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If you’ve driven on the 5th Ring Road recently you might have noticed all the construction work and diversions taking place near Qurtoba and Siddiq. The reason behind it is they’re currently working on a major traffic reducing project that will be composed of tunnels, underpasses and bridges on two levels. The new project will remove a bunch of traffic lights at the current intersections to help eliminate the traffic they cause as well as create a traffic-free ride from the 5th Ring Road to the new Sheikh Jaber Hospital.

To get a better idea of how the project will look like, you can watch the 3D presentation below taken from the project website RA257.

Thanks hussamaboud

Over the holidays I went to Istanbul for vacation, my first time there since a university trip 22 years ago so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. There were two things I kept hearing about Istanbul or Turkey in general which is the food isn’t great, and people aren’t very friendly. Well, no idea what people are talking about because the food was great and I found everyone incredibly friendly (except for people in cars who seem to just want to run over everyone).

The trip was semi-spontaneous, originally the plan was to go to London but by the time I decided to book my ticket the prices had shot up a lot and it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I looked at other destinations that I could fly direct to and decided to head to Istanbul. I did some quick research on hotels and right away booked at Soho House, there really was no doubt about the choice and after staying there I’m glad I did because everything about the hotel was great. I booked their “small” room which really didn’t turn out to be that small and was really nice looking. The staff were great and the hotel turned out to be located in a great spot and less than a 5-minute walk to a subway station. Because I was staying at the hotel I also got access to the members-only Soho House Club next door. The club has two bars, one on the ground floor and one on the top floor as well as a restaurant and tons of cozy seating areas. It’s a very nice space where I ended up every night just chilling on my phone while having a drink.

Traveling around Istanbul was hit and miss. If I could take the metro to wherever I’m going then it was a hit. If I needed to take a cab then it was a miss. Uber is terrible in Istanbul and mostly because drivers kept canceling trips or messaging me after I booked asking me where I wanted to go. If the trip wasn’t in the direction they were heading they didn’t want to take it. That was the case the whole trip, drivers didn’t want to take any trip that would get them stuck in traffic or take a trip that wasn’t in the direction they were going. Their subway system on the other hand was great, very fast, very efficient, and pretty new. It’s what I used to get to most places and it’s how I avoided the terrible Istanbul traffic. The only issue I found was that their ticket machines didn’t accept credit cards so I always had to keep cash on hand which I hated.

The city itself is really beautiful, I was worried that a week would be too long of a time to spend in Istanbul and eventually I’d get bored, but it was actually the opposite. There was so much to do and see I didn’t even get through my full list of things to do, nor did I get the chance to hit up most of the museums on my list or even restaurants. I tried as much as possible to stay off the beaten path and it was fairly easy to do with so many nice areas and lots of great shops. If you want a fancy area they have it, if you want a ghetto area they have it, if you want a hipster area they have it, there is so much variety it kept me entertained till the very end to the point I’m now thinking of going back just to finish going through my list. One thing to note is that Istanbul is fairly hilly and you’re never really walking on a flat path, you’re always either walking downhill or climbing some super steep hill. It was exhausting exploring the city on foot, but because the weather was cold, it was very manageable. In the summer I’m not really sure it’s something you’d want to do unless you don’t mind sweating a lot. When it came to food I tried as much as possible to stick to Turkish food and that worked out really well. Lots of kebab, lots of tea, and lots of desserts.

I think my favorite part of the trip though was how affordable the whole experience was. It took me a couple of days to adjust to the price because I kept thinking I was miscalculating because everything was coming out really cheap. Most of the places I ate at the bill was around 10KD for two. My favorite breakfast spot was around 6KD for two and that was with a lot of food. Even the hotel which is one of the best cost me around 80KD a night. It won’t cost you a lot to have a great time in Istanbul.

Even their airport was one of the nicest I’ve been to. Their main airport opened up just a few years ago and so is really new and it shows. It also had lots of restaurants, a huge duty-free area so you can easily kill a couple of hours before your flight.

Anyway, I’ve temporarily set up a highlight for my Istanbul trip on my Instagram (@mark248am) if you want to check it out. But, I’m also sharing my shops and food list on Google Maps in case you want to use it on your trip.

