Dear forum folks,
I am not myself an expat, but have a close male friend who is living in Bahrain, and we have been chatting for some time now (since January 2013 mainly). I hope perhaps to visit him some day, maybe later this year. There are many things he tells me about life in Bahrain and I wonder if he is alone in his frustrations.
He complains about the slowness and fickleness of the administration of officialdom (government and banking etc)as well as the frequent power blackouts of his flat (block??), and his internet drops out regularly making sustained contact really hard at times. And if all this isn't tough enough, he has told me that private taxis often charge extortionate rates to get from Muharraq to Manama for fear of their safety, if he can get one to drive there at all.
Are these typical of life there? It sounds rather tough indeed if it is. Or do people have different experiences?
Thanks 
AbFab
Administrivium, blackouts, unreliable internet are these typical?
I guess the experience varies person to person, but I live in Seef and I've never had an internet blockage nor the electricity. It is true that taxis are expensive, but Muharraq is a safe area so I'm not sure which area of Muharraq he is talking about.
It is absolutely true that the government places tend to work rather slow - especially during Ramadan.
Overall, Bahrain is a nice place to live - particularly for expats.
Sorry to hear what your friend has to go through. He's probably unlucky to face frequent power blackouts and issues with internet connectivity. Its not the norm here. I have faced power outages twice (over the past 14years) myself but the authorities fixed these fairly quickly. I have not had too much of issues with internet either. Taxis are indeed pricey but your friend should be able to negotiate a better deal if he uses the same taxi driver regularly. Best wishes.
Oh thank you for the thoughtful responses. You have been very helpful.
I have wondered whether my friend has just had (and continues to have) a string of bad luck. (Even whether there has been a bit of exaggeration to get sympathy 
I think the security issues were when there was more unrest in the streets, especially the weekend I think. My friend has told me he lives in an older part of Muharraq sort of south west of the airport I believe.
Your comments have made me think that I ought to definitely include Bahrain on any trip through the region though.
Thanks so far
Hi. A friend of mine is actually looking to move as the internet in his apartment block is so bad. The speed test results are good going in to the building but by the time everyone has logged on it's impossible.
Taxi's are expensive but here in Bahrain he can find a private driver who will charge less than half the price of a taxi. Only use a driver that is recommended though.
I think when your friend tells you of his experiences you can be assured he is telling the truth.
In my previous villa we lost electricity on a weekly basis due to bad maintenance and the internet was awful - we moved
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