Bahrain Bound

Bahrain's Skyline

ANYBODY IN SAUDI ARABIA who's ever craved for a drink, a night life, a movie date and most importantly (for most Filipinos) a plate of pork, knows there's only one place to go to and find all of that. It's in Bahrain. 

Unfortunate as it may sound, it is the sweeping generalization of what Bahrain is for most of the locals here in KSA. It's an open country and there are a lot of things you can do there that you can't do in Saudi Arabia, much less in Riyadh. But I hope that by writing this, we can all come to see beyond what Bahrain has to offer.

 --

Bahrain is the friendly neighbor of Saudi Arabia, situated almost a stone's throw away from the city of Al Khobar. The two countries are connected by a giant causeway -- a gift from the late King Fahad bin Abdulaziz bin Al Saud (rightly named as the King Fahad Causeway). Coming from Riyadh, it's a six-hour bus ride via the SAPTCO V.I.P. Bus Service, which is what I rode when I went over there last weekend. You can also go by car or by plane (if you want), but since I was on a "budget" then I opted to go with the bus service, along with two of my friends, K and Doc D. :) 

How to get there: 

What the ticket looks like. Make sure you don't lose it. If you do, it's going to cost you another 150 SAR.

Of course, you have to get an exit/re-entry visa first. And, if you'd like to travel by bus like me and my friends did, you can go to the SAPTCO V.I.P. Office by Olaya St. (Contact No: +966-1-462-9939) and present your Passport along with your exit-re-entry visa to purchase the ticket. It's 225SAR for a round trip ticket and 150SAR for one-way. Advanced booking is advised. The usual trips leaves Riyadh during Wednesday afternoons and returns on Friday evenings. So it's a total weekender if you want it to be. 

The end of the Causeway where you officially "land" in Bahrain.

What Can You See:

In the heart of Manama (Bahrain's capital) are many notable buildings. The premium hotels are located in this area and it's quite easy to navigate around it since essentially, the entirety of Bahrain is significantly smaller than the whole of Saudi Arabia. Here are some spots you wouldn't want to miss.

The beautiful mosque right along Bab Al Bahrain.

An old-feel of souks in Bab Al Bahrain (but they do have new buildings now.)

Behind K and I is the prominent Bahrain Financial Harbour Building.

This is Bahrain's World Trade Center. The propellers in the middle are responsible for producing 15% of the building's energy. :)

By the Corniche, where you can enjoy a great view of the city's skyline.

Beyond the city proper are also must-see sights like the mystical Tree of Life, which is an hour ride away from Manama and the Bahrain International F1 Circuit - where Formula 1 fans can gather and cheer on their favorites. Bahrain dubs itself as the Home of Motorsport in the Middle East, harboring major car companies within the country, like Toyota. 

The Tree of Life, Sakhir Desert

According to the locals, this Tree of Life is mystical because it happens to survive in the middle of the desert - whether in the chill of winter or the heat of summer. And it is the ONLY tree that you can find in that entire vast land and it will really make you wonder why it has come to survive through all these years. Others advice the visitors to make a wish, or rub their hands over the bark to be blessed by it's "powers". Other write their names on the tree trunks. It was a very serene place and it kind of reminded me of a scene from "My Sassy Girl". I think it's a perfect place to meditate and/or get married. Char! That's a different story....moving on! 

Formula 1 Race Track

A view of where the seats are.

We arrived at the Bahrain International F1 Circuit and it wasn't open for any race day or anything but we were allowed to roam the Welcome Center, which gives us an idea of what to expect should a real race be ongoing. They have particular dates set for visitors who wants to experience the whole F1 thrill and you can view that schedule on their website. 

So after a little look and see, we went into their gift store and purchased some much-deserved memorabilia:

F1 shirts go for as low as 15BD each.

Are there any fridge magnet collectors out there? This is a good buy at 4BD.

We also wanted to visit the renowned Arad Fort, which is an old castle in the opposite side of these two locations, unfortunately, it was also closed at our time of visit, so I can only leave you with a photo of it from the outside.

There will concerts held here come March and April. :)

Okay so by now, you hopefully have an idea of the sights to see around Bahrain apart from the scantily-clad band girls inside the corner bars of the city. In that light, don't forget to get souvenirs as well for the friends you left back in Saudi Arabia. The souks in Bab Al Bahrain will give you a good price with their items:

Head bands and bookmarks for 1BD each.

It looks like Riyadh isn't the only one using the Kikay Camels. ;P

I debated with myself on whether I should still put photos of the rest of the "contraband" that's available in Bahrain (since here I was trying to put a different spin on the place). But, I figured, if it will help convince you to take a trip there, then why not right? The important thing is that I've shed a different light to what can be done in Bahrain (nagmamalinis much? :P) and there is a lot to enjoy in that neighboring country, six hours away. So, here it is:

Movie lovers will enjoy their state-of-the-art cinemas at Bahrain City Center Mall.

