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Dear Stan, I read with great interest Ask Betsy's article headlined 'Dear Umm Al Bahrain' in last week's GulfWeekly.

Thank you for educating, enlightening and enriching me with your personal interactions with HH Shaikha Hessa.

I could vividly relate with her through your small but powerful personal stories.

Your narration has made a deeper impact and broader effect on my head and heart.

Thanks again!

Baldev Arora,

by email.

Dear Stan,

I read with interest the Golf Scene column in last week's GulfWeekly and thought how times have changed.

I was involved with the PGA European Tour in the mid-nineties as a caddie and was lucky enough to caddie at the US Masters, The Open and the Ryder Cup.

At that time I didn't witness too many 'tour stars' like Sam Torrance, Woosie, or Mark James eating a nutritious breakfast of porridge - they were more than happy tucking into a 'full English' where available (most hotels even in Europe had a English buffet -style breakfast available) washed down with a tea or coffee.

About an hour before tee-off they would then go to the practice ground and hit wedges moving up to driver then the putting green for five to 10 minutes.

There were exceptions, mainly the Swedish contingent - Per-Ulrik Johansson and Jasper Parnevik - that would eat 'healthy'.

As I say, how times have changed!

Tim Leese,

Regional operations,

ART Marine,

Dubai, UAE.

Dear Stan,

For over a year my family was pestering me for taking them to Mecca for Umra, but due to various circumstances I was unable to do so.

Finally, a decision was taken in late April to visit Mecca and perform Umra in the last week of July.

Since early June, swine flu started spreading throughout the world. This got me worried as the flu had already reached Saudi Arabia.

I was more concerned visualising the impact it may have at the holy places. With fear in heart and faith in God, I did not want to disappoint my family members.

I went to the local transporter for booking the seats and hotel for Umra. The rates were comparatively cheaper.

On enquiring about the swine flu and restrictions, I was informed that there is no problem so far. Money was paid to the transporter and the seats were booked.

On the day we were supposed to leave, it was reported in the newspapers that a women who had come to perform Umra, had died of swine flu. The news made me jittery.

Some of my colleagues feared for my safety and requested me to carry masks. I explained to them that the virus could enter the body from any source even by handling a knob at the door, touching the office desk or trolley at a supermarket. Finally, I told them that Allah Karim.

Later on I contacted my brother, who is a doctor, about my visit to Mecca for Umra and the case of the Egyptian women. He encouraged me to proceed without worry as we had got to an advanced stage of travel and explained about the types of flu and their precautions.

With initial confidence, I was hoping for a last minute rescue by imagining that the government will cancel all the buses to Mecca or advise the pilgrims not to travel to Mecca, but nothing of that sort happened.

When we saw the bus it was bustling with pilgrims. Two Indian families, two Sudani families, two Pakistani families and the rest of the passengers were bachelors - almost eighty per cent were Pakistanis, the rest were Bangladeshis and Indians.

As the bus started moving ahead my fear galloped and I was mindful of any kind of sneeze or cough. But, fortunately, in the entire journey, no one sneezed or coughed. Finally we reached Mecca.

Still my mind was acting like a surveillance camera, installed at the airports, scanning for persons with red eyes, a temperature, cough or cold. Fortunately, I did not see anyone coughing or sneezing nor suffering from fever.

The moment we stood in front of Kaaba, we were overjoyed, filled with excitement, felt fully blessed and forgot about everything related to the journey. It was a real breathtaking experience. The feeling was liberating and pulsating. For two days we were engrossed in prayers with attendance to minimum daily needs.

During our visit to Kaaba, it was being washed and the door was open, we had a rare opportunity to have a glimpse inside.

Our successful mission was over. After our return, we realised the havoc caused by the virus had increased.

Day after day the virus was becoming more virulent and restrictions were being imposed by certain clerics and countries in respect of Haj and Umra.

The swine flu pandemic was going ahead unabated with more infections and deaths being reported on a daily basis.

And now a new challenging question was lingering in our minds ... whether to proceed on our annual vacation?

Mohammed Sadullah Khan,

Riyadh.

Dear Stan,

The British Embassy and the British Council would like to remind all students planning to study in the UK in the 2009/10 academic year to apply for their student visas early and to make sure they provide full documentation.

We are delighted that so many Bahrainis choose the UK as their location for both undergraduate and postgraduate study.

In order to make sure that students are able to travel to begin their courses on time, we encourage all students to make sure they fully understand the requirements of the new 'points-based' system (PBS) which has been in place since April. The new system is designed to offer students a simple, secure and transparent visa process but, as with all new systems, there will be an inevitable process of bedding down.

All applications should be submitted to the Visa Application Centre in the West Tower, Bahrain Financial Harbour.

The Visa Application Centre is expecting a 90 per cent increase in student applications this year.

To ensure a smooth and successful application, students are asked to provide all the required documentation including a visa letter from your education provider and a bank statement or letter confirming that you have enough money available to cover your course fees and monthly living costs at the time you submit your application.

For further information about applying for visas call 17215538 between 8am-3.30pm, Sunday - Thursday, or visit www.vfs-uk-bh.com

Nada Bader,

Education promotion and HE project co-ordinator, British Council, Bahrain.