bahrain international circuit (bic) travel guide .bh
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Where we headed this time?
bahrain international circuit (bic)
Venue Physical Address: Sakhir Bahrain
VENUE ADDRESS: Sakhir, Bahrain
> Directions? How do we get there?
The circuit is in former desert lands about 30 Kilometers South of the Island Kingdom's Capital City, El Manama
The only access to the circuit area from downtown El Manama is via a major highway, which is still, I hear, under construction. A taxi along this route could prove very expensive. There are no trains on the island of Bahrain. I'm told by organizers that there should be shuttles from Manama to the circuit, come race day. Ask them to be sure.
OTHER ACCESS TO THE ISLAND: by car via the 25KM/15MI Sh. Isa Bin Salman Causeway linking Bahrain with it's nearest Middle Eastern neighbour, Saudi Arabia.
Hotels Accommodations nearby?
> Search Find and make bookings for rooms in 50+ Hotels in and near Bahrain
including
> Crowne Plaza Hotel Bahrain
Hotel Address: Manama, 5831 Bahrain
> The Regency Inter-Continental Bahrain
Hotel Address: King Faisal Highway
Manama, Bahrain
> Best Western Elite Hotel
Hotel Address: Juffair
Manama, 15412 Bahrain
> Gulf Hotel & Gulf International Convention & Exhibition Centre
Hotel Address:
Manama, Bahrain
> The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel And Spa
Hotel Address: Building 88 Road 1703 Area 317
Manama, Bahrain
> Mercure Grand Hotel Seef
Hotel Address: BLDG 2236 ROAD 2827 AL SEEF Manama, Bahrain
> Bahrain Sheraton Hotel
Hotel Address: 6 Palace Avenue
Manama, Bahrain
> Radisson SAS Diplomat Hotel
Hotel Address: DIPLOMATIC AREA Manama, Bahrain
> Novotel Al Dana Resort Bahrain
Hotel Address: 121 Sheikh Hamad Causeway
Manama City, 322 Bahrain
> What's the nearest major airport?
> (BAH) Bahrain International Airport
> Find Hotels near Bahrain International Airport (BAH)
> Official Airport website: Bahrain International Airport (BAH)
Find Hotels near All World Airports
Shop for the cheapest airfare to BAH Bahrain International Airport for your trip to Bahrain International Circuit with priceline, travelocity and other hotel and flight package trip providers at my Travel Store . Shop for the cheapest fair and save for your trip to Bahrain.
For information about getting from these airports to their respective downtowns visit to and from the airport.
RV Parking and Camping at this track? ???
> Where's the Map?
> Entry Requirements
Although rather more lax than initially when the grand prix circus first came to the island, and changing somewhat almost every year since, there are always some rules associated with entering Bahrain. Better to check with your local embassy so as not to be dissapointed or turned away. Also see the official website of the Bahraini General Directoriate of Immigration and Passports For customs information see Official Government Customs Website
> Local road work / construction?
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> Got the weather and radar?
Local Public Transit
> ???
> What's the local newspaper say?
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Entertainment:
Eating
A good old American barbeque Cook-Out in the balmy desert night sounds like fun, but enjoying local food in Bahrain might be something that adds immensely to this unique race travel experience. Traditional Bahraini food includes the use of fish, meat, rice, and their world famous succulent dates. The best known versions of this is Machbous, which is fish or meat served with rice or Muhammar, which is brown sweet rice served with sugar or dates. Other favorites include falafel and shawarma (lamb or chiched on the spit wrapped in flat bread. Any variety of hand held and tasty delicacy can be purchased in the souks (markets) in every town on the island.
Local Coffee (gahwa) has a special place in Bahraini culture and is part of the traditional welcome when meeting or visiting a Bahraini. The coffee is flavored with cardamon and safron and made in rosewater. It is courtesy to accept a second cup, but it's ok to refuse a third, you express this by shaking the coffee cup from side to side.
Tobacco too is important part of meeting with people. Sheesha (also called Nargeela), is tobacco flavored with sugar cane molasses (or moassel) served in contraptions that are like hookahs (Sheesha they are called, hookahs are reserved solely for regular tobacco). In any of the many many many cafe's around the island you can taste Grape, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, Mint, Rose, Mixed Fruit, and special mixture, tobaccos, and chat with the very friendly locals about all kinds of things, literally, to sit and discuss, at length, everything, is part of the culture and hospitality. I guess my mom was right, she said "the world's a village", that is, things are really the same everywhere, and like in any of the other grandprixcities, there's always, always, a place to slip away, take a break, and make new friends.
