Afterwards the members texted me “It was the best book club meeting we’ve had in awhile.” I attributed it to the art and the gallery’s atmosphere. He came up with five fresh salads, sandwiches and of course Red Velvet Cake for us to nibble. Just last month Errin helped me host our book club meeting. I took a photo of my new friend Errin Stone the Chef and Manager of the Al Riwaq Gallery (pg. And one of her favorite places to exhibit her photos, eat, have a spa day and a yoga class is at La Fontaine Center for Contemporary Art (pg. Like me her favorite aspect of Bahrain is the warmth of the Bahraini people and its multifaceted cultures. Luckily for Melissa, New York based Bahraini photographer Ghada Khunji (pg. To find these places you need the map in the guide. In Streetsmart he gives away his style secret – his shoes are custom made by a local shoemaker named Ghuloom and has his suits made in the souq at a “fraction of the cost of Seville Row”. The very stylish Ammar accessorized his made-in-Bahrain suit with a Hermes scarf instead of a tie.
Melissa introduced me to interior designer Ammar Bashar who created the fabulous entry way for the amphitheater where Andrea Bocelli sang last week. With her enthusiasm for Bahrain, Melissa charmed these Bahrainis into revealing their favorite, and previously unknown to outsiders, places to shop, eat and chill.Īs we walked through the lobby doors waiters greeted us with shots of fresh watermelon juice as the Bahraini jazz band 13 th Note played. Mohammed and Debbie Al Asfoor, the Arabian Sheik perfume designer/creators, are one of the thirteen Bahraini insiders featured in the MY WAY sections (pg. And there is Debbie and Mohammed,” I said, pointing at the Bentley pulling in behind us. “The UN people love her book so much they asked the Director General of UNIDO to speak tonight. “Melissa seems to know everybody in Bahrain,” I said. As we drove up to the soon-to-be opened, second wing of the Kempinski Grand and Ixir Hotel, we waited for the line of dignitaries’ cars to be valeted.Īrab men dressed in elegant white thobes, African women in long gowns, European ambassadors in business suits, and glam women in high-heels all hurried into the lobby.
My friend, author Melissa van Maasdyk, promised she would have her Bahrain travel guide ready before the Formula One in April. You are invited to the Streetsmart Bahrain Book launch party.