We arrived back from our wonderful holiday in Mumbai to a worryingly troubling and violent Bahrain, and after a lousy two and a half hour taxi journey fighting through the traffic and finding safe ways of getting home, we finally did and then spent the next day getting ready to welcome our wonderful visitors from Qatar - Keith & Kay Petley. We have known them for a long time - they were in Oman when I arrived all those years ago and we've been friends ever since - although they hadn't met the girls yet, so it's been some time since we physically caught up with each other.
We spent the first night catching up till the very wee hours in the morning, in between watching the news - witnessing what was happening not too many kilometres away from our safe villa.
I think Thursday night was the worst night - the military and police seemed to wreak havoc.
Friday was bad too, but we carried on as normal, having our friends Emma & Stu and Jamie & Rachel over for a lunch and play till nighttime.
Things had died down by Sunday, and the police and Military pulled out, leaving the protesters to protest peacefully. This meant that although the violence was over, we still couldn't get over to the other side of the city where all the restaurants and malls are as the roads are all blocked with protesters. (As I type, we still can't...) However, we decided to go in the opposite direction. To the Saudi border to go up the Causeway Tower to see the view of Bahrain.
This is a brilliant trip - you go about 14kms across the causeway up till the Saudi border patrol , which we are not allowed over, but there is this observation tower on top. It is as far as can get before armed guards turn us away. However, it has great views! A great touristy trip. It always feels wierd that we ar so close to Saudi, but we can't go there - it feels like 'no-man's land'!
Then we had lunch at Fuddruckers and took a drive to Jasiryah beach which was just beautiful (for Bahrain's beaches) and we paddled and collected shells till the late afternoon.
Keith & Kay are fabulous with the kids (they have numerous kids and grandkids so well-practised!) - and the girls loved them. Kay was Annalise's shell-pall!
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