There is so much I want to convey about Bahrain; the smells, thoughts, feelings, people, and land. There is an album of mental images that I want to distill into a worthy representation of this dynamic place. I sit down to write and hit a wall each time I try to write deeply and thoughtfully. I write but the thoughts and associations I've garnered are too complex and nuanced for my words. So I delete it...backspace frenzy.

It is with this disclaimer that I write. I write because I have to do so. When the travel is over all I have is the residual lines and photos of this blog. I have come to terms with the fact that some of it will just be pretty pictures and superficial musings. I am ok with that now, but I also hope to provide some type of thoughtful observation and reflection.



With that out of the way, I must speak about the souq or market in Manama. Any place I travel, I find that markets, marcados, malls, groceries---they all speak volumes about a particular culture. The Manama souk feels like the juncture between old and new.


The smell of local spices seemed to dare the white plastic dolls and American wrestling t-shirts to exude the same level of cultural permanence as coriander has for the past thousand years. For some reason, it was the white baby doll that stuck with me. It was an uncomfortable reminder of cultural imperialism that was interestingly juxtaposed by this doll. The incoming president of the organization, Diesel, explained that she is based on a popular cartoon. She dresses conservatively and speaks in traditional Arabic. Very cool in a lot of ways, but also a reminder of the cultural swing towards conservatism in Islamic culture.



People in the US may be very surprised to find that fewer than 30 years ago, women were dressing like most westerners; skirts, form fitting blouses, and many with no head covering. Only recently do you see so many women veiled as this relic of antiquity is revived. At the same time, there is something beautiful about the modesty of the culture (though indicative of a trend towards conservatism that I disagree with)
Oh so much more to say, and even more to listen to....