The plan to head to bed early before our ‘crack of dawn’ flight did not eventuate. After 3 hours of restless sleep, during which I stupidly started to categorise our house contents as if the decision had already been made, the alarm sounded. It was 2:30am. I was very aware that we would probably not see a bed for at least 24 hours. Yes, I was extremely nervous about travelling with a 14 month old. True, two flights - Perth to Dubai and Dubai to Bahrain made me a little unsure. But my real concern was travelling over the dreaded causeway and into KSA.
We landed in Bahrain at 4:45pm on Thursday and soon learnt the importance of not travelling on the Middle Eastern weekend. Thursday is Friday night in Bahrain and Saturday night in KSA. From Bahrain International Airport to the compound district in Al Khobar the trip should take an hour to an hour and a half. Our trip took 4 hours.
To say it was an unforgettable experience is putting it mildly. I was already starting to plan the way I was going to tell my husband that I was not moving! Our daughter who had been a star for the ten and a half hour flight, four hour wait in Dubai and hour flight to Bahrain was now showing signs that she didn't appreciate being woken from her comfy bed more than twenty odd hours before! The traffic was unbelievable. It was like peak hour on steroids. There were cars 4 to 5 lanes abreast on a three lane highway. Cars were inches from touching and no one would let anyone in. We had to laugh when people made way for a police car only to have many tailgate it looking for a chance to get ahead. We made it through the Bahrain checkpoints and headed to the Saudi checkpoints. We had to go into the Customs office to get our finger prints and photos taken. Getting out of the car again reminded me of the humidity and heat. I was also mindful of my abaya which I had put on before I got into the car at the Bahrain International Airport.
Once through customs we were Al Khobar bound arriving nearly twenty four hours after we woke up at home in Perth. The next few days were a flurry of meeting people, visiting compounds, investigating activities and exploring the streets and shopping centres of Al Khobar. I was pleasantly surprised at how I felt when out in public, having worried myself silly about how I thought it would be. I was made to feel very welcome in the compound attending a coffee morning and travelling on the bus to the shopping centre.
I was also amazed at the sheer size and scale of the shopping centres. We visited Mall of Dharan and Al Rashaid. They were larger than any shopping centre I've ever seen. We went during the morning and it was practically empty. Our daughter was running around in the space with a grin from ear to ear. There was such a comparison between the quietness of the morning shops and the frantic activity at LuLu's supermarket, which we visited one evening. It reminded me of working at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne at Christmas. There were people everywhere!
The trip home was exhausting. Our flight from Bahrain left at 3:50am which meant that we left Saudi at 11:30pm. I admit we were probably a little cautious but we didn't want a repeat of our first trip over the causeway. Of course the trip ended up taking the normal hour and a bit. We arrived at 12:50am and couldn't even check in. Once we had checked in we headed to the lounge and waited to begin the long trek home! We left KSA on Tuesday night and arrived back in Perth early Thursday morning. I’ve told my husband that next time we will spend a night in Bahrain or Dubai. Just another place to explore!
I must admit at times during the visit I wondered whether I could really make the huge move. It was at those times I could see the challenges and negatives of the move. I tried to stay very open to the move and think of the opportunities that the trip will bring. I’ve made a big effort to keep this frame of mind and realise that professionally for my husband and personally for my young family the move to KSA will bring opportunities and experiences that we may never have again. So starts the journey to KSA! Well the packing up the house and farewelling our friend’s part! We’re still a couple of months away from the actual move but there is plenty to do in preparation. That includes telling our friends and family!
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