Manama, Bahrain – the first time we have visited this
location. Wednesday, April 11 and it is
a beautiful, sunny day but you wouldn’t really know because of all the sand
that is blown by the wind causing the horizon to look very hazy.
Bahrain is an island located just offshore from Qatar and
Saudi Arabia. It is connected to Saudi
Arabia by a new, 16 mile causeway. Manama, the capital city, has a unique
skyline with mosques and futuristic skyscrapers intermingled.
Bahrain has oil but not a lot compared to its
neighbors. One of their biggest businesses
is in refining petroleum from other countries.
Bahrain is the Middle East’s pre-eminent financial hub. They also won the competition to host the
Formula One Grand Prix, a magnet for tourist, further putting them on the map.
Because Bahrain is thought to have been inhabited since
prehistoric times and it was home to one of the great trading empires of the
ancient world there are numerous places of interest to visit. One that intrigued us was the Tree of
Life. Surrounded by desert, a sole
mesquite tree has mysteriously thrived for approximately 400 years and is
believed by many to stand upon the location of the Garden of Eden.
At 5PM we sailed away, heading for Dubai, UAE. Shortly after leaving the harbor, we encounter
many very large jellyfish. You sure
wouldn’t want to swim in these waters without a wetsuit!
