Bahrain, Pearl of the Arabian Sea...

So... We're spent the past 4 days zooming around Bahrain in a whirlwind of touring with our son Niall.  Bahrain is an interesting place, even though it probably doesn't pop up on most typical tourist itineraries, even if you're traveling in the neighborhood!  That said, we've definitely enjoyed our time here, both as an opportunity to see a bit more of Niall than is typical at home, but also as this is our first time in the region and it has exceeded expectations in many ways.  

First, the history here goes far deeper than one might expect for a country completely built on the petro-economy since oil was first discovered here in the 1930's.  In that respect, it's similar to others regional economic powers like Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.  But prior to that time, Bahrain has been a trading cross-road outpost for centuries, if not millennia.  

We visited several archeological sites that went back to almost 2500 bce, including a fort that changed hands many times and is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
In addition to the fort, we had a great visit to the Bahrain national museum, where we got a deep dive into how trade and technology evolved around Bahrain- a really well done museum! Finally today we wandered through some of the old streets of Muharraq, where another UNESCO world heritage site documents the long history of Pearl diving and the pearl trade that was once centered here. Very cool!
Beyond the history here, Bahrain is a typical fast growing middle eastern metropolis.  It's kind of amazing to see all that's been built in the past 40 or so years--- if it weren't for all the signs being in Arabic as well as English, you'd think you were in LA.  
After 4 days, while we'd love to spend more time with Niall- we're ready to head to even warmer weather tonight, as we head to Bangkok, Thailand. We're looking forward to seeing Jonathan there, and revisiting a really interesting city for our second time!
Until then, Cheers!

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