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Last year when I traveled to London and Paris I found the hotels to be very expensive. They ate away a large chunk of the vacation money along with the plane tickets. This year with the cheap British Airways tickets there was a good chance the hotel budget would even exceed the cost of the plane tickets so I started searching for a solution. I needed an affordable hotel that had the following:

– Internet Access
– Location close to Oxford Street
– Location close to underground
– Cleanliness
– Security
– Modern looking

I found a ton of cheap hotels in London but none fit all my criteria and majority had gotten negative reviews on TripAdvisor.com. By chance I found out about a new easyHotel branch that had opened up in Paddington late last year and most if not all the reviews online were positive.

easyHotel is a no frills super budget hotel. To keep its prices down the rooms contain only two very essential things.. a bed and a bathroom. Thats it. No closet, side table, shelves, carpet, phone, mini bar, or anything else non essential. There is a flat screen TV but you have to pay for the remote control and thats the only amenity. According to the reviews online the hotel was very clean and in an excellent location so I decided to give it a shot. Four nights cost me only KD79 which is around KD20 a night. Compared to KD60 a night I paid for a normal room in an average 3 star hotel last year, this was a steal.

I took the regular subway from the airport to the hotel. It was around a 45 minute journey. I had an Oyster card which I recharged to use for a whole week (zone 1 & 2) so I paid only 1.5 pounds to take me from Heathrow to Paddington station which is a 2 minute walk from the hotel. If you don’t have an Oyster card the cost is around 4 pounds for a ticket.

When I arrived to the hotel I was given a choice of either a room on the 3rd floor or one in the basement. Since I wanted a bit of sun light I opted for the 3rd floor room. This meant I had to carry two bags (mine and Nat’s) up 3 flights of stairs since the hotel doesn’t have a lift. The bags were light on arrival so that wasn’t a problem but after all the shopping the bags more than doubled in weight so carrying them back down was exhausting and I nearly busted my knee. Once we got to the room I was actually impressed. Yes, the room is very tiny but it was spotless and bright. There was barely enough room to fit two bags side by side on the floor at the foot of the bed but even without any bags two people can’t move around the room very freely.

I liked the room and I really liked the hotel. I don’t think I can stay in the room for more than five days and with all the shopping we practically filled up all the floor space with bags but it was actually fun. We would get to the room late, watch a bit of TV, sleep, wake up early, leave the room and not come back until it was very late again. So really the room was serving its purpose. They had a special offer and gave us the TV remote control for free, there was also cheap wifi at 20pounds for a weeks use, AC/Heating was available surprisingly and best of all the hotel is a 2 minute walk from Paddington station and around 6 buses from Oxford Street stop right in front of the hotel. The hotel staff were also very friendly and helpful. Last day we were planning to take the Heathrow Express to the airport (16 pounds for a one way ticket) when the hotel employee advised us to take the Heathrow Connect (approx 6 pounds for a one way ticket). Turns out the Heathrow Connect is around 15 minutes slower but less than half the price so even more savings!

The final score I would give the hotel is a 4 out of 5. Its a very very excellent value hotel, just be prepared not to expect much from it in terms of size and amenities. I highly recommend it and will definitely be staying there again myself.

I am getting ready to leave to London. Unlike most trips I am trying to take as little stuff as I can with me since my hotel room will be tiny and has no storage space whatsoever. Electronics wise I am taking my iPhone, MSI Wind netbook, Sony W300 camera and my iPod. For my in-flight entertainment I am loaded with stuff. I have season 1 of Mad Men, Supernatural, Star Trek The Next Generation and Battlestar Galactica. I’ve also got a few episodes of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares (US and UK versions), some old Stalone movies like Tango & Cash, Victory, Lock Up and Nighthawks and some newer movies like W and Doubt and finally, all the Harry Potter movies since I haven’t watched a single one of them yet. I can’t wait to get there.

I took my Tamiya Lunchbox out for the first time today. After all the hard work with the paint job I ironically managed to scratch it while it was still in the trunk of my Wrangler. If that wasn’t bad enough, 10 minutes into my run the Lunchbox lost died on me. It was performing really well, taking some great jumps while my dog was busy trying to catch it when suddenly it just stopped moving. When I got closer I realized the motor was working but the wheels weren’t spinning which meant something was wrong with the gears.

