Every country has its pluses and minuses.
Living on a small island means the people and places become very familiar and comfortable. It’s cozy. But after a few months when these same people and places become a bit over-seen, we need a break.
The only way to drive off the island is to cross the causeway into Saudi Arabia. Unless you hold a GCC passport, you need a visa to get in there. If the Saudis do allow you in, you have to cut through miles of desert to end up in the same desert under a different government.
We could take a boat.
A successful water escape requires a knowledgeable captain otherwise we might be like the first Bahraini sailboat to participate in an international regatta. A couple of years ago as Team Pindar maneuvered their brand-spanking new “Kingdom of Bahrain” yacht towards Dubai, they cut too far east and ended up getting arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. After being held for a week, the government negotiated their release but the team missed the race.
Even if we didn’t have “evil intentions” to infiltrate Iran, a spyglass is a top ten necessity to scan the sea for pirates. And we don’t have one.
So generally an island vacation requires a flight.
Should we fly one hour and still find ourselves in the Gulf? Different place, same flies.
Should we fly three hours and find ourselves in a regional skirmish?
Should we fly seven hours and find ourselves in freezing cold Europe?
ABOUT BETWEEN TWO SEAS
Photographer Andrew Weaver published a gorgeous coffee table book with many inspired and humorous photos about Bahrain. Between Two Seas can be purchased in the large bookshops or at the Bin Matar House in Muharraq. The great news is it was printed in different sizes so you can tuck one in your handbag for a gift or use it to decorate your coffee table and make your friends at home jealous.
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 