Ba..Baa Bakasyon sa Bahrain!

In celebration of Eid-Al-Adha here in Saudi, we had six days off from work, and thank god we learned from the experience last Eid-Fitir where we rot ourselves in our room and sa office (overtime hehehe) so before the holiday comes we arrange a trip to a very very far-away country known as Bahrain.

Our original plan was really to go to Syria and Jordan, but due to visa delays it was not push through. And Thank God again it didnt materialize because during the Eid hoildays there were bomb attack in Damascus main bus station.
Imagine muntik pa pala kami mapahamak ng di oras kung natuloy kami!

Moving on, we started our trip from Al-Khobar to Bahrain on Thursday afternoon and leave Bahrain Saturday afternoon. Lots of pictures i took from the camera that i borrowed and saved it on my laptop but after a couple of minutes of downloading suddenly my laptop got a virus! So ayun deleted lahat ng pics from the camera. (wawa!). Only remaining pics we're the one taken from my cellfone and from a friend's camera (thanks raymond for the pics!).

Lesson learned:
1. install a more reliable anti-virus
2. buy my own dlsr!

Anyhow let me share you what I did in 2 days 2 night stay in Bahrain.

1. King Fadh Causeway
Ang 33km na bridge na naguugnay sa bansang Bahrain at Al Khobar Saudi Arabia. Swerte talaga at dito ako naka-assign sa Khobar at malapit kami sa Bahrain.This magnificent bridge was built since 1988 pa ata, and is a source of tourist attraction sa mga taga Al Khobar. Malapit sa boundary there is Starbucks, McDo, and many other fast food.Ganda rin mag picture taking pero hindi na namin ginawa kasi ang daming tao!

Immigration area of Saudi Arabia

Sunset over the Causeway

2. The Gold Souq Mall
Gold, Gold, Gold everywhere! Malamang kaya nga Gold souq ang name ng mall! Ang daming tindahan ng gold; gold necklace, ring, hikaw, palamuti sa bahay, etc. Magandang tignan pero masakit sa bulsa! =(
According to my friend, mas mahal ang ginto sa bahrain compare to Saudi. And until now im wondering, saan ba nanggagaling ang ginto dito sa middle east at sobrang dami nila? From Iran to UAE to Qatar and Saudi ang daming ginto! Nakatago ba sila sa mga buhangin? Teka makapghukay nga sa labas ng bahay namin at baka may nakatagong ginto sa mga buhangin na yun!

2. I love you Pork
Ang isang luxury ng mga Pinoy sa Saudi eh kapag nakabili ka (ng patago shempre) ng baboy. Yep ginto ang baboy sa Saudi, 1 kilo is almost 780 pesos (puro taba pa yun!) But in Bahrain, dahil mabait yung hari nila, eh allowed ang baboy sa bansa nila. Kaya when we had our first dinner in Manama bumili kami ng baboy and we cook it as lechon kawali and sinigang. It was heaven i tell you =D.

3. Twisted in Twister
After we had our dinner, its time to paint the town red! And what better way to celebrate gimik night?what else edi sa Twister Bar!
A common hangout ng mga pinoy young and old alikes is Twister bar located in Ramada hotel in Manama. Para kalang nasa Malate kasi puro Pinoy, and the band are all Pinoy. Galing! Word class talaga ang talent natin!
Entrance is free and you don't need to buy a drink to be there. Kung gusto mo lang sumayaw at makipagkilala sa mga single ladies eh puede rin =D. I've met a lot of Pinoys in Twister. Ang cool ng mga people kahit na may edad na hehehe. The place is so cool we even returned the next evening, and still we found the same peple/crowd there. Mga gimikero! LOL!

Hindi ba halatang enjoy?

4. A very memorable First Sunday of Advent @ Sacred Heart Church
Kinabukasan, Friday, together with the owner of the house we went to the largest and one of the Catholic church in Manama.It was a happy feeling to be in the Lord's house once again after almost 6 months of non worshipping in his house. The message of the sermon is "the Lord will provide".Galing!

5. I left my heart in Manama City
Manama is a beautiful place. Ang gagara ng mga buildings.He may not be as popular destination as Doha or Dubai but steadily Manama is being recognized as "business friendly" country in the Gulf. Being an open city gives them advantage from neighboring countries. That's why a lot of expats from Saudi Arabai and Kuwait goes to Bahrain for a weekend R and R. A sight to see in Manama is the Al fateh Mosque, which is the biggest mosque in the country.A good thing about this mosque is it is open to the public even to Non Muslim. Sayang when we visit the place it was closed for tourist. Nagtyaga nalang kami sa labas to ake picture.

City Hall ng Manama?

Al-Fateh Mosque

Sha parin....


City Hall ulet....

Ayan na papalapit na sa Mosque

Opppss..stop muna

6. On Guard at the Arad Fort

Before we end our trip sa Bahrain, shempre we shouldn't miss visiting the famous Arad Fort of Bahrain. It's an early structure build by the sea rulers of Bahrain, to protect their area and pearl industry from pirates. Its only a small fort but considered to be the oldest structure in their country. Its so cool to visit and actually walk on the same area where sinaunang Bahraini used to walk and maybe sometimes defend their land from pirates. Good timing ang pagbisita namin dahil konti lang ang tourist, so hindi matao at parang malaki naming playground ang Arad Fort.Lol!

Sir Jon and Me on top of the tower

The bay in front of the Fort


Arad Fort

Prayer carpets used in the afternoon Sala in Arad Fort

In conclusion, the trip was worth it! I love the way of life in Bahrain, parang Pinas lang kasi, they can go to church, eat pork, uminom ng alak, just like normal Piinoys do in Pinas. And after 3 years ngayon lang ako ulit nakabalik ng Bar w/ dancefloor, nostalgic talaga!. Though its a good thing this is prohibited in Saudi kasi at least nakaktipid kami hehe. If ever somebody asked me to join him to Bahrain for a weekend get-away man lang, ang isasagot ko..."Tara na!".