This is part of the twelfth section of our around the world trip. 
Complete Trip Overview & Map

Coming from the U.A.E. or read our previous visit to Bahrain
 
31/12/05 It was separate flights to Bahrain in the evening as mine had been a return and Kay's a one way flight on different airlines. A two week visa on arrival for $US 14.00, cursory customs, only interested in why we had so many motorcycle parts, and again concerned about why a tourist would be using the disposable red, white and blue refugee bags for their luggage, because we have to have disposable luggage. Lisa and Monther, the H-D dealers for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia welcomed us, and we stayed at Lisa's home for the night. They took us to their extended families new years eve party, together with a live band, dinner and drinks at a downtown restaurant.

1/1/06 The dawning of the new year came late after a long morning's sleep. The younger members of the household not surfacing to see the morning or even early afternoon. Khalid, the Director of the local HOG chapter, had again offered us the use of his garden house, equally as welcoming in its one hectare block, with pool and comfortable decor as on my last visit. We sorted through what we had brought from Australia, spare parts into regions of the bike that need repairs, spare parts we needed to carry, easy jobs and more complicated ones. Merged old gear left behind with new products we had brought. Later in the day we attempted to collect the bike from the H-D dealer, only to find we could not get it started. The shop being closed, there was no one to assist, however the muscle men from the nearby Gym assisted in trying to push start, also with a jump start from their cars battery, but with no success. With darkness falling we returned the bike to the shop till the staff arrived tomorrow. Dinner at Lisa's house, always a lively place, with family and friends rolling through.

2/1/06 It was embarrassing this morning to realize that it was only the kill switch, something I never use, that was turned off that caused yesterdays failure to get the bike started. The battery was also flat but Lisa from H-D offered us the use of a van whilst we worked on the motorcycle, replacing parts brought from Australia. New keyed alike locks were fitted, the pannier catch lost in the Afghanistan accident replaced along with a new tail light, headlight, both cracked with age and abuse. Fitted the new bike cover with padlocks so people can't easily remove it. The evening was spent with Lisa and Monther at Ric's Kountry Kitchen, as their guests. An American theme restaurant, fried chicken, cranberry juice, iced tea and apple cobbler. We could have been in the USA.

3/1/06 Another day working on the bike under the carport at Khalid's country house. Fixed a fork leak, air filter, manifold gaskets, front tyre, rear brake disk and calliper. Even though we were exhausted we managed to join the H-D crowd at the opening of a submarine sandwich place followed by a delicious lamb dinner cooked especially by Monther. Steamed for a couple of hours with unusual, different spices, the meat falling off the bone, melting in the mouth and served with local honey. 

4/1/06 With it being 50,000 km since the last major maintenance list on the motorcycle and perhaps another 30,000 before the next, we were again at the motorcycle. In between jobs we tried to obtain an Eritrean visa but with only a one month validity before entry available we decided to try another embassy a bit closer to our entry date. Kay will need to wear conservative clothes in Saudi Arabia so today she bought an abeyya. Not as billowing as the chador she had to wear in Iran but still black and designed to hide the shape of her figure and cover the skin from ankles to wrists and neck. A black scarf to match was also purchased and when worn together leaves only the moon face exposed in a bed of blackness. Timon, an Australian we first met in Uganda, and who I stayed with in Tokyo, was now in Bahrain at the end of his holiday and we teamed up for dinner and a bottle of Australian wine. It's always fascinating bumping into people we know in different parts of the world.

5/1/06 The bike was finally back together this morning. We packed, cleaned up and moved out of Khalid's house by lunch time and back to Lisa's for the last night in Bahrain. Fawaz, my escort on the tour of Bahrain on my last visit had organized a tour of the country's forts and burial mounds. About ten bikes visited Al-Jasra House, the Portuguese Fort and Adri Fort. A local guide moved with us explaining interesting aspects of each. Bahrain used to be a burial island, the entrance place to paradise after death and has tens of thousands of small mounds where between one and a dozen people have been buried. Cities are now encroaching on these extensive areas and the interreds effects, including weapons, gold and pottery are excavated to the museums. Our last night was dinner with friends at a local Mexican restaurant.

6/1/06 Monther drove over from Saudi Arabia to collect our motorcycle, and trailer it across the island hopping causeway between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as it is not considered safe, nor permitted to ride a motorcycle on the bridges.    

Move with us to Saudi Arabia  

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