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Back in May I posted a review of my Eufy RoboVac which performed beyond my expectations. Because my experience with the RoboVac was so great I decided to also get a RoboMop. I ended up ordering the iRobot Braava Jet 240 off of Amazon which is iRobots most affordable RoboMop.

In case you didn’t get it from the name, the RoboMop is like the robot vacuum except it mops the floor with water. I have tiles covering my lower floor and hardwood on my top floor and although the RoboVac does a great job of removing the dust, it doesn’t clean up smudges or stains. I mostly have an issue in my kitchen where I have black tiles and so when after washing dishes or cooking, I end up with water stains/smudges on the floor from where I dripped water. The RoboMop I ended up getting is slightly smarter as well as dumber than my RoboVac. My RoboVac for example cleans a room by moving around randomly while the RoboMop I got moves around the room in a smarter, much more organized up and down motion. But while my RoboVac can connect to Wifi and be set to start at certain hours, the RoboMop doesn’t connect online and requires you to manually start it.

I’ve only tried the RoboMop in small areas and it’s performed pretty well. You fill up the RoboMop with water (no soap) and then place it where you want and press the clean button. I got some sprayable floor cleaner and I just spray a bit of it in the area I want to be cleaned and I let the RoboMop do its thing. Because I have black tiles its easy to see water streaks and I was getting that at one point but I solved it by reducing the amount of water the RoboMop sprays on the floor. I’m also experimenting with different cleaning pads, the unit came with disposable ones but I also ordered some more practical reusable ones which can be washed.

The RoboMop is smart enough to recognize carpet and avoid it which is great cuz I do have carpets on my tiles. Once the RoboMop finishes cleaning the floor it goes back to where it started from and turns off. So although I do wish it did have an auto start option I do like the fact I can turn it on before I leave the house and then come back to find my floors mopped and the RoboMop back in its spot.

At just 55KD the RoboMop isn’t that big of an investment in the robot cleaning world. Even shipping to Kuwait didn’t cost much since the unit is fairly light. There are smarter RoboMops available and even some RoboVac/Mop combos, but I didn’t really want to pay much more than this and really I mostly got this for my kitchen and so didn’t need anything smarter. I couldn’t find the RoboMop locally which is why I ordered it off Amazon. If you’re interested in getting one, here is the Amazon link.

BBT, one of my favorite burger places recently moved to a new much larger location. They were previously located in a small hole in the wall (literally) in Daiha but now moved to a new space in Shamiya.

The new location now has indoor seating as well as seating outside the restaurant and in the tiny park right next door. They don’t have drive-thru but they do have a car service which is composed of dedicated parking spots where waiters come and take your order. The whole process is very smooth and for those of you not wanting to dine out yet then this is a good alternative.

The opening time right now is 12:00pm to 11:00pm and here is their new location on Google Maps. They’re also on Instagram @bbtkw

A lot of people dislike TikTok and I think it’s because they associate it with just videos of people dancing to cheesy music. I actually love TikTok to the point I avoid it because once I start watching videos I don’t stop until I start running out of battery. It’s pretty addictive, fun, and can also be informative. During the Mahboula lockdown for example I started following a few low-income workers who were living there and they basically were providing me with their point of view on how life was there during the lockdown. During the US riots recently TikTok was providing me with on the ground footage of what was happening there. But I also follow some completely stupid shit but that’s what makes TikTok so great, it’s whatever you want it to be.

My account is just filled with so much random (not even curated) stuff from various people living around Kuwait it’s become super entertaining especially now that TikTok knows what I like and so shows me more of the same. I tried to put together a list of some interesting accounts I follow and below are a few of them:

@sadiqleader – An employee at Jawad AlSaffar. It’s exactly what I’d expect their TikTok to be except it’s his personal account and it’s in Indian.

@fahad9881 – A firefighter, posts videos of various fires he’s fighting as well as cute animal rescue videos.

@in_ga_me – A Ukrainian female motorbiker living in Kuwait. The account is of her and her Honda CBR cruising up and down the Gulf Road.

@kuwaitrescueteam1 – Account of a local rescue team and it’s mostly videos of them getting cars unstuck from sand.

