I noticed, flying through my fellow bloggers, that the taxi drivers issue is quite popular and there's a reason: is a tough job and i respect it, but some of the category are a big pain in the a$$.
I was obliged to take my driver licence here in Italy when i was 18, cause as mother and father told me, is a sign of indipendence and agree with them: with a car you are a free person indeed!!!
But it was clear from the first lessons that moi and the car have a good relation only if there's a driver for me.
Don't misunderstand, am not a brat, i accomplished things in my life that i never thought i'd do, but driving is not for me, and since i am smart, in few moments, but yes i am, i realised that driving is something that is dangerous not only for my life but for other people life above all.
That's why, the day after getting the licence, i put it aside and use just as document or to renew it.
It was not a big deal in the beginning cause i went to uni immediately, and in a college of nuns first of all, which means 9.30 pm back home, 11 if saturday.
Anyway when you live in a town where public services like bus work good, well you don't feel the need of a car, though you don't feel completely independent, not that my goal in life has ever been that, i think i've always been dependent on something uncounsciosly.
So, pardon my modesty, i think they created taxis appositively for me.
After few years of uni i started to use them more often cause they're faster and less crowded: am not a baba girl as many always accused me, not rich at all, but as many spend money in dresses or going to movies, then i used to spend my money in taxis, useful innit?
Plus if you are a solitary wolf like me, the taxi driver is like a bartender: suppose you happen to meet the same mostly, well they become your secret keepers, or at least the only persons you feel comfortable to talk to.
Well it happens sometimes that you meet weirdos also among them and if you're an unlucky gal like me then you travel in weirdo adventures.
Here in Italy the only time i had a big a$$ shaking was for my first travel to Oman in 2001: i arrived to Roma station and while waiting for a taxi, a guy called me saying "hey ma'am, need taxi?" in a low voice and quite odd; my mother had adviced me to be careful with "abusivi" in Rome, those without licence who make this job out of rules cause she had and her friends had met one once, but i didn't have the time to think about it, i was already in his car sigh.
When the guy told me to sit close to him and not behind cause their taxi service was peculiar, it was too late and i understood i was a chicken.
Spent 1 hour travel til Fiumicino hoping he was not a serial killer and thanks God he was not.
Being a good taxi driver is not enough if you don't have a good car: realised that during a travel in Russia with my cousins; one day we decided to go by ourselves out of the group, the guy had a taxi, a 125 Fiat if am not mistaken, a reliquia in Italy lol, but he started as if he was Senna around Crassivaia Plaza. My eldest cousin had an heart attack and since the driver didn't speak english either, not a problem for us italians, he made a move with hands we use to say "go slow"
Must be something international cause the guy understood.
The day i realised that the reason for i luv the Gulf so much is represented by his people and for their unpredictable actions, was while coming back from a visit at Manama towers: it was a thursday evening and at a certain point the traffic crowd became bigger, plus, for those who believe that there's no freedom of speech in arab countries, well not completely true cause the huge flow of cars was due to 2 events: young saudis coming from Dhaharan for weekend and some boys in the middle of the street screaming loud pro-Palestine.
The move that my driver made, and which got me close to a heart attack, was going with the whole car on the railway platform and running til the hotel like that.
Now you'll say "duh, as if italians are good drivers" Not at all, but in my poor life had seen some going with one maximum two wheels on the pavement but not with all 4 wheels!!!
As i said, i like talking to taxi drivers, when possible, cause they're normal people like me with a normal life: the night i arrived in Manama i found this guy very polite, i had learned from Oman that is not good to talk in public about Gulf rulers, you might risk jail if you say something bad, anyway as far as i knew, there is no gay in this Bahrein Royal family and even if, is none of my business, but what i found strange reading infos before coming, is that the king was Emir before, but now is King, i thought due to some special rule like that of Al Saud where the brother becomes king and not the son.
So this guy looked peaceful and i asked about the mistery, he smiled and said " yes king Hamad was emir some years ago, then decided that king was better so became king and this now a kingdom"
Kept on smiling and when i asked about Saudi Arabia he said "oh no madame, Saudi Arabia not good, no freedom, Bahrein is all free, people come here from everywhere, you will like"
Kuwaiti taxis are very well organised, well all in Q8 is organised, very modern, very western and with them no problem.
About omani taxies well what to say, i like city taxy cause honest but takes long time to come, i think they're 5 or 6 driving, probably they're more by now but they're very good.
The pain in the a$$ are the orange cabs: now i understand that life for them is not easy, i see sometimes the same driver in the same place for hours, while other lucky ones have direct service with hotels but you cannot ask me 30 ryals from Bustan to Carrefour and your collegue 25 or 20. You'll argue "if you have the money to stay in Bustan then you have also the 6 come 6 go" but i worked hard for that money, am not a specialist but when i said to my friends 30 ryals they said they'd come for less than the half leaving their offices also, rofl....
Last time, which was not a shock cause i like this way of life and learned to smile of everything, i was coming out of carrefour with 3 shop bags: the eldest, a guy with long white beard who doesn't know 1 word in english, came to me, i was not worried cause knew him, took the bags all of a sudden and put in his taxi.
Mamma mia!!! The young guy who had the taxi before him and probably the right to pick me, came and they started shouting, others came and tried to calm down: some tourists were bit shocked and didn't understand how i could stay calmly waiting and smiling observing the scene.
lol that's my Oman and i knew in the end it would solve, you just need to keep yourself sabr, sooner or later things come or go, doesn't matter, you cannot change them.
After 10 minutes the youngest infact surrendered and i went back to my hotel with the bags safe in the car.
