Saturday, April 30, 2005
Q8 UPDATE
I’m at the airport in Bahrain. Nice airport. Every 20 minutes or so a message is broadcast alerting passengers that smoking is only allowed at a special area near the Gate 12 entrance; this doesn’t cut much ice with the crowd already smoking at their own rebel special area near the Gate 17 entrance. Which, by the way, kills that slum at Gate 12 by virtue of serving excellent coffee.
About 18 hours to get here, via Singapore. Then another seven hours waiting for the connecting flight to Kuwait, which is seven times as long as the flight itself. No earlier flights are scheduled, so I went looking for a car to hire (the drive is about three hours). Bad idea, said everybody I consulted. One security guard told me it was the stupidest idea he’d heard all week. I’ve only been here for a few hours, and already I’m making an impression!
So, no car, no drive, long delay. Guess there’s nothing else to do but find a bar and drink away the remaining time until boarding. Or at least to imagine that scenario, in a creative exercise involving a range of hypothetical fun situations in which I am not trapped at Bahrain airport.
Gulf Air is a fine airline. Friendly staff.
More soon from Gulf land.
UPDATE! Turns out there ish a bar here! It’s down opposite the Gate 14 boarding zone. Expect fewer updates post this discovery.