Who loves BreadTalk in the Phils? They have it there at BCC too!

The obligatory "pork overload" at Hot Pot. From L-R clockwise: Sinigang na Baboy, Crispy Pata, Sisig and Inihaw na Liempo.

And there you have it! Oh and before I forget, yes, there are a lot of "reports" on current unrest in Bahrain and that it may not be safe to go (at the time of writing) but when I went there (which was Feb 15-17), everything looked normal except for some road closures and visible police presence. In my own experience, I didn't feel afraid or anything like that since everyone else seemed to carry on quite normally. Just to lessen your risk, I would suggest to ask someone who actually lives in Bahrain, regarding possible unrests. Other than that, I think you'd be just fine.

Enjoy the city and what it has to offer. It's a good place to unwind and relax in a not-so-distant manner from Saudi Arabia. :)

I'll see you again Bahrain!

Until my next travel,

xoxo
Eyecandy



PS.

Special thanks to Ms. Virgie and her husband, Mohammad for being our gracious hosts during this trip! :)

How to Register as Overseas Absentee Voters

When I was on vacation in the Philippines last November, my sister handed me an envelope that arrived a few months before. It contained my absentee voter's ID. Wow, finally, another government ID that I can present whenever an official ID is needed (hindi na lang passport ang official ID ko, yey!). In fairness, I didn't expect it to arrive at all. Looking at it, I remembered the day I dragged my father to register for the absentee voting here in Riyadh and the day I get to vote again, It was my first time to vote outside the Philippines. How time really flies. 


It was in 2010 that we elected the Philippines' president, vice-president and 12 senators. What do you think of their performance now? Do you like it? Abhor it? No comment? If you want to have your say on the next legislative elections on 2013, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has opened the OAV Registration last November 12, 2011 and it will go on until October 31, 2012 . If I were you, I won't wait until the deadline to visit the embassy to register. Register now! Habang maaga pa at wala pang pila, gooo! :)


Here's how (madali lang 'to, promise!):
1. Visit the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh on Saturdays to Wednesdays during working hours (8:00AM to 5:00PM) or Thursdays (8:00AM to 12:00Noon).
2. Bring your passport or iqama for registration.
3. Look for the registration booth and follow their procedures.

You can only register if you are:
1. a Filipino (syempre)
2. at least 18 years of age on the day of the election (May 13, 2013)
3. not disqualified by law
4. registered overseas absentee voter with approved application to vote in absentia
* If you're a registered absentee voter who didn't vote in the 2007 and 20120 elections, you need to register again because your name was already removed from the National Registry of Overseas Absentee Voters.

Fast and simple! You'll be finished in no time at all. Read my experience in 2009. It's probably more or less the same.


Once registered, you'll be able to vote in the senatorial and party-list representaive election. For more details and information, contact Attaché Maribeth T. Ferrer at telephone number 01-480-1918.

Here we are again convincing you to register and vote. You might wonder, "Why would I waste my time in going to the embassy to register and then to vote in 2013 for a government that doesn't exactly know I exist or a doesn't take care of me or is corrupting my country?" First and foremost, this is not a waste of time. Like what I said to my father when I was convincing him to register in the OAV, we are given the right to vote. We should claim it! This is one of life's free things that gives us the power to decide what we want and who we want to lead and serve us. It does sound nationalistic (chos!) but it's true. Your government doesn't know you? Well, it's time they should! It doesn't take care of you? Well, it's time to choose people who will! It's a corrupt government? It's time to clean house then! When you register, vote, and see the performance of the people you voted and did not vote, you can brag of their achievements as leaders or can tease your father (who voted differently) for voting such a corrupt official. Hahaha. 

Even if we're far away from the Philippines, we are given a chance to 'say' something about our government. The OAV gives us that voice. REGISTER NOW! :)

A Date with The Pink Tarha

Hello, lovelies! We celebrated The Pink Tarha's third anniversary last January 24. We actually kind of forgot (eeeep!) that's why the girls and I didn't have a proper celebration. No dinner. No clinking of (Saudi) champagne bottles. No fireworks. Echos, parang meron naman noon (as if there were before). 

So anyway, we'd like you to celebrate with us! We're treating one of you to a dinner at The Noodle House, one of our favorite restaurants in the city. 

We know we offered this before when we were chairing the Where The Heart Is Photo Contest. However, we didn't get to pick a 'liker' because we became busy with work, with extracurricular activities, and with vacation. So, we're amping up our prize this time. We'll really treat you nicely and bongga-ciously! :P But due to some limitations, this is available to LADIES WHO ARE LIVING IN RIYADH ONLY. Please take note of this as this is really important. We don't want to send a different message especially in using the words "dinner DATE". This is an all-girl date. Okay? (FTR, we are not a dating site, haha!) 

