A Group Of Good Samaritans II

I still had a second worry--Dragging my luggage and running after the RER in Roissy and the train in Paris were quite tiring. And I was not sure to catch the early afternoon train. Since the group appeared in front of me, I bravely made my second request.

"How are you going back to Besançon?"

"By bus. Normally Our driver will be waiting for us at the airport."

I seized the opportunity, "May I travel to Besançon with you? I'm willing to pay the bus fare."

"I think there shouldn't be any problem." one said.

"You know, we're only twenty-five people and our bus can accommodate forty. There will be a lot of free seats. You're welcome to join us." another added.

"The only worry is that we're all bound to a travel agency, so we are all insured. If any accident happens on our way back and since you aren't insured, it might cause trouble to the driver. Otherwise, we have no objection to letting you join us." another was more careful with the promise.

"We aren't sure if the driver alone could decide whether to take you or not. Anyway we'll try to persuade him." the fourth comment also could not give me 100% assurance.

"I understand the road safety ruling in France is very strict. Anyway, if I can join you, I'd be very glad. If I can't, never mind. I'll just take the train." I was still very grateful to them for being so friendly to me.

Later during our chat before we had board the plane, I learned that they had just made a trip to Thailand before flying back to France with a long transit in Bahrain like me. And the hotel accommodation they had been offered by Gulf Air had not been as nice as mine in terms of location and hygiene. Of course, they had not experienced the hospitality in Manama like I had thanks to Alex!

Our airbus was only half occupied. I sat alone near the window, next to the left wing of the plane. On my right was an empty seat. Most of those Besançonese were scattered at my back. I spoke to nobody else, but God.

"Lord, I thank you for making my journey very smooth so far. If that's Your will, I would like to join these Besançonese back with their bus, which would save my cost and trouble of running between the RER station and the railway station. But if You think I should take the transports all by myself to recall some old memories, I'd be still glad to accept it and thank these people for their kindness."

At almost 1pm, we landed in Paris. I found my new friends back while presenting our passport at the custom and getting back our luggage. Mr Bonnefoux continued chatting with me, and a lady teased him, "Later you can tell the driver that you've just adopted a daughter and would like to bring her back to Besançon."

When we stepped into the arrival hall, their bus driver was already waiting. Mr Bonnefoux quickly walked towards the driver and briefly explained my situation. The driver said something in return but as I was a bit far from them, I could not know the answer. I approached them, with my heart beating fast due to uncertainty.

"Sir, may I join you to Besançon?"

"There is no problem with me." He assured me with a smile.

"Really, I thank you very much." I was completely relieved. God had approved my request!

Mr Bonnefoux gave me further explanation,"Two of our members have decided to stay in Paris instead of going back to Besançon with us. So we have two available passengers seats which are insured in the driver's list. That's why your participation won't cause him any trouble."

The whole group was happy for me. I felt so blessed.

I asked Mr Basso if he could send SMS the Toitots on my behalf. He generously passed his mobile phone to me and encouraged me to make a call.

"Hello, Néness! This is Lee Sah. How are you?"

"Oh, Lee Sah. Where are you now?" I had not heard their voice on the phone for more than five years.

"I'm still at the airport. My flight was delayed. I've met a group of Besançonese and I'm to join them to travel back to Besançon by bus. The journey will take about five hours. If it doesn't trouble you, please wait for me at the parking of the Parqueon factory near the ice-skating centre at Planoise from 6pm onwards."

"Really? Okay. We're going to wait for you there at 6pm."

The chance of meeting someone from Besançon in Bahrain was small. The possibility of having a group of Besançonese sitting next to me, and taking the same flight was even tinier. But I made it and got the direct trip from the airport to Besançon!! That was so incredible.

All my transport and communication problems were settled thanks to this group of good Samaritans! Wasn't God's arrangement more than perfect?

A Group Of Good Samaritans I

It was about 4 o'clock in the morning. Fifteen minutes earlier, I had just said goodbye to Alex and reported myself to the receptionist of Baisan Hotel who had called me several times in my room but no response from me. He must have been wondering what a female Asian tourist like me could have been doing in this Arabian city in the middle of the night. I was smiling in my heart, thinking, "Don't worry, your colleague has just brought me out for a night visit in the city. He has been a good guide. Here I'm back safe and sound." I apologised, quickly took the lift back to my room, in which I had hardly spent 3 hours, took my bag, before going back to the reception for the check-out.

When I was dropped by the hotel shutter at Bahrain International Airport, only two counters were open for the check-in. As I had been given the boarding pass for Bahrain-Paris at (KLIA) Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I skipped the first procedure, simply presented the pass to the custom officer and headed to my gate.

It was too early for me to take breakfast and my stomach was still filled with the snack that Alex had shared with me at the park. And neither was I in the mood of idling in duty-free shops.

