Author: Mark

If you’re looking for a good branded bike in Kuwait you really don’t have much options other than Trek. I actually had to order my bicycle online due to this fact but things are starting to get better. VIB is a small bike store that opened around a year ago in the Al-Rai area but recently moved to Salmiya and opened up shop right next to Extreme Sports (the Trek dealer).

VIB carry two brands of bicycles, Olma and the race winning Orbea which is the more popular brand and the one that a lot of top racers use. Back at the Beijing Olympics two gold medal winners were on Orbea bikes for example. They carry both road and mountain bikes and seem to have a large variety to choose from. Prices vary but most of the ones I checked hovered at around KD300.

If you’re interested in their bikes, they’re open from 10 to 1 and then again 3 to 9. Their phone number is 55219829 and here is their location on [Google Maps]

On the occasion of the Kuwait Invasion I thought I would share a very informative article on the Kuwaiti Resistance. The article was published by the Middle East Quarterly back in 1995 but is actually taken from a book called “Days of Fear“. It’s very interesting to read although it’s a bit long. I actually had to send it to my Kindle so I could read it since I don’t generally read articles this long in a web browser.

The article contains intricate details on the resistance and lots of accounts of their heroic actions, many which I hadn’t heard of before. Here’s a snippet just to give you an idea of the kind of stories that the article contains:

On some occasions, Kuwaitis had no choice but to take severely wounded Resistance fighters to the hospitals, sometimes only steps ahead of the Iraqis. In one incident, a youth shot in the head was admitted as a traffic accident victim. The Iraqis knew that someone had been wounded and would end up in a hospital, so they searched the operating rooms just as he was about to undergo surgery. The patient was obviously in a bad way but the Kuwaiti doctor could not risk telling the cause of his wound. The patient’s x-rays would clearly show the bullet in his head, so the Kuwaiti doctors played a trick: One of them left the room, ostensibly to get the images that were just then being developed, but actually x-rayed his own head and showed the film to the Iraqi, who was satisfied by this ruse and left the hospital staff to get on with its work.

And here is another:

About ten days before the land war, in late February 1991, another gaffe outside Kuwait may have undone much of their good work. The Resistance informed the government-in-exile that it had sabotaged the Iraqi mining of the oilfields, and that most of the wells apart from the Wafra field and a few others were safe. An official apparentlyfoolishly broadcast news of this accomplishment. The Iraqis may have heard the broadcast or may have simply decided on their own that they had to test the circuits for real. In any case, they tried to blow up a number of wells at Rawdatain, in the north of Kuwait, as a test. They failed to explode. The Iraqis then checked the charges and discovered the sabotage. Over the next few days, Iraqi army engineers frantically reset the detonators, and then blew the wells. Overall, the operation was still a victory for the Resistance, for while about 720 wells were destroyed, the Iraqis did not have time to reset and blow the other 300.

As I said the article is pretty long but it’s thorough. Check it out [Here]

Photo: Bob Pearson/AFP/Getty Images

Since it’s the anniversary of the 1990 Kuwait Invasion I always like to share the important links below.

Free Kuwait
This is a website that focuses on the campaign that was led by Kuwaitis in exile and is loaded with photos and information.

Kuwait Invasion – The Evidence
This is a website that contains over 1,200 pictures taken right after the 1990 invasion as photographic evidence to all the destruction caused by Iraq.

Short movie: Hearts of Palm
Hearts of Palm is a short movie set in August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.

The Class of 1990
This is a short documentary about reuniting class mates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Homemade video from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Video clips taken by a Kuwaiti family during the Iraqi invasion

Desert Storm Photos
Photos taken by soldiers during Desert Storm.

Photo by Adel Al-Yousifi

I’m still on vacation and will get back to blogging next week but I was flipping through some old photos when I found the photos below of The Family Bookshop before they closed down.

It really pisses me off how they demolished the whole block of buildings three years ago taking away a lot of great stores as well as the street’s life from the area. Until this day there’s nothing to show for it except a large big hole in the ground.

They even closed off the sidewalk and parking spots adjacent to the construction site.

The mall that was supposed to be built in that place pictured above (here’s a video as well) was supposed to be completed this year but as you can see below, construction hasn’t even started.

A Kuwait Airways plane carrying 200 people made an emergency landing at Brussels airport Monday after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, Belgian news reports said.

