This was our last port stop before returning to Dubai and it was great. Mina Sulman is one of the major ports in the Middle East and is home to the Royal Bahrain Naval Base. Bahrain is an island located off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf and is connected by a 17 mile long causeway.
I took a tour that incorporated my two favorite things, birding and racing. We began the day with a visit to Al Areen Wild Life Park reserve established in 1975. This three square mile enclosure is planted with over 100,000 plants and trees and more than 500 animals are accommodated here. It was created as a place to conserve species that were becoming extinct in the wild and aid in their preservation.
We took a smaller tour bus through the park and when boarding we had two crested cranes drinking water from the air conditioning unit on the bus in front of us. This was just a reminder that we are in a desert even though this place was planted and looked lush and tropical (no expense was spared).
As we drove past the enclosures more crested cranes and ostriches wandered throughout the park and periodically we had to wait for them to move. The animals were rare gazelle, zebra and deer from India, Africa and Bahrain. These animals were magnificent to see with some no longer existing in their motherland.
We took some time and were able to walk through the Aviary Park and of course I was thrilled. Lakes full of Greater Flamingos and waterfowl of every color shape and size were beautiful to see. Many waterways had the Wood Duck and Pintails like the USA species. Storks , Cranes and other Indian birds reminded me of my visit to India and much to my surprise I remembered most of their names. It was great to get back to nature on this excursion.
From the Wild Life Park we went to the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) one of the world’s largest and newest Formula One Raceways. The facility cost 3 Billion dollars to build and it showed. We were able to see the grandstands, finish line, and welcome center. Then came the good part, we went to the tower overlooking the whole raceway and saw it from a royal’s point of view and it was spectacular. We got a bonus while we were there because the Air Show was taking place at a facility next door and the tower was a great place to watch it from.
From the tower we went to the control room full of TV’s and monitoring systems and then to the press room with hundreds of screens and stations for reporting the race. It was great fun and I even sat in one of the race cars. I can't wait until the CART racing season starts!
Tomorrow we return to Dubai.
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