The Drivel of 2 Bahrainis

I’ve been fortunate enough that a couple of my dear friends (Yui from Singapore and Takeshi from Japan) from the UK decided to pass by Bahrain for the day on their way to India to catch up with me and explore the island. For me, this was a brilliant opportunity to catch up this soon after leaving and at the same time, be a tourist in my own country.

I knew immediately where I’d take them, I’ve been mentally planning the day and one thing for sure, it will be nonstop. I suppose the only tough part about it was that friday night is boys night and it usually ends very late and I need to be in the airport at 7.30.

Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day, fortunately enough, given that dusty days are the norm it seems. The day went as follows:

First stop was Arad Fort followed by a tour of Amwaj Islands. One thing that was striking for my friends was how blue the sea was. Indeed, it’s very inviting. This was followed by breakfast in the Ritz Carlton, were some relaxation and tummy fueling up was necessary. Come 10.30, we headed to Seef Mall to buy a few postcards and take a walk around the mall. As midday was approaching, we made our way to Beit Al Quran (House of Quran). This was also a good opportunity for myself as I haven’t been in there for over 10 years.

It was nearly lunch time and my friends were excited about trying some traditional food. Problem for me was that my parents weren’t at home, so closest thin was Mohammed Noor, the restaurant that has legendary status to many. A quick take away and our next stop the Souq. Now, one thing definately didn’t change about this place, it’s still a mess, although it’s starting to improve with the new section under construction. I bought a Thob, Qitra and Uqal as a souvenir for Takeshi, something to remember Bahrain for.

Leaving the hustle and the bustle of the souq, Bahrain Fort was calling. One thing that I truly love about this place is it’s location, great view and most of all, peacefulness. They do though need to have some staff on the site to maintain the fort’s status as a Unesco Heritage Site. The time was nearly 3 and it was time to hit the Bahrain-Saudi causeway. Half an hour later, we were on our way to the Bahrain International Circuit. Although there were tourists around and some activity, it is a far cry from the days of the Grand Prix. The mighty Jebel Al Dukhan (Smokey Mountain) was our next target. After years of just passing by it, it was time to climb it again. Surprisingly, it’s not as easy as it seems and it took around 10 minutes to get up there and 20 to come done, safely that is. As small as it is, it can be very dangerous. I was now nearly 5 and given the proximity of the Jebel to the First Oil Well and the Tree of Life, we decided to pass by. Luckily, there were camels around the tree so that provided a fantastic photo opportunity with the sun setting down in the background.

At 6, we finally headed back home, had lunch or let me say dinner now and sat around with my parents. Yui was also gifted with a Jalabeya and a Abaya so that now, they’re an Arabian couple. My dad tagged along for the final leg of the trip which included quick stops in Al Fateh Mosque and Arad Fort for the night. Finally, a drop off in the airport and that was it, bahrain in a nutshell.

I didn’t manage to take them to the National Museum due to time shortages, but I need to keep some things for next time, whenever that will be. They do have the new book released “100 Things to Do in Bahrain”.

According to my friend, there’s not much to do. When asked what was on the agenda for your friends, it was going to one coffee shop to another. My reply was, “You’ll be surprised what you’ll see in one day here”.

And that folks, was a day in the life of a Bahraini tourist.

Lately I’ve developed a passion for Audio Books; I lost count of how many times these books helped me keep my sanity while being stuck at traffic. I guess that I am going to have some sort of review for these books done soon. Anyway audio books are not the subject of todays post but it was triggered by one, You see; I am currently listening to a book titled “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, it is quite interesting, Huge as well, each volume is at a whooping 180 hours of listening time. The language used is very exquisite and hits hard, I’ll leave you with the one I liked:

After a war of about forty years, undertaken by the most stupid, maintained by the most dissolute, and terminated by the most timid of all the emperors, the far greater part of the island submitted to the Roman yoke. The various tribes of Britons possessed valour without conduct, and the love of freedom without the spirit of union. They took up arms with savage fierceness; they laid them down, or turned them against each other with wild inconstancy; and while they fought singly, they were successively subdued. Neither the fortitude of Caractacus, nor the despair of Boadicea, nor the fanaticism of the Druids, could avert the slavery of their country, or resist the steady progress of the Imperial generals, who maintained the national glory, when the throne was disgraced by the weakest, or the most vicious of mankind.

Hearing these words sent a chilling shiver down my spine; the resemblance of the situation which the British Isles witnessed during the invasion of the Romans to the current situation which the Arabs face with the United States is uncanny !

History has a spiral effect I guess !