@_7xvo – The account of a Al Qabas newspaper journalist, was pretty useful during the lockdown.

@gooshbaker – Guy posts videos of interesting places around Kuwait. Kinda like a blog but tiktok.

@x_dexter_x1 – This is an account of a Syria guy living in Kuwait who re-engineers everyday appliances or electronics but using random bits and pieces of scrap. Kinda like science projects.

@alsarheed82 – Account of a shawarma place owner, he posts videos of his shawarma.

@shahibwtayb – A odd old guy with a super long white beard who drives a bright green Camero and never wears the same sunglasses or hats twice.

@ismayeelrana – This guy is an employee at Alsarraf Motors and posts videos of the cars they have as well as of him driving them around like they’re his.

@amorsisilin – Probably the most popular account I follow and also the most tiktokish. Belongs to a 24-year-old Kuwaiti hybrid and the videos originally were mostly of her dancing to music around my neighborhood, but now it’s mostly just dancing with her friends in different places.

@venudancer..kuwait – Lots of super cheesy skits, so cheesy and lame to the point they become good. Stuff that’s so bad you save the video to show your friends. It’s in Indian (I think) with lots of terrible acting. It’s great.

If you have interesting/weird/fun local TikTok accounts I should follow, let me know in the comments.

So earlier this week I took my mum to the airport since she was leaving for the States and the experience felt really strange. I think being at the airport after so much time away and seeing it basically deserted felt a bit eerie. The long term park for example was completely empty which I’ve never seen before and Emirates which used to have flights every few hours now has only one a day and it’s barely filled.

For those of you planning to travel out of Kuwait, here are a few things that I noticed are different:

• No more porters. Don’t know why we needed so many porters in the first place but just by them not being there it made the airport feel a lot emptier. You now have to get your own cart and push it around yourself #firstworldproblem

• You’ll have your temperature taken as you enter the airport.

• Before arriving to the check-in desks there is a checkpoint where they scan your Kuwait Mosafer QR Code. I was accompanying my mum who had a QR code but I didn’t have one and it wasn’t an issue. I also saw some other people pass through without having to show a QR code either.

• The same checkpoint also checks your PCR test results. In my mums case the guy also called a number to confirm the result of the test, I guess that’s to stop people who are using fake test results.

• I read that you aren’t allowed into the airport unless you’re traveling or accompanying someone elderly. I never got asked why I was in the airport but not sure if that’s because I was with my mum or if it was because the rule wasn’t being enforced.

• My mum traveled with Emirates and the check-in area wasn’t busy at all. There were clear markings on the floor to show the distance you need to keep between other travelers in line and that spacing was being enforced.

• While at the check-in counter about to finish up with my mum’s check-in, some airport guy came up to us and was like we both can’t be standing next to each other. I tried to explain she was my mum and we came to the airport together and I’m helping her check-in, but he insisted we social distance. That was very bizarre and I would have gladly continued arguing with him to find out the point but by then we had already finished up with Emirates so didn’t bother.

• Waiting area seatings after passport control now have dividers.

• Kuwait Airport isn’t allowing carry-ons, neither is Emirates supposedly, so to my mum’s dismay I forced her to pack a small backpack (which according to the guy I spoke to on the phone was allowed). Once my mum boarded the plane the first thing she did was send me pictures of people who had a carry-ons and I’m now no longer her son.

• Restaurants inside the airport are open and adhering to social distancing rules. (update: supposedly just Shake Shack and Starbucks)

Hope the above was helpful, I might have missed something so if you want to add anything to the above just leave it in the comments below.

Getting a PCR test for COVID-19 is much more accessible now then it was just a few months ago. My mum needed to get one since she was traveling and my followers on twitter recommended different places to go. One place that caught my attention was Wara Hospital since they offered a drive-thru service. I read a lot of stories about long lines or crowded clinics with people waiting to get tested so a drive-thru option sounded like the most convenient.

