Author: Mark

So yesterday was the first day of the curfew and it actually wasn’t bad at all. I live in a commercial area of Salmiya so it’s always busy with people out and about and cars always backed up on my street. It’s generally fairly noisy but not last night. Last night my neighborhood was very quiet which made me realize, this is probably how it feels like living in a normal residential area. I’ve not really experienced that since I’ve lived on the exact same busy street all my life so it was a nice change.

The best part of the evening was getting videos on Whatsapp of cops pulling people over who were out past the curfew. I took a bunch of those videos and clipped them all together so you can check them out above. I also added a funny one at the end.

Another thing I enjoyed doing was watching videos people were taking of the empty streets from their balcony. It would have been cool if we had live street webcams but since we don’t you could use the “Snap Map” feature in Snapchat instead. A few people also flew their drones yesterday to capture video of this never before seen situation like the one below.

لقطات من الساعات الأولى لحظر التجول الجزئي في الكويت#كورونا_في_الكويت pic.twitter.com/2iGN1THiQH

— Dhari Al-Sarraf (@DhariAlSarraf) March 22, 2020

Overall not bad for Day 1, now just 21 days to go.

As part of the new safety measures, they’re limiting the number of people inside co-op’s at any one time, and every customer will also have their temperature taken at the entrance. The picture above was taken at the Mishref Co-op where they’ve set up chairs outside for customers waiting to enter the supermarket.

I know why they implemented a curfew for us, I think it’s great that they did, but it’s still gonna suck. For someone who is usually constantly out and about, since the public holiday started I’ve spent 99% of my time at home working during my work hours and then playing videogames and watching TV for the rest of the day.

But, whenever I felt like I needed to reset, I’d hop in my car and just go for a long drive. Now I won’t have that freedom anymore. It sounds like something small, but it was my way of coping with the whole thing and it helped me not feel like I was stuck at home.

Like with everyone (I’m assuming), it’s been pretty difficult having to adjust to this new lifestyle. My eating habits have changed, I no longer exercise, I don’t see people and now I’ve got three more weeks of this left at least. I’m gonna end up like Tom Hanks in Castaway at this pace.

How is everyone else coping with all this? Are some of you still going in to work or is everyone now working from home?

Qortoba Co-op are sterilizing all the shopping carts after use and then covering the handles with a plastic seal. I love how everyone is adapting to the current situation and fairly quickly too.

Thanks Aisha

Because there are fewer people on the roads and fewer factories working right now, the air quality in Kuwait has to be the best I’ve ever seen compared to 358 “Hazardous” which was the highest I’ve seen it reach. Source

A lot of you don’t know this but for the past two and a half years I’ve been working in the restaurant industry. It’s a really challenging field and I’m working harder than I have ever done but I’m also loving every minute of it. Right now the restaurant industry all over the world is facing a major crisis. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of restaurants have had to stop operating dine-in and those who offer delivery have had their sales drop considerably.

I’m still ordering food in as I usually do and in the rare occasion when I need to get out of the house, I’m going and picking up the food myself. But, a lot of people have stopped ordering and that’s really hurting restaurants (of all sizes). I’m trying to do my part in trying to support local restaurants and with the number of discounts and offers right now it’s a good time to be a customer. Below are some of my favorite places which I’m supporting:

Delivery
Abby Shawaya – Best pulled chicken sandwiches (musa7ab)*
China Kitchen – My favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant
CHKN – Best fried chicken sandwiches in the world* (I’m serious)
Clean Eats – My favorite vegan restaurant
Enab Beirut – They’re one of my favorite Lebanese delivery places
Frankies – One of the hottest breakfast spots in town now delivers
KAU – One of my favorite burger places right now (order the truffle burger)
Lavan – My favorite Indian restaurant now also deliver
Momo Zaa – The Bhutanese dumpling place now deliver
Leila Min Lebnen – My other favorite Lebanese restaurant
Lucky Bun – Another favorite burger place (order the Ooh Mami with an extra patty)
Madison & Heig – Probably the best bakery in town right now
Roto – Delicious wood-fired rotisserie chicken
Rustic Thai Kitchen – Authentic and delicious Thai food
Tampopo – Best Ramen in town easily!
Vigonovo – Still my favorite Italian restaurant in Kuwait
Wachamean – Order the Wacha Burger with an extra patty

Pick up
BBT – I love this tiny burger place
Shawarma Shakir – Their spicy meat shawerma is the best

You can also support your favorite restaurants by following them on instagram and writing reviews about them. If you have a favorite little place you want to support, let us know about them in the comments below and what kind of food they serve.

