2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003Found this video and some photos on the @t2.engineers Instagram account showing the current status of the new T2 terminal that’s under construction. I had heard that work on the airport never stopped throughout the pandemic which is how I guess they’ve managed to get so much done.
There is another video I found below taken from @arabaviation that shows how the interior is coming along as well.
This is related to my dirt bike adventure yesterday but decided it deserved a separate post.
Subiya is one big garbage dump right now.
The causeway bridge is the worst thing to happen to Subiya because as soon as you cross over to the other side it’s now littered with garbage. Like EVERYWHERE! There wasn’t a single off-road area yesterday where we didn’t come across garbage. It’s so sad and upsetting and especially since I used to visit the area before the bridge was opened up and I remember how clean it used to be. There were barely ever any people there, no campsites at all, and just camels with herders. Now it’s just a big ass garbage dump.
People camp and litter and it’s disgusting. Instead of banning electric scooters on roads or importing car exhausts, how about banning camping in the desert instead? How about turning the whole desert area into a natural reserve and have people request permission to camp in designated camping grounds like they do in national parks in the States?
It’s so sad.
I’ve been wanting to experience dirt biking ever since I got my motorbike license back in 2006. I had ridden sports bikes, naked bikes, cruisers and scooters but always felt dirt bikes might be more fun. The only reason I never got one is because I couldn’t figure out how to make it financially viable. If I did buy a dirt bike I’d have to take it out a few times a month which sounds doable, but I’d also need a trailer to transport it and that seemed like too much of a hassle for me to end up wanting to do it more than once or twice a month.
Then a few weeks ago, I got a notification on Instagram that one of my Facebook friends is now on instagram as @xkuwaitofficial. A guy I met nearly a decade ago through my blog called Faris Al-Obaid had set up a business called X Kuwait offering extreme experiences one of which was dirt biking based off the photos he was posting on the account. He always was into extreme sports so I thought it was cool that he had set this up. I decided to check out his website see how much one of these dirt bike adventures cost so I could mentally restart the process of considering buying a dirt bike, I figured maybe I could store the bike with them and they could take it out for me whenever I join on one of these trips. While checking their website I noticed that under one of the dirt bike adventures they mention that they provide the bike and gear. Right away I got in touch with Faris to confirm that they provided the actual dirt bikes and he confirmed that was the case. I wanted to book instantly but my back was super messed up that weekend so I waited a couple of weeks before finally booking a 4-hour adventure which I went on yesterday.
It was one of the scariest yet most fun experiences I’ve had in ages.
We met up at an empty lot on the other side of the Sheikh Jaber causeway bridge at around 10am. I got there and the two bikes were already set up and Faris was there getting some stuff ready. They provide the gear so the first thing I had to do was change and put on a bunch of safety gear then the outfit and then the boots, helmet, and gloves. I got a brief of the route we were going to take and then got a tour of the bike. Since I already knew how to ride a motorbike I was familiar with how bike works but just to quickly give you readers an overview, the gear clutch is controlled with a left-hand leaver, the front brakes with a right-hand leaver, then your left foot controls the gearbox (you tap a leaver with your foot up and down) and your right foot controls the rear brakes. But, because dirt bike boots were made of hard plastic and so weren’t flexible (similar to ski boots), I had no idea how I was going to change gears or even feel my feet changing gears. He made me ride around the empty lot for a bit to get myself familiar and I realized changing gears was going to be something I’d just have to get used to.
We then left the parking lot on the bikes and headed off-road. Faris knows the area really well, calls it his backyard so the route he had planned for us would start off easy and get more and more difficult the further we went into the 4-hour adventure. The first part of the trail was mostly flat hard sand with some soft sand spots so I could get a feel for the bike and when he saw I was doing ok he’d take me on a path that was slightly more challenging. We took our first break 15 minutes into the ride so he could check up on me and see if I had any questions. After that, we headed out again and did multiple stops throughout the whole trip at different interesting sights.
