04 February 2021

Whilst visiting a friend in Bahrain a while back, she suggested we spend time at Sakhir Beach. As an avid lover of the sun and all things seaside, I didn’t need to be asked twice. A few swims later and caked in oil, we were interrupted by a very well dressed young man. He said that the King had spotted us, from his nearby palace and wanted to invite us for tea. Stunned and looking decidedly underdressed for a royal engagement, we followed the boy the short distance to the palace. What an incredible afternoon we had with an exceptionally charming person. Sheikh Salman Al Khalifa made us feel extremely welcome by providing tea and pastries. As we were sporting flip-flops, sundresses and salty hair, he proceeded to roll up his trousers and join in on the dress-down. He was fascinated in meeting the tourists who visited the beach and was genuinely interested in us. The sheikh shared that sadly his wife was in a hospital in Switzerland but hoped she would be home in a few days. A few hours of easy talk passed and the Sheikh invited us to dinner, so gratefully my friend and I accepted his generous offer. He arranged for limousines to collect us and took us to a beautiful restaurant in Manama, the capital. When we arrived, he had left a message to apologise that an emergency had arisen and was unable to attend but he ensured we were constantly served with champagne and delicious food all night. A nostalgic recollection of an amazing experience accompanied by the dulcet tones of Charlene singing ‘I’ve never been to me’!

02 February 2021

All I really knew about Mongolia was that Genghis Khan was a terrifying leader, mystical throat singing is actually a thing and the entire country is full of yaks, so, with two intrepid friends, I travelled to Ulaanbaatar, where we met our guide Munkhbileg and began the adventure. We first enjoyed time in the capital visiting some of the few remaining ancient temples, the city centre market and tasted the local delicacies made of lamb fat. In a local cultural theatre, we were also treated to a performance of traditional throat singing, which really is unlike anything I have ever heard. Early the next morning we packed up the overland truck and headed out of the city. After a quick detour to visit the enormous statue of Genghis we headed towards the Gobi Desert. It is worth mentioning the vastness of Mongolia. In every direction is just space, fresh air, roaming yaks, the odd yurt (they call them gers), fantastic scenery and space. Hours later we stopped by a group of gers, were introduced to the family who were hosting us for the next few days and welcomed inside. Beds were placed around the edge with a fire in the middle. We were given some yak yoghurt and what more cubes of lamb fat which we attempted to eat with appreciation, whilst our guide translated. With no light pollution anywhere close to us, we were treated to an awesome and very rare glimpse of the Milky Way that night. After more yak yoghurt for breakfast, we took camels through the dunes of the Gobi. Camels are tricky at the best of times but these purposefully disorientated us so after a few hours we had no idea which direction we were headed. Luckily the host father, clearly worried at our lengthy absence, managed to find us and lead us back home. We learned to milk yaks, taught the children some English words and revelled in their simple rural existence. After a few days we travelled on, meeting other ger dwellers, a preserved ancient palace and finally returned to Ulaanbaatar. A week in Mongolia was one of the most humbling and interesting trips I have experienced.