Exploring Istanbul
Eating in Istanbul

Fuddruckers was one of the first restaurants to pop up on the Gulf Road and was the go-to place for us teenagers back in the early 90s. Eventually, more restaurants started opening up in Kuwait which made Fuddruckers irrelevant until they eventually closed down. But last week I found out that they’re still alive on delivery platforms.

Fudds used to be known for their burgers and cookies and both are available to order. I’m not sure if they have a physical store or a ghost kitchen but according to Google Maps there is only one Fuddruckers location and it hasn’t been updated since 2019 so I’m assuming its closed. If you’re feeling nostalgic and order from them, let me know if their burgers are still any good.

I’m at the airport now waiting to board my flight to Istanbul so I wanted to post a quick update regarding flying out with the new rules that came into effect two days ago.

I’m flying Jazeera Airways and at the airport, most people are wearing masks. That hasn’t changed since the mask guidelines are still in place. What did change is that I wasn’t asked for my PCR test at any point. Turkey doesn’t require a PCR test for entry and you aren’t required a PCR test to leave Kuwait nor Jazeera require one to fly with them. Instead, they just checked to see my vaccine status. Some airlines and countries do require you to get a PCR test so just because Kuwait no longer requires one doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get one.

The only issue I did have actually today is with Jazeera themselves. For those of you traveling with them this holiday, you should be aware that they don’t have a long parking solution and their park & fly is not active. I asked their Instagram account about long-term parking and was told that park & fly was active and I should park on the 3rd or 4th floor of their parking lot. But when I got to the airport I started asking around if there was anything I needed to do other than just park my car on the 3rd floor and no employee had any information. In the end, after talking to a supervisor, I found out the service wasn’t active yet and if I had left my car in their parking lot I would have been surprised by an 80KD fee on my return (it’s 9.5KD a day). I had to take my car out of their parking and move it to the long-term parking lot in the regular airport terminal and walk back to Jazeera.

The second issue is the fact there is nowhere to sit inside the Jazeera terminal once past passport control. The terminal is tiny and there are more passengers than seats available so there is major overcrowding. People are just standing around, leaning on pillars, or roaming around. So that’s something to be aware of as well.

If anybody has any questions just let me know in the comments.

I’ve had these photos in my archive for a couple of years now, I forgot where I got them from but I guess it’s about time to share them. Some of the photos are really great but I’m not 100% positive about the date of the photos.

They’re a mixture of photos ranging from 1975 to 1977. I think 1977 because in one of the photos you can see the Kuwait Towers in the background and it looks like construction on it was completed, but that only happened in 1977. But in other photos, you can see the dates 1975 and 1976 so it’s a mix.

No matter the dates the photos are really great and with all the silly drama with yoga taking place now, vintage photos like these are now more important than ever to share. You can view and download them all in hi-res by clicking here.

In addition to the photos, there is also a video taken from the AP archive showing the 1975 parade. Usually, I’d say bring back the parades but even if we did, I don’t think it would ever be the same. Kuwait was so different back then.

Deliveroo celebrates its third year of deliveries in Kuwait
Deliveroo Kuwait is turning three! Since launching in Kuwait in February 2019, Deliveroo Kuwait has come a long way in elevating the local food delivery experience, and setting the bar high for food aggregators not only in the country, but also the region.

“This month marks Deliveroo Kuwait’s third year of business in the local market, a milestone that was made possible only through the commitment of our incredible team of employees and riders, and through the trust that our customers place in us, each and every day,” says Seham AlHusaini, general manager at Deliveroo Kuwait. “As we look to the future, we would like to continue to spearhead a spirit of innovation in the food delivery and food technology space, all while ensuring the highest levels of both our customers’ and riders’ satisfaction. With multiple milestones under our belt only three years in, we’re also reflecting on our achievements in the local market so far, and can’t wait for what’s to come!”

Here’s a look back at what Deliveroo Kuwait has accomplished since launching in the local market three years ago:

Service Hero’s “Best Delivery App” Winner
Deliveroo Kuwait has been named the “Best Delivery App” in Kuwait by Service Hero, the company providing the region’s only consumer-powered customer satisfaction index. This year, Deliveroo Kuwait took home the award for best delivery app, a tribute to the delivery platform’s commitment to customer satisfaction and service excellence throughout the year.

