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 Divine seafood and a magical carpet shop: A little later it is back to Manama and a visit to the Holiday Inn Hotel. It is Seafood Night at the hotel and I just cannot resist taking some shots of the beautifully laid out dishes of the marvellous variety of fish, shrimps, crabs and oysters - some of which perhaps I had photographed being auctioned at the early-morning fish market!
By now it is mid-evening and time to start winding down after a long day. Where better for this than the Isfahan Carpet Centre in Adliya? Owned by Mutahar Ali Ahmed Dabwan, it is a favourite meeting place for many expatriates to not only view the mind-boggling variety of carpets from around the region but to stop and chat as well.
You cannot visit Mutahar's shop without being offered at least one cup of traditional sweet tea. In fact it's more likely to be several cups by the time you've browsed, chatted with Mutahar and made friends with other visitors.
After some photography and welcome tea it occurs to me that it's a great opportunity at this time of night to take some pictures of traditional shisha smoking back at the Veranda gallery where I had lunch.
It is an excellent place for photographs of the shisha with atmospheric low evening lighting providing a different ambience to the one experienced in the local side street coffee shops during the day.
 Here comes the night: It's getting late by now, but I am determined to complete this virtual round-the-clock Bahrain tour. My next stop has to be a visit to one of Bahrain's clubs to experience the country's famous nightlife. I head for the Elite Hotel and even as I approach, I can hear Arabic pop music emanating from the hotel's nightclub.
 Inside, it is a real fun atmosphere with a group of exceptionally attractive young women singing and dancing for an appreciative audience. Considering that the singers are from the former Soviet republic of Belarus and had to learn the local pop music, I thought their talent seemed all the more commendable. I am pleased that they are willing for me to photograph their routine.
Time for a final stop at Barnaby Joe's, one of Bahrain's best known discotheques. Better known by its abbreviation BJ's, this is a disco that would sit well anywhere in the West. Not that I am an expert by any means on discos but with a huge dance floor plus a second floor gallery running around three sides, BJ's makes a great night out for young Bahrainis as well as expats. A fast film in my camera and flash combined with the flashing lights of the disco completes my photography of virtually 24 hours of a very interesting day in Bahrain.
I guess I could have gone back to my apartment via the illuminated Pearl Monument to give it a farewell wave but by now sleep beckons and I leave the disco happy that a good day's work - yes it is work although at times I must say it becomes sheer pleasure as well - is now complete.
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RELATED LINKS:
101 Things to See and Do in Bahrain
In search of the Garden of Eden
Around the Island in Seven Days
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