Bahrain - First Take First Year in Bahrain - Our Thoughts in Pictures

Driving & traffic - it’s insane here in Bahrain. After a few weeks it started to get to me but now its fun. I try not to drive around when the Saudis are in town though. The school run is fun too. Glad I drive a 4WD. Sand - who invented that stuff?! It gets everywhere. After almost a month away, we came back home to a thick layer of sand/dust inside the house - everywhere! Refuse to employ a live-in maid. Can’t go down that road! Refuse ... !! Mosques - thankfully none too near to our house. The “call to prayer” from the minarets does sound rather exotic though as it wafts over you from different directions ... in an unco-ordinated fashion. Watching a local dressage competition recently with those gentle autumn breezes carrying the imams’ chants at dusk was truly an ethereal moment. Bahrainis - The Bahrainis are a very friendly, happy people. Most of the Bahrainis speak English which does not help with my learning arabic. Remembering my “shukran”s though! Also remembering to use my right hand for greeting, etc. Saving my left hand for other things!? Construction, construction, everywhere New homes, roads, offices, malls. Everything is going up so fast that the access roads remain dirt tracks for a long time. And sand, did I mention the sand? It’s everywhere! Our house looked out onto a not-so-lovely stretch of open land when we first moved in. A few weeks later it’s a construction site. Migrant workers are busy from 6am to 11pm, sometimes through the night, 7 days a week and they live on site. The vibrations have left a number of cracks around the house. And the sand, did I mention the bloody sand? A couple of shopping malls have just opened. Unfortunately, the prices in Bahrain are roughly double that of the UK for European & American products. The new Moda Mall houses Hèrmes, Chanel, Gucci, Dior, ... Refusing to pay double for Top Shop crap at Bahrain City Centre but my daughter is such an amazing daughter so I feel the need to reward her. Okay, who edited my journal?! There’s also a financial harbour nearing completion with BNP Parabas anchoring the main offices. Qatar, Dubai/UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia seem to be investing quite a bit in Bahrain. Bahrain is starting to look like a small-scale Dubai. Nightlife - many restaurants, cafes with international and local cuisines. When the sun goes down on a Moslem weekend, Bahrain’s clubbing scene starts throbbing. ‘Club 7’ has earned itself membership to the “World’s Finest Clubs”, with its international DJ residencies like ‘Ministry of Sound’ and ‘Housexy’. Clubs ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Level’ also boast international DJs. Have yet to experience these but at my age there might be some staring ... at me and moreover, at my zimmer frame. Should I mention the bars and pubs? Abstaining!!