Loving Local
Since the start, Deliveroo Kuwait has set itself apart with its ongoing initiative to support local businesses. The delivery platform regularly encouraging customers to order their favorite coffees, meals and groceries from their most beloved local brands, and has even launched a successful Instagram campaign under the hashtag #LoveYourLocal in which AlHusaini interviews some of the faces behind our most beloved homegrown brands. So far, Deliveroo Kuwait has shed a spotlight on OVO, Wilgrow, Matbakhi, Shawarma Sharaf, and Ahmad Al Zamel, with even more to come.

Rider Satisfaction
As a testament to its commitment to rider satisfaction, no other local delivery app places such a large emphasis on rider support. Last year, Deliveroo Kuwait paid multiple riders across its fleet up to £10,000 each as part of the delivery platform’s global initiative to thank riders for their efforts in delivering great food to customers all across the world. The payments were part of a “Thank You” Fund for riders, and one of multiple initiatives aiming to pay tribute to the invaluable role that riders have played in the company’s journey throughout the years.

Creativity & Innovation
The Deliveroo Kuwait team has also set itself apart with its creative ideas to enhance rider safety, constantly launching initiatives in the interest of rider protection and satisfaction. Since its launch, Deliveroo Kuwait has spearheaded various activities to support riders throughout the year and through multiple initiatives, including the provision of specialized rider kits, cooling vests, water, resting spots, and more.

In honor of its birthday bash, Deliveroo Kuwait is offering customers exclusive discounts on some of their favorite local restaurants and coffee shops, including Cinescape, Caribou Coffee, and so much more. Follow Deliveroo @deliveroo_kw on Instagram for more updates!

This weekend is incredibly busy with lots of things happening including two large events. Starting today till Saturday you have the Bugsha Market taking place at Green Island. Then on Friday and Saturday, you have the Made Food Festival taking place at Kuwait Motor Town. I’m coincidently taking part in the Car Open Track on Saturday at KMT so it should be interesting with the event happening there as well at the same time. If you have a bicycle you could go Saturday morning and ride your bike at the track and then when done, enjoy the festival or chill and watch the racing events at the track.

Anyway, below is the full list of events for this weekend, let me know if I missed anything:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Exhibition: Forbidden Love in Arab Art
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
The Avenues Sky
Full Moon Chakra Yin Yoga & Art Therapy
Outdoor Garden Movie & Homemade Lasagna Workshop
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Plant a Tree at Boulevard Park

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
Intersport Desert Clean-Up
Raptors in the Desert
Thrf at Made Food Fest
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Made Food Festival at KMT

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Grand Mosque Tour
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
Brunchito with Chef Julian
360 Fun Run – Parking
Hilltop Geological Camp
Thrf at Made Food Fest
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Made Food Festival at KMT
KMT: Cycling Open Day
KMT: Open-Cockpit Car Open Track Day
KMT: Car Open Track Day
February Fun for Animals in Need

Kuwait is in the news again but for the first time in a long time, it’s actually for good news. Yesterday the constitutional court overturned a law that criminalized “imitation of the opposite sex” which was used to prosecute transgender people.

Back in 2007, the National Assembly voted to amend Article 198 of the law to criminalize “indecent” gestures in public and imitation of the opposite sex. Other than the fact the law was deeply discriminatory, it was also overly vague and should never have been accepted into law in the first place according to Amnesty International.

With the way things have been going recently, I’m personally surprised the law was overturned so I guess there is hope.

Update: Commenting has been closed

Give is a local non-profit organization that aims to improve the process of donating. Their online platform connects donors with registered Kuwaiti charities in order to make it easier to discover what charitable projects are available and to donate to them all in one place.

The Give website lists different projects in various countries you could donate to not just Kuwait, so if you want to donate to a certain cause that’s not local, you can also do that. Locally as of this post, they have 33 different projects you could donate to ranging from snacks for low-income workers to sponsoring an orphan child. Navigating the various projects and finding one that is of interest to you is a very easy process, the whole experience actually is very simple and I really like that.

