Author: Mark

Sir Wilfred Patrick Thesiger was a British military officer, explorer, and writer. His first visit to the Gulf was in 1945, shortly after the Second World War, when he accepted a position as a researcher with the British Middle East Anti-Locust Unit (MEALU).

Based in Saudi Arabia, Sir Wilfred was able to travel to Kuwait and Bahrain, thanks to having access to a car. He made a second visit to Kuwait in 1949.

During both trips, Sir Wilfred captured numerous photographs, including some of Souk Mubarakiya, which I found particularly interesting and am sharing in this post.

These pictures are part of the collection at the Pitt Rivers Museum and are available to view online. If you’re interested in seeing more of the photos he took during his time in Kuwait, you can explore them at prm.web.ox.ac.uk or by checking the two links below:

Thesiger’s Journeys in Arabia – Hejaz and Nejd, Saudi Arabia 1945
Thesiger’s Journeys in Arabia – Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 1949

So many places have closed down in T4, in fact, once you pass security the only places with food still left open are Raising Cane’s, Shake Shack, Starbucks, McDonalds and Al Rifai nuts. So if you’re boycotting brands, your only option for food and coffee is basically Al Rifai.

Like the current waterfront project that extends from Kuwait Towers to the SVN resort, Shuwaikh Beach is also getting redeveloped as part of Kuwait Municipality’s ongoing efforts to enhance leisure and recreational spaces in Kuwait.

The project was designed by the multidisciplinary architecture firm Pace, and is sponsored by NBK. With the designs now finalized, the project has entered the tendering phase.

The 1.7km-long project will feature upgraded facilities, including a running track, bicycle track, mosques, and several main areas tailored to community needs like sports fields, recreational areas, and extensive green spaces.

Based on the renderings, one of the cool things I like about the Shuwaikh Beach project is that it looks like it will be a lot greener than the new waterfront near Kuwait Towers. The sandy beach area is also getting revamped, and wooden benches will be installed to provide a peaceful and comfortable coastal experience.

This project is expected to be completed by May 2025.

I’m traveling tomorrow so started downloading shows to watch on the plane. It’s only a 4 hour trip but I like to take more shows and movies than I can watch. So far I have these downloaded to watch:

Shows
Bookie
Clarkson’s Farm – Season 3 (got 4 more episodes to watch)
Conan O’Brien Must Go
Hacks
Lady in the Lake
Loot
Palm Royale (2 more episodes to watch)
Ripley
The Acolyte (2 more episodes to watch, worst Star Wars ever)
The Instigators
The Sympathizer

Movies
Airplane! (wife never watched it)
Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats
Lawrence of Arabia (don’t think I’ve watched it before weirdly)
One Life
The Naked Gun (wife never watched it)

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Alien: Romulus (7.5)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (classic) (7.1)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (classic) (8.1)
Imaginary (4.7)
Starve Acre (5.3)

Other Movies Showing:
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Boneyard (4.1)
Borderlands (5.3)
Cat and Dog (5.1)
Deadpool & Wolverine (8.3)
Despicable Me 4 (6.4)
Detained (4.8)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (N/A)
Inside Out 2 (7.9)
It Ends with Us (7.2)
Longlegs (7.3)
Oddity (7.5)
Trap (7.2)
Twisters (7.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

I previously posted about the club back in 2011, but I’m reposting it again today with more information because today is the first day of their pre-season training.

The Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club is the oldest sports club in Kuwait, and very possibly the oldest in the region.

The club was originally formed by expatriates from the Kuwait Oil Company, who began training together as a hobby. In 1946, the team formally became the Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club when they played the British Army in the region’s first recorded rugby fixture. In the 70s, as rugby community clubs started forming around the region, the Scorpions began traveling and competing in neighboring countries. Rugby in Kuwait continued this way until the 1990 invasion when the team was dispersed.

Following the invasion, the rugby club gradually reformed as its members returned to Kuwait. They were renamed the Kuwait Nomads, a name inspired by the way they reunited. The team played as the Nomads until the 2000s, when they reverted to their original name and relaunched the club as the Kuwait Scorpions.

The Scorpions are still very active, and in fact, their pre-season training starts today. If you’re interested in having fun and getting fit, bring plenty of water and a good attitude, and head to KOC Ahmadi Park. They train every Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 PM. For directions and more info, check out their Instagram @q8scorpions

If you’re surprised to learn that Kuwait has a surfing team, you’re not alone. Earlier this year, Kuwait became one of the newest members of the International Surfing Association (ISA), and in around a weeks time, the team will be competing at the Asian Surfing Championships held in the Maldives.

