So... Bahrain!!!

I am very excited because I'm going to Bahrain for three days, two nights over the upcoming Eid Fitr holiday break (end of Ramadan)!

Wait - what? No? No tickets eh? You needed your passport to pick the tickets up from the airport that somebody else reserved because you couldn't buy them online because - well, because the airline's credit card service doesn't accept credit cards? Oh.

It's OK, what really is "Bahrain" anyways, right guys-

Yay we're going to Bahrain again! We can buy tickets for a day later on NasAir, a new Saudi airline, and fly across -

...

After about a few dozen switchbacks the last few days, a steadily growing group of KAUST students (say, from 6 to 22) have decided to visit Bahrain, based on information that Bahrain is the most liberal of the Persian Gulf nations, and most likely, of the Arabian Peninsula, too. It is there that we hope to spend our Eid Fitr holiday break, or at least a few days worth - trying to understand the culture of another Middle Eastern nation, and indulge here in there in their "lax" alcohol policy.

The quotation marks are in place because Bahrain's alcohol policy used to mean actual liquor stores and pubs, bars and hotel clubs - but as of 2007 they've elected stricter regulations... i.e. no more liquor stores or bars; only alcohol at three-star and up hotels. Since the alcohol cutback, the owner of one particular one-star hotel went from making almost $4,000 a night to making about $250 a night. For a country based less on oil than other gulf/arab nations, this might be a problem, right? In any case, as of now we're just hoping to run into alcohol in the evenings at all in order to spice up our terse trip ( see this article: )

Due to glaring inconsistencies in information (VISA eligibility, existence of various hotel reservations), tonight in the library has been another laid-back night trying to iron out the kinks in this trip, and I'm finally writing this post (lower quality than usual) at 7:00 AM - after the talks with new friends, visits to the recently opened Baskin Robbins, secret adventures, more attempts at conversations with Bahraini taxi companies, and YouTube videos of the Flight of the Conchords ( see this amazing second season video I'd not yet seen ).

So in an ingloriously bland summary, we plan to take a plane to Dammam, Saudi Arabia (on the east coast) leaving on Sep. 20th at 7:00 AM for $120 round trip - then hire a bus or a car (we're calling [again] today to check on that; $45 round trip) to drive 2-3 hours over the 28 kilometer King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain, a tiny island nation... On the causeway we stop twice; once to verify we're not Saudis trying to leave without the proper documents, another to buy our Bahraini tourist VISAs ($10 to $40, depending on who you ask?). We then make it to our hotel in Juffair, where for perhaps $12 each night each person will sleep, splitting 22 people between eight beds and four couches at a hotel we were lucky enough to find with the aid of a Bahraini KAUSTer... And then repeat the process in reverse on our way back on the afternoon of the 22nd... All so certain students can be back in time for their inaugural ceremony duties (as opposed to staying through Friday).

Let me mention that web sites have suggested that only those from the US, UK, European Union, Japan, Hong Kong, and maybe three other countries are listed as able to get VISAs. And also that somehow four of our Colombian friends already got in, but there are four Chinese going tomorrow, and then the main group on the 20th, which includes passport holders from the UK, US, Mexico, Italy, Germany... It should all be... fun. If I upload a single picture of Bahrain, it will have been an "intercultural" success story, and indeed we will all be receiving random e-mails from future internet-browsing Westerners looking for information on how the heck to get over to this liberal Arabian nation for a drink or two (Qatar has drinks, but you need to apply for special permits to get them, which must include a signed letter from your employer)...

Over our two half-days, two nights, and one full day in this tiny nation of 791,000 people & 290 square miles, we will visit local mosques, museums, and a ginormous water park where they will be playing Kung Fu Panda - and quote the film later at the crazy parties of Bahraini three-star hotels. Maybe four-star, if we're feeling fancy.

Happy Eid Fitr Holidays!