I think my favorite part of the trip was a long strip of a closed off highway that was covered in sand. It felt like we were in a post-apocalyptic world where nature had taken over. At that point it was also the most difficult part of the trip since riding on soft sand is super dodgy. You can’t stop, you can’t slow down and you constantly have to be on guard because the rear wheel has a habit of slipping and going sideways.
The hardest bit of the journey was actually right at the end of the trip, a rough rocky terrain that required slow speed and lots of standing up on the bike which I thankfully had gotten used to by that point of the trip. I was exhausted both mentally and physically but the idea that I hadn’t fallen off the bike yet that day kept me going and gave me more confidence. We finally got back to our cars and it felt great getting back into my soft sneakers and comfy car seat.
The cost of this 4-hour experience was KD169 which for me at least was a great deal. It’s much cheaper than buying a bike and I had so much fun. You definitely need to know how to ride a bike to experience this and he does offer lessons although I’m not sure how much they cost. It was much harder than I was expecting it to be and really tough mentally and physically but I’m glad I did the 4-hour adventure and not the 2-hour one since it gave me twice as much time to get familiar with dirt bikes. Currently, Faris can take up to two people per adventure but he might be selling one of the bikes and then he’d only be able to take one person out. If you want to get more info on X Official, their Instagram is @xkuwaitofficial and their website is xkuwaitshop.com
Today is going to be a day of complaining on the blog. I don’t think I’ve ever been so pessimistic about the future of Kuwait as I have been recently. From roads that are a total mess to laws that don’t make any sense. And then when you have serious issues, nothing gets done about it.
Last week the popular local instagrammer Ascia got harassed while leaving her office on the way to her car. She was clearly shaken up and posted an emotional story on her Instagram about what had happened. Women getting harrassed by men is such a common occurrence in Kuwait it’s become the norm. There isn’t a single girl I know who hasn’t been harassed and it happens all the time.
Women get harassed at malls, universities, in parking lots, at work, everywhere basically, and nothing ever gets done about it. But now a bunch of popular instagrammers are going vocal about the issue and hopefully, people will finally listen to them.
Other than Ascia, the popular luxury footwear designer Najeeba Hayat (@liudmilahq) has been very vocal about harassment sharing stories by other women on her account. Local illustrators like @wadaniart and @coffeeandcastoffs have also posted about the problem and the movement seems to be gaining traction. An instagram account was set up called Lan Asket (@lan.asket) which translates into “I won’t stay quiet” which has been posting stories of harrasment in both English and Arabic.
Men can help too. Anytime you see a form of harassment taking place get involved. I witness a lot of cases of harassment on the Gulf Road and anytime I see it happening, I usually pull up behind the guy and start flashing my high beams and honking the horn until he drives off.
Knowing how things are in Kuwait I’m not very optimistic something will be done about this. Like I mentioned in my previous post, they usually implement new rules or laws, enforce them heavily for two weeks and then forget about them. It’s sad really, but hopefully, I’m wrong.
What do you think needs to be done? What would help this issue? What can men do to support this cause? I’m interested in what people think about this subject. Have you been harassed before? Share your story.
[poll id=”15″]
Over the weekend the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced that the importing of car exhaust systems would be banned. Like every normal person, I also hate it when I’m sitting somewhere quiet only to have some asshole in a Silvarado pickup truck with a modified exhaust system rev his engine loud as if he’s about to take part in a drag race. But, banning the import of exhausts doesn’t solve this issue!
Why is it that every time there is any sort of problem the first solution is to apply an outright ban? People are riding electric scooters on the street? Let’s ban that. Some expats are using their private pickups for commercial work? Let’s ban them from owning pickup trucks. People might have sex in the back seat of their cars if we allow dark window tinting? Ban that! Instead of taking a bit of time to think of a proper solution, things just get banned and that sucks.
