Has anybody here lived in Bahrain? Any information would be appreciated.

 

Never lived there, but did many port visits there and have a bud who grew up there. Fairly western with a progressive government, LOTS of alcohol and blonde "working women" as that's where the Saudi's go to escape Islam, since "Allah can't see across the water (er, causeway now)". Big Saudi influence to offset the British. Kind of a cheaper / more native / dirtier version of Dubai. The saudi's generally drive to the border, then put the old lady behind the wheel (women can drive in Bahrain) and start drinking. They then hook up with the boys while momma and her abaya go shopping.

Some nice hotels and good bars due to the British influence (they were granted independence in 1976).

I'd rank it as a tie for #3 with Doha, behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

PM me if you want more...

Spongebob

 

I was stationed there from Jan-Sep 05. It's been called the "diamond in the goat's a$$" by more prestigious men than myself.

Actually, it's not bad at all. Bahrain is where all the Saudis go to party. Apparently Allah can't see past the border. There are decent restaurants and nightlife, and it's pretty modern.

The previous poster was correct- good British influence, so there's plenty of stuff to do on your down time.

Let me know if you want more specific information.

Stetson20

 

I worked for DHL based out of Bahrain. Pretty much concur with Stetson20; it's a great place if you ask me. Even better if you're single, but good if your a family man too. Many of the restaurants have a family only section.

When you get there people will give you all sorts of ideas of what to do for leisure time. Most join a club of some sort. The British Club is OK, as are some of the hotels clubs. Yact club if you are so inclined as well.

 

An interesting place, seeing Arabs booze it up and womanize. It's like the Las Vegas of the Middle East. But, it is also a commercial center, has great hotels, good food and decent beaches.

 

I lived there for a year in the early '90s. It is ranked about where others have said and all in all not a terrible place to be if you must be in the ME.
The problem is that the ME rates very low on places I want to live and I would not really want to go back to any place in the region having sampled most of the countries there. Europe, the US, or Asia easily beats any ME country for quality of life and the ability to freely enjoy your life.

 

I've lived there on and off over the years, while in the navy.. Who are you looking at? If it's GA, life is actually good, but go to Pprune.com to checkout the specifics from a pilots point of view. After about a year, it gets tough though. PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

Thanks to all. All your posts and PMs have provided food for thought. I'm trying to get as much information as I can to make an intelligent decision. I'm especially concerned about quality of life for my wife, since being in a strange country day after day without friends and something to do gets old really fast. It sounds like there are lots of Americans and other westerners there with families, so that part's good.

Any other info will be appreciated.

 

I'd say this- be very careful about bringing your wife over there. Very different culture over there. I'd be very hesitant to be flying for days at a time while she's alone in Bahrain. The number one crime against military women in that region? Rape. You need to be aware of the risks involved.

 

As I used to deal with US military personel in Bahrain I did get their perspective, which frankly was pretty scewed by the attitudes of their command. It was justified to an extent as they were often in uniform, but did leave them paranoid about certain aspects of Muslim culture. We, civilians, spent much of our time hanging out with the locals as many were our co-pilots. As long as you put in the effort they would always be very accepting; even so far as to invite some of our guys to Ashura.

I heard of one rape commited on a western woman the entire time I was there, and it was no different then what happens in western countries as far as being in the wrong place and wrong situation. There were two other rapes but they were both commited by US service men on US service women, on base. Bahrain was one of the safest places I have ever lived, and that includes Auckland.