Delmon International Hotel Manama

Out of the widow Bahrain looks like lots of dust with skyscrapers on. Inside it is a strange mix of Christmas decorations lots of tour groups who look like they might be going on pilgramage, 25k rolexes in duty free, mcdonalds,costa and free internet to keep us amused. We've got 2hrs to kill - body clocks already out of sink! Am going to try and learn some nepalese from a podcast.

... I am sad to say that my mobile camera could'nt even catch one - they were much too elusive for me ( and maybe the bus went too fast at the wrong time!) A couple of times I even caught sight of a cute camel cum goat farm, but wasnt able to get them on celluloid. <br><br>Now I must tell you that after my desert ride I have my own definition for the word 'Mirage'. It is not just an illusion. It is an illusion of something you have seen earlier on in your journey. You may have ...

... to the west and Qatar to the east. We didn't know where it was until we were due to fly home via the island. It's interesting to note the road bridge (King Fahd Causeway) which links the two countries and is 17 miles long. Soon to be surpassed by the Bahrain to Qatar 'Friendship Bridge' currently under construction at 25 miles - it will be the longest bridge in the world.

... in Yemen and was also using it as hiding places for members coming back from fighting in Iraq, etc.  They were probably more responsible for the increase violence and executions against Westerners.<br><br>So this had worried me quite a bit, and everyone I had talked to advised against going to Yemen, but I had gathered enough information through research and talking to people to be able to make a semi-informed decision.  Basically the deal was this:  my odds were still good of ...

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... he meant by I can't leave the mall. Bahrain is the most liberal of the Gulf States and Saudis cross the causeway to come here for smoking, booze and ladies from Russia. It's a lot like those commercials where what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. There are even hotels here with bars and discos that cater to this clientele. It's like the anti-Kuwait when I compare the two. I guess a 30 kilometer drive across the causeway can really make ...

... and storing my bag there for the day). I decide to skip the cabs; the airport is in Muharraq, near the historic house of the last pre-oil sheik, Isa bin Ali, and the neighbourhoods of Muharraq are supposed to be historic, so let's walk there -- maybe 1.5 km. It's actually a nice walk, with stops to chat with bored security guards, buy ice cream and look at the wall murals throughout the area. I tour the house, which is decent enough, with a nicely working windtower ...

... and roamed the local streets for a bit until it was time to check out and go to the airport. One final note on my trip to Bahrain, as I walked the streets, I noticed an alarming high number of Thai "Massage" parlors. Now I have never had a Thai "massage", but I can't really believe that they are so amazing and in such high demand that there would be like six of them within a one block radius. I don't want to put all the blame on the Thai's either ...

... doors inside the house can be used to manage and direct the flow. A neat design. Another house of similar age, Beit Seyadi, lies nearby, but, alas, has not been open for 3 years. We hit the souk in the evening to find some Iranian saffron and some dresses. Some of the spice shops have a layered pile of spices; you buy a vertical slice and use it to season meat and chicken. We also hunted for interesting salt, but only came up with Iranian fleur de sel which did not taste special.