Firstly lets be clear about something, banning the import of car exhausts doesn’t solve the issue of people being loud with their cars. There are a lot of ways to make your current exhaust existing system loud and it’s easy and cheap to do. You can for example remove your car’s catalytic converter or your muffler and that would make your car really loud. You can cut holes in your muffler and that will also make your exhaust loud. You can even go to a local exhaust shop and have him fabricate you a cheap exhaust with the purpose of being loud if you want. There are lots of options without having to import an exhaust system from abroad.
I’ve personally imported two exhaust systems and both times it had nothing to do with making my car louder. The first exhaust I ordered was for my first Lotus, I didn’t like the way the stock exhaust looked like so I ordered a new one with carbon fiber tips (pictured on top). It didn’t make my car any louder and it came with a valve similar to the factory system that would stay closed for normal use and keep the car quiet. I simply ordered the exhaust for looks. The second time I ordered an exhaust system was for my 1972 Datsun 240Z which is currently in the final stages of restoration. The exhaust that came on the car was a poor quality aftermarket exhaust that was in terrible condition, so I ordered a new high-quality hand made exhaust all the way from Japan (cost me around 600KD and pictured below) to try and keep my restoration authentic. I know people who order exhausts for performance reasons as well, some exhaust systems add horsepower to the car and some are lighter and reduce the overall weight of the car.
More importantly though, what is considered loud in the first place? In Europe and other parts of the world, cars have noise limits that are measured in decibels. It’s not based on some cop’s opinion of what he thinks is loud, it’s actually a specific db number that if your car exceeds is then considered illegal. When they started cracking down on cars with loud exhausts last week nobody mentioned any db limit, just that people with “loud” exhaust would be fined and possibly have their cars impounded. But loud could mean one thing to one person and another thing to another.
Anyway, like every new law that gets announced in Kuwait, this will probably last a couple of weeks before it’s forgotten about and everything goes back to normal, so maybe I shouldn’t be so frustrated with this.
Below is this weekend’s list of things you can do. If I missed anything let me know.
Thursday
Desert Experience
Outdoor Movie: Wonder Woman 2
Treasure Hunt at the Museums
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
BBT Picnic
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Friday
Fun Fishing
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
DJ Flow at JAR
Saturday
Re.Connect Retreat in the Desert
Hidden Secrets of Al Mubarakiya
Beach Yoga (Ladies Only)
Saturday Morning Sailing
Camel Races
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
DJ West at JAR
I’m a huge fan of Mogahwi but sometimes they’re a bit limited with options with their stationery items. Jarir has a good selection but there is another cool place that might have more stuff than both of them, Rakan Book Store.
Rakan is both a book store and stationery store located in Hawalli. They also have a small selection of toys and various other items but their stationaries section is hard to beat. When I wanted to get a new pair of scissors from Mogahwi I was limited with just a handful of options, while at Rakan they had a full section just for scissors. And that’s just one example I experienced last week.
What I also like about Rakan is on their top floor they have a section filled with tacky looking Arabic posters, stuff you’d find on the walls of your Arabic classrooms back when you were a kid. They’re fun to rummage through.
If you’re concerned about parking because it’s Hawalli you shouldn’t be. The place is located right off the 40th so getting in and out is pretty easy. There is also a large paid parking right next door so parking is super easy. If you want to check them out their Instagram is @rakan_book_store and here is their location on Google Maps.
Gatwa W Gahwa, the first Cat Cafe in Kuwait that was located in Galleria 2000 closed down a couple of years back. They were moving to a new location in Boulevard and they even changed their name to Cats Boulevard, but then Corona hit and I guess the project was put on hold. There is now another place in Salmiya called Perfect Paws where you can go and play with cats. It’s not a cafe though, it’s what the owner calls a playground. I dropped by yesterday to check it out and it’s definitely not as nice a place as Gatwa W Gahwa, but if you want to play with some cats, you’re pretty limited with options.
