Belachan Tumbuk: Salam dari rantauan...

Tiba-tiba ajer hati ku tergerak nak buka email.

Mailbox aku dah hampir penuh. Masa aku scan thru the mails, aku ternampak satu nama nie sungguh familiar skali. Oh, rupanya sahabat yg dah lama tak ketemu.

The last time aku ketemu Azhar ketika dia berniaga di bazaar ramadan kat Causeway Point 4 tahun lalu. Aku beli nasi ayam dari dia.
Dia kirim e-mail khabar berita dan salam ramadan dari rantauan.

Assalammualaikum to All,

Greetings from the Kingdom of Bahrain and hope you receive this message in good health.

So, another Ramadhan has arrived but it will be an entirely different experience for me personally. Hope to update you more as the days go by.

Ramadhan falls during the summer season this year so the temperatures hover around the 40’s oC and the air is rather dry but breezy. The Muslims only work from 8.00am to 2.00pm during this fasting month and of course the weekend is on Fridays and Saturdays. So for the Muslims here, it’s “Happy Hours” after 2.00pm on each work day. (Makk aii...hari2 kejer half-day?!!)

Life is generally laid back, here and don’t expect to get things done here quickly like back home. As far as service is concerned, they still have a long way to go. The locals (Arabs) are generally nice but half of the kingdom’s population is mainly made up of Indians, followed by Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Lebanese, Iranians and others. At the last count, there are about 50 Singaporeans currently working here, give or take 1 or 2 “missing” one like me. Still, it is a nice place to work and stay though.

Well, till next time then and may you all have a fulfilling Ramadhan. Ma’assalammah!

Mohammad Azhar Ma’mon
Amwaj Islands,
Kingdom of Bahrain

Walopon dia tak kirim kurma arab, tapi ader jugak ler dia kirim gambar2 dari Bahrain. Dia kater share ler dgn kekawan lama kiter sumer.

"In the mean time I have enclosed some photos of life in Bahrain. Do enjoy the photos in the mean time. I have taken them over a period of time since I arrived here in May. Feel free to share them with our other friends. "

Generally the streets are deserted during the day because the food outlets are closed until 5pm (Iftar here is at 5.57pm today). But at night you can see people out in droves to do their shopping or just to dine at cafes and restaurants, especially after Terawih around 9.15pm.

The Terawih here is 4 + 3 Witir but each surah is about 5 minutes long!

So aku lampirkan gambar-gambar yang dia beri kat blog nie, supaya bukan saja kekawan lama bole tengok but, seluruh umat didunia. So enjoy the photos!

Gambar-gambar suasana di Kota Bahrain