IT'S Formula One fever time. And the mood and anticipation was palpable in Bahrain - two weeks before this year's F1 World Championship season revved off yesterday. The air was practically sizzling with anticipation, as we stood on the sidewalks of King Faisal Corniche along with hundreds of Bahrainis, its foreign resident population and probably lots of Saudis too, to witness several fast and loud cars zoom up and down the road that hugs the Gulf coast.

'Those are the . . . V8s and that's the . . . porsches. The ones . . . without roofs, open-tops . . . are the Caterhams,' shouted our host over the din as the cars came rumbling down the road. Actually what he said was a lot more technical with lots of numbers involved, when describing the lean and mean machines; but like that FM90.5 station's commercial about selective hearing, that's all I made out.

So I'm the typical F1-challenged girl, but for the sake of auto fans out there - who would know this anyway - these cars include the 5700cc V8 Lumina SS with 380 bhp power and the 2300cc Caterham G7 with 160 bhp power belonging to the Bahrain International Circuit, according to the press material. Apparently if the real F1 cars were to participate in this road show, their unadulterated guttural roars would shatter windows and our eardrums - that's how loud they'd be.

This is the third time that Bahrain is hosting the F1 championship in its Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, but the first time the world series has opened here. And we - a group of journalists from various Singapore publications, on a trip hosted by Gulf Air - were at the Manama Carnival, one of the many pre-race events that had been going on since February.

The F1 is big in Bahrain and we found out why when we visited the circuit the next day. Looking like it's carved out of the desert - which it is - the Bahrain International Circuit is quite an impressive site with modern architecture and sleek circuit design.

A whole range of different races are held on weekends, maximising the use of the circuit. Corporate packages abound, featuring both on-the-track activities (where you get to try out Karts, Caterhams and V8s) as well as off-road activities. Now that is what got us girls excited when we got a ride on the General Motors' Hummer H2 and the more compact H3 at the Adventure Drive Arabia facility on the far side of the circuit - out in the desert.

It's the first purpose-built, 4x4 driving centre in the Gulf and has a 32-obstacle course so that you can experience - either as a driver or a passenger (it's 10 dinars or $50 for a ride) - the technical capabilities of the Hummer, the civilian version of the original US Army Humvee. Other vehicles for the off-road experience are the Apache and the Stealth.

It was 'whoopee' time as we did The Rocky Drop (which demonstrates the Hummer's grip under full suspension travel), the 16-inch Hummer steps (shows approach angles and ground clearance), The Don't Look Down - an undulating stone-pitched steep decline which tests engine-braking effect, The Sand Slide - a steep sand-covered descent to demonstrate engine brake control, and other wittily-named obstacles like the Camel Humps, Cock-a-Leg and Full Throttle.

It's all hubba-hubba macho but imagine what you could do if you were driving a Hummer on the CTE at rush hour: clamber over all the other puny Japanese cars and you'd be home in minutes!

It's pretty feasible to fly to Bahrain for a short visit and go in for a day or two of off-road driving classes and go driving in the desert, Lawrence of Arabia style, just not on horses. Here's a suggested itinerary: do an all-out adventure drive by day - and soak off the dust at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel's five-star standard spa, which fully lives up to its 'best hotel spa in the Middle East' award.

The adrenalin-charged air of the Bahrain International Circuit aside - even without the action and noise and testosterone on race days, you could feel the left-over adrenalin particles hanging in the air - Bahrain is a rather sleepy country of low-rise buildings dotting the arid desert landscape.

Or rather, it appears sleepy - as there's hardly anyone walking on the streets (who would, when it costs only $9 to fill up your cars) and even the city centre seems rather sparsely laid-out - with the occasional modern skyscraper popping up amidst two to three-storey buildings.

But even in the seemingly harsh, barren land, there are a few natural attractions to appreciate. Take a boatride from the Bahrain Yacht Club, and you'll spot a couple of dolphins frolicking in the clear, gem-coloured waters of the Gulf, and right under the shadow of a petroleum refinery, no less.

