WHY????

Just got a call from my other husband, he's stuck in traffic on the highway. Moments ago he saw some of the worse driving ever and I mean BAD. Lane weavers, speeders, tailgaters playing chicken and then a few miles on the traffic slows right down and there are emergency vehicles everywhere. An accident and a bad one too by the looks of it. This week has been a bad one for accidents, four fatalities on one small island in one week!

This is to all of you who drive 'on the edge', who like to push the car to its limits, who wants to be first in line, who drives too close to slower moving traffic and bullies the safer drivers to move out of your way, who change lanes every ten seconds just to get 'ahead'. You're not cool, you're not clever and you are certainly not good drivers.

Oh, and this is also a message to those who think by honking your horn you can evaporate traffic jams. You can't. Take your hand off your horn, switch on your brain, keep your eyes on the road and chill. Oh, and woman with your children dancing in the car unrestrained, you're a child abuser putting your kids in such a dangerous situation.

If I see one of these looming up behind me I stay well clear....

Radio Bahrain is Krazy

SPIN IT KK!

The cheerful little ditty about Krazy Kevin's golden album of the week, along with his corny jokes keeps me sane in the morning traffic. KK is Radio Bahrain's popular fun-lovin breakfast DJ, he's been gracing the airwaves for five years so you can imagine he's a bit of an institution (albeit a loony one, but never mind!)

HOWEVER

You can never have it good for long in the Gulf until someone spoils it and it seems that the management at Radio Bahrain are doing just that. Kevin is being moved to a later slot. His replacement? Well let's just say I'm not happy and I won't be listening to the Radio Bahrain breakfast show anymore. Now where's the frequency for the World Service....

Bahraini food and the veggie man

I got an e mail the other day asking me about Bahraini cuisine. Now, not having been here that long I don't know a great deal about Bahraini food. To me, it looks a similar situation to the UAE: Lebanese food and the famous Gulf biriani, seasoned rice cooked with raisins, nuts and saffron with a roast lamb sitting on the top. I enjoyed some Bahraini biriani this Eid, I especially love the roasted tomatoes that sit in the mix.

Then there's the pickles. Al Jazeera Pickles do a fantastic range of pickles and chutneys, my favourite is the Bahraini Lemon Pickle. You can find them in most supermarkets and they go great with curries, in sandwhiches and erm, in birianis.

In the last few weeks since the weather has been cool, a man has set up a vegetable stand just round the corner from my home. He's dropped off in the morning and stays there until the afternoon, selling his fresh veg to passing customers. I never saw this in my five years in the UAE and I have to say I think its a great idea. I really appreciate being able to walk two minutes down the road and buy a selection of fresh veg. No excuse not to eat the stuff anymore!
He's produce is fresh, tasty and reasonably priced too.

Cold Bahrain

I write warming my hands on the keyboard, you see right now Bahrain is cold! According to the BBC its 14c outside but it feels alot colder than that, especially in a house designed to keep cool like mine. It might be 14c outside in the sun..

The Gulf Daily News is warning that its going to get even colder

Most houses don't have central heating and don't be fooled by the 'heat' option on your AC, it probably won't work, so people resort to buying oil radiators. One word of advice: make sure that your radiator has a decent plug on it. I found out the hard way wiith a melted plug from China.
Even more dodgy is the 'bring in the BBQ' option. Yes, a tray of hot coals will warm your place in no time but it may also give you carbon monoxide poisoning.

Day of Silence

Publish Post

September 2007

Well here we are in Bahrain. I made the mistake of ordering pasta on the flight over. Never order pasta on an airplane unless you like pulpy mush. If Alitalia can't do decent pasta on their flights then theres no hope for the rest of them. When flying with a Gulf based airline, chose the lamb option.They never mess up lamb.

Bahrain is a different place from Al Ain. Despite the humidity here, I do love being able to smell sea from my house instead of just that dry desert smell in Al Ain. It's nice not to feel landlocked for once and to know that you're only 20 minutes away from the airport. People are a lot more open here too, expats and locals alike. There's not so much conspicous consumption going on and most people appear to have values beyond what car they drive or how much they spend in Carrefour. It's also a much more interesting area to walk around in, rather than long three lane roads lines with date palms interrupted by roundabouts.Walking in Al Ain got boring.

As I write, our furniture has yet to arrive, we don't have a car and a relying on the kindness of strangers. I have to say just how kind those strangers are and its thanks to them that I feel that I could make my home here, at least for a while.