I got home, took apart the car again and turned out it was a problem with one of the gears, the pinion gear which is the one thats connected to the motor was loose. I tightened it back again and used some blue thread locker and its now working perfectly again. I think I am going to spend most of my time breaking my cars and then try and fix them… I love that.

If anyone is wondering where the place is in the pictures above its the huge park off the first ring road.

Q8Life posted about how the ad above is a national disgrace due to the fact that the currency is torn in half. Does anyone else find it offensive? I personally don’t. [Link]

I sooo want these sneakers! Only 130 pairs of these lucky-red sneakers were made and I desperately want one. I love the embroidered graphics in the red silk texture and the box with the different compartments for the different shoe laces it comes with is really cool.

I found my size on eBay but its selling for KD288! I wouldn’t mind paying that much if the sneakers somehow magically didn’t get old or dirty. But to pay that much and watch dirt and grime cover them… Check out this link for a lot more details and more pictures of the sneakers. [Link]

I received two emails regarding a fire at the Avenues mall this morning. The last email I received stated that the damage from the fire effected the area from Debenhams up to as far as Top Shop and that some stores were still closed as of this moment and the mall was full of smoke and water.

According to an employee of iCity, a restaurant next to Starbucks caught fire. I also called D*lush and they told me that a large portion of the mall was currently cordoned off by police and that they couldn’t get close enough from their side to see what had happened. An employee of the store Carbon Fiber told me he didn’t know the name of the place that caught fire but it was near Columbus Cafe.

Update (11:55AM): My original source emailed back with an update. Currently the word is the cause of the fire was electrical and thats why it spread really fast. Esprit has also been completely obliterated which means that the fire also spread to the second floor not just the first.

Update (6:32PM): The Slider Station owner sent me a picture of some of the damage from the Avenues. I posted it above.

Update (11:12PM): According to my original source, the fire started on the 2nd floor (ESPRIT) and spread quickly. The sprinkler system came on and ended up flooding the stores below (Top Shop, Foot Locker). The smoke re-circulated through all of the air conditioning ducts and has smoke damaged all of the products in the stores below.

It seems there was a nasty oil spill a couple of days ago here in Kuwait. The beach from the Free Trade Zone up to the hospital has been badly contaminated. This is the email I received regarding this incident:

Can you please spread the word on this issue. Very important.
There has been a terrible crude oil spill on Jan 14, which stretches from the free trade zone to the hospital. It has already killed many birds and is going to injure thousands of flamingos and other birds.

Governmental and volunteer organizations have visited the sites and witnessed the disaster, yet they have done NOTHING to solve the problem.

Please if you know anyone who can help spread the word. You must act NOW!!

Check photos
https://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14906&l=eadae&id=1255022280

I hope this post brings this oil spill into the spotlight.

Extreme Sports and FISE (Festival International des Sports Extreme) are back at Marina Mall for their third extreme sporting event, and it keeps getting better every year. In addition to having a demonstration by professional riders; this event is also a competition for Kuwaiti potentials participating at the FISE Montpellier in France.

Since its foundation in 1997 Festival International des Sports Extreme represents today the biggest extreme sport context in Europe and the Middle East. With the success we generated in the last two editions. The 2008 event is anticipated to attract between 200 and 300 elite competitors from over 13 countries, this event will attract national and international media and tourists.

KUWAIT FISE 3rd edition will host 28 professionals BMX, Skateboards and Inline skaters (Rollerblade) competing in the State of Kuwait. The event will include a demonstration by pro riders: Street, Dirt, FMX , Flat land and Half Pipe, as well as local amateur competitors (street only), with qualifications for FISE Montpellier 2009 in France. The winners will represent their country on the biggest European extreme sports event, the FISE Montpellier.

Time and Place
Start Time: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 11:00am
End Time: Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 11:00pm
Location: Marina Crescent

FISE Kuwait Website [link]
FISE Kuwait 2008 teaser on youtube [link]

Posted by K.

