Bahrain

The kids and I have been here for 6 weeks now and not had a break from Saudi at all. Because of the timing in which we arrived, with Ramadan and Eid holidays, it has taken a very long time to get our Iqama (resident visa). They are usually issued within about 3 weeks. We entered Saudi on a single entry visa and our Iqama is what will allow us to leave the country and come back. Bahrain is where everyone goes around here to feel some sense of normalcy - it is an island about 45 minutes away. We haven't been able to go because we don't have our Iqama to get back in. We got another single entry visa last week so that we could get away and it was wonderful! We stayed in a great hotel with a great pool for us to relax by and for the kids to play in. It's amazing what a difference it made to be away from Saudi - no abayah, women driving, people in normal clothes, etc. Thank you Tim for a great night away!

The landscaping at the hotel was so beautiful! We literally 'forgot' where we were. It was so lush, the kids kept saying, "it's like the jungle!" and it really was! These are some of the plumeria trees they had that were in bloom. You have to also remember that we live in the desert - so it doesn't really take much to please us at this point. We were just happy to walk on and smell grass again!