Sunset caught at Le Gnoush Conquiche ~ waterfront that overlooks the city of Maname from Muharraq's side (island where the Bahrain airport is)

It was hazy due to the "sandstorm" and definitely not a perfect day to catch sunset.






The sun just disappeared into the "haze"

Driving in Bahrain can be quite a challenge. Apart from the well maintained road, except for some disruption from the construction, knowing your way around is crucial here. Believe it or not, I actually spent almost 40 mins trying to get my way out of the city center to the main street..thank God that petrol here cost only 0.3 USD here.

Good things are always discovered by accident and it was the case for my discovery of a night market in Jidhafs. All it took was a wrong turn. Situated right on Jidhafs Avenue, the night market is actually a market place for both morning and night. I was beyond thrilled when I found out that there is a market right behind where I stay.

Bahrain is a cosmopolitan city that is full of life and compare to its neighbouring country, it's tolerant for liberty is fairly high. In this city, you will definitely never go hungry and dining here is quite an experience that you'll never forget. There is a whole long list of restaurants right from the affoardable meals at the local join to the fancy restaurants to satisfy your taste bud.

Here are some of my favourites:

Chin Li
Aadliya
Tel: +973 1771 7717
Serving excellent chinese food which I believe the taste tends to lean towards the Malaysian tongue :)

Swan Lake
Manama City
Near Bab Al-Bahrain (with the Gate behind you, turn left and the shop is at the first right lane)
I used to dislike Philippino food until I tried it here. My personal favourite is the Bulalo (Beef soup) and BBQ pork.

Thailand
Aadliya (One of the store along the path where all the restaurants are)
For some reason, I really like the food served in this Thai restaurant. The setup is not too fancy but the food is as close as I can get to those found in Thailand :) Pork has to be requested seperately as it is not found in the menu.

Monsoon
Aadliya
+973 1774 9222
Featured in all the maps and magazine, this place is an Asian food paradise. You can find all the South East Asian food here. The ambience is superb, inspired by a Baliness palace, however the food, I must say that the taste is still far from the real thing.

Cafe Lilou
Al Ali Shopping Mall
For a taste of great mushroom soup and heavenly dessert, this would be the place I personally recommend. The setup is chic and stylish. However, be prepared for the expensive price tag for the food.

Le Chocolate
Seef
+973 1758 2259
Be prepared to be swept of by the creativity of the pastry chef. The moment you step into the store, you will be greeted by the wide array of desserts which will make you compromise on the diet program you are on. Apart from the pastries, the pasta and pizza served are delicious too. I would save a perfect place for lunch, tea or dinner.

La Fountaine
Ras Ruman
+973 1723 0123
This is where I would call it my hideout. Serving excellent international cuisine with a relaxing ambience, I couldn't think of a more relaxing place than this. The restaurant overlooks the courtyard with a spanish fountain. This is also a comtemporay art gallery.

Japaense Restaurant @ Golden Tulip
Golden Tulip Hotel
I find the Japanese food here is very authentic and nothing of the fancy compared to Sato (in Gulf Hotel). Ambience is nice and comfortable. However, the price of the food is a little on the high side.

Al Bindaira Cafe
Al A'ali Complex
This is the first restaurant where I tried the Middle Eastern food and I have always loved this place. The mezzaine floor is always my favourite and you can have a taste of the local mezza and western food at the comfort of the resturant cosy setting. I believe this place is more for those we are looking for some afternoon arabic coffee and shisha. My favourite here is the Sheesh Tawook.

Saj Express
Seef Mall (Outside)
This is considered a fast food chain serving Middle easter cuisine but I cannot deny that their Hommous is definitely one of the best I've tasted.

Nakheel Al Basara
Tashan (Opposite Fakhroo Motors)
+973 1740 2260
Although it may not seem inviting but I was surprised to discover how clean and delicious the food are in this place. Tucked away from the hustle bustle of the city, this place serves Iranian, Lebanese and Indian food. What can I say, the food is good and value for money. They even served Machboos, a local Bahraini dish.

There are so many restaurants here in Bahrain with some of them operate 24x7, so the word hunger would rarely be used. One of the good guide can be found @ http://www.newarabia.net/bahrain_restaurants.htm

The common comment my colleagues and I have about Bahrain is.."It's expensive". Since I will be stucked for 20 days here with a fully functioning kitchen, I decided to do my savings a huge favour by self catering my dinners from The Central Market (Situated near the Pearl Monument Roundabout)



Although the luxury of clean path and air-conditioned room cannot be enjoyed here, I have no complains as the price of fresh food here is merely a fraction of that in the Supermarket and the range of fresh vegetables, fish and meat is amazing!

In every country, I believe there is a place where one would love to reside. In Bahrain, I believe it would be the Al Masra or known as the floating city.



Every bungalow unit here has a waterfront where one can dive into the sea water or have your yatch park right in front of your house.

Most unit, I was told is actually quite small and unsuitable for a family or more than 2. However, I was lucky to be able to view one of the unit where it was considerably big, with 4 bed rooms in three floors and ample balcony space for a BBQ at the roof top on the 3rd floor overlooking the canal.

