2:48AM - Entertaining Kuwait since 2003

I hadn’t heard of Duck Park until a few days ago when I stumbled on an old post by @natureinkuwait. It’s a small park located in Shaab that has a small pond and ducks!

The photos on Instagram looked a lot nicer than it was in reality but that mostly has to do with the fact there wasn’t any water in the pond when I passed by. Not sure why there’s no water but there were a few ducks there just playing in the mud. The park overall is pretty nice, small but looks well taken care of and features a climbing rope section for kids along with some swings and toys. There are also birdhouses scattered around including a pretty large one with multiple holes and a rooster that was roaming around freely.

If you want to pass by and check out the park, here is the location on Google Maps.

Retro City, the arcade place that opened back in 2020 inside Boulevard Mall relocated a couple of months ago to a new location. They’re still inside Boulevard Mall but they’ve moved to a larger space on the top floor instead. They’re across from Fantasy World, on the opposite end of the mall from Sultan Center.

Retro City also carries some toys and figurines from old-school cartoons like Grendizer, Masters of the Universe and Thundercats. If you’re into retro gaming and cartoons, their Instagram is @retrocitykw

Back in November, I posted about how easy it was to get the booster shot but since then things have changed considerably. A lot more people are now getting their boosters and so it’s a lot busier and you also now have to register for an appointment.

If you haven’t registered for your booster dose yet, here is a link to the signup form.

Also on a side note, masks are back again. This past week everywhere I went more people were wearing masks than those who weren’t. What’s interesting about it this time around is that the impression I’m getting is people are choosing to wear the mask out of social responsibility, and not because someone is telling them to do so. Nobody wants to go back into lockdown or life with curfews again that’s for sure.

As part of its ongoing efforts to the safety and well-being of riders working with its platform, talabat Kuwait’s leading food and grocery delivery platform – announced today it will provide life and work injuries insurance to the Delivery’s partners riders to insure riders against work-related incidents and injuries.

Commenting on the announcement, Bader Ibrahim Al-Ghanim, talabat Kuwait’s Managing Director said: “This announcement is in line with our efforts to always prioritize riders safety and well-being when using the talabat platform, and this is what these newly introduced policies will ensure. Additionally, this and similar initiatives will further support local small and medium-sized companies operating in the Delivery sector in Kuwait”.

Al-Ghanim added that ‘talabat always thrives to establish initiatives aiming to improve riders everyday well-being, which means they are always confident when using the talabat app to deliver to customers their favorite meals and groceries’ which in turn means they are always confident about delivering for talabat app users, to deliver them their favorite meals and groceries”.

The attention given to the health and well-being of riders using the talabat app, whether during or outside of working hours, is an integral part of the company’s culture. This has been evident in a number of initiatives including this one which the company has launched in the past.

Various Initiatives:

Since the beginning of the pandemic, talabat has been working on developing and enhancing the overall experience riders have when delivering or using the platform. The company introduced various initiatives in the past that focused on different aspects of the riders every day including their health, well-being, and personal finances. This comes as part of talabat’s belief that riders are the company’s everyday heroes who make it possible to deliver to people around the region their favorite orders anywhere and at any time.

Al-Ghanim concluded his statement by adding ‘Supporting the delivery sector is of great importance and is necessary for everyone in the industry, and we, therefore, encourage others to adopt similar initiatives that do not only support business owners, but also those who are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and to positively impact thousands of riders in the industry.’

Things are a bit slow this weekend but with the rising cases of Corona it’s probably a good thing. There are some outdoor activities taking place this weekend though, so you can still go out and be safe. Check out the full list of events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Exhibition: Clark Stoeckley
Life Drawing in the Garden

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Exhibition: Clark Stoeckley
BBT Picnic
Albohayra Farm
Desert Icebergs: A storytelling evening under the stars
Beach Movie Night

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Exhibition: Clark Stoeckley
Grand Mosque Tour
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
BBT Picnic
Albohayra Farm
Sailing: Saturday Cruising
Beach Sunrise Yoga & Breathing
Kasa Walks: Uncovering the New Terminal

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

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

New This Weekend:
My Son (6.0)
Raging Fire (6.7)
The Colony (5.4)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Christmas Thieves (5.1)
Demonic (4.2)
Encanto (7.8)
House of Gucci (7.1)
Pinocchio: A True Story (N/A)
Sing 2 (7.2)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (9.2)
The Kindred (6.6)
The King’s Man (6.8)
The Matrix Resurrections (6.1)

Classic Movies Showing Now:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (8.8)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (8.7)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Encanto (7.8)
The Matrix Resurrections (6.1)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

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

Ever since old Salmiya got a facelift I’ve refrained from posting about it due to all the issues I have with the project (which I won’t get into in this post). But, one good thing has come out of it and that is Little Manila.

