Flat

(morning view)

I've finally settled in and feel free to attempt a blog again...
The transition from hotel to flat was not easy. I injured my foot a number of weeks ago and have been hobbling around ever since (yes, went to doc, wrong diagnosis at first, I'm at 95% now).
To find a flat here you generally go through an agent. I found an agent, we found a nice building that was finishing construction in time for me to move in, so I began the base housing process ... which is not a "process" but unorganized information given out by uninformed people who hate their job and want you to hate it just as much. :)

I've been moved in for about a week now and everything's flowing along fine. The doormen are very nice and know me by name. I have an intercom system so if I need something (like a jug of water) I just call down and they'll find someone to send it up to me. They seem to be very customer service oriented - far more than other buildings on this island. I've met the building owner, Ali, a very handsome Bahraini man who spent 7 years in DC attending school - he wanted this building to be like the apartment he lived in near the White House.

But enough with that. On to the photos.

To the left is my living room/dining room. Everything you see here is provided by the building - my household goods shipment won't arrive until mid-November. I've ordered some vinyl wall art - a cherry blossom tree which I plan to put on the wall opposite of the couches (above the LCD TV. I plan to rearrange things a bit too - I need a desk, and will probably go into town to have something made. The floors are all tile, so a few rugs would be nice as well. I'm sure in a few more months it'll be very "homey."



This is the kitchen looking in from the dining area. There's a large cut away that allows you to easily transfer items to the eating area. The kitchen is large and nicely equipped - dishwasher, electric cooking appliances, and a washer/dryer combo. It takes about 4 hours to complete a load, so laundry days are well planned. Usually I just do one load a night. It can wash about 3 pairs of jeans in a normal load. The building has 3 or 4 larger stacked washer/dryers on another floor, but they take nearly as long.

To the left is my microwave (top) and oven combo. The frig is built in and has the freezer section on the bottom. This was taken after my first day of shopping, so there really isn't much in there - just some left over cokes from the hotel, condiments, dairy products, and a Box 'O Wine! I was getting ready for a house warming party...
The grocery bill wasn't too bad - all those condiments, some New Zealand beef and lamb, Norwegian Salmon fillets ... all for about $140. I expected worse, but you just have to pick and choose what to buy, and meat sizes are a lot smaller - well, fish comes in large sections, but a "steak" here is about 4oz.

Here's master bedroom. It has a bay window of sorts. The flat has 3 bed - one of which was left empty at my request to accommodate my furniture arriving. I don't have much - but I did ship my bed! The mattresses here aren't very soft, and I prefer pillow top. The only complaint I have would be lighting. I'm going to have to buy a few more lamps - everything is very cave-like at the moment and it makes it difficult to apply makeup.



Now on to the bathroom. There are three, though one is a 3/4 with only a shower, sink, and toilet. One of the best features I've come to love would have to be the hose. It's in every restroom in this country - the normal way to clean yourself (especially for women). You do your business, grab the hose to rise off, and wipe dry with tissue. It's really quite ... refreshing.
Linens were also included - sheets and a few towels. I'll have to buy some more out here, though I'm not impressed with their selection at stores. We have far better thread count back in the States.

I didn't manage to get a photo of the gym, but it sits right above me (I know when the buff British residents are working out because they love to throw the weights ... it's a good time for me to head up there as well - ha!). It's very modern with a squash court, yoga mats and balls, free weights, cardio machines facing out over the view, and all kinds of other random things. I'm going to request a punching bag for kickboxing and a clock. What gym doesn't have a clock?


Lastly there's the rooftop pool. This photo was taken early on, and there's now some greenery and wicker chairs lying around. it's very serene, minus the sounds of construction in the background. The water is about 5 feet deep and chilled. Nope, those aren't spas on the end, it's just a seating area. They don't believe in hot water in the middle east - that's what the ocean is for.