From Kuwait to Bahrain

 
I love this painting that was on the wall of the Kuwait hotel.

The Crown Prince and his father, KIng Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Shops in the souk

Me and my two new Oman friends.

Wednesday, February 11th.

We left the hotel by 9 for our morning 45 minute flight from Kuwait to Bahrain. We arrived at our Ibis hotel in the capital city, Manama, by 2 and checked in. We had a couple of hours to get organized before meeting in the lobby at 5. This is the 3rd smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. It consists of an archipelago of 33 natural islands and 50 artificial islands. The population is 1.5 million with 46% being Bahraini nationals and 54% are expats. The country is another monarchy led by KIng Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa who has reigned since 1999, while the head of government (prime minister) and heir apparent is his son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Oil revenue is its primary economy but it has heavily invested in banking and tourism to diversify its economy.

The group went for dinner by minivan to the souk area of Manama. We had some time to explore the area and check the shops and sights. The vendors here are mostly Indian and are a bit pushy as they want to sell you something. One guy offered to buy or trade for my Tilley hat, ah, no thanks. While we were exploring George went to the restaurant that Adventures Abroad always uses and discovered that it was closed because the owner had died today! So, he had to quickly make a plan B and find a different Bahraini cuisine restaurant. We had a nice meal of typical Middle Eastern style salads and dips with breads, a Bahraini style pizza and then some ground chicken and lamb kabobs. On the way back to the minivan I talked to two men about where they were from because their head attire was very different. They were from Oman and were happy to chat and take a photo with me. We were back at the hotel by 8. Time to type and read before bed.