Happy Eid Al Fitr

May we always support one another and wish each other greatness..!

Eid Mubarak...!

Ramadan in Bahrain vs Ramadan in Indonesia

First of all, I would like to wish you Ramadan Kareem, a very Happy Ramadan.

I have been experiencing couple of Ramadan in Bahrain but never wrote anything about it. I am interested in comparing how life is during the month of Ramadan in Bahrain and Indonesia. Check it out…

Greetings
In Bahrain, people greet each other (no mater religion and nationality) with "Ramadan Kareem" or "Ramadan Mubarak". In Indonesia, people say "Marhaban ya Romadhon" or "Selamat Menunaikan Ibadah Puasa."

Temperature
In Bahrain, the highest temperature during this Ramadan so far reached 44 degree Celsius and extremely humid. In Indonesia, it's just 32.

Road/Street
In Bahrain, road and streets are very quiet during the day of Ramadan. No traffic jam, No Saudi cars, few vehicles. Driving car is a peaceful of mind. In Indonesia, particularly Jakarta, day and night are the same, hells of traffic jam.

Shopping Malls
In Bahrain all shopping malls are quiet in the day time, but starting from 9.30pm it's getting busier. People are going to malls after evening prayer (shalat tarawih). In Indonesia, day or night malls are packed with people roaming around and particularly a week before Eid, you can't even move when you walk through a shopping arcade.

Evening Prayer (Shalat Tarawih)
In Bahrain, people spend 1.5 to 2 hours for evening prayer, reciting at least 1 Juz of holy Quran during the prayer. In Indonesia, most mosques are racing to finish the prayer as soon as possible, reciting short verses of Juz 'Amma. The fastest mosque is usually packed with Jemaah.

Restaurants/Food Courts
In Bahrain, except in 5-star hotels, not a single restaurant opens in the day time. In Indonesia, who cares?

Zakat
In Bahrain, I pay zakat with BHD1. In Indonesia, I used to pay with a 2.5 Kg of rice.

Celebration/Lebaran
In Bahrain, you don’t find Lebaran and Eid Fitr is not a kind of major celebration. In Indonesia, Lebaran is the greatest public holiday ever!

Working Hours
In Bahrain, moslems and fasting people enjoy a privilege of 6-hours working time. In Indonesia, no exceptions apply.

Ramadan Tent
In Bahrain, Ramadan is about feast and culinary art in the evening time. Hotels are offering Ghabga Buffet in their Ramadan Tents. In Indonesia, if you ask people about "Ramadan Tent", they will ask you back, "Which camping ground would you like to go?

Sinetron
In Bahrain, you can barely find religious Cinetron (Cinema Electronic..?). In Indonesia, most tv stations are commercialized by religious shows/series and I feel dizzy whenever watching them.

So far, those are the comparison I notice. If you have some, please write in the comments and I will add it. Thanks.

Marriott Executive Apartments Manama Launches Special Eid Promotion

Extra Discount Offered for Bookings of 4-Nights Stay

Eid Al Fitr is the time where families and friends are celebrating holidays in togetherness and happiness, but where do they go for a luxury stay during Eid holiday? The Marriott Executive Apartments Manama in Bahrain is giving away special rates on its luxury apartments during the upcoming Eid holiday.

Director of Sales Marwan Haddad said that the promotion will be suitable for guests visiting Bahrain for weekend breaks and short vacation during the Eid holidays. "Additionally, we offer 20 percent discount for guests staying 4 consecutive nights or longer," said Marwan Haddad.

"Bahrain government has encouraged hotel industry and tourism enterprises to attract visitors from the region to visit Bahrain in the upcoming Eid celebration. We constantly support the call and we are glad announce our participation by rolling out this promotion. We believe it helps Bahrain in positioning the country as a family holiday destination," added Marwan.

For reservations and more information, please call +973 17 363 999.

* * * *

Marriott Executive Apartments, the upscale serviced apartment brand of Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) will nearly double in size in the next 36 months to respond to a growing need in many emerging markets for long-term stay lodging for executive expatriates needing spacious housing and hotel amenities. Including Bahrain, Marriott operates 17 Marriott Executive Apartments in 14 countries outside the U.S., and 14 more hotels are planned in countries such as Qatar, Thailand, Egypt, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,100 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., and had approximately 151,000 employees at 2007 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best companies to work for by FORTUNE^®, and has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2007 Sustained Excellence Award and Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2007, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $13 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.