't really take pictures during the time in the car, I found this video on Youtube that pretty well shows what it's like. You don't have to watch the whole thing, but watch at least half of it to see the crazy sliding down hills parts.



( You can click here to see the pictures of the dunes and the camp. )

The second day we were in Dubai we did a bus tour of the major sights in and around Dubai.

( Click here to see pictures from our bus tour and dhow cruise )

On the day that we arrived in Dubai, we had a little bit of time to settle into our hotels and wander around before meeting up to go see Cirque du Soleil. I thought the show was neat, but Rebecca (who is a Cirque fangirl), seemed to think the show was lacking in comparison to other shows.

( Click here to see the pictures from our first day and night in Dubai. )

From Saturday - Tuesday Rebecca and I went on a short spring break trip to Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates. Originally, Rebecca's dad was supposed to go, but he found out he was too sick to travel a few days before he left. So, while we had reservations in different hotels, Rebecca and I still met up to do things.

I stayed in the Orient Guest House which is in downtown, or the older section of Dubai. I took a ton of pictures from the visit, so I'm going to post this in parts. I'm also putting the pictures behind a cut, just in case people don't want to scroll through all of them each time. For the friends and relatives not familiar with this, just click on the text below to see the pictures.

( Click here for pictures and descriptions. )

So, February has run its course and March is now here. This means the return of hot weather, whereas we've just been having warm weather. It's now usually in the upper 70s in the daytime, sometimes going to the mid-80s. Fortunately, the humidity isn't that bad (yet), though it will start getting nasty in May. Apparently, it's swimming weather by mid-April.

However, we have a few rains over the past month. Like everything else here, the rain is not what I am used to.

Essentially, it rains mud.

There is so much dust and pollution in the air, that the raindrops themselves are dirty. Also, so much dust and stuff gets trapped in things, that even if you park your car under an awning, it's still covered with stuff after a rain.

Example?

This is my neighbor's car where he parks it under the awning. Notice, the car is completely covered.

This is the neighbor's car after a rain. Notice all of the mud? That's from the awning!

After the last rain storm, I couldn't see out my back window, it was so covered with dusty mud.

A close up of the mud on my car. Mud doesn't show up on silver very well in photos.

Why is the air so dirty, you may ask? Because of the dust storms, my friend! If you've never experienced a dust storm, count yourself lucky.

View looking out onto the soccer field First of all, the sky becomes this weird, post-apocalyptic shade of yellow.

Same field, soccer goal Then it becomes gradually more and more dusty, until there are just fine particles everywhere. Seeing things becomes difficult.

With dust storms, the dust just gets everywhere. You come home to find a fine layer of dust over everything that is exposed in your house. If you stay outside in it for almost any period of time, you breathe in the dust and if you have anything to drink, it turns into mud in your mouth.

I feel the worst for people who have to work outside. Our security guards have good filtration surgical masks that they wear and glasses to keep it out of their eyes, but I see the poor laborers with just a bandana pulled up over their noses and mouths. Supposedly, the dust storms will keep happening until the end of March, but then they'll stop. They usually last for about 3 days, each day getting progressively better, but I was told there was one a few years ago that lasted for two weeks!

On a completely different note, I'm going to do a grocery shopping post soon. Even shopping here is a bit of an adventure. I do my shopping in both the Navy Exchange on base and at a couple of local supermarkets, depending on traffic.

Over the last few years in the States, I've been in the habit of only buying organic milk. I think it tastes a little better and I want to support the industry, so I do it. Besides, it's not *that* much more expensive than the regular milk. At least, that's so in the States.

The NEX hasn't had any organic milk and I figured they just couldn't get it. Organics are hard to come by here as a rule. However, some organic milk showed up in the exchange this week. I got all excited, until I saw the price tag.




Yes, you will notice that the price says $8.99...... FOR A HALF GALLON OF MILK!!!!!!! That would be $18 a gallon!
The first time I saw it, my jaw dropped, and then it completely hit the floor as I saw a guy reaching for it. I couldn't contain myself, so I asked him if he was really buying the $9 milk, thinking he might not have looked at the price tag. He just shrugged and said he was.

So, if anyone wants to move to the Middle East and start an organic dairy farm, I think you could be in for some major profits. Julie, are you hearing that? Come and bring Khrissy back to her homeland!

On Saturday Rebecca, Julie (the third grade teacher), Julie's houseguest Marla, Julie's friend Marcella and I all went out to a camel farm. I never really thought I liked camels, and I'm still not a fan of their smell. But the camels we met were just too sweet.

