I touched down gently at the Manama airport just prior to sunset after making several short regional flights, glad to have arrived to some warm and humid weather after rain and cold temps came to California the prior week.
The last time I was in this area it was 47 degrees when I landed, sometime in September. The heat can be brutal in the summer here but by this time of year the temperatures have subsided considerably.
I soon found myself wandering aimlessly through the dimly lit streets of city centre in Manama. Surprisingly I found lots of Asian restaurants ranging from Indonesian to Thai. And I almost thought I was back in Thailand with a number of Thai massage places in this part of town – although here it seems there are massage places segregated for men and women only. And surprisingly I also saw Christmas decorations.
Eventually I reached the impressive World Trade Center – an architectural masterpiece with two buildings in the general shape of a sail. what is even more impressive are the three connectors between the two buildings that hold three giant wind turbines. Supposedly these turbines supply nearly 20% of the power for the building.
Locals told me this part of town was under water decades ago – the bays having since been filled.
Bahrain is a tiny country, yet there is plenty to do and I plan to send the next 4-5 days exploring both Manama, the beaches (if I can find some) and some of the historical attractions.
Dave. Thank you for your tips and suggestions. I went on a holiday trip to Bahrain with my family – visited a few restaurants. I found some good options in the restaurants of City Centre Bahrain.
Aysha – I would be interested in returning to Bahrain – this time exploring more of the food scene 🙂