Bahrain Culture is....?

Q: Can you tell me something about the culture of Bahrain?

A: I traveled to Bahrain a year ago. Before going loads of people told me how open the culture was and how westernized. I was totally blown away by how differently I perceived it...I've traveled a fair bit--visited 30 countries and lived in 3 different ones, so it wasn't just shock at being away from home. In Bahrain, unless I was in McDonald's or somewhere like that we (my husband and I) were seated in a seperate part of the dining room, behind a wall. Usually there was only one table for people like us--a mixed party of man/woman and the woman being unveiled. When we were in the streets I did not want to be away from my husband. Once I stepped out of a shop because it was so hot and instantly everyone in the street (it was only men) were staring. There were a lot of places we went where I was the only woman present. We rented a car also and once when we were driving we took a wrong turn. Immediatly the driver behind us raced ahead of our car and cut us off. He demanded to know where we were going (we had been about to drive into a small village). When we told him where we wanted to go he ordered us to turn around and go the other way. The entire trip was a very bizarre experience for me. I enjoyed it and I would go back there or to another Middle Eastern country again, but I have to wonder what people were experiencing there when they talk about how westernized the country is. I do like to get off the beaten path of the tourist circuit, so that might be part of it. It's interesting but also unsettling.

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