I like holding Ari's hand... I believe this is a well known fact, yes we are one of those couples who'll make you cringe, perhaps upset your tummy, maybe even make you throw up a bit in your mouth with the amount of public affection we display lol it's just the way we roll!

We did do the appropriate amount of research before leaving to see whether this was going to be acceptable or not. After reading a few (unverified) sources, one of which claimed a woman was thrown into the back of a divvy van never to be seen again, we decided it would be best to keep our hands to ourselves in public. Not fun and surprisingly difficult...

Over the first several days in Bahrain, Ari refused to hold my hand as we considered it the safest thing to do. It was so awful, there's an episode of HIMYM where Marshall says "What do I do with my hands? I don't know what to do with my hands!", it was exactly like that.

And just as I was coming to grips with the harsh reality of not ever holding Ari's hands again in public through fears of probable persecution, we spotted a couple in local dress holding hands! Thank heavens! And the more we sought it out, the more couples there were with interlocked arms and that were hand in hand.

Our conclusions are that the majority of people who hold hands are:

1. Parents and children, this one is obvious so the little critters don't get lost.
2. Young couples, like Ari and myself.
3. Old couples, yep the grandmas and pas :)

I'm a big advocate for hand holding, mostly due to childhood fears of getting lost (see point 1) and crossing the road (which I am now perfectly capable of doing without holding hands but still prefer it lol). I know a lot of couples who don't hold hands and I guess it comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.

So, everything is normal in Bahrain, Ari and I hold hands on a regular basis in public however, he definitely doesn't kiss me in public.. yet! lol