	Male Camel This male camel was tethered (you can see the chain on one of its ankles) right outside the breeding pen.
	Bindi and baby This was our guide Bindi. We weren't on official tour, we just walked in the back way to the camel farm. Marcella, Julie's friend, knows the owner.
	Wobbly legs! This is a six hour old baby camel! I'm not one to gush over baby animals, but this is so cute. The mama was very nice and let us pet and be quite close to the baby.
	Baby nursing. This is the baby nursing. You can see the brand on the mama camel's leg. The camels belong to Sheik Mohammad, who is the King's uncle. Bindi said the camels were mostly raised to be given as gifts, though some are eaten.
	Funny faces. Camels have such expressive faces. These were two camels in the pen with the brand new baby. They were very curious and kept rubbing up against us.
	Very pregnant camel This pregnant camel looked like it was going to deliver at any time. A camel's gestation period is 13 months. Remind me not to be reincarnated as a female camel.
	Bird taking a ride. There were heron-looking birds that hung around the camels and would sit on their backs. Bindi said they would eat the insects off of the camels.
	Baby camel luv. We went into another pen that had 13 baby camels and mamas. This baby was very fearless and came up to me. It had the softest, curly fur on the top of its back. I had no idea camel fur could be so soft, I usually think of it like horse hair.
	Neck licking. The baby camel really liked me! It kept trying to lick my neck and give me kisses. We surmised that it was because I had used a honey body wash that morning-- the camel smelled the sweetness on me, since it didn't react like that to any of the other ladies.
	Camel kisses. I succumbed to the charm of the baby camel and let it kiss me. I wish I was holding my camera to get close-up of its face.

First of all, here's a shout-out to my Aunt Clarice and Uncle Ken who were asking my parents about why I haven't been posting. This I'll try to keep y'all more up to date. :)

On Tuesday afternoon, my department chair, Linda, and my friend Rebecca and I went to the Bahrain Expo Center for the Autumn Fair. It was a very strong combination of goods from around the world being offered for sale. There was everything from nuts and sweets from Jordan, honey from Syria, luggage from China, amber from the Balkans, and all sorts of other things. Oddly enough, there were lots of infomercial-like demos going on for steamers, chopping utensils, magic bullets, etc. Pretty much your typical expo.

There were LOTS of village women who were there, it was really a sea of black. Lots and lots of Shi'a, wearing full abayas and even some wearing veils. It was annoying, because the ones who had netting over their eyes couldn't see very well in the crowd and kept running into folks. I also kept stepping on women's abayas when they would stop suddenly in front of me.

It was really crowded, so we left after a few hours. I definitely could have spent more time if it weren't for the crowds. I'm just not a fan of "everyone out for themselves" type situation. As an example, you will almost never see me shopping on Black Friday-- I just hate having to elbow through crowds.

So, here are some highlights of things. I should have taken more pictures, but it was hard since I was constantly being jostled. Definitely a good experience, though.

	Perfume Guys The Bahrainis (and Arabs in general) really love their perfume. There were a bunch of perfume stands all over the expo. The bowls of icky gelatinous stuff these guys are standing over is hand cream of various scents. They also had incense burning on the other part of the table, so you can only imagine how lovely the whole place smelled with competing incense and perfume odors.
	Magic Corn Rebecca is posing with her "Magic Corn" cup. We've seen these stands in the mall and have never understood them-- it pretty much looks like a bunch of frozen-then-steamed corn in a sytrofoam cup. Where's the magic? However, Rebecca was so hungry after school that she broke down and got the magic corn, and apparently it is magical! There's some sort of combination of butter and spice that makes it work, so she says. I'm still skeptical.
	Comfoters One of the things that the Arabs seemed to buy the most of at this bazaar were bedspreads and comforters. You can sort of see the women in abayas (black robe covering) standing around and looking at the merchandise. Most of the comforters had big, ugly floral prints on them, definitely not to my taste, but the Arabs were buying them up. Also, there were Sherpa-like guys who would offer to carry your purchases around for you. It was a little sad to see the small men carrying four or five cases filled with comforters for one lady.
	Ugly Fabric There were many booths with fabric and "housecoat" type dresses in them. The eye boggled at the variety of colors and patterns. I suppose if you have to wear black on the outside every day, you might go a little crazy on the color/patterns underneath. Of course, Linda also said that "gaudy Saudi" is a byword around here.
	Genie Shoes This was my most exciting purchase at the expo. Aren't they awesome? The soles are leather and there's no right or left foot, but I think they are so much fun. I just love the little curled-up toes. Rebecca and Linda said they were "me" and I had to get them.

When I first arrived here, all I could talk about was the heat. Really, I have never experienced anything like it before. Every day it was over 100 degrees with about 80-90% humidity. Through all of August and September when I walked outside, my glasses fogged up. That's hot.

In October and November it "cooled down" to be in the 90s and upper 80s. Still hot, but much more bearable and the humidity abated somewhat. I was gone for most of December, so I can't really comment on the weather.

When I arrived back in January, everyone was complaining of how cold it was. There was a "cold snap" that first week of January, where it was in the low-60s/upper 50s during the day and the 40s at night. Personally, those are some of my favorite temps! It's warmed up a bit now, but most days are in the upper 60s with a high of around 70-72. At night it's getting into upper 50s.

