Smoke on the Plane: The Flight That Started My Unexpected Bahrain Adventure
Have you ever questioned whether you were safe on a flight?
I have.
It was my first trip to the Middle East, and I was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain as part of my journey to Jordan.
The flight itself was already uncomfortable. Then I smelled smoke.
Actual smoke. On the airplane.
And the strangest part? It seemed like almost nobody else was concerned.
My Worst Flight Ever?
I was traveling through Asia on a career break when I found an almost unbelievably cheap flight to Jordan that included a 19-hour stopover in Bahrain.
I hadn’t even heard of Bahrain before booking the flight.
At the time, I was much more excited about the destination that came afterward: Jordan. I’d been dreaming about seeing Petra for years.
But first, I had to get there.
The flight from Kuala Lumpur to Bahrain was packed, uncomfortable and frustrating.
The passenger in front of me reclined his seat so far that I could barely use my tray table. My seat was constantly being kicked from behind, and people walking down the aisle would grab the seats for balance, jerking them backward.
There were also people coughing around me without covering their mouths.
Maybe some of this was simply a difference in travel etiquette or cultural norms. Either way, it wasn’t exactly the relaxing flight I’d hoped for.
Then things got weird.
I Smelled Smoke
At some point during the flight, I thought I smelled smoke.
I dismissed it at first.
It couldn’t possibly be smoke on an airplane.
Maybe I was imagining it.
But the smell became stronger.
I looked around and tried to figure out whether anyone else had noticed.
I asked people sitting near me, but we couldn’t really communicate. Eventually I realized I was going to have to find out for myself.
Then a flight attendant came over.
She smelled it too.
There Was Actually Smoke
The flight attendant traced the smell to the lavatory.
When the door opened, a small cloud of smoke came out.
Someone had apparently been smoking in the bathroom.
The flight attendant confronted the passenger, who claimed the smoke was already there when he entered.
They eventually figured out what had happened.
Fortunately, this wasn’t an emergency or a fire.
It was cigarettes.
But I was still thinking:
Who smokes on an airplane?
And then, incredibly, it happened again.
About an hour later, there was another incident involving someone smoking in the lavatory.
At that point I was thinking, Where am I?
Finally Arriving in Bahrain
I was very happy when the plane finally landed.
Not because Bahrain was my destination.
In fact, I barely knew anything about Bahrain.
I had booked the flight because it was a convenient — and seemingly incredible — way to get to Jordan.
I had no idea that the 19-hour stopover would turn into one of the most memorable parts of the trip.
By the time I landed, I had gone from knowing almost nothing about Bahrain to having a rough itinerary of places I wanted to see.
I was about to turn a long layover into a full-blown adventure.
What Happened Next
Getting through the airport was an adventure of its own.
As soon as I walked outside, I was approached by a crowd of people offering to drive me to my hotel.
There must have been around 20 people trying to get my business.
But I didn’t just want a ride to the hotel.
I wanted to see Bahrain.
Eventually I found a driver who was excited by the idea.
His name was Mohammed.
He became my driver, interpreter and unofficial tour guide for the day.
And that’s when my accidental Bahrain adventure really began.
Read my 19 Hours in Bahrain itinerary →
One clarification about the flight home
Interestingly, my return flight on Gulf Air was completely different.
It was on a modern aircraft and was exactly the sort of experience I’d expect from a highly regarded international airline.
So this story isn’t really about Gulf Air as an airline.
It’s about one bizarre flight I’ll never forget.
And somehow, it was the beginning of one of my most unexpected travel adventures.