In other culnary matters, Indian culture, imported with workers, is growing in popularity, hence the Hindu speaking cinema mentioned below, and hence the growing popularity of Indian Eateries. So if it's curry you are after... you'll find it...
The circuit is bound to have all the regular concessions for foreign visitors
All the main American fast food outlets are represented in the main downtown of Manama, including Chillis, McDonalds, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Jasmis', KFC, and, yes, there's a Hard Rock Cafe for the souvenier hunters amongst you. I'm told though, that prices are much more inflated than at the local versions, which is the oposite of necessities, which are considerably less expensive than in Europe or the U.S.
Fine dining of course is well represented too.
Shopping
Tourists to Bahrain take particular pleasure in shopping during their stay. Prices, surprizingly for some, are lower that in Europe and the U.S. and make for some good buys. A group of enourmous malls are located right next to each other in Manama. These are the Seef Mall, Al-Aali Mall, Dana Mall, and Bahrain Mall. Most stores are open late (9 or 10pm) so that people can avoid the heat of the day.
Cinema
Films in Bahrain are presented in their original language and sometimes subtitled to Arabic and sometimes French. For those of you keen on Bollywood, the Awal Cinema in Manama shows Indian movies mainly, in Hindu, subtitled in French and Arabic. I know I'll be taking a moment to take in one of these. Note that while the censorship is not as strict as in some Arabic and Muslim countries, movies shown in Bahrain have all images of uncovered humans removed. Films also, except for the rare block buster, are released well behind U.S. opening dates.
One of the biggest and newest cinemas is the 12-screen Dana Cinema, in Sanabis in the Seef district.
For listings of movies showing in Manama with phone numbers of the 6 cinemas there (including French speaking cinema), check out Bahrain This Month Magazine or Bahrain Cinemas.com.
Bahraini Culture
The Bahraini ethnic make up is divided approximately as follows - Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%, however there are a great deal of English speaking people employed in the country in all fascets of the hospitality and infrastructure building industries.
Note the "weekend" in Bahrain is considered Thursday and Friday, Not Saturday and Sunday as in the west. But that doesn't mean that there are limited store service on these days, except for Noon time Friday, when Friday prayers are observed. Public Offices, however, are closed on Thursday and Friday.
In all of my travels I rarely meet people as hospitable, friendly and as immediately open-hearted as those of Arabic descent. As a young boy I visited the home of an Arabic speaking friend and his parents would always say, "you'll never leave our home hungry or unhappy". They made sure to keep this promise and what I did leave their home with was a belly ache, from being over fed and from laughing so hard at the fun that was had. Hospitality is part of the culture and tradition of these proud people, I'm sure this warmth will extend to the many many race fans that will now have the "excuse" to visit this new destination on the international motorsport calendar, this "pearl of the gulf". The island has it's ritzy, richer than rich and more western than the west aspect, but also has it's towns and villages where traditions are modestly kept for posterity, providing a valuable lesson in another culture for the budget conscious traveler.
Casino? Gambling is strictly prohibited on the island of Bahrain
Interet Cafes
Web cafes can be found all over the island, including at the following locations: At the Seef Mall and in the Seef District; Adlia; Budaiya; Sar; Um Alhasam; Isa Town; Jawad Food Court; Zing; Sitra.
Arts/Musuems/History:
> ???
Go Carts: ???
Theme Parks Near by: ???
> Who races at Bahrain International Circuit?
HANDY LINKS
Speedway Circuit Official Website: ???
> Tourism Websites
> ???
