Advertisement
Published: February 25th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Bonus Photo
This is what I bought at the pharmacy in Bahrain. Anyone care to guess what it is? Bahrain
I left the center at 5:30. It was strange. All at once, we had the wrap-up session, I changed into travel clothes, and the taxi was waiting. I felt like I hardly had a chance to say goodbye to the people that I have worked and traveled side-by-side with over the past three weeks. All of a sudden I was in the cab and heading away. I hate good-byes and this wasn't any different.
The next two hours were, to quote a Minnesotan expression "different." (That's a whole lot more than "interesting." Thinking back on it, "different" isn't nearly enough.
We went at supersonic warp speed until we got near the Saudi/Bahrain border. Then it was your worst highway nightmare. It made driving in New York on Thanksgiving Day look like space shuttle speed. It made the Long Island Expressway (known as the worlds largest parking lot) look like driving in Wyoming. You know what's like when you are at a place like Valley Fair and get on the bumper car ride? Picture 10,000 bumper cars as full-sized cars. Picture no lanes. Picture going from 12 lanes to 2 lanes (and I used the term "lane" in a
very figurative sense). Picture the gold rush. Picture the running of the bulls. Picture a riot in Los Angeles. Now put all of that together. You're still not close!
There were at least five checkpoints. I have no idea what was going on. At one point it was customs, but they don't check anything. Just stop cars and stamp a piece of paper. Then immigration for either Saudi or Bahrain. Then stops to look in the trunk. Another stop to pay 20 Riyals ($6) for a one day visa to Bahrain (if you leave before midnight, of course). I asked about a receipt and was told by the driver that we'd have to go inside. I passed on the receipt. First it was getting out of Saudi, then it was getting into Bahrain. It's all a blur. Cars cut in front of each other because of the merging and lack of painted lanes. It took long enough to go through two prayer cycles (which you hear from loud speakers). At one point I noticed a parade of women in black (the full cover, eye slit kind). Then I saw they were walking to the women's checkpoint. Since they can't
Restaurant on the Causeway
For how long it took, there should be a hotel. be identified against a passport photo (think about it), they have to do into a special building to be checked (by whom,? how? I'll never know, of course).
After about 90 minutes of this, we were through and heading to Bahrain. It's a very modern city with unique architecture. I'll try to upload some photos. We got to the airport and there is a special gate for business class. You talk to the nice woman (she offers you a chair), show her your passport, walk to the carry-on x-ray (where no one looked at the screen -- I guess terrorists don't fly business class) and you are in. That's it. Hell to get into the country, but easy to get through the airport.
So I'm sitting in the lounge in Bahrain. There is food to eat, actual alcohol (I had a Diet Coke), pastries, coffee, hummus and tobouli, pita breads, sandwiches, etc. Basically all the food they don't serve in coach must be stockpiled and put in this lounge. It's obscenely different than "real people" flying and I'm not complaining. After the ride to the airport, I think I've died and gone to heaven. And they obviously have
free wireless to. And waiters. I won't go on.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.138s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 67; dbt: 0.0885s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Jessica
non-member comment
It looks like an earth worm. Eew.