Sebenarnya saya sangat beruntung punya istri kayak Bunda yang sangat hati-hati dalam membelanjakan uang. Seperti waktu kami hidup di Dubai dulu, televisi di rumah hanyalah televisi tabung biasa dan tidak besar, ukuran 21inch. Sekarang ini di Bahrain, Ayah kan harus beli perabotan dasar buat ngisi rumah yang akan kami tempati, termasuk televisi. Nah, mumpung Bunda belum datang, Ayah pengen beli televisi model baru lah, LCD atau Plasma. Setelah menimbang-nimbang dan mengunjungi Geant beberapa kali, akhirnya Ayah beli LCD TV Hitachi 32inch. Sebenarnya Ayah pengen beli plasma TV, tapi plasma TV yang ada cuma 42inch keatas. Habis pulang dari Geant, Ayah makan siang di sebuah kafe yang di masing-masing set sofanya disediakan televisi. Televisi yang disediakan disitu kebetulan yang 42inch. Habis dari restoran Ayah jadi mikir,… kok kayaknya 32inch kurang besar ya? Ah, yo wis lah, Ayah langsung tancep gas balik ke Geant, mumpung belum dikirim, dan tukar dengan televisi LG plasma 42inch. Lumayan sih… nambah BD200, hehehe…. Sekarang tinggal nunggu Bunda datang ke Bahrain, trus liat itu tv, trus kaget, trus marahin Ayah karena boros, hehehe.
I’m very grateful to have a wife who is very careful on spending the money. For example, when we lived in Dubai two-three years back, our television was only a small CRT television sized 21inch. Right now, Bunda is not here in Bahrain yet and I have to buy basic household items for our house, including the television. Taking the advantage of Bunda’s absent, I decided to go for an new model, LCD or a Plasma television. After visiting Geant for several times and it took me several days to decide, I bought a 32inch Hitachi LCD television. I preferred plasma actually but the only available plasma television was size 42inch and above. Just after went back from Geant, I went for a lunch with my office mates at a cafe that provides a 42inch television on each of the sofa sets. After having that lunch, I was thinking that 32inch seems to be too small for our living room. Without taking long time to think, I went back to Geant and change the television into 42inch LG plasma television. Now, the television has been fitted to our living room wall and I’m waiting to be scolded by Bunda when she arrived later, hehehe…
Filed under English and Keluarga. |
After almost three weeks since my first touchdown in Bahrain, in term of IDs I almost got everything. I have residence permit stamped on my passport, also have CPR in my possession. The next step is Driving License, because once I’ve got my residency here, I’m not supposed to drive with my International Driving License or my GCC(Dubai) Driving License. So, based on the guidance of other Indonesian expatriate in Bahrain in his blog I went to the Traffic Directorate myself.
For Indonesian, we can convert our Driving License to Bahrain Driving License without undergoing a driving test. They will just do an eye test. If you’re holding a GCC driving License, they will convert it for you but they will keep your GCC driving License. I have two valid Driving License, Indonesia and Dubai, and the person in the counter told me to take a copy of my Indonesian Driving License only because if he convert my Dubai Driving License he will have to keep it. There are list of Countries who doesn’t need to undergo driving test to get the original Driving License replaced with Bahraini Driving License. You can see the complete and up to date list from this website. Currently there are 65 countries in the list:
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Oman
|
34
|
Kuwait
|
1
|
|
Qatar
|
35
|
United Arab Emirates
|
2
|
|
JERSEY
|
36
|
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
|
3
|
|
BAHAMAS
|
37
|
SPAIN
|
4
|
|
CZECH REPUBLIC
|
38
|
AUSTRALIA
|
5
|
|
SOUTH AFRICA
|
39
|
ARGENTINA
|
6
|
|
RUSSIA
|
40
|
JORDAN
|
7
|
|
ROMANIA
|
41
|
BRAZIL
|
8
|
|
SLOVAKIA
|
42
|
PORTUGAL
|
9
|
|
SINGAPORE
|
43
|
ALGERIA
|
10
|
|
SWITZERLAND
|
44
|
DENMARK
|
11
|
|
GHANA
|
45
|
SWEDEN
|
12
|
|
FRANCE
|
46
|
CHINA
|
13
|
|
FINLAND
|
47
|
GERMANY
|
14
|
|
CYPRUS
|
48
|
HUNGARY
|
15
|
|
CANADA
|
49
|
MOROCCO
|
16
|
|
KOREA SOUTH
|
50
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MEXICO
|
17
|
|
KENYA
|
51
|
NORWAY
|
18
|
|
LUXEMBOURG
|
52
|
AUSTRIA
|
19
|
|
MALTA
|
53
|
U.S.A
|
20
|
|
MALAYSIA
|
54
|
JAPAN
|
21
|
|
MALAWI
|
55
|
GREECE
|
22
|
|
MAURITANIA
|
56
|
INDONESIA
|
23
|
|
MONACO
|
57
|
IRELAND
|
24
|
|
NIGERIA
|
58
|
ICELAND
|
25
|
|
NEW ZEALAND
|
59
|
ITALY
|
26
|
|
HOLLAND
|
60
|
BERMUDA
|
27
|
|
HONG KONG
|
61
|
BRUNET
|
28
|
|
YUGOSLAVIA
|
62
|
UNITED KINGDOM
|
29
|
|
TUNIS
|
63
|
BELGIUM
|
30
|
|
JAMAICA
|
64
|
BULGARIA
|
31
|
|
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
|
65
|
POLAND
|
32
|
|
|
|
TURKEY
|
33
|
Documents need to be prepared:
- Original plus copy of Passport with the residence visa page
- Original plus copy of CPR
- Original plus copy of current valid driving license
- Two passport sized photograph(white background)
- Money: BHD 26.5
Here’s the location map of the General Directorate of Traffic and Licensing(click for larger view):
GPS Coordinate: N26 09 19.4 E50 32 29.7


The right side picture shows the building when you enter from the parking lot. The counters for Driving License are on the left wing(see the red arrow), so you just have to enter the building, turn left, go straight till the end then you’ll see the room on your left. You’ll pass by the eye test room on your right which you’ll need that later. The steps are very simple, just go to the first or second desk, tell him/her that you’d like to convert your driving license he/she will then give you a form to be filled. After that, you have to go for an eye test in the other room(mentioned above), just enter the room, take the queue number from beside the reception desk(yellow button) and wait for your turn. Once you’ve finished the eye test, comeback to the first room, pay for 26.5 in the cashier(counter number 4) and then he/she’ll give you the receipt and the time you can get your Bahrain Driving License. In my case, I arrived at 10 in the morning, finished the test and payment by 12, and he said that my Driving License will be ready by 4pm. It’s not on the spot but at least I can get it on the same day.
Other guide:
Filed under English and Travel-Tips. |
Andos
denny
Abu Hamzah, pinkina, deekz
Ayah, az&fa, Totok Sugianto, yudhiapr, pinkina
Abu Hamzah, Andri Ismanto