Beth's Big Adventure Day 3 - Abu Dhabi to Bahrain

Harbour Abu Dhabi

So help me, if one more person tells me it's cold here I will not be held responsible for my actions. It's a steady 25C with a pleasant breeze but the locals are all freezing. Is anyone in the entire world happy with their weather?

I'm afraid there was no early morning dip this morning - there was a bit of a lazy lie in instead. I am loving every second of this adventure but it's incredibly tiring so I opted for kip instead of dip to try and maintain some sort of equilibrium.

World Trade Centre Bahrain

I spent most of the day inside working again but escaped for a 20 min stroll at lunchtime. During my stroll I met Irfan who told me he was in charge of a local building site. I think he was looking for a chance to practise his English but he was very charming and walked me back to my office block. I'm meeting loads of fabulously interesting people on this trip, the region is a real melting pot of ex pats from around the globe, none of whom ever appear to lose their accents, as well as Brits in the past 2 days I've also worked with Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians, Dutch, Ugandans, Somalians and a Chinese gentleman; all of whom sound like they arrived here last week but have, in fact, been here for years.

Meet the team

The day was fun but uneventful and I was soon on my way to the airport. Abu Dhabi airport was heaving but I kept getting waved to the front of queues - no idea why - and I began to think this trip was blessed, until I arrived in Bahrain and had a real struggle to get through immigration. They didn't appear to believe what I was here to do and it took over an hour and assorted calls to London and my contacts here before they let me in. When I arrived knackered and bedraggled at the hotel they took pity on me & have given me an Executive Suite with free WiFi and a cute teddy bear; not sure which of those I'm most chuffed with! Not that I twigged that at first. My room card said room 1001 so I trudged up to the 10th floor and followed the signs but could only find rooms 1002 & 1003 and the Executive Suite, so I went all the way back to the (very posh) lobby to complain that my room was missing. That's when they explained to the crazy English woman that that was my room. I expressed my gratitude thus: "Nooo really?", "Yes really." "Me?" "Yes Ma'am" and then I squeaked quite loudly. Pure class me and possibly not what the check in staff at the Sheraton are used to.

Divine dinner.

So here I am, propped up in bed with a take away sarnie for dinner and a beer from the mini bar - life on the road is fun but it's not always glamorous!

Fabulously quirky building.