Over the past couple of years, the Filipino community has been slowly taking over the first chunk of Salem Mubarek Street that was made pedestrian-only a few years ago. It started off with popular Asian-focused supermarkets popping up, followed by shops and restaurants (we now have like 400 fried chicken and bubble tea concepts now). There is a lot of life on the street now with a great atmosphere in the evenings. We have live music, lots of outdoor restaurants, dogs and kids running around, and even pop-up markets.

Although I still have issues with the project, I like how the community has taken it over. When I was a kid we used to call the neighborhood old Salmiya but now everyone is calling it Little Manila. If you haven’t been to the neighborhood before or haven’t been in a while, you should come by. Parking and traffic are still an issue but if you’re willing to park a bit far and walk you’ll be fine. Here is the location on Google Maps.

The other day out of the blue I remembered this drink I used to have back in the 80s called Hapi. I used to only have it in one place, a drive-thru car wash I used to go to with my dad. It was in their vending machine and I think it tasted like root beer. I doubt it was a popular drink and don’t think a lot of people remember it.

Anyway, just a random flashback for those who might remember the drink.

I got this video as a forward but didn’t post it since there was no way of knowing if it was in Kuwait or not. But, the local news media picked up the story, and turns out it was indeed in Kuwait. A lion escaped from captivity and was found roaming the streets before the owner found it and carried the lion back home. The weirder part is the environmental police attended the scene but didn’t confiscate the animal but instead helped the woman get the lion back into her captivity. I guess the plan to ban wild animals never materialized. Link

Update: There is some good news and bad news. The good news is the lion was actually rescued and is now at the zoo. The bad news is that the lion was found to be blind, deaf, and malnourished. They are currently investigating to see if she was born like this or if something happened to her.

One of the first burger franchises to open in Kuwait was Wimpy back in 1969. So when I was approached by Wimpy’s marketing team to visit their newly relaunched concept I was intrigued. There are so many more burger places today than there ever were back in the 70s and 80s so I was curious as to how the OG burger joint would decide to compete. I ended up passing by yesterday for lunch to try the place out and I left impressed. Wimpy didn’t just get a new logo and some new packaging, instead, the whole concept got rebuilt from the ground up and every single part of it got upgraded.

I ended up ordering their Tripple Wimpy B combo but based on the messages I got from my instagram followers, I should have ordered the old school with egg burger or the chicken pury wrap since these two seem to be their most popular items. The last time I had Wimpy my experience wasn’t so great so I’m glad they fixed things up. The new branding is bright and fun and their new burgers are wayyyyy better than they ever used to be. Wimpy now use beef patties that are made fresh to order and they’re smashed similar to other good burger places. I didn’t have the chicken but they’re also now fresh and hand-breaded. For the buns, they’re using custom potato buns by Kuwait Flour Mills. I was only planning to take photos and have a few bites of the burger since I was on my way to a tasting when I dropped by, but I ended up eating the whole burger because it was that good. Oh, and if you’re a fan of crinkle-cut fries then you’re gonna like the new Wimpy fries.

Wimpy currently has two locations, a branch in Nuzha and one in Shamiya. They’re also planning to open a new location in Jabriya next week right next to the large KFC facing the 4th Ring Road. They offer delivery, car hop, and pickup as well as having a small outdoor seating. If you’re interested in checking out their full menu including their all-day breakfast and newly expanded beverage menu, check them out on instagram @wimpykwt

For the seventh time in eight years, Kuwait has been ranked the worst destination for expats, coming in last place in the Expat Insider survey (59th out of 59 countries), Al Anba newspaper reported.

According to the Expat Insider survey, Kuwait ranks last in the Quality of Life Index (59th), with especially poor results in the Leisure Options, Personal Happiness, and Travel and Transportation subcategories (59th for all).

Kuwait is also the worst expat destination worldwide in the Ease of Settling (59th), with 46 per cent of expats not feeling at home while 45 per cent find it difficult to settle down in the country.

