Go with Henry: Bustling Bahrain

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Bustling Bahrain

English Teacher in Saudi Arabia

Discovering Bahrain

June 2015

After working in Saudi Arabia for a 6 month period, our company sent us to Bahrain for a visa run, where we spent a lovely 10 days exploring downtown Manama, the Bahrain fort museum, the Coral Bay corniche, and the marina ... whilst waiting for our visa .... which in the end never came, but nevertheless a fantastic all paid trip in the jewel of the Gulf.

Even though it's small, cramped and always bustling with activity, there are many mini hide-outs of peace and calm to escape to on the island. Bahrain is a mixture of modern and old, traditional and progressive, superficial and authentic, a place where everyone can find something to satisfy his or her travel taste buds.
In this post, I look specifically at Bahrain street scenery & architecture.

Also, view here the rest of my Bahrain experiences:

A man waiting for a taxi at Bahrain City Centre

About Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a Middle Eastern archipelago in the Persian Gulf, tucked into a pocket of the sea flanked by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It's an oasis of social liberalism – or at least Western-friendly moderation – among the Muslim countries of the region. It's popular with travelers for its authentic "Arabness" but without the strict application of Islamic law upon its non-Muslim minority.

Bahrain is the smallest country in GCC, and has often had to walk a diplomatic tightrope in relation to its larger neighbors. The country has few oil reserves, but it has established itself as a hub for refining as well as international banking, while also achieving a socially liberal (by Gulf standards at least) monarchy. Its economy depends to a small extent on Saudis interested in a little entertainment, not available in the strictly Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain fun facts

As you enter Bahrain

King Fahd Causeway & entering Manama

Bahrain is linked with KSA by a series of causeways and bridges that span across the ocean. The four-lane road is 25 km long and approximately 23 m wide.

Taking pics while driving on the causeway

King Fahd Causeway

As you enter Bahrain

Bahrain World Trade Centre

As you enter Bahrain

At the Holiday Inn hotel

We stayed at the Holiday Bahrain Hotel, which is located in Downtown Manama, about 5 minutes’ walk from the beach. The room is elegantly furnished with air-conditioning a small seating area with a sofa, a flat-screen TV, a wardrobe and a fridge. The hotel has a gym, and there is free Wi-Fi in all areas.