Author Archive for: NapturalBornTraveller

Hello beautiful people! It's been quite a while since I last travelled. The United Arab Emirates celebrated National Day on December 2nd and my employer gave us 3 days off during the week. I wasn't planning on leaving the country but then the itch started one evening as I was dreamily gazing out my apartment window. I opened Google Maps and Skyscanner and did a quick check of short-haul flights in the Middle East. BAHRAIN came up. Safe - yes. Warm - yes. Historical and culturally aware - yes. Cheap flights - YES! So, I booked my 45-minute flight (!) and 5-star hotel room (I like to spend more on hotels when I travel alone because it makes me feel safer) and I was off to a similar-yet-different Middle Eastern Gulf country. Bahrain had a drier climate than the UAE's but it was about the same sub-tropical temperature. Clear blue skies and warm breezes would make the daytime highs enviable to anyone whose experienced a Canadian winter. I spent 3 full days in Manama City, Bahrain and tried to do as many touristy things as possible. Through the hotel's front desk I was able to hire an unlicensed taxi (driven by Indians and Pakistanis) to take me around for much cheaper than the metered cabs (driven by Bahrainis). He took me to Manama Souq (market) where I could haggle a decent price for a SIM card. I needed one for emergencies and to get in touch with my driver when I would be ready to be picked up. I didn't stay at the souq for very long because I wanted to get to the Tree Of Life. I'd read about this mysterious wonder-flora and its claim to fame as being the only tree in the area and as an ancient Dilmun civilization ritual site. So once we got there I was awed and disappointed at the same time. It was a big, big tree in the middle of a desert and oil pipelines and makeshift local camping sites. It's a beautiful tree but it's just a tree. The driver said they light it up at night and people camp around it. Unfortunately, Tree Of Life has been damaged by people's scribbles on its branches. It also felt extremely remote and desolate. I felt as though my driver, the 2 random men (caretakers??) and I were the last people on Earth. The best part about the journey to see Tree Of Life was the anticipation.   [map width="200" height="200" lat="26.0572" long="50.6164" zoom="8"]