Hey Dude....where do I park my car?

I walked outside last night to discover a parking ticket on my jeep. My jeep happens to be parked about 6 feet from my door. As some might know by now...I live in Hidd. Hidd is basically one long road running right down the middle of the town with a few smaller roads turning off...and then the little alley ways not much wider than the cars that drive through them. 11 years ago when I moved to Hidd there actually werent that many cars for the amount of people here. It was rather refreshing not to compete with traffic when walking...or when parking. Now days though...Hidd is congested...there literally is no where to park(as in many many places around Bahrain). In my particular little patch of neighborhood...its just the street or nothing. Back behind my flat is the Hidd fish and meat market...but they get extremely irritated and possessive about their small patch of parking spaces. The few times I parked over night there...I went out in the morning to find a sign on my car ordering me not to park there again...I can take a hint(eventually)...but really...where are we supposed to park our cars?

Im really ticked off I got this ticket considering my car was not blocking traffic...there is not a "no parking" sign anywhere in the vicinity...and Ive seen people park in much worse areas and not have a ticket stuck to their window....talk about injustice. Now my problem is...I have no one to complain too. In American if we feel a ticket was given unjustly we can argue against it in traffic court...and quite often the judge will judge in your favour...and sometimes not...but at least your given the chance to air your grievances. Here...what am I to do with a ticket that I believe was given unfairly...suck it up and pay it is all the advice I have been given with much shrugging of shoulders and cursing of the traffic laws and dirth of parking spaces.

Im starting to believe the traffic dept are in cahoots with the Minister of whoever the hell is doing the infrastructure planning in this shoebox size island with a population much to big for it(lets not mention those wide open spaces taking up much the middle of Bahrain...shhhhh...lets not go there)...they are handing out parking tickets left and right...but giving us no options of parking legally in many area...its either park illegally(according to whatever traffic cop wanders by and has a quota to fill) or park a hell of a long way from where you want to be and hoof it to your destination....I know exercise is good for the body...but everyone deserves to park reasonably close to their residence...is that too much to ask for?

It would be nice if I could go drag somebody from the Ministry of Confusing and Destructive Infrastructure Planning down here to Hidd and let them suggest a suitable parking spot for me...so that I dont rack up some more parking tickets while parking a mere 6 feet from my door. Ive currently racked up two...and considering that parking is not getting any better...I can probably look forward to adding to it...yay me....sigh!