Back in Bahrain

Bahrain - new Bahrain, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

Back in Bahrain for what should be just four hours this time,as I wait for the connecting flight to London. Feeling a lot happier than when last posting a blog because it seems that somehow, I have won my battle against Gulf Air and have been put back on the 08.20 flight. Whether this was to do with what my friends from Arke have done in Amsterdam or the phone calls I made in Bangkok, it seems as if the pressure has worked. Now just to hope that the baggage follows me there as I heard from other passengers horror stories of lost baggage.

I have to admit that I stormed off very angry from the hotel in Bangkok as they had not done anything about ordering the taxi for me at 15.00 and were still not doing anything while I was filling in time writing my previous blog. So, we eventually ahd to call one off the street which took no time at all but now I had to travel according to the meter and I had already lost 45 minutes from my schedule. Again, despite being almost hopelessly blocked in teh traffic in Bangkok, once we were on the toll road, it was a very quick journey and I only took a bit longer than Richard earlier in the day and the price was half of what the girls at the hotel had wanted from me, so happy with that as well, in retrospect.

It is a pity to report I was not impressed with the girls at Thai Cozy House, because when we had stayed there the first time, they seemd to be both friendly and efficient. This time they kept saying silly things to and about Richard and that annoyed me. As Richard says, there are plenty of places we can stay in Bangkok and next time it'll not be the Cozy House.

In the meantime, I feel very naughty again by placing a bet here in Bahrain. The race is the King George Vi Chase, won previously by favourites such as Silver Buck (twice), Wayward Lad (four times) and Desert Orchid (five times) and the horse is Yes Sir. The trainer went public saying that 33-1 was a "fantastic" price, so he was only 20-1 when I placed my bet. The race is run a week today, by which we'll have had our Christmas Day, Christmas being something I am wholly unprepared for, sorry to say.

I am cheating a bit by putting this photo up of Bahrain as it was taken during my enforced 24 hour stop-over last time. This time it is dark and wet outside, the temperature is about 13 and there is a strong wind. Winter.

The forecast for Amsterdam is a cold dull 7 degrees tomorrow; I hope the central heating is working well. Looking forward to going home and seeing Fred and seeing what they have done to our street. Not so very many hours to go now. I have been away for seven weeks and despite what my Mum says, it has seemed like a lot more than seven weeks, so intense has been our experience out in South East Asia.