Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance

What should I bring to wear? "It will be hot so lightweight clothes are important. Women should be conscious that revealing or short clothing will be noticeable and that they may receive negative attention if they wear it. There are several events that require suits. We had time for the beach and the pool last year, so a swim suit is handy." "Slacks and collared shirts of the guys. We had to put on a sports coat and tie a couple of times as well. Not a lot of opportunity to wear shorts (somewhat against the culture)."

Where should we go to shop, eat, drink, dance? "Almost every day's food is covered. The hotel has breakfast for the morning and lunch was provided each day. Sherwood was terrific about making sure that dinner was usually provided as well. There is a mall in Bahrain, but the most most fun place to shop was the souk." "There are plenty of western places to eat near the hotel. There are also a number of bars attached to the hotels where you can get a drink. The restaurants we went to also served alcohol, but I think this may be hit or miss. There is one Mexican restaurant that was pretty good and served alcohol. There was also one bar that we went to early on that had a band playing, but finding a good place to go dancing is probably impossible."

What should I buy and/or consume? "The markets have great buying opportunities for gold and pearls. Also, buying rugs here is quite an experience--expensive, but nice, rugs." "Bahrain is known for its pearls, they are beautiful and a real treat. There are many handcrafts to be found in the souk." "If you forget something, you can buy pretty much anything you really needed."

What should I avoid? "As with all other places, get the taxi fare up front. Getting around is pretty easy." "Just after we left last year there were some demonstrations at the restaurants that served alcohol by some of the local fundamentalists." "Make sure you ask how much pashmina is in the shawl before you buy it." "The driver brought back my digital camera when I left it in the taxi."

Any special sights to visit? "Sherwood makes sure that you see them, though for Hard Rock Cafe fans there is one in Bahrain." The program is pretty tightly scheduled, and everything you should see is pretty much pre-arranged. We tried to go scuba diving in the Gulf, but there just wasn't enough free time to squeeze it in."