The plane, an Airbus 300, was en route to London from Kuwait when the pilot asked for clearance to land, the reports said, citing airport spokeswoman Florence Muls.

“The landing proceeded without incident and all passengers disembarked safely,” Muls said. “Safety services are now examining the aircraft” to see if they can discover where the smoke came from, she added. [Source]

Good thing they’re getting new planes end of the year.

Late last week I posted about how British Airways will be airing a 4 part series on Kuwait this August onboard all their flights and earlier today I was sent the first two and a half minutes of part 1. The intro makes Kuwait look so good and exciting that it makes me want to move to Kuwait even though I already live here. Check it out below.

Update: The video is officially out so I’ve updated the link below with the full video of part one.

[YouTube]

Last week I posted about the graffiti parking lot in Salmiya that is getting demolished. They’ve been bringing it down wall by wall and every time a wall falls down a graffiti work is revealed. Today I noticed the wall pictured above that’s now left standing and I thought it looked really beautiful. It’s not a sight you see very often in Kuwait.

Along with the other projects I’ve already posted about previously (Here and Here), the Al Jahra Hospital is another project that was commissioned by the Amiri Diwan. This hospital is going to have around 1,100 beds and will be bigger than the Jaber Hospital which is also currently under construction.

Major departments include: Accident and Emergency with Helipad on the roof and separate Adult and Pediatric treatment areas; over 20 Outpatient Clinics; Outpatient Procedures including Endoscopy, Pulmonary and Cardiology; Radiology and Nuclear Medicine; Same Day Medical observation unit; a modern Surgical suite with 20 OR’s including 2 hybrid rooms; a Women’s Center including Women’s Surgery, Infertility Clinic and Outpatient services, NICU and Special Care Nurseries, Women’s Surgery. Inpatient beds include Adult, Pediatric and Women’s Center beds as well as 12 unique ICU bed units.

The hospital is expected to take just 36 months to complete.

If you’ve traveled recently you might have noticed the Pearl Lounge at the airport was getting refurbished. Well the makeover is complete and someone from the National Aviation Services uploaded a 30 days time-lapse of the whole processes. I think the new lounge looks better and it also looks like it can fit a lot more people. Check out the time lapse below.

[YouTube]

As I’ve previously posted, Emirates is now flying their double decker A380 plane to Kuwait which is now officially the shortest flight for the plane in the world. The flight is only 1 and 25 minutes long and the video below is a behind the scenes look at the inaugural flight to Kuwait. [Link]

For the month of August, British Airways will be airing a short documentary about Kuwait on board more than 3,000 flights around the world. The documentary is called “Kuwait: Through Our Eyes” and is divided into four 10-minute films. Originally British Airways were planning just a 10-minute film but due to the overwhelming demand they ended up turning it into a four part series. Kuwait is just one of twenty countries from around the world that are getting a film done and Kuwait is the first one from the Middle East to be featured.

August is one of the busiest months of the year so Kuwait should get a lot of exposure. I couldn’t find a copy of the film online to watch but I’m hoping British Airways will upload it next month onto YouTube or their website. Check out the full article on KUNA [Here]

Thanks @Buzfairy

Update: Part one is now online, watch it below.

[YouTube]

If you’re staying here for Eid then I’ve got a nice treat for you. Radisson Blu Hotel are offering a chance for one of my readers to win 2 nights stay at the hotel during eid. Not only that but you’ll also get breakfast included, dinner for 2 at Al Boom Steak and Seafood Restaurant and access to the Viking Club swimming pool and health club so you could spend the Eid tanning poolside.

The Prize:
· A Double Room for 1 or 2 Guests
· Super Breakfast Buffet
· Dinner for 2 at Al Boom Steak and Seafood Restaurant
· Access to Viking Club: Swimming Pool and Health Club

All you have to do to win the giveaway is leave a comment with the answer to the question below and I will randomly choose a winner once I close the post for comments Friday evening.

Question: Al Boom (Mohammedi II) and Al Hashemi II are the names of the dhows in dry dock at Radisson Blu. What is the name of the third dhow they have that you can sail on?

Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will only be contacted by email. If winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours, another winner will be randomly chosen.

Hint: Check the Radisson Blu Facebook Page or Instagram