Then the following day I had a bit of a scare, I’m barely seeing any of my friends but one guy I had seen over the weekend messaged me to tell me someone at his office had tested positive for the virus and he was going to take a PCR test to be safe and wanted me to know. I was really appreciative that he told me, it’s an awkward situation to tell someone you might have gotten them infected but you need to do it. In my case when I got the message the first thing I did was also inform the people I work with on the situation and that I was going to leave to work from home till my friend’s results came out. But the next morning I decided to just get tested myself at Wara since I can also then write about my experience.

I called up Wara to see if I needed an appointment and you don’t, you just need to drive up to the back door of the hospital anytime between 7AM and 12PM and there will be a team there waiting. When I got there I was the fourth car in line and the whole process took around 20 minutes. You never leave your car, and you only interact with three people, the first nurse provides you with forms to fill, the second further down the line takes the sample and the third person is for payment. LifeProTip: Bring your own pen and a clipboard or a hardcover book so you can fill out the forms on it.

In my case, I got the results in 48 hours but when my mum had hers done she got the results in 24 hours. They WhatsApp you a photo of the result and also SMS you. It’s certified for travel and so if you need a printed copy of the result you could pick it up from their laboratory. The price of the test is 38KD which isn’t the cheapest, I think 27KD is the cheapest price I’ve seen for a PCR test but the convenience factor makes up for it. My friend’s test came out negative and so did mine which was a relief. I was so excited with the result I sent it to everyone I work with so they could also be relieved. If I had Tinder I would 100% have had my negative test result as one of my profile pictures or something. It feels like an achievement not getting the virus with it being everywhere basically.

Anyway, if you want more information on the Wara Hospital drive-thru PCR test, they have some posts and videos on their Instagram account @warahospital

For some odd reason, it’s actually pretty difficult to find a picture of the original Arby’s that opened up in Kuwait back in the 80s. But a follower on twitter managed to find one taken by a US soldier back in 1991 called Keith O’Brien. According to Keith, this photo was taken right after the war. He was assigned as a driver/bodyguard of a Brigade Commander and he wanted to see Kuwait City. Up till then, they had only been in Saudi, Iraq, and Bahrain so they drove around and he took some photos of various places which you can see here.

Two of the most memorable things about this Arby’s for me was the touch screen ordering system which was super way ahead of its time, and the arcade machines in the basement.

Thanks @Alblogy

Just like gyms, restaurants and coffee shops are reopening today but with social distancing rules in place as well as some new safety measures. For example, restaurants can only use disposable cutlery and are required to have a 2 meters gap between tables (amongst other rules).

I’m really curious to see how this plays out because unlike gyms where you’re meant to keep your mask on the whole time, you’re not expected to keep your mask on while eating.

But with all the concerns I have, I’ll probably be dining out, but maybe once the initial rush subsides since I’m expecting the first couple of weeks to be super busy.

There are loads of car clubs in Kuwait but all the ones I’ve seen are male dominant which can be intimidating for women to join. This is why I like the idea of Kuwait Motorsports, an all-female car club.

The aim of Kuwait Motorsports is to give women a safe environment where they can meet up, show off cars, hold drag races, and even take part in different workshops. It’s similar in idea to RoadRush, except instead of just being a female-only racing event, it’s a community with all-year-round activities. Joining the club is 100% free and there are perks which include discounts from various brands. The club just recently opened so the more members they get, the more perks and offers they’ll get from brands.

I do wish they had a less generic name than Kuwait Motorsports, but generic name aside, if you’re female and over 18 years of age and want to sign up, visit their website kuwaitmotorsports.com

The last time I bought a bicycle was just over 10 years ago. It was a full-suspension mountain bike meaning it had shocks both in the front and in the rear which you’d need if you were doing some crazy ass downhill mountain riding. Since I wasn’t riding down any mountain, I quickly realized over the years that although the bike looked good, the full-suspension setup was overkill for my needs. My favorite bike path is from Corniche Club all the way up to the Kuwait Towers and back so I really didn’t need any sort of mountain bike frankly.

