In Search of the Tower

Much to my husband's mild amusement, I am always searching for something new and exciting to explore. Granted, my definition of "exciting" might be on the lower end, but I'm a stay-at-home mom with three kids age five and under, you do the math. As I was poking around online amassing a list of sites to check out in Bahrain, I came across several references to a Tower restaurant that sat on an island between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Sounded intriguing.

Time Out Bahrain said: "Perched high above the border crossing between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the restaurant offers stellar views out over the sparkling waters of the Gulf."

Well, say no more. I'm in! There are two things I should point out at this stage. First is that the article was written in 2009.  Second is that I did not read further down where they actually offered information such as a phone number (17690674) and hours of operation (daily, 9 AM to 11 PM). Had I seen his information I might've called the number and found out that it's been disconnected. I'm not saying this would have swayed me from further exploration, but at least it might have given me pause. Possibly.

I did learn from this article that it was called the King Fahad Causeway restaurant. This gave me more search terms and I came across Lonely Planet's opinion:  "For an egg roll-up and chips while watching the sun dip behind the Saudi mainland at sunset, try the King Fahd Causeway Restaurant, halfway up the tower on the Bahraini side."

Still intrigued.

Wikipedia offered a wealth of information.  I learned that the island was officially called Passport Island, or Middle Island (apparently creative energy was low during the naming process), and was officially opened in 1986.  It is actually made up of two artificial islands that are connected. This way each country can have their own island. As a mother of two little ones I can appreciate that greatly; less squabbling.

Even Wikipedia mentioned the 65-meter high (200+ feet) tower restaurant.  So I became completely convinced that this would be one of those little hidden gems I love to uncover.

My husband came up with a dozen reasons why we shouldn't bother; probably not even open, probably not even there anymore, probably too dangerous to actually go up, probably pollution too great to see anything, probably get caught in hours of traffic, blah, blah, blah.

So one afternoon I set out on a recon mission to prove him wrong.  I packed up the kids and my ever-patient visiting mother in the car and we headed out.  Our first stop, literally, was the tollbooth as we left Bahrain's mainland. I had to pay 2.5 BHD, which is about $6.50, but then we were truly off!

The bridge itself is said to be 15.5 miles long.  I'm not sure whether Passport Island sits directly in the middle of that, or not, but it was certainly an easy drive and we even got to see some boats out on the water.

As we approached Passport Island, even through the haze, we could see the Tower off to the right.  Intrigue continued!

As soon as we drove onto the island we passed through a traffic light and at the last moment I noticed a sign saying "Tower" indicating I should've turned right. The sign was beyond the light and parallel to the road I was on so I'm not sure how anyone was supposed to see it.

Having missed it, I immediately started looking for a way to turn around but I also quickly realized there was another tollbooth immediately in front of me.  I assumed this was the tollbooth to Saudi.  I knew I had a few issues, namely that none of us had our passports and that it was illegal for me to drive there.  Seeing a break in the police barricade, I did a quick and dubiously-legal u-turn maneuver that got me heading back the other way.  But now I had to pass through yet another tollbooth.  When it was my turn, I explained to the guy in the booth that we had just come from Bahrain and we were trying to get to the Tower restaurant.  With great apathy he passed me through (no charge).

I came back to the first traffic light and made a left following the sign for "Tower."  Less than a minute later we were parked next to a massive construction site surrounding the "Tower."  Or what I assumed was the "Tower".

I was a little flummoxed as to why the tollbooth operator didn't happen to mention, in Arabic or English, that the restaurant was quite obviously closed for a very long time.  Maybe he saw the hopeful look on my face and didn't want to dash my dreams.  Oh well, we tried.

We hopped back on the causeway, and headed over the bridge towards Bahrain and home.  Actually it was a nice view seeing our island home from this perspective (minus the layer of haze).  As much as I hate to admit it, my husband's predictors of failure were correct in this endeavor.  But I shall not let it sway me from further explorations!  Now where shall we head to next?

