Middle East: April 2023: Day 8: Bahrain to Dubai

Middle East

April 2023: Day 8: Bahrain to Dubai

Random derelict food cart.

Al Fateh Grand Mosque in the daytime.

Isa Cultural Center.

Inside Al Fateh Grand Mosque.

Very large ring chandlier.

Central chandlier is impressive but not nearly as crazy as the one in Abu Dhabi.

Appreciating the central chandlier and the fiberglass dome it hangs from.

Better angle of the central chandlier.

Upstairs.

Overly ambitious panorama.

The courtyard outside under a blue sky.

Squat toilets are still found here.

Similar shot to last night, but now under a blue sky.

Nissan Patrol is a very, very popular vehicle in the Middle East, unlike back home where it's decidedly unloved (as the QX80/Armada).

Onion rings and chicken wings back at the hotel.

My turn for a mixed grill.

Before I put my Bahrain visa away.

Sunset from the airport.

Shiny new terminal, opened in 2021.

Massive LED signage inside.

Still has the new airport smell.

SItting down for a quick dinner.

Some sort of salad at Lumee Cafe.

Fancy sculpture.

High ceilings and floor to ceiling windows.

24 gates here support a lot of flights.

English for the tourists.

Bulkhead on a Gulf Air 787-9 is very spacious.

Gulf Air has a lot of 787-9's.

Mid-flight snack looks a lot like the one on flydubai.

Screen raised.

Lots of fun maps.

So many map views.

"Flight deck" map view isn't as good on Gulf Air as it is on Emirates or Air Canada.

Final approach for Dubai International Airport.

Arrival at Terminal 1, Dubai International Airport.

Recaro CL3710 seats, bulkhead row on Gulf Air 787.

Flight board at Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport.

Elevator lobby to A-gates, Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport.

The dreaded SSSS.

Food court by gate A21.

McDonald's McArabia Chicken.

It's a massive wrap with two thin white meat chicken patties.

Inside McDonalds.

A derelict coffee cart provided the first unplanned photography opportunity of the whole trip, then it was back to Al Fateh Grand Mosque for a proper tour. While both Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and Blue Mosque in Istanbul are larger and more impressive, Al Fateh Grand Mosque felt very personable, with guides who did an excellent jobs explaining their religion and even letting tourists observe the call to prayer from the second-floor balcony. Ended up being well worth the return visit, and as an added bonus the haze lifted as we left, so managed to snag a few photos under a wonderful partially cloudy sky.

One last mixed grill at the hotel restaurant, a bit of relaxing before the evening (aka: did not realize the Bahrain National Museum had special Ramadan hours. oops), and then arrived at the airport right around sunset. The terminal was on the wrong side to see the sunset once inside, so snapped a few quick photos and hoped they turned out, then ran inside because of Gulf Air's supposedly "required" 3 hour early arrival. Turns out arriving less than three hours in advance was fine, and still had time to soak in the ultra-modern ambiance of the airport, plus a not-so-interesting salad at Lumee Cafe once airside.

For such a small country, the nationa airline, Gulf Air, has quite a fleet of new Boeing 787-9's. The in-flight entertainment is a few steps behind Emirates, and the food was more like flydubai's meal than like anything on Emirates. Also like the Emirates A380 on the flight to Dubai a week ago, this flight was less than two-thirds full; that combined with a bulkhead seat in economy made for a pretty comfortable experience on the 80 minute flight from BAH to DXB.

Arrival at Dubai International Airport was uneventful enough, and the bus ride from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 is much shorter than the one from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. Had to check in at the gate for my flight as I couldn't find any transfer desks for United between Terminal 1 and Termainl 3, which was a bit more stressful than ideal, but still had time for to stop by McDonald's before boarding. Good thing too, considering the McArabia chicken wrap is massive (complete with two thin white meat chicken patties-- not all that interesting, but unique enough to try at least once) and the holding area at Gate A21 for screened passengers to the USA is devoid of any services.