I was desperate for a seat to rest and record my unexpected stay in Manama city while my memory was still fresh, though a bit blurred at the same time due to lack of sleep. At the waiting lounge of the Gate 37, several passengers were already there. I supposed all of us were flying to the same country. With five and a half hours delay, I estimated our landing time would be around 1pm in Paris. My friends Toitots were not yet informed. I planed to seek help from a passenger to text them as soon as we landed in Paris later.

I took out my note book and started jotting down ideas for my blog entries before a group of Westerners came towards my seating, conversing in French. As I was seated in the middle of the row of those chairs, I pushed myself to the end, telling them in French to have my seat.

I was not paying attention to their conversation although their accent sounded familiar to me. At first, I heard them mentioning 'Lyon'. I thought they might originate from the second biggest city of France. Suddenly, I caught the word "Besançon" which distracted my writing. Besançon was not an important city in France. It was very unusual to hear its name in a Middle-East city.

Without much hesitation, I turned my head and asked the those sitting next to me on my right,

"Excuse me, are you from Besançon?"

"Yes."

I almost could not believe my ears.

"I'm going to Besançon. Can you please do me a favor?"

"Sure, but it depends on what you're going to ask."

"I told my friends in Besançon to wait for me at the railway station at around 1pm. But now with the delay of the flight, we'll have just reached Paris at 1pm. Would you mind sending them a message on my behalf as my mobile phone doesn't work."

"No problem." A lady quickly took out her mobile phone, ready to press on the buttons.

"There's no hurry to contact them from here now, but later when we reach the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris."

My first problem was solved.

One Night In Bahrain V

Three minutes walk before we reached Baisan hotel. Alex and I were leaning on the bridge.

"Take a picture here. It's beautiful." I took out my camera and caught the last image of Manama city.

Then I showed him the ones we had taken together earlier.

"You have a nice face."

"I have a public face. You say I look like a Philippina. The Thai think I look like one of them. The Vietnamese also... You look sad again, Alex."

"If you could stay longer, I would show you my flat and cook Filipino food for you. Good moments are short..."

"Don't feel sad. That'll be another time when I visit you again."

"You're welcome to visit me anytime. If you have a transit again here, we can see again." He quickly sought a piece of paper in his pocket and wrote down his contact number. I doubted I would be given a stay again since my transit between Paris-Bahrain and Bahrain-Kuala Lumpur would be less than two hours, unless there was any modification of the schedule by Gulf Air again.

"We'd better go, It's almost 3.40am."

We walked down from the bridge and headed towards the direction of Baisan hotel.

"Kumusta, Alex?"

"Novute, and Ingat. It means 'take care'."

It was similar to a Malay word.

Upon arrival, he taught me a last sentence. It sounded familiar to me. When I remembered the meaning, I said,

"I've heard it before. It must be a naughty sentence."

"These are not bad words."

"I know. It's a sentence that people like when they are learning a new language."

"You know the meaning?"

I knocked my head, pointing to myself and then to him.

"Say it in English."

I gave my answer and we both smiled.

It was time to say goodbye. Alex kissed me on my left cheek. I also returned one on his right cheek.

"Thank you very much for everything. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Good luck." And he left without turning his back.

Alex, once again thank you for making my transit in Bahrain such a memorable experience. May God bless you always!

Kumusta, my friend?

One Night In Bahrain IV

At the seaside which looked like the Klebang beach in Melaka, we walked past some Balrainis who were having a drink on the terrace of a restaurant. I thought of the previous night chat I had had with my ex-school friends in Subang before my flight.

In front of us was the Arabian sea and a bridge leading to the northern part of Bahrain.

"Have you gone back to your country since you came here?"

"No, but I plan to go back and stay 45 days with my family. I haven't received the official approval from my boss. If I don't get it 72 hours before the departure, I'll have to cancel my flight and lose ten percent of the ticket price."

"I'm going to France. Otherwise I can pay you a visit there."

"I wish you could. Then I'd bring you to see my mum."

"God has arranged us to meet here. We'll meet again in future. You're also welcome to Malaysia."

"Maybe one day. God knows."

"You must feel lonely sometimes. The culture here is so different from yours."

"Ya, when I don't work, I just stay in my flat, either sleeping, watching DVD or chatting online."

"You can look around in church to find some activity partners..."

"Let's find a place to sit down and have our snack."

We walked towards a park and sat on a bench. It was a windy night. I could see sand and rubbish being blown into the air. I raised my head and stared at the sky where only one star was accompanying the full moon.

"Is your sister waiting for you at home?", while having my bottle of soya milk and the syawarma Alex had broken into two, I asked. The Bahrainis version of kebab was combined of pita bread, hummus, tomato and cucumber, and sliced chicken. I found it very tasty although I was not hungry at all.

