Hawar’s island paradise

THE very mention of Hawar evokes nostalgia in me.

My mum Avril, who is British, has fond memories of the Bahrain of yesteryear and especially the Hawar Islands.
In 1969, my newly-married parents visited the islands along with members of the Bahrain Archeological Society who were looking for some adventure.
The group, comprising both Bahrainis and expats, was led by Professor Bibby from Denmark.
There were no motorboats in those days, so the only way to get to the islands was on a slow-moving dhow, which could be boarded at a pier located near the Bab Al Bahrain.
My mum recalls how — onboard the dhow — the group sang songs to pass the time and their rousing rendition of familiar tunes gave them a sense of well-being.
To avoid seasickness, a Bahraini member of the group suggested they should drink sea water, although my mum can’t recollect whether anyone took the advice.
Once they reached the island, Professor Bibby told everyone to go their separate ways and look for things of interest.
My dad happened to find a piece of flint.
Considering the group stayed in mud huts for three nights, times certainly have changed on the islands. Well, these days it is a far cry from what my mum described.
The first time I visited Hawar was on ‘senior bonding day’ during my high-school years.
Our teachers came along and created activities to keep us entertained during the boat ride. Once we arrived, we relaxed around the pool and were split-up into teams that competed against each other in various activities, including a scavenger hunt. Last weekend when I got another opportunity to visit Hawar, I seized it.
I travelled to the island with my childhood friend, Abdulla Ghaith, 21, for a night of reminiscing and fun. The weather was hot and humid.
We arrived at the Manama Reservation Centre on the Manama Corniche and the waiting-room was filled with families, some from Saudi Arabia.
We boarded the bus to the Ad Dur Jetty, which is a 40-minute drive and is located close to Jaw village.
The boat-ride was breathtaking as gusts of wind and sea spray caressed our faces.
It took us 45 minutes to reach Hawar and a short bus trip took us to the Hawar Beach Resort.
As we arrived in the main lobby, we were greeted by the hotel staff who offered us welcome drinks.
The lobby was filled with families and entertainers.
There was a magician and Disney characters entertaining the kids.
We checked into our hotel room, relaxed for a while then went to the Sea View Café to enjoy an excellent buffet.
For those seeking action, there is the Activity Centre offering buggies, jet-skis, scooters, bikes, paddle-boats, row-boats, banana boats and a water slide.
After a dip in the salt water pool, we headed for the water slide.
We then made our way to the beach buggies.
I was excited because I had never tried racing before and after a few minutes I was speeding along the bumpy dirt track.
Trying my hardest to impersonate F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, I somehow managed to turn the buggy over.
Bruised, blistered and with a few burns, I decided it may be better to stick to writing rather than F1 racing.
On our return, we travelled on a new enclosed boat which had excellent air-conditioning and sparkling clean toilets.
It took a bit longer and although I missed the feeling of the wind on my face the journey proved very relaxing.
We arrived back in Bahrain with more treasured memories … it’s just a shame I didn’t find a flint stone too!