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Old Apr 6, 2006, 5:40 pm
  #46  
 
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Originally Posted by roadkit
You can always go to Bahrain which is what all the people who are tired of living in an Islamist country do.

Sorry you have to go there. I lived there for 7 months in 1990-1991 and swore I'd never go back. What a hole - and full of hypocrites.
I used to work for a British guy in HK who had been an expat in the region (he was based in Sharjah, I believe) and he told me that the Saudis would drive over the causeway to Bahrain on the weekends to get totally tanked.
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Old Apr 6, 2006, 9:17 pm
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Originally Posted by dizzy
Thanks
I wasn't expecting anywhere near the number of responses that were posted. I admit when I heard moonshine I imagined the Southern Mississippi bathtub variety (no offense to S. Mississippians....). I didn't realize that it was such a developed 'industry'.
There is low-end moonshine too.... and it kills people in Saudi Arabia -- without the government directly involved.
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Old Apr 6, 2006, 9:22 pm
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Originally Posted by silverkris168
I used to work for a British guy in HK who had been an expat in the region (he was based in Sharjah, I believe) and he told me that the Saudis would drive over the causeway to Bahrain on the weekends to get totally tanked.
Where Saudis drive for weekends, the roads there and back have plenty of accidents and even tip-overs of a different sort.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 12:17 am
  #49  
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Originally Posted by silverkris168
IIRC, Dubai doesn't really have free-standing bars or pubs like you would imagine in Europe --- most of them if not all of them are in hotel restaurants.
You haven't been to Irish Village have you? And a few other places I could name. There are some free-standing pubs that appear just the same as in Europe. But yes, most bars are in hotels.

As for weekends in Bahrain, they also do weekends in Dubai. It is comical to see the women on these flights. As soon as we take off from RUH, some of the them throw open their veils, put on some lipstick and grab a glass of wine.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 8:18 am
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Where Saudis drive for weekends, the roads there and back have plenty of accidents and even tip-overs of a different sort.
to Bahrain? But Bahrain is an Island

Do you mean accidents on the causeway? If so: that could result in miles of traffic jams

Cheers
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 8:33 am
  #51  
 
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Originally Posted by chgoeditor
Elgringito, I know that room of which you speak. You forget to mention that in most homes it was cinderblock fortified and accessible only from the outside of the house...better to protect things if the still blew up. Which camp were you in? I lived in DH from 1983 to 1985.
I was in Dhahran and worked in the tower, first year in financial analysis working on unraveling the transfer of ownership excess profits to the Saudi govenment and the next two in general accounting. My wife loved it there and still has not forgiven me for leaving - at the time I still thought I could become chairman of GM, the delusions of youth.

What I remember most was what a great place to raise children - and had we decided to have children I would not have left.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:40 pm
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Where Saudis drive for weekends, the roads there and back have plenty of accidents and even tip-overs of a different sort.
Yes, and quite often, after an accident, the driver will simply just abandon the car at the side of the road. Seems like it's less of a hassle dealing with police-----especially if it's a potential DUI coming up.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:44 pm
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Originally Posted by silverkris168
Yes, and quite often, after an accident, the driver will simply just abandon the car at the side of the road. Seems like it's less of a hassle dealing with police-----especially if it's a potential DUI coming up.
Seen it.

Weekends in much of the Middle East are not Saturday-Sunday. So by Saturday-Sunday many of those vehicles won't be there.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:46 pm
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Originally Posted by stimpy
You haven't been to Irish Village have you? And a few other places I could name. There are some free-standing pubs that appear just the same as in Europe. But yes, most bars are in hotels.

As for weekends in Bahrain, they also do weekends in Dubai. It is comical to see the women on these flights. As soon as we take off from RUH, some of the them throw open their veils, put on some lipstick and grab a glass of wine.
No, I haven't been---good to know that though.

Not really surprised about that. I've travelled quite a bit to Pakistan and I remember flying out of Karachi---where the airlines that serve booze on board can only do so once the plane is aloft. Obviously PK is a dry airline.

I also remember traveling with a Pakistani colleague back to Pakistan when he wanted to drink a couple more beers before boarding the return flight.

But Pakistan is a bit different - you can get beer there, brewed by Parsees (Murree Brewery), served in your hotel room, provided you're a non-Muslim foreigner. And if you're lucky to visit a private home, your host may serve you Scotch.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:48 pm
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Originally Posted by silverkris168
No, I haven't been---good to know that though.

Not really surprised about that. I've travelled quite a bit to Pakistan and I remember flying out of Karachi---where the airlines that serve booze on board can only do so once the plane is aloft. Obviously PK is a dry airline.

I also remember traveling with a Pakistani colleague back to Pakistan when he wanted to drink a couple more beers before boarding the return flight.

But Pakistan is a bit different - you can get beer there, brewed by Parsees (Murree Brewery), served in your hotel room, provided you're a non-Muslim foreigner. And if you're lucky to visit a private home, your host may serve you Scotch.
Many of the restaurants have beer too (I've always seen Carlsburg, but after the cartoons that may have changed)

Cheers
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 3:53 pm
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Originally Posted by sadiqhassan
Many of the restaurants have beer too (I've always seen Carlsburg, but after the cartoons that may have changed)

Cheers
You mean there are restaurants in Pakistan that now serve beer? Really?
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 4:09 pm
  #57  
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Originally Posted by roadkit
What a hole - and full of hypocrites.
Yes, I can imagine living in the U.S., and on top of that being located in Washington D.C., you would have never seen so many hypocrites before.
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Old Apr 7, 2006, 6:46 pm
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Originally Posted by silverkris168
You mean there are restaurants in Pakistan that now serve beer? Really?
Yep! Trust me - I was just as shocked as you. The place I saw it at was this Malaysian restaurant in Clifton (forgot the name) The beer was just lying there in the fridge in full view! It wasn't printed on the menu though.

Cheers
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Old Apr 8, 2006, 3:22 pm
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Originally Posted by roadkit
You can always go to Bahrain which is what all the people who are tired of living in an Islamist country do.

Sorry you have to go there. I lived there for 7 months in 1990-1991 and swore I'd never go back. What a hole - and full of hypocrites.
I bet u went there to make a lot of money.If u did good for u if u did not then tough.But i wonder how did come to the conclusion that they r hypocrites? Even in Islamist countries some people like to drink(there choice).To do that they go to a country where drinking is allowed> So where is the hypocratie?
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Old Apr 8, 2006, 4:17 pm
  #60  
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Originally Posted by elgringito
I was in Dhahran and worked in the tower, first year in financial analysis working on unraveling the transfer of ownership excess profits to the Saudi govenment and the next two in general accounting. My wife loved it there and still has not forgiven me for leaving - at the time I still thought I could become chairman of GM, the delusions of youth.

What I remember most was what a great place to raise children - and had we decided to have children I would not have left.
It was a great experience and DH was a great town. I was a teenager at the time, and although my parents had to drag me there kicking and screaming, as soon as I got there I fell in love with it...my entire family did. Living there was what instilled in me a love of travel, and to this day I have a fascination with the Middle East. I know that some people will say you get a very tainted view of KSA by living in Dhahran, which is, in its own ways, removed from reality. I don't deny that, but my family left camp regularly--at least every week.

The funny thing is, just the other day I was talking to someone who was commenting on how unusual it was to meet someone who had lived in Saudi Arabia. But as this thread illustrates, we are everywhere!
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