Bahrain's year-round fine weather provides scope for a wide range of acitivities whether on land or sea. For those more at home on dry ground there are golf courses, race courses, riding and health clubs. Golf can be played at either the newly opened lush, green golf course at Sakhir or the 18-hole sandy golf course at at Awali. The skating rink and bowling alley at Busheri's in Budaiya has snooker tables and video rooms. There are expatriate rugby and cricket teams.
Football is the national game and Bahrain boasts an olympic-sized stadium.
Horseracing and camel-racing are also popular. Traditional beliefs and customs are strong influences and people are generally more formal than Westerners. Attitudes to women are more liberal than in most Gulf States. It is acceptable to sit cross-legged on cushions or sofas in people's homes but it is still insulting to display the soles of the feet or shoes or to accept food or anything else with the left hand. It is polite to drink two small cups of coffee or tea when offered.