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Khalid and I will work on improving the blog today

No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level–I mean the wages of decent living.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Oh and bringing Haifa Wahbi to celebrate the day is the biggest insult to the working class especially with tickets starting from BD 50 ($132.642) who are you kidding ? The following is an ideal reflection of the situation here:

Happy Labour Day

Life has changed a lot lately. I pulled the curtain down on my time in the UK after 6 lovely years due to family reasons. As much as I love London, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to start living it up properly and enjoying life to the fullest, and my trip to the US West Coast has definately helped me in realizing this further.

As tough of a decision as it was, I look at it now, 4 months down the line, and I’ve certainly made the right decision. Regardless of what people say, especially that I’ll get bored here in Bahrain, I’m fully enjoying myself with the family and friends, and I am never bored, honestly.

The UK seems like a long time ago, although its only a matter of a few months. It’s the Bahrain effect coupled with moving on very quickly, I suppose.

Looking at the bright side further, I can go to work in my private air-conditioned music box and can catch up with Moe on a weekly basis. Not only are we working together now, we’re also gym buddies in Fitness First. I tend to call it, a piece of the UK in Bahrain.

All in all, it’s good to be back home, and definately, back to blogging.

OK ! Add that to the list of reasons not to honeymoon at Congo.

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men’s penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.

and

Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure.

At first I waved that off as an example of mass hysteria which Africa is not a stranger to. Then I realized that I have worked with a couple of penis shrinking sorcerers myself. Of course the shrinking is not done intentionally. But anyone who can turn a banana into a chickpea in five seconds is a %100 certified witch.

I assume the victims in Congo don’t have access to the Internet. If they did, they’d get hundreds of offers a day for pills that can cure their problem. Just a thought though !

So it had been a while ! 5 months to be exact ! With all the major things going in the lives of both myself and my faithful sidekick Khalid; it was quite hard to set down and blog. It was until the renewal dues for the URL and Hosting came knocking that made us realise that it had been a long long time since we last posted. So here we are; with no furthers dues; some updates:

1- The Engagement: It was a hicktic time and an eye opener. Didn’t expect it to be as big. Finding the right person was not easy and making it official was even harder. The hardest part had to be reciting the vows in front of her dad, clerk “Mulla” and the rest of the family (hers and mine). Many would counter this and say that the Engagement Party is the tough one; for those unfamiliar with the Gulf’s culture; The Engagment Party is restricted to female guests; but this was a piece of cake for me and they had to kick me out the hall because I stayed more than what I was supposed to stay for. All in all; I am loving this addition and my Mrs. is all what I was looking for.

2- Work: Being a risk specialist eats quite a bit of your time (enough said)

3- My Apple Addiction: This one is getting out of hand ! After getting my Macbook, the addiction is taking over now I’ve got the other toys ! The phone, the apple TV and now I am waiting for time capsule !! Only time would tell whether the acquisition of the last toy was a good move or not ! I don’t really need it !

4- Buying My Own Place: Still looking for a decent flat; maybe in one of these new developments; Porta Reef or Marina West or Even Dilmonia when its ready.. This one is big and I am still trying to find a decent investment ! I hate growing up !

5- The Blog: *Drumroll* Last but not least; The blog ! We are working on improving it now that everything have settled down for a bit. New look; 3rd year and new subjects ! The drivel will not stop flowing. You have been warned ! Now if only Khalid would remove this stupid google-ad thing ! I think I should call him !

Heya everyone, hope you’re all doing well.

I know myself and Moe have disappeared for a while. Life brought lots of major changes over the past few months and unfortunately these have constrained our schedules and thus, greatly limited our times. I can say though that those tmies are eventful and full of happiness and hopefully it stays that way. I’ll personally try and post something sometime soon. If you don’t hear from us in the next couple of weeks, I just want to wish everyone eid mubarak and merry xmas and hopefully this time will bring lots of blessings to all .

Khalid & Moe

Don’t you hate people who shout on the phone ? How about those who shout into their bluetooth earpiece ? Well, here is a solution for this annoying problem:

Just under two years ago, we heard about the project “Al Salam Resort” to be developed by Sama Dubai, a company owned by Dubai Holding. Well, earlier in the week, we hear that things are nearly sorted and work should begin on this project soon.

The cost of this is north of $1 billion, thanks partly to the fact that they’re going to reclaim land (they are getting an untouched beach location so don’t ask me why on earth are they reclaiming?).

Now what really worries me (maybe I’m reading into this a lot) is the fact that Sama Dubai will give as part of the project, 6 palaces to the Royal Court. Why??? This is the first time I hear about giving gifts of this magnitude as part of a project. Typically, when companies win contracts, they promise to invest in the country, but giving palaces for me is unheard of.

The article can be accessed here: Salam Resort

What are your thoughts?