A Little of Bahrain
February 14, 2011
It's been a year since I did a quick hop to Bahrain. It's my first and so far, only business trip. By business it meant having stayed in the office all day, and maybe say all night, literally. It's my first to have left work at 2:30 a.m. and I apologized to my Filipina colleague who got harassed twice on her way home for leaving late too after giving me company.
I felt a little of Baguio and Manila when I was there -- small airport, narrow roads, short buildings, and fellow Filipinos walking the streets and in the service industries ( the hotel, food chains, pharmacy). But while the narrow roads witness traffic, its sidewalks don't.
My interaction from Bahrainis were limited in the cars. That is, the hotel staff who picked me from the airport is Bahraini, and so were the elderly locals who drove the taxis in my three days stay. The hotel staff made me like Golden Tulip Bahrain's customer service, being so apologetic (when I requested to take the photo below, nothing else) and arranged my free meal just for the error of addressing me "Mr".
I felt a little of Baguio and Manila when I was there -- small airport, narrow roads, short buildings, and fellow Filipinos walking the streets and in the service industries ( the hotel, food chains, pharmacy). But while the narrow roads witness traffic, its sidewalks don't.
My interaction from Bahrainis were limited in the cars. That is, the hotel staff who picked me from the airport is Bahraini, and so were the elderly locals who drove the taxis in my three days stay. The hotel staff made me like Golden Tulip Bahrain's customer service, being so apologetic (when I requested to take the photo below, nothing else) and arranged my free meal just for the error of addressing me "Mr".
I didnt get around so there's not much to share, except for the pictures below. My remarkable experience though is from the bunch of fellow Filipinos in the workplace (whom I met first time) who where very accomodating and friendly and made me comfortable at the first instance. They had a great bond, which made me think that Bahrain has a charm that radiates to people who stay there.
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| A view from the Golden Tulip Hotel |
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| The tips of the Bahrain World Trade Center come parallel with the mosque minaret |
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| The pointed tips of The World Trade Center, which I think is a landmark. |
3 COMMENTS
I liked best the last photo. Nakakaexcite talaga yung pakiramdam pag may nakikita tayong mga kababayan. :) Never fails to lessen the homesickness.
ReplyDeletei also like the last photo - parang postcard. i always get excited when i see a new country.
ReplyDeleteGot here through Gracia's blog! I worked in Bahrain for over 9 years. I had the same feeling each time I saw kabayans in the souq, and the best part they would say hi even if they don't know you.
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