Most of the houses don't have central heating (though I hear some of my kids' mansions do), so we rely on space heaters to stay warm. My flat is on the third floor, so it stays pretty moderate. There is a giant bank of windows in the living room, which I think provides some passive solar heat-- I'm guessing I'll be closing the curtains when it gets hot again. Also, the floors in my bedroom and study are laminate instead of marble, so that doesn't get as cold. I had two space heaters contracted into my lease that the landlord had to provide. They're electric, but they look like little radiators on wheels. They have lovely long extension cords, so I can wheel them to whereever I need a little heat. I bought a small heater with a fan to put in my bathroom-- the bathwater gets cold too quickly otherwise. Yes, yes, I'm keeping the cord and heater well away from the tub. In fact, there isn't even an outlet in my bathroom.

My friend Rebecca lives on the ground floor in another building and she is always complaining about the cold. Granted, she's not quite as well insulated as I am, but I think living on the ground floor doesn't help. I also think her building must not be very well insulated, since her upstairs neighbors are also complaining about the cold. As she has two cats, I haven't medicated myself to go over and experience the walk-in freezer she claims is the living room.

My prefered way to be in the winter is to have cool air on my face, but be bundled up in cozy sweaters or blankets. In fact, I've been sleeping with the windows in my bedroom open for about two weeks. I can't bear to turn the a/c on in January, but my optimum sleeping temperature is about 65-69 degrees.

This afternoon I'm going to the "Autumn Fair" expo with Rebecca and Linda (my dept. chair). I think it's a bit like a big bazaar, and supposedly you can get some good deals. I am on the lookout for pretty fabric to perhaps get some more clothing made. I am so tired of all my warm weather gear, I'll need to get something new when the weather heats up (sadly, in about 2 months).

It's almost 12:30 and I'm completely wired for some reason. I didn't even take a nap after school today, so I've no idea why I am so wide awake.

On January 9 I went to Sparadise to experience their Oriental Hammam, or Turkish bath.

First of all, I have to say it rocked. My only other bath experience outside of my own bathroom has been at the public hot springs in Budapest. This was very different.

It started with them giving me a robe and having me strip down to my undies. Then I went upstairs to the hammam room and met my Tellak (bath attendant) who was from Tunisia. She was pretty fluent in English, which was nice, and she told me she also spoke French and Arabic.

We started by having me sit on a stool next to a sink that was overflowing with running water. Then she dipped in a large bowl and started pouring it all over me. The water was warm and pretty pleasant, even when she doused my head. When I was good and soaked, she put me in a small steam room.

The steam room was big enough for one person and had a wooden bench like a sauna. The steam was warm and scented slightly herbal. There was beautiful tile work on the walls of the steam room, I wish I could have taken a picture but I think my camera would have died. I stayed in the steam room for about 15 minutes, I was definitely glad I'd brought along a giant bottle of water. Once I got past the weirdness of just sitting by myself in the room, I just took deep breaths and found it to be pretty relaxing.

After the steam, she pulled me out and I sat on the stool again while she doused me with lukewarm water. After the hot steam, the water felt super refreshing. Then she started soaping me up with black olive soap. Again, it smelled slightly herbal, with definitely olive-y. After I was completely soaped, she stuck me back in the steam room for another 10 minutes. I was kind of surprised to be sitting in the steam room all soapy, but that's the way it works. I'm not sure how much soap was left when I came out again, since I had been sweating like crazy.

The Tellak got me out of the steam room, sat me on the stool, and then rinsed me with more water. I have no idea what this place's water bill must be like! After all of the soap was rinsed off, I lay down on a giant raised inlaid marble slab that was in the hammam. The ceiling was raised a bit in the center and there were little tiny lights like stars that would slowly change colors. It was very peaceful, which was required for the next bit.

The Tellak put on this loofah glove that was the loofahiest loofah I've ever seen. It was pretty much like fabric sandpaper. Then she began to rub me very vigorously with the mitten. Fortunately there were towels under me, otherwise I would have been sliding all over the marble, she was rubbing so hard.

Now, I being the bath product maven that I am, I'm pretty good about exfoliating and using products that help one exfoliate. Let me tell you, they have nothing on this mitten. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of dead skin that came off of me. She loofahed me from my feet all the way up my legs and back and then the front of my legs and my arms. I was scoured! I was also really grossed out!

After that it was back to the stool for more dousing to wash away the loofah remains. Then, with fresh towels on the marble, I lay back down on the marble slab. She proceeds to cover me from neck to heels in a mud masque.

What's on my face, you may ask? Honey. Pure, raw honey. I must have raised my eyebrows at her when she told me what it was, because she told me I could lick it if I liked. And yes, it was honey.

I had another 15 minutes or so of letting the mudhoney (ha!) dry, then back she came for my final dousing. After she rinsed me off, she washed my hair with a lovely herbal shampoo, and gave me some fresh towels to dry off with.

Then it was back into the robe and down to the quiet room, where I was served a lovely pot of green tea and allowed to slowly come back to the real world.

I walked out of there feeling incredibly clean and as if my skin was really glowing. It felt amazing.

I can't imagine going through that too often, and in the hot months the outside feels like the steam room, so I think that would be out too. However, in the next few months I definitely envision myself enjoying the hammam every four weeks or so.