Beautiful Bahrain?

This assignment is proving to be a fantastic experience, but everything got infinitely better with the arrival, on opening day, of Love of My Life! I know I said he had to be on hold until after Kuwait, but who knows when that will be. I needed him now, and here he is. (My kind of man!)

Time to explore, and see what Bahrain has to offer. We set off enthusiastically, but that was because we didn’t know what we weren't going to find. First stop, the Bahrain Sailing Club. Closed for the winter. Nothing much to see.

Next up, “the beach”. Despite being an island, Bahrain only has one decent beach, and it wasn’t me that declared it such! I went for a paddle. I knew those flipflops would come in handy. I don’t envisage long lazy days and barbecues, somehow. (I look just like my Mum. That's scary.)

On the way back, we passed Bahrain International Circuit. "Dear Angus, I know you want me to open a store in Dubai on March 16th, but I want to be in Bahrain on March 14th." I may have to pull a sickie. Don’t tell anyone.

We spotted a sign for the Banyan Tree Spa Resort. This had immediate appeal so we followed the dusty path for about 5km and reached this astonishing hotel complex in the middle of the desert.

Lunch seemed like a necessary interlude and I’m pleased to report that I have fulfilled the brief from my UK send-off. Here’s the houmous to prove it, and that’s definitely a bit of lamb, but I can’t guarantee it’s the exact cut that Angus was so keen for me to sample. (Doesn't look like it came from far away though, eh?)

I love Baba Ghanoush too, or pureed aubergine, and my Middle Eastern diet is getting plenty of it. This one was particularly posh, with pomegranate seeds and all.

On with the tour, and, disillusioned now, Andy and I set about finding the Bahrain Yacht Club. An hour of driving round an oil refinery later, and we abandoned the search and headed back into the city. An hour of queuing in a traffic jam later, we got there.

The British Club. That must be a good place to chill, surely? Unfortunately, the swimming pool is about to go into a month of renovation, the smoking ban hasn’t hit the bars here yet and “you’ll have to be interviewed to make sure you’re the right calibre of member”, as well as a minimum of a year’s joining fees. A couple of tatty old tennis courts and some bare earth where a children’s playground is supposed to be. A library full of Danielle Steele and Catherine Cookson. I wonder where the Americans go?

The good news is that I’ve found a very nice beauty salon and have delightfully purple toenails, and Andy is giving the gym more use than it’s probably had since it opened.

And last night we went to an ‘all you can eat’ buffet at the Marriott hotel. They shouldn’t challenge me in that way. It could seriously affect their profitability!

End of week one trading today, and HC Bahrain has doubled its targets, and is all set to wow the arriving Saudis with its stunning Valentine’s range. Best get down there and see if I can shift a few more Chocolatier’s Tables! (Stop press: Hazel sold a Choc Table today. That's 2 in 1 week. Yay!)