It was just exactly mid August when I arrived here in Bahrain on a Gulf Air flight from Dhaka. First time going out of the country , first time riding on a Jet Plane, first time in an Arab land... well, I can add a lot to this 'first time' list to talk about this epic tour. But, now decided to start it with the very interesting dramatic weather that I experienced first time in my life staying here in #Bahrain for last forty days.
12.55 pm , August 15, 2016 was the time of touch down and a few minutes later I was out at the stairs. Stopped by a crew at the bottom of the stairs as the shuttle bus was filled with the first batch, I could a'ready feel the scorching mid August hit outside the shade.
Then after passing LMRA and Immigration at around 4.30 pm, I finally stepped out in the open at airport's parking lot to get into my friend's car. There I got the perfect slanting Sun washed warm reception in Bahrain's gorgeous weather. But, that was just the beginning....!! I gotta say, I enjoyed the whole ride from airport to Jid Ali. Laying eyes on beautifully decorated and developing Manama, watching the smooth roads and bridges, auto controlled signals in the cross roads (without any traffic Police) and traffics working perfectly without any honking horns, I got all my journey (and immigration) fatigues washed out, Alhamdulillah. Later in the evening, we went to the embassy of Bangladesh. A program was arranged there for the Bangladeshi expats on the occasion of Bangladesh's National Mourning Day (August 15). Something, that I had already seen in the morning on that day in Dhaka on my way to airport. Now that felt good too, that I didn't have to miss the occasion even after such a long journey.
Then just after the evening, it arrived...!!
And the best part is, with my get up, I was not ready for it at all. It's the thing for what I considered the hit I experienced outside the airport just the beginning....... Yes !! the sudden spike in humidity....!! With my full sleeve formal shirt and jeans I went through the 'eye of the storm' feel of that suddenly popped up sticky hot weather... Sweating inside my getup, shaking hands with all others in t-shirts and polo shirts in the embassy yard, I asked almost everybody several times ,"Is it likely to rain now !!?"Defying my hope of relief, all of 'em answered in negative and said it (this boiling sticky hot weather) is very natural here in summer. And so it stayed all night...!! Next few days, while visiting some interesting places in this beautiful country I was craving for the this crazy humidity to move away from this Kingdom and let me have some appeasing hangouts with just the warming Sun on my shoulders.
.... After about a month or so , I mean in mid September Alhamdulillah !!, I finally started to feel that prized drop in temperature and moisture in the air.
Attended the prayer of Eid ul Adha at the beautiful grand mosque in Manama. That was another great experience for me to here the whole gathering chanting Taqbeer-e- Tahrima in chorus starting after Fajar right to the start of Sataat-u- Eid-ul-Adha. After the prayer we attended some Eid invitations from some Bangladeshi expat families. It was pleasant to have some homey touches after a while with their hospitality. Had a brief hang out after that at the Dolphin Park at Marina Sea Beach and that was awesome, Subhyan Allah !! That actually was a revitalizing strike of bewitchment to my worn out mind.
Later in the night, enjoyed playing a beach football match with a few Bangladeshi expats at the magnificent sea beach of Zallak..... And trust me that's a very soothing, relaxing and consoling place to be if you have a taste of taking a refreshing walk along the seashore at summer nights. The level of security and all other facilities there are quite top notch.
Forget the refreshing sea beaches, if you just take a walk along the footpath and stand beside a zebra crossing to cross the road you are very likely to see the cars slowing down or just stopping near you letting you cross the road presenting you a humble gesture. Now to me, this little demeanor is very imposing and inspiring. I've personally got a feedback from one of my countrymen that this courtesy that the people of this island very usually offer to the pedestrians on the road could actually be the most captivating things about the Bahrainis in the eye of a foreigner. Lesson to learn is that how the simple practice of a cordial mannerism by the citizens of a country can make a warm impression to it's guests.
After a few days, finally the moisture was totally replaced by a refreshing breeze AlHhamdulillah and I got a very different impression on the local weather. I personally posted a lot of pics and some videos on my Facebook wall while enjoying the sun and the breeze out there in the open in a lovely weather Subhyan Allah. I think I missed this for years. Sometimes that breeze would feel so refreshing that you might think of applying for the citizenship of this Kingdom.. Well, at least for the period of late September to early March I may add....
I forgot to talk about a very important think. Yuh !! , the delicious food and the diners in Bahrain. In one word I'd say that was another 'excellent' entry to the list of wonderful experiences on this tour. There are plenty of restaurants, bakeries, food shops, coffee shops, BBQ store etc from almost all nationalities in the world spread allover in Bahrain. And all of 'em has no way but to maintain the quality and taste with a regular checkup of the concerned authority of Bahrain government in a competitive open market. Some of the exquisite diners felt very interesting to me because of their style of serving the food on a specialized floor mat on the floor or on a plane surface. Following the Muslim tradition people from a group or a family eat there from the same big dish. If they don't want to come inside the diner or if there is no place inside to sit in, they just pull over in front of the shop or just park the car in a nearby free space and honk a mild horn. There are people working in such shops who come out at the sound of this and take orders from the customer inside the car , prepares the food and delivers them back. Quite convenient !! Isn't it !!?
In these 40 days, I made a lot of online job applications and looked for business opportunities. I haven't yet got any interview call for any of those online applications but I found a lot of prospects for the later and I wish I had the money to invest right now. IT System Integration , Telecommunications, Construction works, Food Shops, FMCG you name it, you're gonna find this island a fairly attractive place for business investments.. A lot of investors are swarming in discovering this huge prospect considering Bahrain's position among all other GCC nations. But, a lot of opportunities are still remaining to fill in.........(Just got back to writing after a long while .. so, a lot more is likely to follow In shaa Allah)