I just wanted to give a shout-out to my sponsors and introduce them to everyone. You’ve got Saso Lounge who I’ve posted about before [Here]. Zain which everyone knows about already. D*Lush which make the best Cookies N Cream milkshake in Kuwait and I’ve previously reviewed them [Here]. Pink Moon I’ve actually never posted about before because its a girly store. They’ve got an online store [Here] and a physical store on the Gulf Road opposite Seef Palace next to Slider Station and The Burger Hub. The Exhibition is also located next to Pink Moon and they’ve just started advertising with us this month, they’re a trendy place where people can exhibit whatever they want. Revive is a new juice bar concept with a location at Souk Sharq and Mishref Coop. Finally Lola et moi is a new kids store that’s launching in the Discovery Mall next month but are currently temporarily located at IRIS.

I found the picture above a few days ago and ever since then I’ve been trying to find a place online that sells the tshirt but haven’t had any luck. If anyone can find it for me I will buy them a can of Shani!

Picture taken from Prince Giorgio

I was checking out Safat when I found a post by Intlxpatr talking about a Kuwaiti restaurant located next to Marina Mall. She had posted a bunch of pictures and the place looked really interesting and since it was on the same street as my house I decided to pass by and try it.

I have no clue how I never noticed this place before but even if I had I don’t think I would have thought much of it since from the outside it looks pretty average. Once you walk inside though you’re suddenly transformed into an old Kuwaiti city. The private cabins are actually little old Kuwaiti houses and to get to a cabin you have to walk through small narrow corridors, kinda like the old tight streets between the houses.

The menu is full of Kuwaiti dishes as you can expect, I ended up ordering hummus for starters followed by mourabian (yellow rice with shrimps on top) for my main course. The hummus was fine, the bread was weird, kinda like crepes but it was good. My main course also wasn’t bad at all and for KD2.500 was pretty cheap for the quantity. I prefer Oum Habbibs mourabian but that’s also nearly twice as expensive and located all the way in Kuwait City while this place is just minutes from my house.

Nothing I had tonight was wow but the place is an experience and I still have a ton of stuff to try on their menu. Prices are VERY cheap and you can actually check out most of the menu in Intlxpatr’s post. I passed by around 9:30 and the place was pretty packed. Overall it was a good experience and will definitely pass by again. They are located on the same street as Marina Mall, opposite Kwik Kopy, first floor, entrance is from the back next to the red truck (motor hamar).

To check out a lot more pictures of Freej Soeleh check out Intlxpatr’s post by clicking [Here]

I was watching Bruno Senna (late F1 champion Ayrton Senna’s nephew) racing his Mercedes SLR 722 on TV when I noticed a Kuwaiti flag on the side pillar and “Kuwait One” written on the front hood and rear bumper. I tried to google what Kuwait One was or who they were but I couldn’t find any information whatsoever. The video above isn’t of the actual race I was watching but you clearly see the Kuwaiti flag on the side pillar. Anyone know who they are? [YouTube]

The Butcher Shop & Grill are opening tomorrow at phase II in The Avenues. They’re located right at the start of the food court, opposite Starbucks. The picture above isn’t of the actual place although it does look very similar.

Picture by Amro ABDOUN

I was watching the news when I noticed some Israeli soldiers were wearing silly looking chef hats. Turns out there is a reason..

The hat—called a mitznefet in Hebrew—attaches to a regular combat helmet and obscures its rigid, round shape. As the mitznefet flops about, it takes on an irregular form that’s harder to recognize in a shadow or out of the corner of your eye. The hat also protects against the sun and the moon, which might reflect off the surface of the helmet. A standard mitznefet consists of reversible mesh fabric, with a greenish woodland camouflage print on one side and a brown desert print on the other… [Source]

Right on the heels of Whopper Virgin comes Whopper Sacrifice, another super smart campaign by Burger King. Whopper Sacrifice is a Facebook application and unlike anything else on Facebook it isn’t trying to make you join a group, make more friends or spread the word, instead it asks you to delete 10 friends from your list and in return you get a free Whopper. Usually when you de-friend someone on Facebook its quiet and your friends might not even notice, not the case with Whopper Sacrifice. It will make sure your 10 friends know you ditched them for a whopper. Now it doesn’t work in Kuwait as in you won’t get a free Whopper here but its still fun to do. [Link]