TBK travels - around Bahrain on a bus- part two- the first half of the journey

TBK is ready to go with his GO card from Bahrain Bus - Just 1 bd

They say that Perfect Planning Prevents Poor Performance and so I set off armed with my route plan, my mobile, camera, sun tan lotion and sun glasses, 600 fills in 100 fills coins, and my lunch from Red Croissant Bakery. I Googled the start point in Hidd, drove there and parked my car . I then double checked the timetable at the bus stop. Having arrived early and with time to spare until my first bus arrived I adjourned to a nearby Chai Karak store for hot black coffee, a bottle of water and my favourite Lemon Mint ( to go). There was a long queue and impatient Bahrainis pulling up all down the road and honking their horns until the poor man ran to get their orders. As I turned to walk to the bus stop I saw my bus drive off! DISASTER! I had forgotten rule one from Carl- different timetables on Friday!

Breakfast at the bus stop in Hidd, 2 hard boiled eggs, coffee and Lemon Mint!

I sat patiently in the bus stop and listened to the Indian lady's loud phone conversation , which continued for the 30 mins for the bus to arrive and most of the journey , in spite being told by the driver to use an earpiece rather than the phone speaker. The bus stop had seats and a door and air conditioning, but it did not work. Looking back , the next day, the 30 minute wait got me prepared for the day ahead. Hot, noisy and uncomfortable!

Sitting at the back of my first bus, the 11 from Hidd to Muhurraq

Eventually I got on the bus, paid 1 bd for the Go card and took my seat at the back. However I forgot to tap the card so was I not charged for the first leg of the journey. With only 100 fills credit on the card I waited until we reached our destination, Muhurraq Bus Terminal and set off in search of the Ticket office to top up the card.

Muhurraq Terminal - the doors in the middle are for staff only!

I watched the driver use an ID card to open the door but then it slammed shut in my face. I walked always around the building but it seemed empty and it was only when I returned to the front the cleaner showed me which door to go in.

The ticketing office is at the right hand end with mirrored doors and no sign! The helpful cleaner is at the end of the building on the right!

When I could not work the machine he took me to the counter where a bored disinterested couple of staff eventually took my 600 fills, topped up my card, looked on the Public Bahrain Bus website and told me what time my bus would leave. He then did a Patrick and pointed to lane one but told me to go to lane four. At lane four I overheard a security guard send a lost man to lane one when he asked which bus went to Manama . I double checked with the man when I got there that I was in the right place for the Manama Bus.

The Muhurraq Security Complex which I first visited in 2010

While I waited I took some photos of the Muhurraq terminal and realised that 3 places that had played a significant part in my life in Bahrain in the last 12 years were nearby. The first was the Muhurraq Post Office where I had come to collect a parcel soon after I arrived in Bahrain. I first went to the old Airport ( the slip from Awali Post office said the parcel was held up in Customs). Then they directed me to the Muhurraq Souq where I parked my car after getting lost in the narrow streets . Then I enquired at the Muhurraq Security Complex and they directed me to the bus terminal opposite where I found the post office and my parcel. Then I could not find my car. After walking around for an hour as it went dark , and contemplating getting a taxi back to Awali, and crying and wanting to go back to the UK ( the one and only time in 12 years) , I finally saw a familiar shop and around the corner my little car!

Spookily enough the Muhurraq Security Complex is also one of the last places I will visit in Bahrain, once I get the application form from Bapco Security and manage to book an appointment on Skiplino . This is where you get the Good Behaviour Certificate ( valid for 3 months) that is needed by the Philippine Retirement Authority. It is also where I came after I left Bapco to try and extend my Residence Visa, but Bapco would not sponsor me and so I had to get a Flexi Visa costing 700 bd for a year!

The Muhurraq Post office where I had to get a parcel in 2010

Opposite the bus station is a horrible modern building which is one of the latest additions to the Pearling trail which I have visited so many times over the last 12 Years. As I took a photo I mentally listed all the people I had bought here like Carl, my brother, Jane Frost, Jeboy and Jay, Nathan and Nea , Ron, Phil and Di and many others.

If you want to read more about the Pearling trail click here:

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2020/10/neils-tours-of-bahrain-pearling-trail.html

I even did a photo walk with Adam and when I got back found a parking ticket on my car , which I had parked alongside some others outside the Post Office!

The latest horrible addition to the Pearling trail is behind the Muhurraq terminal

My second bus, the 22 to Manama , arrives at the Muhurraq terminal in Lane one

The bus arrived exactly when he said it would and I tapped in with my go card and sat back to enjoy the journey. Having driven around Bahrain for 12 years it felt strange to be being driven by someone else and not to have to wear a seatbelt, but having to wear a mask! Secondly I regretted having no control over the noise level in the bus, or the air conditioning , which like the bus shelter did not work! One has a much better view at the back as you are raised up. However the writing on the windows and the design makes it hard to see out in the back seats without bending down. 18 mins later we arrived in Manama where I found the X6 to Askar was due shortly and a bus driver directed me to the right bus stop.

