Update on driving in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and attending church in Bahrain

This is an update from a couple of my pervious posts.

Driving in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain is driving defensibility.  One of my co-workers last week was stopped at an intersection.  The intersection was three lanes with one line a dedicated left turn and the other two lanes were through lanes. The co-worker was in the middle lane and was aligned to cross the intersection and continue down the road.  When the light turned green the left lane turned left, the middle lane (the co-worker), proceed across the intersection and the car in the right lane increased his speed and proceed in making a left turn.  When he did the co-worker car collided with the left turn car from the far right lane. 

This happened just a hundred meter from the entrance of the consulate.  The co-worker called for help to interpret the irate driver who had turned left.  When a traffic accident happens, the locals will get out of their car and act as of the accident was your fault.  When they find out you are from the US, well now they think they have the advantage.  They will call for the local police to arrive.  The local police only will file a report if there were injuries.  They local police will tell you to move your cars off to the side of the road.  In the meantime, depending on where your cars are stopped, traffic has backing up and everyone is honking their horns to get around the collision area.  The local police will call the traffic police who will arrive in 10 or 15 minutes and will take the statements of the two drivers and will proceed to issue a ticket.

If you cannot speak the language then you need to find someone on your phone to speak up for you or you will be blame for the accident.  This turning left from the right lane is a common occurrence in Saudi Arabia and somewhat so in Bahrain.  In this case since some people from the consulate was present and was able to translate, the guy making the left turn was given the ticket.  On top of the ticket, it was discovered that the driver had no insurance.  Because of this a third legal office was called to the site to fill out a report.  This one accident took over two hours to resolve.  Damage to the co-worker car was bad but the car was derivable.  The co-worker leased the car and had to take the rest of the day turning in the damaged car and picking up a new rental.  It was lucky that no one was injured.

I had reported about crossing the causeway from Saudi Arabia to Bahrain and crossing the boarders daily.  Another co-worker wanted to go to Bahrain for the weekend.  He had a Saudi Visa but not a Bahrain Visa.  He tried to obtain an E-visa but failed because they asked for a return airplane ticket.  This requirement was odd because the co-worker was driving to Bahrain not flying.  He decided to take his chance and drive to the boarder and see if he could obtain a visa to Bahrain.  At the booth where they check your passport for entry into Bahrain, the co-worker was able to be issued a two week entry visa and proceed to Bahrain.  It only took a few minutes to be issue the entry visa.

I have also reported on how it was to driven in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia.  I will comment that my observation is, many Arab men are bullies when behind the wheel.  They are rude, impatient, drive like a race car driver.  They will not let you in when merging and will proceed down the shoulder to get one or two cars ahead of you.  Just like the guy making a left turn from the right line, it has been my experience that Saudi drivers are worse than Bahrain drivers. Many Arab men will drive large SUV and will bully their way in front of you.  They will drive over the speed limit and flash their lights and tailgating you if you are going the speed limit in the left hand fast lane.  It is not uncommon for them to pass you on the shoulder going 160 kmh (99 mph).  The speed limit in Saudi Arabia is 100 kmh (62 mph) and in Bahrain is 120 kmh (75 mph).  The local police in Bahrain and Saudi are not traffic enforcers so bad drivers are not caught and fined.  Yes, bad driver are breaking the law but no enforcement expect on change when driving in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain.  

The best thing a American can do is drive dependably and not to give into road rage.

Gordy and I are going to Catholic Church in Bahrain every Friday.  The Catholic Church has school and church at one location in Manama.  The church seats 1000 people on the main floor and in the second flood area.  There are seats and TV screens outside for people that cannot get into the church.  Parking is a challenge with the main street in front of the church becoming almost a parking lot.  We have found that we need to arrive at least 45 min to a hour before mass to find a parking space and a place to sit in the church.  The locals have found a business in providing parking for church goers and offering to wash your car while you are in mass.  I pay $7.50 for a wash and park.

The first Catholic Church built in the Persian Gulf in modern times was constructed in 1939 on land given by the Emir of Bahrain. Sacred Heart Church serves approximately 140,000 Catholics.

Bahrain established diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1999.

In August 2012, the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia was created by the Holy See, with its headquarters in Bahrain. The largest Catholic Church in the Persian Gulf is to be constructed in Awali, south of Manama, the country's capital. The land for the church is being provided by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa due to a request from Pope Benedict XVI in December 2008, and will cover 9,000 square meters. It will be the headquarters for the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, and also open to other Christian denominations. Protests from various Islamist groups have occurred over the donation. Although Bahrain does have a small native Christian population, most Catholics in Bahrain are expatriates from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and Western countries.[3] Many parishioners cross the border from Saudi Arabia, where there are no churches and practicing Christianity publicly is forbidden. There are currently two churches in the country; Sacred Heart Church, Manama, and Our Lady of the Visitation in Awali in central Bahrain.