Bahrain is not a bad place to be. As with most countries it has it's quirk's. The latest debate on the Island is wether Lingerie should be displayed in shop windows! Such displays are apparently corrupting local men.
The Bahrain Yacht Club
http://www.bahrainyachtclub.com.bh/ is the place to be for anything nautical. It also has a great Dive section with all the latest equipement at low cost. Approx $8 for a full day at a local dive site. A good social side rounds off the experience. As a bonus it has a great beach to kick back on and enjoy a beer or three.
GF is OK. The airline has changed considerably and mostly for the good. Work is fairly hard with the 900hr annual limit being reached by many. Salaries are OK and rising. 8% per annum for the next 2 years. As a Capt on the Big Buses I,ve been taking home the best part of $11,000 per month for the last 6 months or so. That does include a chunk of overtime, school fees etc. On the down side the dollar rate is killing us just now having devalued some 15% recently.....ouch. Ce la vie.
Working with the locals is a different experience. Most have a western outlook but a large minority do not. Religion plays a major role, praying and fasting during Ramadan is a good example. It's not uncommon to find both flight deck crew's taking nil by mouth during the day for 16 hrs or so depending on the trip !! A blind eye is turned by Flight Safety for fear of offending anyone. The no smoking rule however is strictly enforced. In general however, working conditions are fine. Crewing is, on occasion, still a shambles. Lack of crew being the nub of the problem. Can't see that changing without a deal of action in the salary department. It will have to come, just a question of when.
If you fancy a change of pace in the sun come on down. I've had a lot of fun here and plan to stay a while whilst keeping an eye on the markets elsewhere.