Perfect Paws is located on the top floor of Fashion Way across the street from Al Fanar Complex. It costs KD3 per hour to play with their cats and there are A LOT of cats to play with. It’s only by appointment so no walk-ins allowed. But, even by appointment, I’d probably hold off on passing by during the pandemic since yesterday there were 10 people in the small place playing with the cats when I walked by. If you want to visit the playground or book an hour, then head over to their Instagram account @perfect.pawsq8
AlMuthanna Complex used to be one of the very few malls in Kuwait when I was growing up and it had some of my favorite places including The Kuwait Bookshop and Hungry Bunny. But for over a decade now it’s been a ghost town of a sort. I heard it had something to do with the fact that the land lease had expired and there was a transition period but that was over 10 years ago. I also heard rumors they were planning to demolish the building as well.
There are just a handful of stores still open in the mall so it’s pretty sad. The complex is located in a great location in the city, it has tons of parking and even the residential apartments are nicely laid out and constructed. If anyone knows what’s going on with the building let me know.
There are a lot of collectors in Kuwait but a lot fewer people willing to sell what they have. GTM Comics is the Instagram account for a local comic book and toy collector called Mishari AlReshaid who actually sells some of his stuff. He has vintage comics, action figures from the 80s, old lunch boxes from the 80s, some new release collectibles and a bunch of other things. You can check out his store on Instagram @gtmcomics_shop
GQ Magazine published an article yesterday on places to eat in Kuwait put together by Chef Faisal Al Nashmi. The list includes Habra, Al-Shimam, Oak & Smoke, BBT and Tampopo. It got me thinking about what places I’d recommend nowadays and other than some of the ones already mentioned in the article, I struggled to think of more. I think I would add the following:
Cardamon Club, Cocoa Room, Ora, San Ristorante, and White Robata.
For the past year, I haven’t been going out to restaurants as much when I used to frequent Cocoa Room and White Robata for example at least once a week before the pandemic. It’s also why I haven’t posted about anything new in ages, I just don’t feel like it right now. Even Cocoa Room and White Robata which I love and used to frequent on a weekly basis, since the pandemic started I’ve only been back to Cocoa Room once and I haven’t been back to White Robata yet. The only place I seem to frequent often is BBT since I get to eat out of my car, but the rest of the time I’m just ordering delivery.
If you have places you think should be on the list mention it in the comment, to check out the GQ article click here.
There are still a few places that develop 35mm film in Kuwait (example) but film options available are really limited. CRATE (@bycrate) is a local online store that sells 35mm and 120mm film as well as some cameras (disposable and reusable).
Prices are expensive or reasonable depending on how you look at them. They sell the Lomography “Simple Use Film Camera 400” for KD10 which is more expensive than the Lomo website but cheaper than if you ordered it yourself. But then you have the 800T Cinetstill film for example which they’re selling for KD8 but costs KD4 online so slightly cheaper if you ordered it yourself. Want it now and don’t want to bother ordering the stuff online? Then you’re going to have to pay a bit of a “premium”.
If you’re interested in film, check out their website bycrate.com
A lot of cool things happening this weekend, check out the full list below.
Thursday
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
BBT Picnic
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Desert Experience Trip
Friday
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Fun Fishing
Sound Healing Session
Meditation Session
DJ B at JAR
Saturday
Camel Races
CAP Collection: Spotlights Exhibition
RECCO Night Garden at Green Island
Tandem Skydive
Yoga in the Woods
TrashTag Beach Cleanup
TrashHero Desert Cleanup
Kuwait Raptors Trivia Night
Saturday Sunset Cruising
If I missed anything let me know.
Have you ever dined aboard a traditional wooden dhow? Now is your chance! Al Boom Steak & Seafood Restaurant opened brand new outdoor seating. It’s a whole new experience you should not miss. Al Boom Restaurant is located aboard a traditional wooden ship modeled after those that used to sail the Arabian Gulf and is “docked” at Radisson Blu Hotel, Kuwait.