"No, she's staying with her husband and she must be already sleeping. But she wakes up very early to pray. Although she's very devoted to her new religion, she doesn't try to convert me..."

I praised Lord for that. Anyway, we know very well He is the truth.

"It's time to go back to Baisan." Alex stood up first. I looked at my watch. It was about 3.20am.

On our way back, he suddenly made a request,"May I hold your hand?" and he continued,"in remembrance..."

I chuckled, "Ha, Alex. You remind me of Jesus' last supper. Just now we broke the syawarma and drank soya. It's like the communion."

I gave him my hand, thinking of the same gesture of fellowship I often made at church service with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

"How to say nice to meet you in your language?" I asked.

He searched the sentence for two minutes, finally said,"We don't really say that. When I meet new Philippino friends, I just say 'Nice to meet you'"

"How about 'How are you'?"

"Kumusta."

"Kumusta? I also teach you the Chinese version. 'Nihao ma'"

"Nihao ma?"

"To answer 'I'm fine', you say 'Wo henhao."

"In Philippino, we say 'mabuti'."

"When we chat online later, we can teach each other our mother tongue. That will be funny... Alex, you look sad."

"Yes, I am sad. Because you're leaving."

"Don't worry. God will gather us again some day, somewhere."

One Night In Bahrain III

"I'm going to buy some snacks and then we'll go to the seaside."

I looked at my watch. It was less than two hours before my check-out from Baisan hotel. We had just got out from the club F1.

"Have you tasted this before?" Alex was pointing at the roasted meat on a vertical rotating split.

"Is it Turkish kebab? We also have this in Malaysia."

"Normally kebab is with lamb. This one is with chicken. We call it 'syawarma' here. You like it spicy?"

"I love spicy food. But Alex, I'm not hungry. Just buy one and we'll share then."

After he had placed an order, we went into a convenience shop just opposite.

He took two bottles of soya bean milk and asked me if I wanted some Philippino chips in packets before going to the counter. I shook my head.

"That will be a lot for supper. I'm really not hungry."

"How much, my friend?" Alex asked the owner.

"You want some cigarettes?"

"No, that's all."

When we came out from the shop, the shawarma was just ready to be taken away.

"Everybody is your friend here."

"They know me. My flat is just nearby." He pointed at a building. "I often buy things in their shops. They must think that you are a Philippina."

"Do you smoke, Alex?"

"No, only once awhile when I need to relax."

"I tried before but I never found it tempting."

The seaside was at the other side of the city. Had Alex not told me, I would not have known that it was within walking distance. I had seen it from far during my afternoon stroll alone under the sun. Never had I expected to go there under the moon, and with a company.

Was I too naive to simply walk around with a stranger at such a late hour? I was confident of my trust in my new friend.

One Night In Bahrain II

It was 12.15am when the telephone rang. I was half asleep in front of the television in my hotel room.

"My friend, what are you doing?" It was Alex's voice.

"I'm watching television."

"Would you like to go out? I'm going to get changed now and you wait for me downstairs in ten minutes."

"Okay, See you later." The moment I accepted his invitation, I had no doubt about his sincerity.

I was waiting outside the hotel when I saw Alex in T-Shirt and jeans. He was making a sign so that I followed him to a nearby restaurant-bar Havana. He had an appointment with his Philippino colleague and best friend Robert whom he wanted to introduce to me. They both ordered beer. I preferred an orange juice. Alex demonstrated his gentleman care for me by wrapping around the glass with a tissue paper so that when I held it, my hand would not get wet.

Robert looked like one in his late 30s or early 40s. I was surprised when he said,

"I'm already a grandfather. Do you believe?"

"Really?"

I thought he was joking until he took out his wallet and showed me a picture of his two-year-old granddaughter.

"When I was nineteen, I was already making babies!"

Alex added,"It's true. He got married very young."

They planed to bring me to the concert of a Philippino band. We left 'Havana' and got into Robert's car. Alex was playing some Philippino music with his mobile phone. We went to the first place but the ladies' night was just over and there was nobody in the nightclub. Next, we were heading towards another place.

Robert asked me,"Do you like hip-hop? I love it."

I teased him,"You may be the first grandfather in the world who loves hip-hop!"

We reached the second Club F1 where we were bombarded by music and smoke of cigarettes. Musicians were singing in a screaming manner while playing their instruments; Ladies dressed in tight clothes were dancing in ecstasy while guys were holding their waist. It was a totally different world from what I had witnessed outside the club since my arrivel!

"You like dancing?" I asked Alex.

"I used to dance a bit but no longer now. I just enjoy watching."

"Do you often come here?"

"No, just once a month. People need to relax sometimes."

When we got our drink, he again took a good care of his female friend by using a tissue paper to wrap my glass to absorb cold beads.