*One of the brands I work for

Because everyone is trying to stay at home right now, I realized it was the perfect time to post an updated version of my local shopping websites list. I’m sure I’ve missed a few so if there are any local websites which you think I should add, let me know in the comments.

Categories (click link to jump to the section)
Babies / Children
Beauty / Self Care
Books
Car Accessories
Coffee
Computers
Electronics
Fashion
Flowers / Perfume
Food Products
Furniture
Hardware
Hobbies
Homeware / Kitchenware
Lifestyle / Accessories
Music
Pets
Pharmacies
Phones & Accessories
Photography / Video
Plants and Garden Supplies
Sports
Stationary
Supermarkets
Toys / Board Games
Video Games
Other

Babies / Children
Bonboni’s
Dinoo
Ivy Babdies
Mothercare
Oleana Boutique
Sniggles

Beauty / Self Care
Apotheca Beauty
Bath & Body Works
Bloomingdales
Creamat
Etheco
Jothen
K7L
Klarif
L’Occitane
Rskin

Books
Aafaq Bookstore
Books Room
Brilliant Company
Books for Cancer
Claudia Al Rashoud
Litterae Used Bookshop
Page Turner
Qasr Al-Thaqafa
Red Balloon Books
Saint Books
The English Bookshop

Car Accessories
Auto Depot
Garage Shuwaikh
Garmin
Mafra
Motorworks

Coffee
48 East
Caffeine
Coffee Tools
Qahwety
Stock Room

Computers
Alpha Store
AryCart
Cameoo
Digits
Gait
Personal Computer Center
Quadra
Smartek
Sunmoon
Want it Buy it

Electronics
3RoodQ8
Adawliah
Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa
Best
Blink
Eureka
EVA
Garmin
H&S Store
Jashanmal
RTC
X-Cite

Fashion
Alostoura
Bloomingdales
Casio
Centerpoint
Crocs
Dog House Collective
Fjällräven
Footlocker
Grain
H&M
Hind
Local Tees
My Dikaan
Nalbes
Our Trend
Pink Moon
Sprayground
Thahab
Thouqi
Zara

Flowers / Perfume
Arablly
Beidoun Online
Beauty
Bleems
Boutiqaat
Floward
Souq Perfume

Food Products
Alaman Coop
Baqala
Blue Passion
e-Baqala
eGroccery
Exotic Snax
FAME
Furdtk
Gourmet ME
Gourmet Shelf
Healthy Shop
Ikil
Kolita
Natureland
Sinbad Filipino Store
Taw9eel
The Approved Market

Furniture
Abyat
IKEA
My Athath
Pottery Barn
Safat Home
The ONE
West Elm

Hardware
Ace Hardware
Al Qatami Fire Fighting Equipment
Bin Nisf
I Buy Safety
Jawad AlSaffar
Makhazan
Makita
Mawady
Royal Tools
Safety International
Sanam

Hobbies
7erafy
Al Zame
Arts & Crafts
Camp N Sea
Dr Cue Billard World
Explorers Base
Ikarus
Mogahwi
Pro-Hobbies
The Horse Co
The Sandy Needle
Wood Crafter

Homeware / Kitchenware
Lawazm
Mabrook
Tavola
TP Green

Lifestyle / Accessories
Caravan
Craft and Company
Ecru
Fen’Teg
Fk Jewellers
Ontime
Paper & Nest
theblockdown
The Soap Box
The Yard
VisionE Boutique

Music
Adawliah
Misfits
Salmeen Music
Vinyl Destination

Pets
Pet Center
Pet House
Pets Market
Pet Zone

Pharmacies
Alessa
Hadi Pharmacy
International Optics (Contacts)
Dowa
Kindi
Pharma Zone
Pharmatee
Ultramed (Dental)

Phones & Accessories
A Store
Anker
Cavaraty
Chips Store
Huawei
MoBax
Mobile 2000
Switch
Vortek

Photography / Video
35MM
AAB World
Ajas
CRATE
Falcon
Fuji Film
Gulf Pixel
Lumen Store

Plants and Garden Supplies
Bio Hydro
Grow
Mashatel
Organic Value
Plant More
Q8 Orgnanic
Sustainable Organic