The Kuwait team consists of three surfers:

Essa Kamal AlEssa @eksultan
Age: 27

Ahmad Hashim AlRefae @a.alrefae2
Age: 29

Yousef Riyadh Tarazi @yousef.tarazi
Age: 28

All three surfers grew up in Kuwait, spending most of their time by the water in Bnaider, engaging in various watersports. Although they began surfing during their teenage years, they gained most of their experience after moving to California for university. Immersed in the surfing culture there, they took up the sport religiously, making it an integral part of their daily lives. After graduating and returning to Kuwait, they made it a priority to travel and ride different waves around the world.

The Asian Surfing Championship will take place from August 17 to 24, and it will be the first surfing event that Kuwait will be participating in. The championship is organized by the Asian Surf Federation and co-organized by the Maldivian Surfing Association. This event also marks the first time that Kuwait has been recognized as a country with surfers by both the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Asian Surfing Federation (ASF).

Why Kuwait? Why Now?

In 2015, surfing became an Olympic sport which is what motivated them to start the Kuwait Surf Committee and register with the ISA.

After surfing became an Olympic sport, the ISA revised its rules and policies to accept membership from countries not traditionally considered ‘surfing nations’ by including other types of surfing watersports. Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Wind Surfing, Wake Surfing, and Wind Foiling are all sports recognized by the ISA and are popular in Kuwait, which led to Kuwait being accepted as a surfing nation by the association.

If you want to stay posted on the Kuwait Surf team’s progress at the Asian Surf Championship, follow their instagram account @kuwaitsurfcommittee

If you’re looking for a new place to try this weekend, HACHI is a new Japanese restaurant that is opening in Shuwaikh tomorrow (Friday, August 9th).

Their menu revolves around the concept of fusion, blending different culinary traditions together. This approach allows them to create innovative dishes that are uniquely their own.

Initially, they will be open evenings only, from 5 PM to 11 PM. They’re located on the same street as Mayar Complex, and you can find them on Google Maps. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended. To book, you can call them on 50050133.

If you want to check out their menu, they have photos up on their account @hachi.kwt

Last week, KDD launched a new line of drinks that contain 0% sugar and zero calories. These beverages aren’t technically juices since they’re not made with real fruits. Instead, they’re more like flavored water. Currently, they come in three flavors:

Apple & Raspberry
Mango & Peach
Mojito (Lemon & Mint)

The fruits are added as natural flavors to the water, along with vitamins A, D, C, and B6. None of the three flavors contain any sugar; instead, like the ‘Good For You’ line of ice cream, they use natural sweeteners.

I only managed to get the Apple & Raspberry and Mango & Peach flavored drinks since the Mojito was out of stock. The Mojito flavor was the one I was actually interested in because I’m hoping it tastes like lemonade. I tried the other two flavors and didn’t like them, but that’s because I really dislike both raspberry and peaches. So, don’t take my word for it.

KDD sells them in a carton of 18 for 1.980 KD or a pack of 6 for 660 fils. However, I picked up 8 individual pieces from my neighborhood KDD store for 800 fils, which comes to 100 fils per pack.

If you’ve tried the Mojito flavor, let me know how it tastes.

House of the Dragon season finale was this week and it was disappointing. Felt like the whole season was a lead up to nothing really. I don’t want to say too much so not to spoil it for people who still haven’t watched the last episode, but I think this season needed at least two more episodes.

On the bright side, season 3 of Industry starts on Monday and The Lord of the Rings season 2 is coming back in 3 weeks.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Borderlands (5.3)
Cat and Dog (5.1)
Detained (4.8)
It Ends with Us (7.2)

Other Movies Showing:
A Quiet Place: Day One (7.0)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Boneyard (4.1)
Chief of Station (4.7)
Deadpool & Wolverine (8.3)
Despicable Me 4 (6.4)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (N/A)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (classic) (7.6)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (classic) (7.5)
Inside Out 2 (7.9)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (6.3)
Longlegs (7.3)
Oddity (7.5)
Trap (7.2)
Twisters (7.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Jasem Alsanea is a Kuwaiti multidisciplinary artist who caught my attention with his incredible hyper-surrealistic installations inspired by Kuwaiti culture. The two sculptures I’ve shared above are titled ‘Dana in the Desert’ and ‘Bū-Daryā’.

‘Dana in the Desert’ depicts an old lady and draws upon the Kuwaiti mythology of Hmarat Al-Gaylah, addressing the aftermath of the Gulf War and the landmines left in the Kuwaiti desert. The second installation, inspired by Khaleeji mythology, portrays the water djinn Bū-Daryā, who roams the Arabian Gulf Sea. Through this artwork, Jasem explores the connections between Kuwait’s historical pearl diving economy and its current oil production economy, while also reflecting on the 1991 Iraqi invasion’s oil spill into the Kuwaiti sea.

