Fraggle Rock




What’s the Capital of Bahrain?

No cheating, can you think of the capital? Take a second. If you can’t figure it out, watch this video below.

If you watched, Manama is the answer. Randomly we’d break out into singing the Fraggle Rock theme song. This was the childish running joke for Nadine and I. This was one of our few remaining weekends in Qatar. So with a free weekend, it was a road trip to Bahrain via Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Dreams

Upon our return to Qatar from last summer’s vacation in the United States, we invested in Saudi family visas with the intention of driving through and to Saudi Arabia over the year. Those plans suddenly changed the week before the World Cup when had to search for new jobs. Subsequently our travel plans changed in the region. By the time spring had arrived, our family had taken one road trip through Saudi to Dubai. So those visas had been once. I badgered Nadine to take a quick road trip with me to Bahrain. Why? We’d never been. My oldest brother Mel Jr. had been stationed there as a pilot during the first Gulf War. As kids know oh so well with their parents, if you ask enough, people cave. Eventually Nadine relented.

Road Trip to Bahrain Because of the Causeway

The drive from Qatar to Bahrain is easy. In just the six months since the first road trip to Dubai, the border crossing between Qatar into Saudi had become even more efficient. This shows you’ve been living in a desert for a long time when you notice slight changes in the desert. More bushes and various colors progressively popped up over the smooth Saudi roads heading north.

Back in 1986, Saudi Arabia built the King Fahd Causeway connecting the kingdom with Bahrain. Given the fact Saudi is a highly conservative Muslim country, and Bahrain is one of the most liberal in the region, it’s no surprise these five bridges that cross the Gulf of Bahrain are popular weekend roadways.

When our gray Pajero touched the island nation of Bahrain, initially it seemed very similar to Qatar, except one. Traffic filled the streets. Road and neighborhoods were gridlocked. Finding a parking spot in Manama, the capital of Bahrain was challenging. Doha is an easily walkable city, Manama, not so much. Immediately it became apparent the importance of city planning.

Let’s Visit a Tree Derrick

This road trip didn’t include any real goals. Bahrain Tourism highlighted one site, the Tree of Life. As the tourism bureau described it, this tree had miraculously survived, tapped into an hidden underground water supply, and grown ten meters tall. And attracted the attention of at least 65,000 visitors a year.

The drive passed hundreds of scattered, wind beaten oil derricks. Roads zigged, then zagged, and then turned into random roundabouts. A dusty side road lead to the national treasure. Upon our arrival, we found the other thirteen tourists in the third smallest nation in Asia. The tourists took photos and selfies with this random tree. The Tree of Life Visitor Center had never truly came to life. This single tree seemed a bit of a farce. Was this really worth a 45 minute drive? More like the tree of strife.

We took photos in a driving hot wind that pelted us with sand, chuckled to ourselves at this “tourist destination” and returned to visit the new Bahraini Cathedral, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia that Pope Francis visited months before.

Kale, I’m Not Leaving the Attic

Bahrain does have something quite impressive. At the Attic restaurant, they served the world’s best quinoa salad. Even better, yes I said, even better than Farr Out Salad from Lunds & Byerlys in Minnesota. If you find yourself in Bahrain, this energy providing salad will replenish your energy visiting.

Mini-Petra

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently rebranding their image as a more trusted tourist destination, unless you happen to be a journalist critical of the crown prince. There is Al-Ahsa Oasis. This is the largest oasis in the world and home to millions of dates. I’m sure if any New Mexican man could read this, they’d book their flights immediately directly to Saudi Arabia looking to check out the dating scene.

In the visitor center, visitors were warmly welcomed. It reminded me of home in a sense. In the US, Protestants ask if you have been saved, here at Al-Ahsa, men carried flyers proselytizing for Islam.

Walk Like an Egyptian

And just like that, this quick road trip to Bahrain mirrored life in Qatar, it marked the end of an era. Time to move on to the next adventure, Egypt. Until June, everything will revolve around packing, finishing teaching at the American School of Doha, and prepping the family for Cairo.

Until the next time.