Six weeks in Bahrain hardly qualifies me as an expert at almost anything here, but I am starting to get into the groove as it were. The one thing that always gets my motor turning is the driving conditions wherever I am. People always tell me that the driving where I am going is horrible and that it is frustrating and difficult since people don’t seem to have any rules. Well after Sicily and Turkey, I can say with some confidence that I can handle anything. Bahrain is no different in that once you understand the unspoken rules of the road, you can get along fairly well. My first day here, I was instructed to just jump the curb and park on the sidewalk. I was reluctant but always try to accept the word of my “helper” so I did just that. Three hours later I came back and all was exactly as I left it. Driving here is civil but one has to be aggressive at the same time as being defensive. Turn signals are used sometimes and stop signs are suggestions unless you think you can get into the traffic by just going on. (Not like Sicily where they are just plain ignored.) Everything is a merge and everybody just seems to accept that, so I merge even when there is no room to merge. Somebody will crack under the pressure and give in. I generally park along the side of the road or on the sidewalk unless there is a spot in one of the big lots where a building once stood and was demolished to build a bigger building. Problem is that Bahrain is hot, dusty and windy and those big dry lots tend to get very dusty.
That brings me to my next adventure which is the ever ready and eager car washer with a bucket of water and a rag offering to “wash” the car. Apparently that’s what everyone does here. So I pay a guy 2 BD (about $5) to wash my car from time to time. Sometimes he takes the money and my car is clean when I return. Sometimes he refuses the money until after I see how well he washed my car then says the price is up to me. If I offer 2 BD I get a frown of insult and utter disappointment, which is next followed by a negotiation. I have paid up to 2.5 BD, but I think paying beforehand is better; it prevents standing in the hot sun arguing about a fair price. They want the return business so it is a relatively good deal.
Historical places are relatively sparse. There are some very old forts and ancient ruins, but the real draw in Bahrain is Banking, Shopping and Food, none of which are super high on my priorities list. I am sure that once I get out and really explore, there will be much more interesting stuff to find, but so far my biggest cultural experiences have been visiting Fort Bahrain and experiencing Ramadan in Bahrain, where drinking a bottle of water or eating anything is against the law from sunup to sundown…for everybody. If I do it, I have to do it in private and where I cannot be seen. Or I can just go on the Navy Base, where Islamic Law is not applicable in the case of Ramadan.
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| SAND STORM |
Hot dusty days and nights
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| WORKING ON IT |
Six weeks in Bahrain hardly qualifies me as an expert at almost anything here, but I am starting to get into the groove as it were. The one thing that always gets my motor turning is the driving conditions wherever I am. People always tell me that the driving where I am going is horrible and that it is frustrating and difficult since people don’t seem to have any rules. Well after Sicily and Turkey, I can say with some confidence that I can handle anything. Bahrain is no different in that once you understand the unspoken rules of the road, you can get along fairly well. My first day here, I was instructed to just jump the curb and park on the sidewalk. I was reluctant but always try to accept the word of my “helper” so I did just that. Three hours later I came back and all was exactly as I left it. Driving here is civil but one has to be aggressive at the same time as being defensive. Turn signals are used sometimes and stop signs are suggestions unless you think you can get into the traffic by just going on. (Not like Sicily where they are just plain ignored.) Everything is a merge and everybody just seems to accept that, so I merge even when there is no room to merge. Somebody will crack under the pressure and give in. I generally park along the side of the road or on the sidewalk unless there is a spot in one of the big lots where a building once stood and was demolished to build a bigger building. Problem is that Bahrain is hot, dusty and windy and those big dry lots tend to get very dusty. 
That brings me to my next adventure which is the ever ready and eager car washer with a bucket of water and a rag offering to “wash” the car. Apparently that’s what everyone does here. So I pay a guy 2 BD (about $5) to wash my car from time to time. Sometimes he takes the money and my car is clean when I return. Sometimes he refuses the money until after I see how well he washed my car then says the price is up to me. If I offer 2 BD I get a frown of insult and utter disappointment, which is next followed by a negotiation. I have paid up to 2.5 BD, but I think paying beforehand is better; it prevents standing in the hot sun arguing about a fair price. They want the return business so it is a relatively good deal. 
Historical places are relatively sparse. There are some very old forts and ancient ruins, but the real draw in Bahrain is Banking, Shopping and Food, none of which are super high on my priorities list. I am sure that once I get out and really explore, there will be much more interesting stuff to find, but so far my biggest cultural experiences have been visiting Fort Bahrain and experiencing Ramadan in Bahrain, where drinking a bottle of water or eating anything is against the law from sunup to sundown…for everybody. If I do it, I have to do it in private and where I cannot be seen. Or I can just go on the Navy Base, where Islamic Law is not applicable in the case of Ramadan.
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