Blogs from Bahrain, Middle East - page 4

So I wake up early in the morning on Saturday the 31st January in Sarah's halls (thanks sarah) and wondered around London until meeting Sofia and eating way too much Pret food because we were both to scared to venture into the cheap looking Pub called ''Dirty Dicks''. Got the tube to Terminal 4, checked in and everything was going smoothly, I even treated myself to a Starbucks panini. Plane journey to Bahrain was okay, watched Up again, slept a little and marvelled at the free socks and sleeping mask (that was going to be your surprise present, sorry Laura). Stayed in Bahrain for a couple of hours until I could get a flight to Delhi, got 3 seats all to myself and read up on Arab hip hop artist... apparently they are getting quite popular. ... read more

Seasons Greetings Friends and Family We have just 3 sleeps left til we skidaddle off to Thailand for 18 days or so, - Jude can’t wait! - and I'm also looking forward to a change of scene, some more warmth (22C here - and 30C there) - and hopefully some riding….. Bahrain is really quite small - maybe 40 km’s long and skinny, so when hols come around, most people take the opportunity to take off. With some new air routes being added by various airlines, there are some bargains to be had - for example, a return flight to Dubai for $NZ85! Evidently Hotel prices there are cheap also given their wee ‘crash’ recently. We have been doing some exploring on the weekends and amusing ourselves while the temps are conducive to outdoor activities. We ... read more

Our trip to Bahrain was an unexpected bonus during my sabbatical. My brother-in-law lives in Bahrain and as luck would have it, we had enough frequent flyer points with Emirates to score a return trip from Amman for JOD 36.15 (AUD 56.89) each, flying via Dubai. Tourist visas for Australians are available on arrival and cost a measly BHD 5 (AUD 14.25) each. The line up through customs took a little while (about 1/2 hour) but was trouble-free. My brother-in-law met us at the airport and we were welcomed by the warm weather. We stayed in a new suburb of Bahrain in a three-storey apartment situated on a lagoon connected to the nearby sea. The water was perfect for swimming, but there is also a pool as part of the apartment complex. Although we were only ... read more

So I left Heathrow late at night and arrived for my jolly stop-over in Bahrain airport. Bahrain city looks smart from miles away through grubby glass, but the airport is obviously older but with suped-up aircon (oh my god I'm pleased I wore my jeans and hoody for the flight!). Anyway, 4 hours of stopover in a fridge, with a costa coffee (at $4 a pop!) but where you have no local currency is not best fun. Anyway onwards.... read more

Greetings Folks, - from Manama, Bahrain - and thanks for all the e-mails and messages received. Things are going well on our ‘working holiday ( Jude’s working - I’m on holiday ) - we are getting used to the way things work over here and settling in well. We and all the fellow expats are looking forward to the Eid Ul Fitr (Eid al fitter) which is a celebration marking the end of the month of daytime fasting (Ramadan). This will mean that cafes, restaurants and the like will be open during the day - a chance to go out for lunch or a coffee to escape the hotel room will be welcome. AND of course the pubs and bars and liquor stores will re open having been closed for a month, which will be cause ... read more