The process of donating once you find a cause is incredibly fast and more importantly, anonymous. You don’t need to create an account to donate, you don’t even need to give them your name or email address. It took me less than a minute from the moment I found a project I wanted to donate to till I checked out and finished paying. One thing to note is that Give charges a 500fils service fee when donating. They don’t explain what it’s for on their website, but I’m guessing it’s to fund the service. Update below

Give also have apps for both Apple and Android devices if that’s something you prefer. That way whenever you feel like donating you can just launch the app and find a project to donate to. I’m really impressed with the whole concept and I definitely recommend checking them out so visit their website give.org.kw

Update: Give made me aware that they do actually mention what the service fee but during the checkout process. I just didn’t notice it.

On Friday I visited the Liberation Tower for my first time ever after booking an appointment earlier in the week. I had booked a 4PM spot back when you could book a time slot, but decided to pass by at 2PM instead. The process to enter the tower was very simple. I parked in the underground parking across the street and then headed to the main tower entrance on the main road. There was a guy standing at the gate who was scanning the ticket QR code, he wasn’t checking the time slot just that you had an active QR code or not. Once I got through him I just needed to show my vaccination status to another counter and then was pointed in the direction of the elevator.

I’d never been to the Liberation Tower before so I was really excited to get to the top. I saw the tower being built as a kid, and as an adult I drive by it all the time so I was really looking forward to finally be able to go inside. Once I stepped out of the elevator onto the observation deck I was actually surprised, it looked nice. Because it’s an old government building I think I was just expecting it to look rundown but instead it was actually very clean and looked brand new. As part of this one month opening of the deck they had some vintage telecom and postal service related items on display but without any explanation or information. They also had an old phone booth which was cool and viewing binoculars spread out around the deck. It was very chill, I liked it.

When I posted photos of my experience on Instagram a lot of people messaged me to ask if it was worth visiting or not. That’s difficult to answer. My office in Hamra Tower was higher than the observation deck at Liberation Tower so you are’t going there because it’s the tallest structure in Kuwait. I think it’s one of those places worth visiting just because of what they are, an important Kuwaiti landmark.

To book tickets you can do so by visiting LiberationTower.com but like I mentioned in my previous post you’ll get a “Sold out” error if you do so. Instead, you need to get tickets through the loophole I found which is by booking through this page. People who booked through that page have confirmed they were able to visit the Liberation Tower at the day and time of their choosing and were let in without any issues. Just make sure you have a QR code for every person in your group.

Quite a few things to do this weekend. Today is the last day of the GCC Camel Racing Tournament but there is also a market taking place at Murouj. Friday is a bit slow but if you’re at the chalet then you have The Hype by Drive In taking place at Bnaider 264. Saturday is the busiest day with a Poetry & Jam Night taking place as well a few other interesting events that day including Yoga Not in the Desert. Check out the full list below and if I missed anything, let me know:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
BBT Picnic
GCC Camel Racing Tournament (Schedule)
Visit the Liberation Tower
Al Souq Exhibition at Murouj
The Avenues Sky
Take me to Paris
The Hype at Bnaider 264

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
The Hype at Bnaider 264
Road Rush
Curated Cars & Coffee

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Grand Mosque Tour
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
The Avenues Sky
Mubarakia Market Walk
CPES Hackathon at Shaheed Park
Sailors Knots Yacht Trip
Interactive Children Book Reading at Assima Mall
Anti Bullying Workshop with Horses
Poetry & Jam Night
Yoga Not in the Desert
Pomeranian Meetup

I just found out that this year’s COMFEST 2022 is going to be held at The Arena, the new venue part of the 360 Mall expansion. The Arena is a 5,000+ capacity purpose-built indoor live entertainment and events space that was designed to world-class standards. No events have been held at the venue yet so COMFEST 2022 will probably be the first event to be held there.

The event will be taking place from March 29th to April 1st, no tickets are on sale yet but to stay posted follow them on instagram @comfestcon or visit their website for more information comfestkw.com

The inaugural list of the Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants was revealed yesterday and White Robata was the only restaurant from Kuwait that made it coming in at #43. Since they were the only restaurant from Kuwait that also automatically gave them the accolade of The Best Restaurant in Kuwait for 2022.