Most of the time we were just watching the concert. When we wanted to say something, we almost had to shout because of the loud music. Robert left us half an hour later to look for his wife. Alex and I stayed until 2pm, the official closing time of the club.

When we came out and walked into the streets again, I was a bit lost between the two worlds which were so unfamiliar to me...

One Night In Bahrain I

Alex had noticed me at the lobby when I was asking the hotel receptionist for information on the posters. By judgement of my physical appearance, he thought I could be a Philippina. His was a bartender. As the dining hall was short of staff, he was assigned to give a helping hand. That was where our friendship started.

I was given a dinner in Baisan, as the package of my transit in Bahrain. When I received a call in my room informing me that the food was ready, I was the first client to step into the restaurant. Alex asked me my room number and found out my nationality in the reservation list of Golf Air clients in the computer. Since there were no other guests around, I was very at ease to begin chatting with him and another waiter, who both did not look like locals. Alex, a Christian Filipino, had been working in Bahrain for four years, while his Muslim Bangladesh colleague, two years.

"Why made you decide to come here?"

"The pay, of course."

"You have a family here?"

"My sister is here. Her husband is Muslim and she was converted to Islam."

When we told our year of birth, all of us were actually almost the same age. But Alex said to me,

"Really? But you look like eighteen years old."

That was a flattery to me, but it was still a pleasure to hear that.

"That's because I'm small-sized."

"Not only because you are small-sized, but your face looks young."

"When you see my wrinkles, you won't say that anymore..."

Our conversations were interrupted when other diners also entered the hall.

After dessert, I asked Alex,

"Do you have access to the Internet? We can exchange email address. I like to make friends all over the world."

"Yes, but I don't have an email address. I only chat online. I pay 15 Dinars to have unlimited connection time."

"We'll chat online then. At what time are you usually free? The Malaysia time is 5 hours earlier than here."

"I work from 4pm to 1am. Later, I can bring you to a restaurant to taste Filipino food, and to visit other places."

"I'm going out to see this event now," I showed Alex the photo from my camera. "My flight is at 6.10am tomorrow, I'll have to be at the airport at around 4. I won't have much time to sleep. We'll see then."

"I'll call your room at 12.30, if you aren't sleeping yet."

"Okay, maybe see you later."

"I really hope we can go out together later..."

I left my email address, yahoo messenger identity, contact number and of course, the website address of my blog.

Would I go out with Alex? I had not yet made my final decision.

Unexpected Visit In Bahrain

When I looked for the departure time for Bahrain-Paris on the second boarding pass, it was stated 0610 instead of 0135 which was printed on my e-ticket receipt. Almost five and a half hours later than I had been informed earlier. I considered this delay a blessing in disguise, as:

1. I had turned down Toitot's kind offer to pick me up at the airport.
2. I had given up the idea of booking online a non-refundable and non-exchangeable train ticket for Paris-Besançon at half price.

It was around 2pm when we touched down at the Bahrain International Airport, I was directed to the hotel and transport counter when I told a custom officer that my next connection was to Paris.

I was offered the transport by airport shutter and a room at Baisan hotel which was 10 minutes drive from the airport. What a good surprise. I had thought that the transit would not allow me to go out from the airport and that I had to idle more than half a day at the waiting lounge.
After the check in, a short rest in the room and a glance of the outside scenery through the window,

I walked out from the hotel to explore Manama, the capital of the kingdom of which my knowledge was limited to its organisation of the grand prix of Formula 1.

During my two-hour visit on foot, mainly on the Exhibition Boulevard, I was impressed by Bahrainis' parking attitude: Imported cars were stationed next to the traffic light,

along a narrow road,

on the pedestrian crossing, etc. I could find scratches on most of them!

Posters of a man were hanging everywhere :
-at the street lamp post,

outside a shop or a restaurant,

in front of a construction site, etc. I could not understand Arabic but I noticed the date of '20/5/2008'.

When I walked past a site with preparations of an important event, I asked a policeman whether it was related to the posters.

I only understood his English when he answered "...tonight at 8 o'clock".

I showed the hotel receptionist pictures of the poster I had taken. She told me there would be a group wedding and the king's uncle who was going to officiate the ceremony, would give BD1000(Bahrain Dinars, equivalent to USD3000) to every spouse!

At 9 o'clock after my dinner at the hotel, I returned to the site. It was crowded with Bahrainis!

From where I was standing, women in daffah, a long loose-fitting black gown, were seated on the left,

while men in Thobe and headdress were gathered on the right. Further up on the stage, the presence of some VIP in formal western outfits created a contrast to those in traditional dressing.

After the men had performed a few traditional dances with swords and tambourines,

the women rushed to the exit of the site to wave at the VIPs who were leaving first. I was told by a man that the crowd was giving farewell to the Prime Minister and several ministers, and that there would be a lecture after that.

I did not stay until the end, and I am still not sure which version I heard was true.