Sports
53 Sports
Al Sabih Marine
AlNasser Sports
Ananda
BeFit
Beyond Equipments
Champion
Decathlon
Extreme Sports
Float & Ride
Gym Doctor
HYPRID Fitness
Intersport
Kuwait Watersports
Nomad Strength Co.
Perform Athletics
ProSports
Q8 Kite Boarding
Sportsman
Sports Group
The Horse Co
The Magic Shop
Wawan

Stationary
Maktaba
Mogahwi
Nottah
Pilot Pens
Starlight
Stationary Online

Supermarkets
Lulu
On Cost
SaveCo
Sultan Center

Toys / Board Games
Board Games Q8
Bricks
Fairy Hub
Fantasy World
Games United
Good Game
Ufff

Video Games
Alfuhod
AX Store
Blink
ComplexQ8
Feesha
GamesQ8
Game Store
Level Up
ProGaming
Retro Games
Taw9eel
Xcite

Other
As Seen on TV (Random Stuff)
Sheeel (Daily Deal)
UTC (Department Store)
Yoghi (Office/School Supplies)

If you’re bored at home and looking for a good book to read, Aafaq Bookstore have an offer at the moment in response to the Coronavirus situation where they will deliver any book to you for free, no minimum order required. Their website is still under construction but you can use it, for now, to browse for books and then call them or whatsapp them to place the order. They have over 1,400 English books available and over 2,400 Arabic ones. Their website is aafaqbookstore.com and to place an order call or whatsapp them on 55524066

This offer is valid until March 29th when the public holiday is over.

Update: Their website is now live! Use the code KAFD for free delivery in Kuwait except for Sabah Al-Ahmad residential area and Ali Sabah Al-Salem.

I was talking to my friends in Dubai on Thursday letting them know what was going on in Kuwait and to my surprise, life was still normal over there. People were still going to work, going out drinking and partying, going to the gym as if there wasn’t a global pandemic.

It made me realize how on top of things Kuwait is right now. We were one of the first countries to shut down schools, we were given a public holiday not because we have an emergency but because they were being proactive in avoiding an emergency. Over the weekend cops were blocking off access to the beach so people don’t end up hanging out there and last night they announced the closure of malls and hair salons.

Things aren’t perfect for sure, but I can’t think of any other country I’d rather be in right now during this pandemic.

Yesterday while in the city picking up lunch I decided to pass by Shamiya Co-op to pick up some stuff since it was the close. As I got closer to the entrance I noticed a sign outside in English and Arabic asking me to sanitize my hands and pick up gloves. Once I walked in they had a sanitizer machine for me to use and a basket full of disposable gloves to wear. Everyone shopping had gloves on which was pretty cool since it made me feel a lot more comfortable.

I’m not sure if other Co-ops are doing the same thing but private supermarkets like Sultan, Lulu, and City Center aren’t doing this for sure. Some places like Trolley don’t even have contactless payment yet and require you to still type in your pin code which it the last thing I want to do right now.

If your local co-op has the same setup let me know in the comments.

There obviously aren’t any events taking place this weekend in Kuwait so what is everyone planning to do to pass time over the weekend and the coming two weeks? Video games? Movies? Binge watch 7 seasons of Parks and Recreation?

If you’re looking to get away from the city for a weekend (or more), there is a company in Kuwait called RV Way that rent out (and sell) RV’s. They’re actually the goto guys for everything RV related not just the caravans, but everything else you also might need for camping with an RV. Their RV rentals start from KD 90 and you can get more information by visiting their instagram account @rv4way or their their location in Qurain.

The all-new Land Rover Defender 110 will be launching worldwide any day now and the first shipment arrives in Kuwait in May. The first shipment is already sold out but I was told there is a second shipment coming in July with cars still available. Prices for the 4-cylinder model start at around KD18,000 while the 6-cylinder model starts at KD24,000. These are the prices of the models that the dealer has specced out but you can also build your own Defender with the 4-cylinder starting at KD16,600 and the 6-cylinder from KD22,130. If you do build your own then expect delivery sometime in September/October.

Here is the link to the local Land Rover website where you can price and build your own Defender.

Due to the coronavirus, the Garden of Lights Festival that was taking place at Al Shaheed Park had to end early. So if you were planning to go to see it over the next few days then you missed out.

Knet and the local banks have agreed to increase the transaction amount for contactless payments without having to use your pin code from KD10 to KD25. I’m a big fan of just tapping to pay, especially now with the whole corona situation so pretty glad they’ve done this.