I'll be the first to admit - I'm not the BEST driver in the world. I'm not the worst, but I'm definitely not the best.
I tailgate, I speed, I cut people off, I may be guilty of texting while driving (while simultaneously giving people the "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" look when I catch them texting while driving). I've been known to do a few illegal U-Turns and random maneuvers, jumping curves...etc. Oh, and I'm horrible at parking!
Essentially - it's just like I was taught how to drive in Bahrain. Though over here, I'm a freaking awesome driver! That's how bad they are!
Today I witnessed some of the best Bahrain driving ever. Picture this - three lanes of traffic on the highway, the left lane turns left. The guy three lanes to the right cuts over to make the left turn. No blinkers, no looking over the shoulder, nothing. Just blind faith that people wouldn't hit him as he zips right over to the left lane(honestly I'm not even sure he thought about that). It was awesome. And, he made it. So I guess if it works - don't worry about it.
Not only is it insane - but the "police" don't even care. Here is a picture of one policeman just chilling. I'm not even sure why he is there. All I know is that I made a completely illegal move right in front of him and he just nodded and smiled! It was awesome! I realized I needed to make a U-Turn, but was in the furthest lane on the right at the stop light. So...I took a lesson from the locals and just drove horizontally across the stopped traffic and sat myself in front of the front car in the U-Turn lane. As I turned over my shoulder to give the guy behind me my best sheepish, "Hi, sorry, thanks!" face - I realized NO ONE CARED! I was totally part of the crowd. I fit in here!
These are my people!
And parking...now the parking rocks. What's the rule? Anyhow...anywhere...just stop your car and get out. Taking up 3 spaces, awesome. Parked on the curb, awesome. Parked in the roundabout, awesome. Parked right in the middle of the street so no one can drive through now, the best. No parking tickets, no tow-trucks - you just have to deal with it. Love it!
Another notable difference is that no one uses seatbelts or CARSEATS!!! I already posted this picture on Facebook - just an example of how they cart around children in Bahrain.
Yes, that girl in the front seat is definitely mean-mugging me for taking a picture!
How do they do it?
However the hell they want to!
While I'm looking through the massive rules and regulations of what kind of carseat my boys need, when they need it, the wrong and right way to buckle them in their five-point harness, where to place them in the car...blah blah blah...the Bahrainis simply pile them in.
I think they are on to something. Those kids LOVE riding in the car.
I've seen the four toddlers in the front seat method.
I've seen the kids literally running around in the back of a van method.
I've seen the kids standing on the seats jumping up and down method.
I've seen the kids hanging out the window method.
Just today I saw the kid standing through the sun roof method - she looked particularly happy!
Meanwhile, Davis is strapped in his rear facing infant carseat - crying his eyes out - miserable. I look over to the car next to me at the stoplight and they are looking at me like I'm an animal! Leaving that poor baby back there crying instead of holding him with me in the front seat. What a monster!
Hey - to each their own.
As far as the crazy driving here goes - I'm loving it. I'm doing way better than my beloved husband (he may have already rear ended someone) - more on that story later.
As I was about to post this, I got sidetracked on Facebook and saw this post from my new Group, Mums in Bahrain,
"Big well done to the kind hearted Traffic Policeman who stopped the traffic at a busy junction in Riffa to remove a very scared kitten from the middle of the road. Restored my faith in humanity this morning :)"
So apparently, THAT'S what the policeman do here!
and That's 'Watts' She Said...
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