On the 23rd we took to road tripping through the desert. We had been planning on going to Bahrain for Christmas for several weeks. But as it turned out, Wade had to be in Jubail, a coastal city in the Eastern province on Christmas Eve, so we headed out a day early.
We pulled into the Intercontinental and headed straight to the Mexican restaurant downstairs. It was no Baja Fish taco’s but it did us right considering our hankering for Mexican food was reaching fever pitch. Children must be an anomaly at the Intercon because they got two presents each at dinner and free ice cream. The next morning the kids and I hit the beach while dad was a work.
It was a really pleasant morning. I still have to pinch myself when I sit on the shore of the Arabian Sea. The kids are at the age where I can kind of sit in a lounge chair while they busy themselves with digging in the sand and finding hermit crabs (or cwabby’s if you’re Bode) in the water. Everywhere I have been along the Persian Gulf, the water is lake like, no waves and really smooth which makes playing in the water not only possible, but safe. We had to head out by 12:30 to meet out driver that would take us across the border into Bahrain. I was a little sad, I would have enjoyed more time there. Guess we’ll have to go back!
About 20 years ago, there was a joint effort between the Saudi and Bahraini government to build a causeway linking the two countries. It’s 25 kilometers and a pretty impressive sight. Passport control is on a small man made island right in the middle of it. i.e. the middle of the ocean. I had to look up when I get back how much it cost to build, as I was driving across it I couldn’t help but think it must have cost a fortune. Turns out it did. 800 million US dollars.
Christmas eve dinner. We found a festive spot and traditional fare.
We spent Christmas Eve with the Terry family (who lives next door to us in Riyadh) and the Lockyer Family (great family in our ward from New Zealand). We made candy sleds and raced them in the hotel stairway. And then we made masks to act out the Nativity. Bordering on irreverent? Yes. Hysterical? Also, yes.
Christmas morning. Magic in the dark and taking in the morning city through the window seat.
A classic T and Dad moment.
All the children did a gift exchange Christmas morning. No one was disappointed.
And then, we headed to Christmas Brunch. It was no Montage, that’s for sure. But there were Christmas trees, a crepe bar, a bounce house and a live Pilipino band playing your latest pop hits mixed in with Christmas music. So we were thrilled. Not to mention the huge piece of dead pork, still not sure how they smuggled that into a Muslim Country. And the Santa. For the love. I have GOT to smuggle in a decent Santa suit, beard and boots for crying out loud. It’s a wonder why Bode won’t go near the guy.
Chilly morning in the hot tub.
One afternoon we took a drive out to the desert to check out Bahrain’s national treasure. The Tree of Life. She is a 400 year old tree, growing and thriving in the desert with seemingly no water source. The extent of her root system is unknown. They are trying to get her onto the 7 Natural Wonders of the World list as her story is pretty miraculous. Might I suggest that if the Bahrainian government really wants to throw themselves into that campaign, they might want to reconsider how they treat their national treasure. It so interesting here in the Middle East. There is seemingly no pride or even interest in such things. We heard about the tree from a friend prior to coming, no marketing of it at the hotel. You have to GPS your way out there as there is no signage and then once you arrive, there’s no parking lot, no signage, and litter strewn about. I couldn’t help but compare it to the US. There would have been porta pottys, a description and history, trash cans and maybe a park ranger. Pride should be taken in such wonders.
How cute are those cupcakes? One of Wade’s co-workers’ wife (who is Muslim) made them for the kids. Darling.
We returned on the 27th and Santa came that night. The luxury of having kids young enough that they don’t know the difference. We enjoyed a quiet pleasant day at home. It was a far different Christmas than those we are accustomed to. But I think we learned a lot about how we want to enjoy and create the Christmas season within our family in the future. And the kids couldn’t have been happier. Which last time I checked, is the most important piece behind our Savior’s birth.
Onto 2013.
3 comments:
So fun! I am dying over the "highchair" that Bode is basically locked into with bars and all. They mean business with those bad boys. :-)
Makes our lives seem boring....but, as Mark Twain said, "there is no such thing as a dull life..." Guess we all just need to find it. Loves!
T's peace signs are killin me!
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