Al Fateh Grand Mosque

On a recent April day, I dragged the kids and my visiting mother out to Al Fateh Grand Mosque, located in Juffair.  This was actually my and the kids' second visit here. Following our arrival last July, we explored it one sweltering August weekend. My primary memory of that day was that it was the first time I was wearing the abaya I had purchased in Jordan and the day was so hot I could feel my skin evaporating.  Once we finished the tour of the mosque, we had to make a bathroom break for the kids and I could see the bathrooms way across the parking lot through the haze of heat. I remember pushing the stroller and getting madder and madder,  wondering how my children had any liquid reserves left to pee because I was certain I was just sweating everything out and may never pee again. That final push from the bathroom to the car felt interminable. I couldn't get into the car's air conditioning fast enough. So obviously I was not in the right frame of mind to appreciate the mosque, which made me grateful for a second chance. Having lived and explored a lot of the Middle East over the last nine years, I've seen many mosques; big ones and little ones, old ones and new ones. But this was the first mosque I've ever been in where they had docents ready to give tours and explain Islam. Both guides we had were women who spoke flawless English and had tremendous knowledge of the history and practices of Islam as well as the architectural features of the mosque. I was impressed both times.  In truth, I wish more churches and mosques had similar offerings around the world.

They offer these tours six days a week, Sunday through Thursday, from 9 AM until 4:30 PM.  If your group is less than 10 people and you require English or Arabic, you can just show up between those hours. If you require another language, or have a larger group, they said just to call ahead so they could accommodate you (phone 1772-7773).

For our second visit, due to a scheduling glitch, meaning I was running late as usual, we arrived at about 4:25 PM. I think the woman took pity on me and said that she would be willing to give us a tour in spite of the late time. I was extremely appreciative. I asked how long the tour was and she said it could be 10 minutes or two hours, completely depends on our interest and questions.  Considering the kids' attention spans and wiggle needs, I was hoping for something somewhere in the happy middle.

Following all of us donning an abaya (they provide them if you don't have your own) to cover our clothing, and a head scarf to cover our hair, out of respect, we then removed our shoes and placed them in the little cubbies provided.  This was only the second time I've had to completely cover up to visit a mosque. In Egypt I used to just carry a head scarf and that would typically suffice. But there was one incident where I was asked to put on a heavy abaya even though I had dressed in long sleeves and long pants.  I was also told I had to enter through a separate door and that incensed me far more than wearing the abaya. Our guide started off explaining that the mosque is the largest in Bahrain (and one of the largest in the world).  It can hold 7,000 people and is open for prayers every day.  It was built in 1987 and the construction was truly an international effort. The carpet in the prayer hall was made in Ireland, the stunning crystal chandelier was made in Austria, Italian marble covered the floors, the huge carved teak doors were from India, and the hundreds of glass globes were hand-blown in France.

The walls were covered in Bahraini limestone which helps to absorb the moisture. And one of the most impressive features is the central dome ("qubba" in Arabic) which is made entirely out of fiberglass and is currently the largest fiberglass dome in the world. She explained, like all mosques, how there is no depiction of any living being, human or animal, just symbols and artistic calligraphy. She pointed out the mihrab (niche set into the wall), which always indicates the direction of Mecca and the direction in which they pray, and the minbar (steps) where the imam stands to lead the Friday prayers.

It was very insightful and had I not had three children who could not resist running in circles, I would have loved to have sat and learned more from her. We thanked her for her kindness and patience, then returned the abayas, gathered up our shoes and wandered back outside. We took a cookie break in the shade and then let the kids run around and headed off to the infamous bathrooms across the parking lot before filing back in to the air-conditioned car.

TripAdviser lists Al Fateh as the #1 thing to do in Manama.  I think it's always hard to define the very best thing to do, but I would definitely put it way up there.  And maybe one day I'll stop by without the kids and learn a little more.  Education is always a good thing.

Bahrain's Botanical Garden, Maybe

A friend mentioned to me that she had taken her kids to the botanical gardens. I was instantly intrigued as I'm always looking for any green spots in the Middle East. I Googled it and discovered that indeed, there was something called the Budaiya Botanical Gardens/Budaiya Garden just a mere five miles from our house (coords: 26°12'49.9"N 50°27'08.3"E).  Who knew? So during my mother's recent visit, knowing that she loves flowers more than anybody, I packed her and the kids into the car one afternoon and we headed out.

I had learned that the site of the botanical gardens, was also the location of the annual farmers market, that typically runs from about December to April. Despite being here through the winter, and loving fresh veggies, we actually have not made it to the farmers market yet. It's only open on Saturdays and apparently it is so popular that if you don't get there by 8 AM when it opens, you have to brave intense crowds of people. And no matter how yummy the tomatoes are, we just aren't up for that right now with three little kids.

But I knew the general area, so I drove north on Janabiyah Highway and turned left at the intersection of Budaiya Highway.  I made my first right into a parking area that seemed to go nowhere. As I was sitting there trying to figure out whether to park or turn around, a security guard approached and I asked if this was the botanical gardens. He muttered something and gestured wildly indicating to go farther down the street. I thanked him and we turned around.

