Khobar City in Saudi Arabia is connected to neighbouring Bahrain with a causeway over the shallow coastal waters of the Gulf. The 28 km long King Fahd Causeway connects two peoples who share a common language, religion, culture and customs. However, as soon as one drives out of one country and enters the other, the changes one notices are very strong. This is what I felt when, a few weeks ago, we made our first trip to Bahrain. It was a day trip, we just visited a few malls, watched a couple of movies, dined in restaurants and came back satisfied and determined to make more trips in future.
The first change you notice as you enter the island dwarfed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia is the discipline on the road. Drivers on the roads of Bahrain are saner and less inspired by car-chase scenes from Hollywood movies. One can drive in Bahrain with a lot more peace of mind.
The second thing that is in stark contrast with Saudi is the greater freedom enjoyed by women. You can see women driving cars, working in shops and offices and moving about without veils or the long black dress called abaya. My wife shed her abaya as soon as we got out of our car, which unsettled our kids. They had become so accustomed to see women in black, it was unnerving for them to see mom without her wraps in a Gulf Arab setting.
Bahrain has a number of movie theatres (cineplexes), something that you won't find in Saudi. We had missed the pleasure of wathcing movies on the big screen for so long that we decided to watch not one but two movies--How to Train Your Dragon (in 3D) and Nanny McPhee. The younger members of the family thoroughly enjoyed both.
There is one more big difference between the larger and the smaller kingdoms, although it is of no significance to me :). Bahrain is not a dry country. There are bars and nightclubs where alcohol is available and consumed, many of the consumers allegedly being nationals of the neighbouring country.