Then there's the beautiful 400-year-old 'Tree of Life' - supposedly a mesquite tree - which is a bit of a drive out of the city, near Jebel Dukhan, the highest point in Bahrain. It stands alone in the desert, without a visible source of water. If you're not making the trek there, then you can see younger mesquite trees, with low branches reaching out in all directions, along the various highways. Also a bit of a drive out, there's Oil Well No 1, the first oil well in Bahrain and in the entire Gulf Region.

We also passed by a big patch of date palm trees by one of the highways - planted in rows in specially-irrigated plots; a nod perhaps to the time when Bahrain was also known as the island of a million palm trees. Its other names include the Pearl of the Gulf - because before the discovery of oil in 1973, Bahrain's main industry was in pearling. Sadly, hardly any trace of this is left, and we couldn't even find to-di(v)e-for pearl jewellery for sale at the malls.

Bahrain is actually an archipelago of 33 islands located between Saudi Arabia's east coast and the Qatar peninsula, with the biggest - Bahrain Island - being 48km long and 16km at its widest point. It has a 700,000 population, with at least a third consisting of foreign workers from South Asia.

In fact, stroll down the Soukh - the traditional outdoor market in the city centre - and the flavour and atmosphere you imbibe there seems more Indian than Middle Eastern. It's not quite the destination for the spoilt Asian shopper used to the verve and variety of Bangkok or Shanghai's street shopping, but there are a couple of 'authentic' shops selling sheesha and tobacco leaves, while most seem to tailor their wares to the Indian population; like the many dessert shops. I chanced upon one manned by a friendly Nepali, selling finely-made, delicious sweets.

One is better off shopping at the government-run Al-Jasra Handicraft Centre, where you can find workshops selling traditional craft like woven baskets and mats, handloomed textiles, and wooden chests.

The Al-Jasra centre gives you a good idea of the unique local architecture - with its wind towers and lattice work. Another architectural beauty - although very modern - is the ethnographical Bahrain National Museum, a mostly-white marble and sandstone structure that is the epitome of square, open spaces. The interpretation of Bahrain's culture and history is a bit lacking, but interesting, nonetheless.

Overall, Bahrain's history is a rather understated one - with none of the obvious attractions of, say, Egypt. Think of places of burial as a point of comparison, and Egypt has its scale-busting pyramids. The effect of seeing Bahrain's ancient burial mounds from the Dilmun era (dating back 5,000 years ago) is less jaw-dropping - as they're smallish, round mounds.

On our last day there however, our appreciation of Bahrain's ancient architecture went up a few notches when we visited 15th century Bahrain fort, also known as the Qala'at Al-Bahrain. The recently-restored structure is reminiscent of the country's Portuguese occupation; and when you visit on a sunny day with the bright blue skies (which is about, oh, every day), it's absolutely picturesque.

And what better way to end a trip than with some last-minute, blitz shopping (especially as Gulf Air's direct flight to Singapore departs at night) at the Al-Aali Mall, an up-and-coming shopping complex that carries a good mix of mid-to-top range goods. The focus is on quality goods, so if you chance upon a sale, it's pretty much value for money.

One of the more liberally-governed gulf states, we constantly hear about the Saudis crossing over to shop (with an average spend of $2,000-$5,000 a day), dine, or even just to watch movies. Just before we had left for the trip, Australia put out a travel advisory against visiting Bahrain (it was the height of the cartoon controversy). But as a Finnish resident there put it: the most dangerous situation in Bahrain is probably getting hit by a hummer when you're crossing the highway!

The writer's trip was courtesy of Gulf Air and the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. Gulf Air is owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, and has a fleet of 34 aircraft covering 50 cities in 30 countries. It's also the official airline and sponsor of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2006.

Gulf Air flies daily from Singapore to Bahrain. Passengers can enjoy advanced in-flight entertainment systems and programmes, fine food and wines and other unique services such as Sky Nanny and gourmet meals* prepared by the Sky Chef (applicable to First Class only). For more information, please contact Gulf Air local Reservations office at 6738 2500 or visit your local travel agencies.

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