James & Tara Visit Bahrain

Sunday, June 09, 2013

One of the hardest things about living overseas is being so far from the company of good friends and family. Needless to say we both were looking forward to the familiar faces of James and Tara coming to visit us in Bahrain as they closed out their round the world trip last September.

We made sure they were sufficiently welcomed with a sign at the airport. Most people did a double take at my sign, I guess trying to figure out what the other flag was :)

Although it was only a two day stop over, we made sure to pack in as much Bahrain action we could. From the airport we went for a Middle Eastern feast on Amwaj Island and introduced James and Tara to shisha.

Ari giving scale to massive arch in the mosque courtyard.

The next day we visited the Al Fateh Grand Mosque which Ari and I hadn't managed to visit since moving to Bahrain. We got a private tour of the mosque by a very knowledgeable, devout and extremely polite guide who openly shared with us the teachings of Islam.

 Tara and Linda in abayas inside the mosque.

Ari and Linda at Al Fateh Grand Mosque.

Light feature inside the main prayer hall.

In the afternoon, we headed to Bahrain fort which in hindsight wasn't the smartest idea due to the heat and although not super exciting, it is one of the few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bahrain.

 Ari, James and Tara at an entrance to the Bahrain fort.

The ruins were discovered only about 60 years ago and is estimated to have been occupied from 2300 BC up to the 18th century.

Bahrain Fort archaeological site.

Ari, James, Tara and Linda visiting the Bahrain fort.

That evening we had our dinner by the pool, followed by a number of cocktails as well as some competitive swimming from the boys. Ari and James kept trying to swim the entire length of the twenty metre pool underwater in one go, this was actually a lot more entertaining than it sounds :)

I took so many terrible pictures in the pool until I figured out the settings of our then new-ish camera. Later that night, James and Tara even got to experience a minor tear gassing as the village nearby started their weekend with some rioting. 

 Enjoying an evening in the pool.

 Testing the underwater feature of our camera.

Tara and Linda.

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2 comments

  1. I forgot how hairy James was! It was a great stop on our trip, wish it was a bit easier to come visit you guys for a weekend.

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    Replies
    1. James was really hairy! Wait til you see Ari though, he's been growing out a beard. We loved having you guys over.

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