So after nearly 3 months of being on "lock down" in Saudi Arabia I am officially free to travel. The catch- one must apply for an exit visa and pay to get out of here. So for $50 US dollars and the correct paperwork I had my exit/re-entry visa in hand, and headed to Bahrain. Bahrain is still a middle eastern country, but paradise compared with the restrictions of Saudi Arabia. There are bars, bacon, movie theatres. You don't have to wear an abaya, and you can talk with men who are not your relatives!!! It was easy to forget that we were still in the middle east!! I ate both pork, and bacon. Drank real wine- it was heaven. The malls were amazing- you can actually try clothes on (in Saudi Arabia it is very difficult to actually try things on- mostly you have to buy things, and return them if they don't work).
Oh, and there were colours!!! In Saudi most everything is either black, white, or sand tan. In Bahrain people still dressed in abayas, but many wore western clothing. It was delightful!! It was a cheap and easy weekend away, and anytime I start to feel cooped up or antsy, I know Bahrain will be waiting just a short flight away!! On the travel side of things- I am heading to Budapest next month, and then looking forward to meeting a dear friend in September to travel Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon!!!
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