Each unit has got a beautiful balcony space of its own and it is quite pleasureable to be sitting out there during this cooling season. I am not too sure if I will enjoy it during summer where heat literally consumes you. Whatever the season may be, it would be great to own one of these units here.

While strolling along the main street of Aadliya, I came across a bakery. Out of pure curiousity, i brought myself into the bakery and have a look at what they sell. Instead of being greeted by the sight of pastries and bun, i find myself staring at the shelves full of cookies and baklawa.

I must admit that to find a true Bahraini Cuisine in Bahrain is not easy. Food found here are either Labanese, Iranian or the American Junk food. According to my Bahraini Colleague, the truly Bahraini food are:

Muhammar - Sweet rice served with dates

Machboos - a dish of meat or fish served with rice

Here are some of the examples of the local flavours which I believe is not uniquely Bahrain's:
Halwa Bahraini - a jelly flavoured with saffron and nuts
Khubz - flatbread
Qoozi - grilled lamb stuffed with rice, boiled eggs and spices
Samboosa - a small, often moon-shaped pastry filled with chickpeas, minced meat or cheese
Sharwama - lamb or chicken carved from a rotating spit and served in a pita wrap
Hammour Fish- a kind of grouper , known to the chinese as "Sek Pan". I thought this fish is so common here that it can be obtained at a cheap price, however I was told this was not the case, although it is common, this fish can fetch up to 7 BD per kg!

Bahrain can be a boring place but today, I changed my mind about this place. Jumping straight out of a meeting with the procurement in the morning, I joined another event that was held at the Bahrain F1 circuit with another bunch of customer. Definitely a bunch who knows how to have fun :)

11 hurt in camel-bus collision

One of the articles in the Bahrain Tribune (Bahrain Local Newspapers) caught my attention today. It was a picture of the silhouette figures of two children against the backdrop of Sunset on a hill with a pipeline protruding from the end of the hill that bears the following caption:

"CAMPING SEASON: Children play on a waste oil pit at sunset in the desert oil field at Sakhir, Bahrain, where Bahrainis are setting up tents amidst the pipelines and oil wells for the popular winter camping season."

Just when I thought Bahrain is all about the luxury in enjoying the best things in life, I managed to get a glimpse of how life is for the locals. This is the place where things are not over priced and not housed in the shelves of fine luxury malls: Isa Town.

A cold store is...

a grocery store.

Call me ignorance but it actually took me a while to figure which was the sign that points me to the right toilet door....perhaps it was plain stupidity

Flat arabic bread...extremely delicious to be eaten with any of the "trio" side dish as shown in the next item.


The trio...hommous, Labneh and Mutabal


Sweet dates accompanied by a cup of arabic coffee (gahwaji)


Taboule: A refreshing sourish side dish

One look at Bahrain, you would have thought that there is nothing much in this barren land. I thought shopping was the only thing in Bahrain that draws the crowd, apart from the liberty of drinking and all other leisure which the Saudis are deprived of in their own country, I was wrong.
Here are my selected sights of interest or activities in Bahrain (which I hope to ticked it all off):

National Museum
Proud to say I have made my way to the National Museum of Bahrain and I am glad that it was really interesting. Within these walls, one will get to know about the history of Bahrain (although this country may seem so small to have any history to begin with, again I was wrong) and indulge in the rich culture of Bahrain. Three things I learnt about Bahrain:
Bahrain is formerly known as Tylos (Greek influence) and later , Dilmun.
Bahrain is like a gold mine for archeologist where thousands of organized tombs were found in this city itself.
Their traditional customs were extremely colourful: I know I made an entry about this but it still surprises me as 99% women in Bahrain dresses in their Black Daffa.

This is exactly what I saw in the reflection of the mirror when I stepped out of the toilet cubicle heading towards the wash basin to wash my hands. I happened to wear a striking orange shirt that day.


Seeing the ladies in Bahrain who hides their latest fashion beneath their daffa (long flowy black gown) is nothing new to me. However, I can’t help but to notice how different I was in the ladies washrooms. I don’t understand why would one even bother to dress up if daffa is all could be shown to the public. I must admit that despite the fact that all daffa is black, I find them extremely attractive as most of them are not just plain black but adorned with embroidered patterns, laces, glitter stones and other decorative items. These daffa are really beautiful as it falls on your body and hides all unnecessary fats.

After having tried one myself, I must admit it that it made me feels very elegant and extremely feminine gliding around in these long flowy daffa but I would give the head scarf a miss as I find it rather warm.

In history, the traditional Bahrainian customes are really colourful. Although the style is pretty much similar as today wear the women are pretty covered up but it's extremely colourful like the indian Saris in the Bollywood movies!

Conditions for Al Manama, BA at 9:00 am AST

Current Conditions:Widespread Dust, 86 F

Forecast:
Fri - Sunny. High: 94 Low: 82
Sat - Sunny. High: 95 Low: 80