no problem!
posted by Ali C in Bahrain forum
You're welcome. I know how stressful relocation can be! Glad to be of assistance.
You might want to stay away from areas like Sitra or some places in Manama. The police is everywhere now and many of the affected areas are being monitored and controlled. However, majority of the areas in Bahrain are safe. Especially Amwaj.
London traffic. Yep, totally with you on that one! But, in Bahrain, the roads are MASSIVE! Bahrain's got 6 lane highways that make commuting very easy and comfortable (some highways are constructed over the sea and they look simply beautiful). Traffic jams are common as you would expect in some places, particularly during rush hour. Even so, the driving situation is very calm and organised.
Bahrain offers quite a few options for desert (and water) sports, after all, it is a country totally surrounded by sand and water! Yes, there are plenty of evening classes for people to enroll themselves in. Everything from music to photography and almost everything in between. Then again, Bahrain IS quite small, so your options are sort of limited in terms of variety, I believe.
You wouldn't even have to catch a flight to Saudi. People just drive to Saudi as the two countries are connected via King Fahd Causeway. I've noticed that the shopping situation in Bahrain is not as good as England, but its in no way "bad" either. I don't think you'd need to go to Saudi for shopping. Bahrain has some very cool malls. Bahrain City Center is a place you'd probably fall in love with. Well I did. And good old Seef is an all time favourite as well. You'll have a wide variety of brands to choose from. Trust me.
A point to be noted is that the 14th of February is fast approaching and it marks the date of the first wave of protests that took place in Bahrain last year. Some riots are bound to happen that day and might escalate, you never know. You might want to wait and see as to what the outcome is as tensions are already high. Just a word of warning.
All the best!!