The majority of the list was dominated by UAE-based restaurants (19 in total) including the overall first place winner going to 3 Fils which is located in Dubai. Five restaurants from Saudi Arabia made the list, two from Bahrain and one from Qatar while five restaurants from Lebanon also made the list and four from Egypt.

To check out MENA’s 50 Best Restaurants, click here.

This Saturday is the start of the GCC Camel Racing Tournament so if you’ve ever wanted to visit the camel races, then this is the weekend to do so. Below are all the other events I managed to find for this weekend and as usual, if I’ve missed anything, let me know in the comments.

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
BBT Picnic
Al Ameed Coffee Padel Tournament 2022
The Avenues Under the Sky
V-Fit 2.0 at Shaheed Park

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
BBT Picnic
Albohayra Farm
Born Primitive Rodent Trail Series: Day & Night
Trip: Into The Stars
The Avenues Under the Sky
Porsche Club Festival at KMT

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Grand Mosque Tour
BBT Picnic
Albohayra Farm
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
The Avenues Under the Sky
GCC Camel Racing Tournament
Q8 Hotrod Club Meetup
Old Cars Meetup

Last month I had to replace three windshields on my cars, two of them were cracked and one had gotten sandblasted over the years from all the desert driving. I hadn’t swapped a windshield in years so decided to get in touch with Glass Clinic since they were the last guys I used around 6 years back. I wasn’t even sure if the business was still around so was glad when they responded to my WhatsApp message.

As I mentioned in my original review of this place back in 2016, there are lots of places on Canada Dry street that can swap your windshield but like everything else, you have good and bad quality products and good and bad quality service. One reason I like using Glass Clinic is because of the overall experience which is usually positive because of different little things. They use the best available window sealant firstly and it’s great not just because it’s stronger than regular sealant, but because it doesn’t leave a horrible smell in the car that I have to deal with for the rest of the week. Another thing I like is the fact that once they’re done installing the windshield they tape it with easy to remove none marking plastic tape. On Canada Dry street they use regular masking tape which leaves residue and markings which you need to clean off after removing the tape. I also like Glass Clinic because I can just WhatsApp them and get an appointment to drop in at a specific time. Finally, another thing I like about them is their location, they’re walking distance from Ace Hardware, Shawarma Shakir, and Avenues, so I just drop the car and then kill time at either of these places till they call me.

From the 3 cars, I ended up replacing 2 out of 3 of my windshields with them. One of the cars they quoted me 40KD for the windshield swap but on Canada Dry it was 25KD. I ended up just changing it on Canada Dry street because it’s an old 1991 Suburban and doesn’t require any sealant to install the windshield. It’s one of those old-style windshields which pop into place by hand and doesn’t require to be glued or taped up when done. My back-to-back experience with Canada Dry and Glass Clinic allowed me to clearly see the benefit of paying a premium. When I swapped my windshield on Canada Dry I couldn’t book an appointment obviously, that meant I had to wait for my turn because they were working on another car before me, I also had to wait for them to go get my windshield from their warehouse which alone took 30 minutes. Then the installation process was all over the place and in the end, they didn’t even bother to clean the windshield after they were done.

On the other hand, my experience with Glass Clinic was much more pleasant. One of the cars I took to them was a BMW which I had gotten the new windshield for already from the dealer and just required them to install it, they charged me 45KD for that. The other car was my Toyota FJ and they quoted me 45KD including the windshield cost. I got an appointment to pass by and when I did, the new windshield was already there waiting for me. With my FJ I even ran into a problem with them and they managed to solve it for me without a problem. They swapped my windshield with one that had the blue sun tint strip on the top which I really don’t like, at least on my FJ because the height of the windshield is so low. They didn’t tell me the new windshield had it and I only saw it after they had finished installing it so I had them swap it out for one without it. Generally, you can tell if the customer service is good or bad by how they handle things when a problem pops up, they handled this situation well.

So if you’re looking to replace or fix your windshield and want something a step up from Canada Dry street but cheaper than the dealer, Glass Clinic is your middle ground. They’re located near Avenues (Google Maps) but they also offer home service. If you want to check them out they’re on Instagram @glassclinic