So, here's what you have to do:

STEP 1. Visit The Pink Tarha's Facebook page.
STEP 2. If you're still not a fan, please like our page. 

For those who are already fans, proceed to step 3.

STEP 3. LIKE this photo.

And that's it! Easy peasy! All you have to do is LIKE this PHOTO! 

LIKE!

We'll choose ONE winner (from among the likers) by using an online random raffle generator. Or, we'll write all the names of the likers in pieces of folded paper and pick from there. Don't worry, for transparency and honesty, we'll show you how the winner is chosen. We'll choose the winner on 12:00PM (KSA time), February 14, 2012. So you have all the time to 'like' from today until Feb 14. :) The dinner will happen on a date and time we'll agree upon so we can accommodate everyone's schedule. If you're our personal friend (as in we/one of us know you), you can join. :)

Again, ONLY LADIES WHO ARE LIVING IN RIYADH CAN JOIN. If you have any questions, just comment here.

Don't worry, ladies, we don't bite. Haha. We'll have fun! :)

The Hidden Valley

After three years, I found myself in Hidden Valley again. Not lost, mind you, but appalled at how much garbage had been thrown and graffiti had been written in the place through the years.

Let me backtrack a little... Hidden Valley is the next stop to a Red Sand weekend trip of Filipino family and friends in Riyadh. Remember this post I wrote about Red Sand three years ago? At the end of the entry, I promised a Hidden Valley entry next but much like missing Pink Tarha up next posts, I never got around to writing it. My sisters, who are visiting Riyadh for the first time, gave me another reason to visit the place and finally, as in finally, write about it.

We went to Red Sand last Thursday. The weather is perfect. It was a little bit cold for my liking but I like the sun's warmth when we were already climbing the hill. Nothing much has changed. There were lots of Filipinos and there were still the makukulit Saudi youth who kept doing acrobatics in the sand. One of them even removed his shirt and began chasing Filipinas wanting to give them a group hug! His friends subdued him (good for him because other Filipinos were already throwing him dagger looks). Anyway, after a while, we went to the Hidden Valley.

The path to Hidden Valley (mind the tires).

It's beginning to look like a construction site.

Not much has been said about the Hidden Valley (must be because it was hidden? Chos!). It's where most Filipinos have their picnic after walking up and down the red sand hills or riding ATVs. When we first went there in 2009, I was amazed with the rock formations surrounding the place. It creates a dramatic backdrop to a desert experience. Filipinos and other expats climb the rock walls and hills to get an amazing view of the dunes and Grand Canyon-like scenery afar.

A trail up to the sand mountain.

What I did not fail to notice though are the graffiti on the wall. Seriously? Must this be a wall of attendance or a bulletin board of love announcements?!

Are those writings on the wall? Trash on the floor?

I was expecting a better Hidden Valley this time knowing that this place is already an established picnic ground so visitors might have cleaned up after they eat or hang out on the place, right? After all, many expats come here and see this as somewhat like a tourist spot. Oooohkay, that thought bubble burst immediately when I saw the place again. It was dirty. Trash littered everywhere. 

Plastic everywhere!

The dry river bed running on the side (part of the Wadi Nissah), is filled with paper and plastic plates, plastic bags, empty cartons, mineral water bottles, chip bags, and a lot more.

If this dry river can talk...

*speechless*

If that river is not dry, it might have looked like Ilog Pasig by now. Plastic bags hung on the branches of the desert bushes. The walls were covered in more graffiti. Names of visitors were proudly displayed. As in talaga namang ineffort nila masyado ang pag-akyat at pagsusulat! I wonder how they did that. Spiderman much?! Did they bring paint just to write on the rock walls?!

There are more to these on other walls, kaloka!

The sisters were snickering. "This is a tourist spot? You brought us here to see trash?," they said laughing. I was embarrassed. "It was better before!" I claimed. To somewhat steer them away from the trash-filled scene, I told them to pose making the rock formations and mountains as their background. Those magnificent rock formations are salvation.

You're still here! :)

Closer, closer...

I must admit I didn't begin picking up trash right there and then if I'm THAT concerned. However, we all know that there's no excuse in not disposing trash properly. A lot of Filipinos go in Hidden Valley and in Red Sand; make it picnic grounds, even take naps on carpets under the desert bushes. There are no official caretakers of this place. I think only us Filipinos and some other expats know of these places as tourist spots (Saudis usually go to Thumamah for their desert camping trips). Let this quote be our reminder, not only when we go around Saudi Arabia, but when we go everywhere: "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time."

With that, have fun exploring Saudi Arabia! :)

Much Love,

§undrenched