Going to Bahrain via King Fahd Causeway

We have been really enjoying our new car – and have made several trips now to Bahrain where it’s great to go to the cinema (they have hot caramel popcorn), get a great Chinese massage or just enjoy not being hunted out of the shops or sitting around waiting for them to open while prayer is on. You can even try clothes on before buying and are served by women assistants. Jesse especially likes the fact that there is a Nando’s over there but as he said in a previous blog it isn't as good as Chirnside Park.

The thought of going over the Causeway sometimes puts me off, but it is well worth any wait once we get to Bahrain. I think the longest we had to wait, was coming back at 2am on a Thursday night. I was amazed how crowded it was and we didn’t get home until about 4.30 am. It was lucky that it was Thursday as it meant I had all Friday to recover. We have tried different times and thought we would watch the last 12am movie and that it should be a breeze getting across – big mistake.

We later found out that this is the time that all the clubs, restaurants, movies etc etc close and is one of the peak times to come back.

It is fascinating, amusing and scary, as you approach the first checkpoint on the way out of Saudi. There are hundreds of cars, most with drivers who have no obvious sense of fatality or injury to themselves or others, pushing and jostling to get into what should be the uniform lanes leading to a booth with a green light on. They will literally push right in on you, and it is either give way or be hit. The cars will be within 1cm of the car in front to avoid someone pushing in, and it is not unseen to see someone actually touching the car in front or rear ending them.

It is also fascinating that once you get past this first checkpoint, that the lanes are then strictly adhered to and there is no horn honking or pushing and everything becomes orderly – as the driving in Bahrain is. Pure pleasure being driven there. It is very scary being on the roads in Saudi even though there is virtually no road rage even though it could be totally understood if it happened.

Jesse bought himself a sat-nav and it has been invaluable in getting us around especially with Jesse’s directionally challenged sense of location – I am constantly amazed that he managed to get himself around the world successfully before these wonderful machines were invented, as he is totally hopeless at knowing where he is.

I must say though that the brand we bought (Garmin) is just slightly “off” quite a bit of the time and seems to loose itself or send us the wrong way then make us do a u turn and come back. Lucky I seem to have an inbuilt navigation system in my brain and we are usually able to successfully arrive where we planned. I much prefer the Navman we have in Melbourne.

We have been going to Seef Mall in Bahrain as I know what shops are where and it isn’t too big to get around, and we have discovered a great French patisserie restaurant located up one end. It is called PAUL and they specialize in bread and pastries but their actual food is great as well.

We swiped some of the napkins to bring home for my son in-law (his name is Paul). They also make an ok cappuccino, much better than the ones I have had in Saudi. Jesse took a pic on his phone of me standing next to the sign outside Paul, but for some reason it didn't want to dowload.

We will try the newer and bigger City Central Mall next time as everyone tells us this is the one to go to – this one even has a Freedom Furniture store as well as a 20 cinema complex and very importantly a Paul. Getting off the subject we also have Payless Shoes and a Howard’s Storage World in our local Mall of Dharan.

It is so good to have nice bread and coffee – I don’t like any of the cappuccino’s I have had in Saudi, including ones from Starbucks, Costa, Dr. Café, Seattle’s Best, Joffrey or any other café I have tried as most places make it with UHT or it is so weak it is like drinking warmed up milk as well as being so scalding hot it burns everything from gums to mouth, and takes too long to drink. 

There is one decent coffee place in our local Mall of Dharan in a really pretty French patisserie…… but I can’t wait to get back to Melbourne to have some really decent coffee…mmmm and some really nice bread………mmmmmmmmmmm.

We won’t be going across to Bahrain for a few weeks now because Jesse’s Aussie passport is about to expire and it has to be taken to the Aus. Embassy in Riyadh to get renewed. Usually you DHL it to them with the fee, but as we have to go to the embassy to vote for the upcoming election we decided to take a day off work and drive up to Riyadh and put the passport in as well as vote. 

So we will be voting well in advance of all you mob at home . I am also using this as an excuse to have 3 extra days off work as it is owed to me from when I represented PMU in Bahrain back in April….. so roll on next week.