I pulled back out onto the road and slowly continued down looking for an entrance or a sign or something. All we came to was a set of locked gates and then the police station.  Feeling instantly this was a bust, I know the feeling well, I drove around the traffic circle and put this on my mental "try again" list.

At home I searched online but couldn't find any contact information or posted hours, but after talking to my friend I learned that she had visited in the morning. Feeling determined to see this, on our next available morning we repacked everyone in the car and headed back out. This time the second set of gates was open to a larger parking area. Still no sign or posted information, but we grabbed our waters and sun hats and began to wander.

I have learned to keep my expectations for green spots low (for added amusement feel free to read about the times I dragged my mother out to the alleged Japanese gardens and wildlife preserve in Kuwait --  she still talks about the irradiated soil park we found).

For Westerners though, don't expect Longwood Gardens. But for what it's worth, the Budaiya Botanical Gardens turned out to be a nice garden with wide walking paths and shade and trees and beautiful flowers. Any place I can let the kids run is a bonus for me, and if you add in shade and nature, it's a triple bonus.

We passed by the empty stalls for the farmers market and the empty animal pens. We saw a sign for a lake, so we headed off in that direction. We did discover functional non-horrifying bathrooms, which is always an added plus.

After stopping to smell lots of flowers, we came upon a little lake or large pond with a fountain. There were dragonflies everywhere so we stopped in one of the shaded pergolas for a cracker and water break and watched them flit about.

Having been restored by the power of carbohydrates, we headed back out into the sun.  As we headed back, we decided to follow some different paths. Unfortunately these took us through a more industrial working area past piles of building materials and rubble and maintenance buildings.  But we soon found our way back to the trees and flowers.

We were amused to see several signs indicating different areas, a rock garden sign leaning against an old palm tree, a rose garden area that could have used a good weeding, and a fruit tree sign surrounded by a lot of sand.

I'm not sure what time of year the garden is in its heyday,  but we will keep coming back to check and see. As we were loading back up into the car (not an easy feat with three car seats, 100-degree temps, a/c blasting and water refills needed everywhere) a security man approached me.  Thanks to the dregs of my baby Arabic, I realized that he was saying we had to pay for the adults.  I wasn't entirely certain how much, but gathered together about 600 fils and walked it back over to his little hut.  I handed him the money and noted he had nothing but a chair in there. I'm not entirely sure whether there's supposed to be a fee, but if not, I hope he enjoyed a cold bottle of water on us.

All in all it was a highly successful outing and will be a spot to revisit.

Local Spots: Emmawash

The next time you’re looking for a nice breakfast, brunch or lunch spot but then remember you have kids, don’t despair, check out Emmawash.

They serve traditional Bahraini breakfasts in a fun casual atmosphere. They have both indoor and outdoor seating, and upstairs they have the traditional cushions on the floor (nice for letting kids have a little freedom).

The staff is friendly and love kids and you can watch how they make the traditional bread in a fire oven.

But the best part, the most fun part, is that as soon as you sit down, they hand the kids markers and let them run loose. The walls are covered in scribbles and signatures and drawings of all kinds. This means, at least in our case, parents might actually get a chance to eat before the food gets cold.

So check out their website at www.emmawash.com for hours and directions to one of their two locations. Then pack up the kids and head on over. And don’t forget to try the Karak tea; it’s delicious.

Bahrain’s First Vegan Café

The Plant Café, located in the new shopping center in Hamala Hills, gets the great honor of being Bahrain’s first fully vegan café. It only opened its doors this past February, but it has some amazing hits on its menu sure to keep customers coming back.

We recently took the kids there for lunch. We’d been meaning to try it out on a date night, but sometimes life has other plans. So instead of waiting for the illusive date night, we decided to try it out with kiddos in tow.

The food was delicious. There were some modified old favorites, a veggie burger patty made from mushrooms and brown rice, macaroni and cheese made from squash and cashews, paté made from smoked lentils that my almost-three-year-old insisted on finishing herself and even the five-year-old ate up all the beetroot and carrot “ketchup” with the roasted potatoes.

The atmosphere is clean and minimalist, but comfortable. It offers seating upstairs and on the ground floor. For those with kids, it has high chairs and colored pencils and postcards for the kids to decorate and a very kind wait-staff.

I would love to tell you that we tasted all of their amazing desserts, including a gluten-free tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake made with a macadamia crust, but we’re saving those for next time. The prices are a little high for lunch with the kids, so we’re going to move this into our date-night-options category, but we will definitely be back! And this time, I’m not sharing the lentil paté.