We would spend the last few days of the year walking around various areas of the island — some here before Caleb’s first visit in 2004 and others that were made after we left in 2016. This country is constantly a work-in-progress, some buildings leaving you to wonder if they are being built up or torn down. Here are a few of the pictures I took.

sunrise on the bridge

shopping and reading

The House of Coffee, Muharraq

outside and inside views of our staycation …

… chosen for a tub we can both lay in

sunset views

a roundabout on Reef Island

Coral Bay — kitties, water for sale, skyscrapers

Busaiteen Beach Walkway

The Park @ Bahrain Bay

a popular place to feed the birds

sun, shade, and watering cans

built with centuries between them

ready to refill

We spent a few days exploring cemeteries and realized we had missed out previously on a quiet place to explore on such a busy island (prior to the Covid Crisis). The map doesn’t do the size of these places justice as we walked the perimeter and crisscrossed through an area neither of us had thought to go, even though we’d been to the Delmun Burial Mounds and have traveled to other memorial sights in various countries.

We will depart the island next month with no idea on our expected return date, if the Navy shall grant us that option with this abrupt change in plans, as we hadn’t thought about going back last time we left except for the income increase, proximity to warm diving locations, and ability for me to travel to so many countries without a day’s long flight, literally. Caleb wasn’t able to leave the island in 2020 for two reasons: Captain Tom is a workaholic when he can avoid his wife and then Covid came in to restrict the military making fun travel illegal and work travel difficult — and almost impossible to navigate with people who have trouble working in a supervised office not being held responsible for the same duties at home.