Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
I can still remember the tranquil setting of Juffair eight years ago; the intoxicating smell of the gentle sea, the long peaceful shores and the coast littered with exotic shells, the constant glimmering of the waters in the sunlight and the quiet of this little haven, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the raucous, polluted, crowded city.
The streets would be scattered with not more than a dozen cars and the air would be fresh and crisp.
I remember riding our bikes to the only 'cold-store' to stock up on candy and stop by the small, cozy shawarma restaurant nearby, chatting away with the affable owner.
But now, nearly a decade later, Juffair is unrecognisable with its streets winding into every nook and corner, jammed with screeching cars.
It has undergone a shocking metamorphosis to become a concrete jungle with a myriad of neon signs ominously glowing and buzzing into the night.
People are out and about till the wee hours of the morning and the streets have now been deemed risky for solitary pedestrians; let alone kids on bikes.
It is a pity to watch all your cherished childhood memories being demolished to give way to such snazzy, modern attractions.
They say the only thing unchangeable in life is change itself. It is inevitable; the tide of time washes over and transient monuments are dissolved and long-forgotten.
Everything is new and different and we are intended to get accustomed to the transition and the fact that our surroundings, however warm and homely, are ephemeral. I do not deny, in the slightest, that the techno-savvy restructuring of Juffair has boosted the economy and attracted big businesses.
It has prepped up the region for the economical influx that Bahrain, developing as an international hub, expects. It is a vision of the future; a representation of the world we want to develop progress towards and exist in.
Yet, sometimes, one cannot help but recollect the treasures of one's youth and wish that everything was as familiar and comforting, and especially, as delightful as the good old days.
