2009-01-05

On a dark desert highway - Or - Road Trip from Kuwait to Bahrain

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim


Hotel California - Eagles

I drove from Kuwait to Bahrain a while back and it was interesting. I took some pictures, you can click on them to get the larger picture.

First you need to drive South to the Nuwaiseeb border crossing and as soon as you get your papers in order you drive through no man's land which is the area between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

No Mans Land
No Man's Land


Quite a few blogger's and others crave for Hungry Bunny that got globalized into Burger king back here in Kuwait.Well, I have good news, I found a Hungry Bunny Joint in Khafji which is the first border town in Saudi Arabia right after the Kuwaiti border, and here is the proof:

Khafji Hungry Bunny
Hungry Bunny

Khsfji Hungry Bunny
I am so Hungry


After passing through Khafji you find yourself on a single lane asphalt road that you need to drive on. There where road signs that warned about camels crossing. I did not manage to take pictures of that but Camels crossing the road is not a joke. If you hit a camel it is like slamming into a thick concrete wall and you can get yourself killed or worse. Being alone on a long desert road, it is tempting to speed but you need to be alert and careful.


Need for Speed
Need for Speed - NOTE: This speed was taken by a trained professional, do not try this yourself.


On the open road you need to also watch out for slow moving tankers and trucks that drive at around 100 km/hr. Be careful of just over taking them because there may be another car surprising you and driving straight at you.

Open Road Between Khafji and Jubail
Slow moving tanker
Only Tankers and Trucks
No cars in sight, maybe I should overtake.



If you feel the urge to to buy something then you can find some road side shopping. It is not the Avenues but worthwhile to check out. You can find some made in china sadu carpets, fluffy arm rests and imitation leather coats.


Road Side Shopping
Road Side Shopping


Once you pass Jubail, you can enjoy a 2 lane highway.

2 lain highway after jubail
Two Lane Highway


I saw a huge line of trucks and tankers that where parked. I don't think they where stopped for speeding or for traffic violations, possibly they are only allowed to drive at certain hours. I was wondering where did the drivers go and how they would get back. I don't think they walked to the nearest truck stop, it is too far away.


Trucks
Long line of Trucks

more trucks
As far as the eye can see.



You get to see friendly signs on the road, other than that there is not much scenery other than stretches of desert.

Freindly Signs
I'd love to know who had too much time on his hand and stopped to tag this sign with graffiti


As soon as you reach Dammam, take a left and follow the signs to Bahrain until you reach the bridge, or causeway as it is officially called.


Bridge
Over the bridge

Photobucket
Getting closer to Bahrain


In the middle of the bridge, you reach the Saudi / Bahraini border post where you get your passport stamped, your car searched and then you enter Bahrain.


KSA Bahrain Border
Middle of the Bridge to Bahrain
Welcome to Bahrain
Finished the formalities, welcome to Bahrain

9 comments:

  1. why are you passing through Khafji ?

    you can bypass it for less trafic

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  2. yep thats what i wanted to say why go through 5afji lama u clear il manfath go seeda pass all the stupid petrol things then take a right, dnt go to 5afji

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  3. A measly 180? :P

    Are there really professions that require taking photos of the dashboard while driving? How do you train for that?

    LOL

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  4. My friends and I were planning a roadtrip from Kuwait to Oman, but then dropped that idea for Kuwait to Bahrain.

    How did you work out the transit visa for Saudi ?

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  5. forza: I wanted to check out the scenery and fill my gas tank.

    shwaish: I stopped for some Khafji breakfast

    QC: Hehe, I just did not want to set a bad example.

    Riddle: As a Kuwaiti I don't need a Visa for Saudi or Bahrain, the same applies if you are a gulf national, otherwise you need to go to the Saudi embassy in Kuwait and apply for a transit visa, from what I heard it is a 3 day waiting period but I am not too sure about that.

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  6. Don Veto, you can make your photos BIGGER!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi. I'm a new visitor to your blog and I pinched one of your photos and posted it on my blog (and of course credited you properly with a link to your blog). Hope you don't mind my stealing your shots. I wrote a piece (in Tagalog) about my trip to Jubail today and how I likened it to life (or sort of).

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  8. By the way, I'm impressed with your 'patience' to drive from Kuwait to Bahrain. The long drive itself is taxing. I think it's around four hours, isn't it?

    I'm based in Saudi and on occasions I travel to Kuwait and to Bahrain, but never from Kuwait to Bahrain.

    You must be a patient man. My being too nosy actually wanted to ask why on earth would you want to go to Bahrain when it's...well...almost like Kuwait?

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  9. Tutubi: The drive is 4 hours, but you need to add the border stops wich can be as quick as 15 min or as slow as 2 hours if it is crowded, especially on weekends. About going to Bahrain, I was going to stay for a around a week's time and thought it would be fun and convenient to have my car there, also I had some work to do there.

    ReplyDelete