Bahrain Travel Diary Days 1, 2 & 3

For the past 4 days, Fabio and I have been enjoying the hot and humid sun in Bahrain, an island which sits in the Persian Gulf. 
In order to document our time here, I've been making some short vlogs, however it's hard to sometimes film everything, especially when you don't have your camera on you when something interesting happens! Therefore, I have decided to write a short diary of each day spent here, however I won't count day 1 as the day we arrived, since we spend most of our time up in the air and didn't arrive until about 7:30pm. If you're interested though, just watch the  short video below!



Day 1
We woke up early to the arrival of Fabio's brother, wife and 3 children, who had also just flown over from the UK.  For breakfast we ate yummy American style pancakes with Nutella, washed down with a proper Italian Caffe Latte. It was authentic. It was made by Fabio's Italian mamma. We mainly spent the morning relaxing by the poolside, soaking up as much sun as we could like plants that hadn't been watered for years. I of course, being the pale being that I am, soaked up too much and got sunburnt. I am still dealing with aftermath as we speak!  We also decided to be brave and jump into the pool, which was not surprisingly, pretty cold. Once in though, it warmed up and we frolicked and played (with the children) until we were prunes.  For lunch we indulged in a meat feast, cooked on the BBQ by Fabio's pa, which tasted exquisite; the first BBQ of the year always does!  After yet more relaxing (I hope this diary doesn't bore you with all the relaxing we have done so far), at dinnertime we ate the much awaited shawarma! This is literally THE most delicious wrap on this planet. I chose the chicken one and Fabio chose one beef and one chicken. Oh the party my mouth had when I took that first bite. Trust me, this is nothing like the kebabs you get in the UK. Not even close. (Ignore that fact that this says 'day 2'. They will always be one day ahead because of the video I made for the flight).

Day 2
Another morning of caffe lattes but this time with the addition of a juicy mango (again, way better than its exported UK cousin). Today we had another relaxing morning but spent lunch out at The Rugby Club. No, we didn't hop back on the plane back to the UK just for our lunch. Bahrain is a massive hit for expats and has a lot of British and Americans living there, and so the Bahrain Rugby Club has become a popular place for them and their children to gather for events, football and rugby tournaments, as well as to eat the delicious food at the Manos Restaurant. The Manos restaurant serves a variety of cuisines, from a really good t-bone steak (melt-in-the-mouth!) to thai dishes and pan-fried fish. Everything is very tasty. We shared some halloumi bites and Saganaki, something I have never tried before but was curious. It turned out that it was battered feta pieces soaked in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. They were very pleasant! For main I chose the beef massaman curry with rice, which was also really tasty, and very garlicky! The only thing I would say is that most of the food tasted very strongly of garlic (to me anyway), unless It was just my tastebuds! After a little wonder around the club, we came home and the children enjoyed an Easter egg hunt around the garden. I also enjoyed one of  their spoils; a yummy kinder egg, although different to the usual.. this one had a spoon and you had to spoon out what was melted chocolate with two little crispy eggs in the centre. It was still rather nice (of course it was, it was chocolate!) In the evening we had a simple supper of bits and bobs (salami, salad, bread etc); a delight for the stomach which was already carrying a lot of heavy food inside from lunchtime!

Day 3
Caffe latte and fruit salad was today's breakfast of choice. And after some much needed relax (of course you knew I was going to say this) and a snack of cheese bread and Za'atar bread (google this!) some of us went off to hit the shops in Bahrain's City Centre Mall. Honestly, this place is like home from home. They had a Debenhams, H&M and even a Marks and Spencer! Of course I only went in the shops that we don't have: Victoria Secret, Virgin Music and Books and Bath & Body Works.   For lunch we ate light with a bowl of the most delicious homemade pesto with pasta and some fruit salad for afters. The reason for this is because we were preparing our stomachs for the meal that was to come later: an Indian buffet at Lanterns restaurant. This buffet is something to write home about for sure. The naan bread is freshly made with a dense texture but crisp surface (so yummy). When you arrive, you are served a little charcoal grill on the table with 3 little bites of different types of grilled meat: tandoori, shish kebab and chicken breast. The buffet is a mix of indian curries, biriyani and DIY stir fry, where you plate what you would like yourself and they cook it. This is also worth trying if you go. There are also a selection of Indian starters (the tabbouleh and hummus is a must-try) and also desserts. I was recommended to try by Fabio's father, a sweet cake-y ball which is soaked in syrup. Despite its sickly sweetness, I quite liked it.  We ended the evening relaxing in front of the TV watching Scrubs. I love that show. 
Will write about the next few days once they happen.. ha. 
xoxo