After arriving in Bahrain yesterday, I woke up today with one goal in mind — visit ‘home’.
By home I mean, visiting the apartment building I spent much of my years growing up in Bahrain. It’s why I stayed in Awal Hotel, it was very close to everything I wanted to see in Manama (the capital of Bahrain).
As I was walking from Awal Hotel to my old apartment, I realized Bahrain Hotel was still standing
Although abandoned now, Bahrain Hotel was the first proper hotel in Bahrain, having first opened in the 1920s.
Where this empty plot of land sits, used to be an old petrol station… and the pick-up point for my school bus
There is a vlog at the bottom of this post which shows the path I walked, so do watch the video later.
There it still stands — Tawfiq building. My home for much of my childhood.
Where Omega Restaurant (left) stands now used to be a sandwich and tea shop during my time. And the cold store (to the right) is still there.
A ‘cold store’ used to be the local grocery store. The name ‘cold store’ came about because it implies the store had refrigeration, to store soft drinks and frozen foods. Cold stores were where my family did all our grocery shopping before supermarkets took over in the 1990s.
Next to Tawfiq building is… or was… Ambassador Hotel. Now turned into flats for bachelors.
This was the apartment building opposite Tawfiq, where my batchmate Terry used to live
I went inside Tawfiq building as I didn’t see any watchman or security guard at the entrance.
This was my apartment — unit 103
There was another family staying there so I didn’t ring the bell. I walked around a bit more (see the video below) and then left. I had always wanted to re-visit Tawfiq building and see my apartment. Although I could not step inside flat 103, I still felt good having seen the door at least.
Next to Tawfiq building is… was Tylos Hotel. It has also shut down 🙁
Amazed to see how openly Malayalam is used on sign boards here
Family Discount Center wasn’t at this spot during my time
We lived near Naim Health Centre — a government hospital we used to frequent for illnesses
Next, I walked to the Central Market area
First, I popped by MegaMart — a supermarket we used to frequent
This shopping center used to house other stores too
But it’s soooo dead inside now!
At least MegaMart had a few customers
MegaMart being owned by Indian business house Choithrams, sources a lot of their inventory from India. From biscuits…
…to butter, clothes, vessels, and more
I was here making a list of the prices for the things I wanted to buy — mostly food and drinks, like Shani
I planned to buy a lot of Kit Kat chocolates from Bahrain because the Gulf Kit Kats are far superior to the ones made in India
Back in the 1990s, a whole frozen chicken cost BD1. 25 years year, BD 1.6 isn’t bad for inflation!
A short walk from MegaMart is Manama’s Central Market
Central Market was open in the 1980s and remains a popular place to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat
Central Market is fairly large and there are different sections for different food types
A lot of fruits and vegetables are from India, but food is sourced from everywhere — Europe, Pakistan, Middle East, Africa, and beyond!
Even some sourced from local farms
Scattered at the edge of every section are tea shops and small eateries
The fish section is another building
Bahrain being an island, seafood is an integral part of the local diet
The meat section is a separate building
Much of the meat (beef and mutton mostly) is imported from countries like India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Yes, right wing Indians… Indian beef (non buffalo) is available in Bahrain and has been the case for decades
Bahrain being an Islamic country, pork isn’t available in government-owned Central Market, but that doesn’t mean pork is banned nationwide.
If people are craving pork, you can find it in ‘Asian supermarkets’ like this one right across Central Market
Such supermarkets source food products from Philippines, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, China, etc. — including frozen pork
Next, I stepped into Ramez supermarket, also near Central Market
They were bigger and better stocked than MegaMart — and cheaper!
I made a list of prices and made my way out
My final stop was at Marina Mall, which used to be called Studio 1 back in the 1990s
I wasn’t allowed to film much inside the stores but man… it was dead inside. Studio 1 is now Splash and I couldn’t believe how much clothes cost in Bahrain! Splash, Max, Lifestyle department stores, Shoe Mart — are all retail brands of Landmark Group — one of the most successful Indian-run businesses in the Middle East. Back in the ’90s, the clothes were all affordable and of good quality. The same feel like premium pricing now, even though the quality and designs were nothing exception. So glad I can buy clothes for much less back in India, even from the big brands!
Anyway, check out the video at the end for more clips from the Central Market area.
This is the main bus depot in central Manama
This is Government Avenue road
Delmon International hotel — another old relic hotel of Manama. In fact, you will find very few new hotels in Manama.
Gold City is a shopping complex filled with jewellery stores
Malabar Gold, one of Kerala’s most successful gold retailers
I went back to my hotel room to recharge my phone and do some work. I would step out again to check out Al Zeinah Plaza and Yateem Centre, but that will be the next post.
