Parking in Bahrain

Bahrain is a great place in many ways. And the traffic is totally not one of them. Drivers follow no rules, parking in public places can be a whole drama.

Today I was coming back from the school when I noticed a car parked right in front of my gate. The street was completely empty, no other cars anywhere, but this moron, decided to park RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR GATE.

The first house in our compound is a beauty salon, and our watchman was kind enough to knock on it's door to ask someone to move the darn car. No one opened the door, and in Bahrain, it is forbiden for males to go inside beauty parlors.

The only alternative was for me to get out of the car and solve the problem myself. I was already fuming when I entered the place.

Imagine my surprise when there was no one at reception, and one of the employees was fast asleep in one of the client's chairs.

I woke her up, and she started looking for someone to help. Half asleep, she was no good to me, so I went up to the second floor where massages and waxing is done.

Another sleepy head was up there:

- Once again there is a car parked right in front of my gate and I can not get into my house.

She looked around, and decide to knock on the massage room. (totally unnecessary because by then everyone had heard me already).

Someone's voice asked:

- What color is the car?

I had to go to the window and check. It was black (do you remember I said it was the only car parked in the whole street? If the bloody woman had a car parked outside, it would be hers).

- Black.

After a while the woman comes out of the salon, abbaya and all.

- Did you know you could have parked away from my gate?

- You not nice. You yell.

- Did you noticed you have parked right in front of my gate? I live here, I can't get into my house because of you.

- I dd not see.

- Ok. look here. This is a gate. Inside the gate there are houses. People live in those houses, and in order for them to get to their houses, they have to go through this gate. Somehow it is impossible at the moment because you blocked it.

- You want problem? I can get you problem.

- I can not believe it. Do you honestly think you are right?

- I am right. Because I am nice. You are not nice.

She moved her car, went back to her darn waxing and I stood there, lost for words.