A GLOBE-TROTTING expedition to discover the secret of happiness led three adventurers to some of Bahrain's major landmarks.
From spreading smiles in the Netherlands to island hopping in Saint Lucia and Martinique, American Tony Martin, 30, Belgian Kelly Ferris, 23, and Mexican Antonio Santiago, 24, sampled the sights and sounds of Manama during a two-day visit.
Bahrain was the 99th country on their 440,000km tour, which has already covered Canada, Europe and the Middle East and will take in Asia, Africa, Australasia and America.
The trio are travelling the world as part of the Coca Cola-sponsored Expedition 206 visiting all the countries where the beverage is sold.
The GDN caught up with the team at Bahrain Fort, after they had flown in from Qatar.
"I had never heard of Bahrain before and we wondered what to expect," said Ms Ferris, a university student.
"The first thing that struck me about the place is the architecture which is very different from all others.
"The way buildings have incorporated elements of the kingdom's past has rendered it rather unique, making it Arab yet modern."
The adventurers also took in the Bahrain City Centre mall where they chatted to shoppers and visited Pearl Roundabout and Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Centre (Grand Mosque), before heading off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Asked about what the trio had learned about what makes people happy, Mr Martin said the universal answer was family, friends and travelling.
"Bahrain is no different, here we heard that shopping malls make people happy," he said.
Although disappointed by the lack of public beaches in Bahrain, Ms Ferris spoke about what it had been like to be part of the once-in-a-lifetime expedition.
"The trip is all about exploring the global element of happiness and documenting our journey using social networking media," she said.
"Through user-generated content we're able to interact directly with the people of the countries we're visiting," Ms Ferris said.
"They act as virtual travel agents and suggest places to visit and share their personal happiness anecdotes."
Having travelled to 65 countries before reaching Bahrain and clocked up nearly 216,260km, the team enjoyed some quirky, fun and weird experiences.
"I think the happiest places we've been to so far has been the Caribbean," said Mr Martin.
"There's a lot of poverty there but happiness abounds everywhere.
"A Honduran told us: 'My house is by the beach, I have sunshine and water and everything that's beautiful. What more can make me happy?'"
Real-time updates of the trip are available at www.expedition206.com and the team's progress can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the blog site TypePad.
Copyright 2010 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group
'Happiness in the 'Land of Golden Smiles'', Gulf Daily News, April 16, 2010, Jennifer Gnana
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