The Head Chef of Al Boom Restaurant, Mukthar Alli, completely revised the menu that will take you on a tour around the world with dishes inspired by Indian, Arabic, European and American cuisines. The meat selection will surely please every meat lover as it includes prime cuts of Certified Angus Beef and Australian Wagyu. The seafood section includes shrimp, lobster, and various types of fish popular in Kuwait. All specials are charcoal-grilled to perfection – mmm… so tender and juicy.
Every Friday, Al Boom also opens for Al Boom Friday Brunch. Who doesn’t love to be outdoors around this time of the year? The deck of Al Boom is a perfect place to sit back, listen to the sound of the sea, and enjoy the lavish meal prepared by the skilled chefs of Radisson Blu Hotel. The brunch, served at your table, features impressive 21 dishes that include mezzes, salads, tapas, and of course freshly grilled specials. The Al Boom Brunch will make you go WOW! And all the dishes are snap-worthy, so get your camera ready.
The Al Boom Restaurant, built in Calicut, India in 1979, is an exact replica of dhows that used to sail the Arabian Sea until the start of the twentieth century. The ship arrived in Kuwait in 1980, right in time for the opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel, and Al Boom Restaurant first opened in 1982. The lavish wooden décor with touches of copper creates a truly unique nautical ambiance. Ever since its opening Al Boom has been visited by many famous guests throughout the years such as sheiks, presidents, and senators, and it has earned an esteemed reputation for its high-class hospitality. A meal here is an event you must experience.
Al Boom Steak & Seafood Restaurant
Radisson Blu Hotel
T: +965 2567 3430 | [email protected] | radissonhotels.com/blu
Opening Hours:
6–11 pm | Monday – Saturday
12–4 pm | Friday Brunch
Closed | Sunday
Last year, the government announced that expats over the age of 60 who have a secondary degree or below will have to leave the country. Supposedly this will help solve the demographic imbalance that has resulted in expats currently making up 70 percent of the population. A lot of people didn’t think this decision was that big of a deal and maybe I’m a bit guilty of that as well. But recently I started realizing who those people being forced to leave would be and now I’m pretty pissed about it.
What I didn’t realize or at least took time to realize is that just because you don’t have a college degree it doesn’t mean you don’t have any skill or experience.
A few weeks ago when I was shopping for a sound system I had such a great experience interacting with a salesman who knew his stuff. I hate dealing with salespeople usually because most don’t know what they’re talking about and are just trying to make a sale but this person I dealt with was an older guy with a lot of experience because he had been working in this field for a long time. I then found out he was going to have to leave this year because he was over 60 and they couldn’t renew his visa.
The video on top is a short piece by AlQabas TV on Souq Safafeer, the metal market in the city. If you ignore the fact that the reporter wasn’t wearing a mask and skip to minute 6 in the video, the reporter interviews a metalworker who’s been in Kuwait since the 50s and is now being forced to leave because of the new rule. He doesn’t have a college degree but he has a skill that we’re now losing.
And we’re going to be losing a lot more of these experienced and skilled people that don’t have any degrees. Could be your favorite barber or the best welder in your company, expats who have been working for a very long time and have become the best at what they do and now have to leave because they don’t have degrees.
Forget the fact that some people like the old metalworker in the video above has been living in Kuwait for nearly 60 years and now is being told he needs to start a new life somewhere else. That’s a messed up thing by itself but put that aside for now, how does it benefit Kuwait if we are kicking out the most skilled and experienced people? I don’t get it.
This post reminded me of the old photographer in the city who I posted about years ago. His story was slightly different, he moved to Kuwait in the 50s as a teenager after running away from an abusive father in Lebanon and had been living in Kuwait as a photographer ever since. He never left Kuwait, not even for a vacation. When I first met him he was having anxiety because his residency had expired and he had trouble reaching his sponsor and was worried he would have to leave the country. He was around 80 years old with no family, home, or anything outside of Kuwait. With this new rule, he would have been forced to leave. Totally messed up.