This report came out before the long weekend and I’m not sure if it’s newsworthy or not anymore. On the one hand, Kuwait being the worst place in the world for expats is newsworthy, but it’s for the seventh time so it now feels like old news. I also don’t think the ranking is going to change next year since it doesn’t look like anyone even cares what expats think of life in Kuwait. The article mentions that “Kuwait expressed strong dissatisfaction with the report” which means they don’t believe things are as bad as the report makes it out to be. Anyway, here is the link to the article. Link

I left the house yesterday not realizing half of Kuwait was flooded and headed to Shuwaikh to pick up some car-related stuff. Getting into Shuwaikh was a mission since the cops had blocked off a bunch of roads that had flooded. I was in my lifted FJ so wasn’t too concerned about getting stuck in a flood and ended up getting everything I needed without having to deal with the usual heavy traffic. For example, the main Toyota spare parts branch on Canada Dry street was completely empty except for me when usually I would need to take a number and then wait 15 minutes or longer for my turn.

A bunch of videos got circulated yesterday over whatsapp and social media and so I picked out the best ones and compiled them into the video above in case you didn’t get to see them.

It’s supposedly going to rain throughout the weekend but in case it doesn’t there are a few interesting outdoor activities taking place. If it is raining then you can always visit the various art exhibitions taking place. Check out the full list of events taking place below and have a Happy New Year:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Albohayra Farm

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Modern Architecture in Kuwait 1949-1989
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
BBT Picnic
Seasons Expo – Fasion, Watches & Beauty
Zahra Farms Wonderland
New Year Run 2022
Pajama Sound Healing
Horse Riding in Seashell
Albohayra Farm

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Grand Mosque Tour
Treasure Hunt in Al Shaheed Park
BBT Picnic
Zahra Farms Wonderland
Into The Stars Trip
New Year Kayaking for Ladies
Albohayra Farm

Sunday
Exhibition: Saad Hamdan – The Spirit of Ceramics
Exhibition: The Private Collection of Mahsa Azimi
Exhibition: Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi – The Sound of Silence
Exhibition: Abduljalil Al Shareefi – Nostalgia
Exhibition: Different Stories Same Artist
Horse Riding in Al Wafra
Zahra Farms Wonderland
Albohayra Farm

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments.

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

New This Weekend:
Demonic (4.2)
Joey and Ella (5.9)
The King’s Man (6.8)
Troll: The Tale of a Tail (5.1)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Christmas Thieves (5.1)
Encanto (7.8)
House of Gucci (7.1)
King Richard (6.8)
Pinocchio: A True Story (N/A)
Sing 2 (7.2)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (9.2)
The Kindred (6.6)
The Matrix Resurrections (6.1)

Classic Movies Showing Now:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (8.8)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Encanto (7.8)
The Matrix Resurrections (6.1)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

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

If you’ve ever looked at buying a cool used sports car, maybe a Porsche or a Lambo you’ve probably noticed that you’ve struggled to find a lot of options locally. It’s a fairly common problem, someone is looking to buy an old sports car but there aren’t any available for sale. There were always rumors about the cars being sold to Europe, that there were some German guys in Kuwait who pick up used cars for cheap and then export them to Germany where they get sold. It sounded like a myth but a quick look at the Instagram account of AlSarraf Motors, a used car dealer, and you’ll see a lot of his cars do get sold abroad, and mainly to Germany. According to the caption they posted on the picture above, the white Porsche was their 88th Porsche exported. That’s an insane number for one brand, at one used car dealer in a small market like Kuwait.

Last year there was a 2009 Porsche 911 for sale in the blogs classified section for 4,500KD (pictured above), and a few weeks ago I got the following email from the person who bought it:

Hello, I bought your car from Jaap in the Netherlands. I am very happy with it. I have a couple of questions.
1 do you still have the service history and instruction books
2 do you still have 1 key? I received the car with 1 key
Thank you for replying to My message.

So I emailed the guy who originally had the car listed the car for sale and supposedly car sellers in Europe search for cars on popular websites in Kuwait, and then use a local guy to purchase and export the cars where they end up selling it for double or quadruple the amount in Europe. This has caused a problem locally because previously you could buy a used Porsche, Lambo, Ferrari, Maserati, etc.. for a reasonable price, but now because so many are getting exported, it’s causing the prices of the cars to inflate locally due to less being available for sale.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal unless you’re into cars and are looking to pick up an affordable used sports car and realize there aren’t any available. Not sure how this issue can be solved, maybe an export tax? Maybe it isn’t even a problem that needs solving since the cars will most probably have a better life in Europe anyway. It’s an interesting situation.