>History
While Bahrain is only a small island in the Persian Gulf, it has a long history stretching back 3-4,000 years. There are on the island for example Delmon civilization Grave sites and buildings still exist from the 7th and 8th Century. Manama has a historic district (city) called Bab Al Bahrain where you can visit historic exhibits or wander through the markets renowned world wide for thier fine jewelry and gold. While Bahrain doesn't have any precious ore deposits, it was long history as a trading stop and these cultural influences leads to the fine artesians assimilating and creating the most beautiful pieces. Family businesses, prohibited sometimes by traditional inheritance laws from changing their ways of working, have been around for centuries, these businesses include jewelery, pottery and natural medicines/herbs. And these historic trading stores, might be bordered on both sides by the most modern high-rise buildings, showing that history is an ongoing thing in the middle east, not something necessarily confined to a gallery. You get the sense that "now is because then was", which is something that's easy to forget, say, in the west.
> Who's going to church on Sunday? Places of Worship:
Bahrainis are mostly Muslim, practicing the laws of Islam. The original dates for the inagural race were to be either March-April or October for logistical reasons, that is before or after Melbourne or Sepang at the begining of the season or before or after Suzuka in Japan, at the end. However, the Holy Month of Ramadan, basically the Muslim month of fasting, usually starts sometime in October, so the October date was less favoured by locals. Muslim fasting is different from Christian fasting, as it obliges Muslims to not eat anything from sunrise to sunset and to increase their prayer time. There is a feeling on the island that such a Holy time would be difficult to observe respectfully with international tourists and the excitement and noise of the event happening all around. This is not the only example in racing history where religious observances have effected race dates. The traditional Friday no practice day at Monaco derives historically from a religious holiday that came in the middle of the race weekend.
Got a link to a list of places of worship for various denominations in Bahrain?
MISC INFO
... Curency: Bahrian uses the Bahraini Dinar (BHD). A Bahraini Dinar is divided into 1000 fils. To give you an idea, 100 fils will buy you a can of soda, and around 250 fils will buy you a Shawarma, the local version of a donar kabab. Oanda Exchange Rate Converter
... ATM Locator
...Tipping: Tipping is not obligatory in Bahrain. Usually a tip of 500fils/1.50$USD is sufficient after a very nice dinner.
Bahrain is one of those "tax haven" countries. There is no sales tax, but there is a 5% import tax that is included in list price.
> Time Zone: GMT+3
> Telephone Info:
... Emergency Number: Dailing 999 will get you in touch with fire, police and ambluance services.
... U.S. International dialing code is ???
AC/DC? 220 volts, 50 cycles, AC throughout Bahrain, except Awail, which has 110 volts / 60 cycles.
WEIGHTS/MEASURES? Bahrain uses the metric system
> Local Liquor Laws: Legal Drinking Age in Bahrian is 18. But note that Consumption of Alcohol is not permitted in public. However, in relatively liberal Bahrain, particularly in the city of Manama, bars and nightclubs abound. These are particularly popular with Saudi men, who travel regularly across the 25 kilometer causeway to enjoy the more lenient laws of this more liberal Islamic state.
> Language
> Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu. Many educated Bahrainis of course speak the most perfect English. For handy arabic phrases learning tools (including MP3 language courses) see my Store.
Might be handy to know that "waysh" is slang for "wassup" in Bahrain.
INTERESTING
> Sakhir, is alternatively spelled in English (no two people I've met agree on the correct spelling) as Shakir, Shakhir, Sakhair. In Arabic, the place name is pronounced with a very strong "H".
> A Bahraini weekend is Thursday/Friday, not Saturday/Sunday as is common in the west.
Do's and Don'ts
> MAKE SURE YOU ARE EVEN ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTRY. THERE ARE MANY RESTRICTIONS TO ENTRY, AND WHILE A VISA CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE AIRPORT, MANY GROUPS (PRESS, WOMEN, PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRAVELED TO ISRAEL) MAY BE DENIED ACCESS BECAUSE OF LAWS. CHECK YOUR EMBASSY.
> For ladies, extremely or provocatively short clothing "may" in some cases cause harrasment. There have been cases. Jeans and t-shirts are fine. Bahraini women are not compelled to wear head covering but more orthodox muslim women do.
> Don't be offended if you put your hand out to shake a Bahraini woman's hand upon meeting and she doesn't respond. It's not the norm for women to shake hands, that is of course, unless the hand is extended to you.
> A cafe will immediately make obvious if it's a place for locals or if its a tourist place. You're advised to enter a place for locals with a local who can introduce you. And help set you up with some yummy local delicacies.
BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT MOTORSPORT TRAVEL NEWS
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