Restless in Bahrain

After seeing some of the most amazing sights in Jordan and landing back on the island, I couldn't help but think about how I was going to spend the next week here:

Work; Gym; Dinner; Work; Gym; Dinner; Movie; Mall; Work; Gym; Mall; ... you get the idea

So we decided to break up the monotony one night with some fun in the sand:


That spectacular show of driving is the infamous J-Turn. When I get back to the States, I'm going to try that on asphalt -- with a rental, not the G.

I also got a chance to DJ at a lounge called Cocoon. It's in a Best Western but, for what it's worth, it is the nicest Best Western I have ever seen. Prior to my set, I was having dinner with the owner and we got into an interesting discussion of the Bahrain nightlife. Cocoon's Thursday night "mainstream house" night is a favorite for Bahrain's discerning clientele and is a fun night, but the owner said that he's had to build this night and 'educate' the crowd to a point where they will actually dance to a whole night of house music (even if it is commercial electro). Cocoon is apparently one of the few places that will play good music without feeling the obligation to inject some 80's crap or 50 Cent to appease the masses. Last night, I played a deep house set which was a blend of soulful house to deep techno. While it wasn't the setting for an all-out dance battle to break out, I saw more than the occasional head bobbing & shoulder shaking. So, who knows, maybe deep house has a future here. Besides, coming from Boston, you get used to a bit of musical ignorance so who am I to complain. It's nice to be among the few...

Hopefully I will get another chance to spin before my summer here is over. A couple of pics from the night:





Next stop is Dubai this weekend. I can't wait to check out their malls... exciting.