Since childhood, Jasem has had an extremely vivid imagination that he wanted to bring to life. He began his artistic journey with performance and special effects makeup, then moved on to painting and mixed media before enrolling in the sculpture program at the Rhode Island School of Design. Today, Jasem uses sculpture, film, and virtual reality to bring his imagination into the real world.

His installations have only been exhibited in the United States so far, as he was studying and living there. However, Jasem plans to return to Kuwait this autumn, where he hopes to exhibit his work. In the meantime, if you’d like to see more of his work, including behind-the-scenes photos, check out his Instagram @jasemalsanea

A friend of mine sent me the video below on Tiktok a couple of weeks back where supposedly a guy in Kuwait (@moneir_almousawi) found a 20 calorie brioche roll at the supermarket. That video was shared with Blake from @thenutritionnarc who ended up posting the video below.

@thenutritionnarc Are these 20 cal brioche buns legit? @RIENOM | منير الموسوي #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ Paris – Else

Obviously something was up, but I figured maybe the guy had misread the label. But it turns out he hadn’t misread the label since someone else went and checked on the label and sent Blake a message with a breakdown of the ingredients who ended up posting the updated video below.

@thenutritionnarc Update on the 20 cal brioche buns, we got to the bottom of it @RIENOM | منير الموسوي #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Blake | NARC

Makes you wonder how big of an issue this is in Kuwait with restaurants and brands not being accurate with their calorie count.

Update: According to Wooden Bakery, there was a misprint on the brioche packaging, and this batch of products has already been recalled from the market.

When my friend and I used to play tennis, we had trouble finding courts that were available without requiring a membership. When we did find courts, they were all outdoors, making it difficult to play during the hot summer months. It’s been years since we last played, but after seeing photos of the new tennis court at The Space Arena, we might have to dig out our old rackets again.

The Space Arena in Shuwaikh recently converted an abandoned laundromat into a stunning tennis court. It might also be the only indoor tennis court in Kuwait that you can book without needing a club membership. The court features air conditioning, guest seating, high ceilings, and access to changing rooms, washrooms, and showers for both men and women.

It costs 25KD to book the court for an hour, so 12.5KD per person, or 6.25KD if you’re playing doubles. You can book through the Padel Mates app or by contacting them on 96760802. The Space Arena is located behind Shuwaikh Market and is open from 9AM to midnight. @thespacearena

Last night, Pottery Barn opened their new location in Avenues Phase III, and it’s a significant improvement over the previous store. The old location felt somewhat cold, but the new store, particularly the top floor, is much cozier and more inviting.

They took over the space previously occupied by Williams Sonoma in Grand Avenue, which I think is a much more fitting location for them. It’s worth checking out if you’re in Avenues and looking for something for your home.

It’s been a slow TV and movie week for me. Other than starting season 2 of House of Cards, catching up on the latest House of the Dragons and season finale for The Kardashians, the only other thing I watched this week was the old movie Prozac Nation.

I’m traveling in a couple of weeks so need to start saving shows for the plane ride. I was also planning to watch Deadpool this week but heard there were over 10 scenes cut so decided I’m either going to watch it when I travel, or once it’s out to rent. Not gonna watch a movie cut that much no matter how minor the cuts are.

Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Boneyard (4.1)
Chief of Station (4.7)
Harold and the Purple Crayon (N/A)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (classic) (7.6)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (classic) (7.5)
Oddity (7.5)
Trap (7.2)

Other Movies Showing:
A Quiet Place: Day One (7.0)
Bad Boys: Ride or Die (6.8)
Deadpool & Wolverine (8.3)
Despicable Me 4 (6.4)
IF: Imaginary Friends (6.5)
Fly Me to the Moon (6.7)
Inside Out 2 (7.9)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (6.3)
Longlegs (7.3)
Twisters (7.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Sinjeon Topokki, a popular restaurant chain in Seoul known for its Korean street food is opening in Kuwait today (August 1st).

Sinjeon Topokki began in 1999 as a small, humble food stand in South Korea. Since then, it has grown into a global phenomenon with over 700 branches worldwide, and the Kuwait location will be their first in the Middle East.

Although we have quite a few Korean restaurants in Kuwait already, what will set Sinjeon apart is the topokki. If you’ve never had it before, they’re small cylinder-shaped rice noodles which I like to describe as the Korean version of gnocchi (Don’t unfollow me for this!). They’ll have 4 different bases (sauces) for you to pick from, and you can also choose to add different veggies and proteins to it. In addition to topokki they do have traditional Korean dishes on the menu including bibimbap, noodles, and curries.

Sinjeon is located in the industrial part of Shuwaikh, right next to Eat Softie, and in the same complex as Haraka Center (Google Maps). Their opening hours are from 2PM to 10PM and to book WhatsApp them on +965 41040604 or through the WhatsApp button on their Instagram account @sinjeon_kw