Author: Mark

Starting February 2nd, Jazeera Airways will now be flying directly to Moscow. Their introductory fare starts at KD99 and I just tried booking for a date in February and found seats for KD98.960 so this KD99 price is real.

The only thing is the timing of all this seems a bit weird. With the ongoing war against Ukraine, not sure Russia is the best place to take a vacation right now. Simple things like your credit cards won’t even work there. But KD99 is a pretty good deal though.

Yesterday I passed by Youm Al-Bahhar which officially reopened on Sunday after getting refurbished.

I’ve been visiting Youm Al-Bahhar since I was a kid in the 80s so I’m very familiar with the place and tend to visit it every few years for nostalgic purposes but also because of the bookshop there which I first visited back in 2014. The bookshop called the Kuwait Heritage Library mostly sells old books many of which are rare, so I like to pass by the guy every so often to see if he got anything new.

The Youm Al-Bahhar village has changed a lot since it first opened. Initially, it resembled an old fisherman’s village built on sand next to the sea and was filled with different old-school entertainment rides for the kids (the photo above of me and my brother is the only one I could find showing it). Over the years the village kept getting more modernized and eventually the children’s games were removed.

If you visited the village over the last few years then you’re not going to see much of a difference in terms of the main structure. It’s been cleaned up, and given a fresh new paint job but the layout is still basically the same. The village has a few shops that sell different things related to Kuwait, there is now a small museum, a rooftop cafe which was closed when I passed by, and an area filled with benches and surrounded by a few shops that sell various traditional food like tea and rugag bread.

The village opens from 11AM to 10PM but the various shops open from 4PM onwards. Entry is free and the village is located across from the National Assembly building (Google Maps).

A Space X rocket, carrying the first Kuwaiti Satellite (Kuwait Sat-1) will launch into space from Florida later today.

The satellite is a CubeSat which is a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. CubeSats are generic, modular satellites that come in different sizes and can be customized with various payloads. Kuwait’s satellite will have a camera payload which was put together by students at Kuwait University and will be operated by them after disengaging from the rocket.

With this satellite, Kuwait will be able to take its own photos of its own country from space which could then be used for many purposes ranging from environmental studies to mapping cities.

If you’re interested in watching the launch, 360 Mall will be broadcasting it live on their Oval Screen in the Main Atrium at 5:45 PM. For more information check @kw.university and @kfasinfo

Touch of Hope is a local animal shelter that rescues and rehabilitates cats and dogs. They’re holding a fundraiser next weekend to help the hundreds of rescued animals at the shelter.

If you’re interested in helping, they’re having a karaoke night filled with fun games and prizes as well as a delicious Asian buffet.

Place: Gimikan Restobar, Salmiya
Time & Date: Thursday, Jan 12, 2023, 6-10 pm
Price: 25 KD with ALL proceeds going towards buying food for the animals

If you’re interested in booking, you can WhatsApp them on 99835252

Below are all the events I found taking place this weekend, if I missed anything let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Dec 29
Meet Me At The Terrace
Rooftop Movie: Home Alone 2
Murouj Market
Bazzar Expo
The Walk: Kuwait Before Oil
Bugsha Street Food Market
Albohayra Farm
Latifa Neo Expressionism
The Promenade Family Fun

Friday, Dec 30
Kites Watching in Bnaider
Meet Me At The Terrace – Oud Nights
Murouj Market
Bazzar Expo
Albohayra Farm
Latifa Neo Expressionism
KMT: Open Track Day
965 Motor Club Superbike Championship
Bugsha Street Food Market
New Year’s Market

Saturday, Dec 31
Meet Me At The Terrace
Treasure Hunt At Alshaheed Park
Murouj Market
Bazzar Expo
KMT: Drag Roll Race
New Year Run 2023
Albohayra Farm
Latifa Neo Expressionism
Beekeeper’s Life Experience
New Year’s Market
Bugsha Street Food Market

Exhibitions
25 O’Clock by Walid Taher
A Retrospective by Abdulwahab Al Awadhi
Visitor of Freedom by Thuraya Al Baqsami

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Shotgun Wedding (7.3)
Summit Fever (4.9)

Other Movies Showing:
Avatar: The Way of Water (8.3)
Black Adam (7.5)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (7.4)
Mindcage (4.2)
Pil’s Adventures (6.1)
The Amazing Maurice (6.4)
The Lair (4.6)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:
Back to the Future (8.5)
Back to the Future Part II (7.8)
Back to the Future Part III (7.4)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (7.9)
Home Alone (7.7)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (6.8)

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

The cops have started getting their new cars with the updated livery and I’ve already seen a few on the streets and I think they look pretty hot. They’re much nicer than the current cars and I love the new metallic blue they’re using.

But, a lot of people seem to dislike the new livery, no idea why though.

There are a lot of NYE dinners taking place but here are the 6 hottest ones in my opinion (listed in alphabetical order).