The X6A to Askar arrives at the Manama Bus terminal

As I walked to the bus I noticed several taxi drivers hunting for customers like Hyaenas in a pack and as soon as they saw a rich white man arriving with camera, mobile phone, Gucci sunglasses and a Pierre Cardin wallet ( Thanks Pav ) the vultures swooped offering me their services. It was then I realised the dangers of Stereotyping as they were very shocked when I told them I was going around Bahrain on buses for 7 hrs. for 700 fills and could not afford a taxi. they laughed out loud and said " Haha, rich man like you travelling on bus" . I then told them about the impact of the Ukraine war on my investments, the fact I had not worked for a year and had spent all my money on cameras , glasses and my friends in the Philippines!

As the bus headed out of Manama , we passed so many familiar sites from my 12 years in Bahrain. I found myself reminiscing to being a child in the UK and as our father took us on outings on his half day ( Wednesday) or days off ( Saturday and Sunday) he would tell us stories and ask us questions. So now you know where I got it from! As we went past the 3 blocks of flats on the picture above I found myself giving a running commentary in my head.

"On the left, ladies and gentlemen, are the iconic Abraj A Lulu apartments, once one of the most expensive apartments in Bahrain until the Arab Spring in 2011 and the unrest at what was then called Pearl Roundabout."

Passing Alba ,now the largest Aluminum smelter in the world (ex China)

I remembered friends who lived there like Aravelle and her family ( my Physio who has now left Bahrain for Canada) and a British friend with a vintage green Jaguar. Later we passed the Bapco ( Bahrain Petroleum ) refinery and the Refinery tanks.

Opposite Bapco is the largest Aluminum smelter in the world ( outside China) Alba (Aluminum Bahrain) . They now produce "more than 1.561 million metric tonnes per annum (2021)."

Source: https://www.albasmelter.com/en/category/corporate-profile ( accessed 12.3.22)

I laughed when I remembered that I tried to go to work there on my second day at Bapco in the fog when I got lost! Next was the future of Bahrain Petroleum , the new refinery that is part of the Bapco Modernisation Programme ( BMP). I quoted all the figures I had read on all those Bapco bus stops around Bahrain, waiting for a bus to come!

Source : https://www.bapco.net/en/page/introduction/ ( accessed 12.03.22)

Then the bus turned off the highway and eventually we slowed right down as we entered a very crowded area which I later discovered was called Ras Zuwayed. I had never been here before and I was fascinated by all the different nationalities buying fresh fruit and veg from the market stalls beside the road. By now it was lunchtime on Friday and so they had all been to the Mosque for Friday prayers and were heading to their labour camps for their one afternoon off in the week. I felt really sorry for the laborer's who live 4- 8 people in a room ( on what we call bunk beds or in the Philippines they are called double decker's) . They work 6 days a week from early morning to late at night and are taken all over Bahrain by the contracting company old Tata busses that littered the sides of the road making it very hard for our driver to get down the unmade road.

Edging our way though Ras Zuwayed in between all the laborer's trying to pick up a bargain - it reminded me of the Train market in Thailand!

Today I did some research into the labour camps and my worst fears were proved to be true when I found an advert from an estate agent giving a glowing tale of how wonderful the labour camps were, while their own pictures painted a very different story.

A kitchen in a Labour Camp in Ras Zuwayed

"Following is the qualities & facilities of this Accommodation

* Each room used for sleeping purposes contain at 4 square meters floor space for each occupant.

* Sanitary and washing facilities shall be designed to provide adequate privacy. Toilets, hand washing basins and shower facilities conveniently located with an adequate number of each provided in the range of 1 unit per 6-8 persons

* Accommodation and welfare facilities are sited sufficiently far away from worksites and are constructed to a standard so as to protect against impacts such as noise, emissions or dust

Wash room in Labour camp in Ras Zuwayed ( from the estate agents website!)

* Cooking facilities are kept in a clean and sanitary condition with designated areas for food preparation to permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against contamination
between and during food preparation

* If personnel can cook their own meals, kitchen space provided separate from sleeping areas

* Space for Bus parking and boarding bays in a designated area outside."

Source: https://esquirebh.com/listings/labor-camps-for-rent-in-ras-zuwayed/ ( accessed 12.3.22)

Finally we made it back to the main road, crossed it, did a tour of a commercial area there, then returned to the main road, crossed it again and this time turned right and headed for the sleepy fishing village of Askar.

Once again this part of the journey bought back so many memories as I have been such a regular visitor to the coast here over the last 12 years with Jake and Carl and many others.

You can read more about my visits to Askar here:

https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2022/03/tbk-travels-to-askar-to-find-out-what.html

It was at Askar over a year ago that Carl had first seen a red bus and as he was parking on some waste land before making the return journey to Manama , Carl had been to find out how the bus system worked, useful information which he passed on to me via What's App from his vacation in Kerala, to help me plan this epic journey.

The new Askar Bus "terminal" and my lunch stop around 2 pm

They have now changed the Askar "Terminal" and the X6A only stops for 5 minutes outside McDonalds! I wasted no time in jumping off, getting my Turkey Baguette and Orange Juice from Red Croissant out and eating it on a box behind a shop! So much for Carl telling me I would have to wait 30 mins or more every time I changed bus and my plan to have a walk on the beach at Askar!

Passing another X6A on its way to Askar as we headed back to Muhurraq

As I was now the only person on the bus ( memories of a Big Bus trip in Muscat with Gabs where we owned the bus!) I spread out and unpacked my camera, microphone and so on and started recording the voiceover for the Vlog.