Cure
40 KD per person

Mei li
90 KD per person

MZ by the Sea
75 KD per person

OFK
95 KD per person

Roka
30 KD per person

Upper Street
60 KD per person

According to the Ministry of Communications, starting February 2023, regular mail that arrives to Kuwait will be delivered straight to your home for a small fee. This means you no longer have to figure out which post office your package arrived at and then go through the hassle of picking it up yourself.

The package tracking system is also being revamped and improved since the current one is fairly basic and not that informative.

This is really good news because if the post office starts delivering mail straight to me I might just start shipping more stuff to them instead of using more expensive couriers like Shop&Ship and MyUS.

My favorite breakfast spot in Istanbul @namligurme is opening here in Kuwait in Avenues Phase 1. Namlı Gurme is a deli-style restaurant in Istanbul which I love because it’s super casual and serves a delicious Turkish breakfast.

The way it works in Istanbul is when you first walk into the place you stand in line at the deli counter and when it’s your turn, you order whatever you want from their fridge displays (cheeses, cold cuts, olives, jams, etc) as well as eggs with whatever you want with it. When your food is ready the waiter will bring it over to your table and I always get a jug of Turkish tea to have with it. It’s my favorite kind of breakfast.

When I say it’s my favorite breakfast spot in Istanbul I’m also not exaggerating, I literally have breakfast there every day, that’s how great this place is. I’m pretty surprised they’re opening in Kuwait because the concept is based of their local produce, but while prepping for this post I found out they’re actually also open in Bahrain (@namlibahrain) so if the concept works there it should work here. @namligurmekuwait

Below is a list of places I found that offer Christmas-themed lunches & dinners as well as cakes. If there is a place you know I haven’t listed, let me know so I can add it:

Dine-In
Courtyard by Marriott @courtyardkuwait
Crowne Plaza @crowneplazakuwaitatc
Hilton Garden Inn @hiltongardeninn_kuwait
Hilton Kuwait Resort @hiltonkuwaitresort
Jumeirah Messilah @jumeirahmessilahbeach
Radisson Blu Hotel @radissonblukuwait
Vigonovo @vigonovo_kw

Take Away
Crowne Plaza @crowneplazakuwaitatc
Dean & Deluca @deandelucame
Little Deli @littledeli
Madison & Heig @madisonandheig

Xmas Cakes
BreadTalk @breadtalkkuwait
J’s Bakery @js_bakery
Madison & Heig @madisonandheig
Mr Baker @mrbakerkwt
November & Co @novemberandco
Sable @sable.kw

Below are all the events I found taking place this weekend, if I missed anything let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Dec 22
Construction Expo Baytak
Meet Me At The Terrace – DJ Nights

Friday, Dec 23
Construction Expo Baytak
Kites Watching in Bnaider
Meet Me At The Terrace – Live Music
Let It Snow Painting Event
Kuwait Rally Championship

Saturday, Dec 24
Construction Expo Baytak
Meet Me At The Terrace
Doll Making Workshop
Art of Life Coaching – Fresh Start Workshop
Trip to Failaka
An Insight into Kuwaiti Films
Al Jahra Nature Reserves Eco Tour
Yoga – Festive Flow by the Pool
ALONE! Mindfulness Session
Bloom – Sustainability Lifestyle & Entertainment Market

Exhibitions
25 O’Clock by Walid Taher
A Retrospective by Abdulwahab Al Awadhi
Visitor of Freedom by Thuraya Al Baqsami

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum
Tareq Rajab Museum

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Mindcage (4.2)
The Amazing Maurice (6.4)
The Lair (4.6)

Other Movies Showing:
Avatar: The Way of Water (8.3)
Black Adam (7.5)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (7.4)
Detective Knight: Redemption
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (6.5)
Pil’s Adventures (6.1)
Violent Night (7.0)

The classic films below are currently showing at the 1954 Film House:

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – 1982 (7.9)
Home Alone – 1990 (7.7)
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – 1992 (6.8)

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

This cabin which looks like it’s located in a remote area of Montana is actually in Wafra. The retro-looking A-frame building has 3 bedrooms with a second smaller cabin next door that has another extra bedroom. There is also an outdoor temperature-controlled pool, a small pond, and lots of greenery and hills around the 10,000 sqm property.

One night at the A-frame costs 150KD while a weekend is 500KD. It holds up to 8 people, so find enough friends and that’s around 60KD per person for a weekend getaway in Kuwait. @a_framekw

Earlier this month I posted that MEI LI was opening sometime this month, there is now an official date and its December 31st.

MEI LI is a new Pan Asian fine dining concept that is located inside the Grand Hyatt. They’re launching with a six-course special dinner for New Year’s Eve but then will start regular operations and bookings from January 1st onwards.

If you’re interested in the special NYE dinner, it’s 90KD per person and you have to call the hotel to book. @mei_likw @grandhyattkuwait