One night during the lockdown, I came across a video on YouTube called “Reasons you only need a gravel bike“. That caught my interest since I was curious to know what a gravel bike was and so over the next 6 days I watched 196 videos on bicycles (I counted them). By the time I was done I had decided that it was time for me to get a new bike and I wanted one from the brand Canyon. What differentiates Canyon from other bike manufacturers is that they sell directly to consumers, no middle man, and so there are no shops that carry their bikes, it’s just you buying directly from their website which means you get a lot more for your money and it also means it’s perfect for us in Kuwait. Since their business model revolves around online orders, then they can easily ship a bike to Kuwait and the package you get includes everything you need to get your bike set up since all their customers have to do it worldwide because there are no local dealers.

I ended up ordering their Roadlite CF 8.0 bike, they had different versions of the bike to choose from but I decided to splurge and buy their higher-end model since I was buying a bike just once every 10 years. The top of the range model was the Roadlite CF 9.0 but I ended up going for the CF 8.0 instead which was specced out with Ultegra components, DT Swiss wheels, carbon fiber handlebar and seatpost, and a bunch of other great components. The 9.0 came with the Dura-ace components instead of Ultegra but that would have been a waste of money for my needs (even Ultegra honestly is a waste of money for my needs). For those of you who don’t know, bicycles are made up of different components from different manufacturers. So brands like Canyon, Trek, Scott, Santa Cruz etc.. design a bike frame and then fit wheels, handlebars, drive terrains, brakes and shocks from other manufacturers who specialize in these components. The performance, weight, quality, and price of those components vary greatly which is you can have a bike costing $1,500 but the same frame with higher-end components costing $6,000. The reason I went with their Roadlite series and not another model was because of my requirements so what works for me might not work for you.

Canyon ship directly to Kuwait via UPS and shipping cost me around 100KD. It arrived well packaged with a step by step manual and all the tools needed to put it together. If you’ve never put together a bike don’t worry, neither had I and turns out it’s not that complicated. You only need to connect the handlebar, seat post, pedals and the wheels to the bike which are all very easy to do especially if you’re good at following instructions. Canyon sell a lot of accessories and gear on their website as well so I had ordered other items with my bike like a bell, a bottle cage, water bottle, rear LED light, some Canyon stickers and probably my best purchase of the year, the CLUG bike rack. Seriously the CLUG is incredible, so simple and yet has made storing my bicycle so practical.

I’ve now had the bike for over a month and been riding it around 3-4 times a week and loving it. One of my favorite things about the bike is that it weighs just 8.3kg. That’s so light I could literally lift the bike with one finger (I actually tried it). My previous mountain bike really wasn’t considered that heavy at around 14.3kg, but the difference in weight between my old bike and the new one is night and day. I notice it mostly when I’m carrying my bike around but also while riding in a headwind or jumping off curbs or raised bits of the road. The bike is so light that when I fit my two water bottles in my bottle cages, the bike ends up feeling considerably heavier.

I didn’t really have a budget when I initially started looking at bikes but I assumed I would pay somewhere in the range of 300-400KD. In the end, I ended up paying 700KD including the 100KD for shipping. It was way more than I ever expected to pay for a bicycle but the odd thing is, it’s not even that expensive compared to some other models. Maybe I’m out of the loop in the bike world or something, but top-end mountain bikes are in the 1,500-2,500KD range with most basic ones starting somewhere around 400KD. So yeah, it all depends on your mindset and how deep your pockets are more than anything else really. In my case, I’m having a lot of fun riding again so that’s made the bike worth it for me.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a bike and didn’t like the locally available options then you should really check out Canyon. Their customer service has been pretty great as well, I’ve had to get in touch with them about some technical questions and they’ve been very quick in getting back to me. Here is a link to their website.

This place isn’t new but I only found out about it recently from TikTok (via @ruqiaalmurshed) and since it was a few minutes drive from my place, I decided to check it out. The store is located a few buildings down from Promenade Mall in Hawalli and can easily be missed if you aren’t paying attention.

Like Singarea, Haiso is an Asian market where you can find all sorts of Korean and Japanese food products. The store is small, but every single item there is imported and not items you’d usually find at your regular supermarket. They have all sorts of dry and canned goods but the store also has lots of frozen items as well as a large selection of Asian drinks. Check out this video I found if you want to see more items on their shelves.

I actually think Haiso belongs to the Ginza Market owners who are major importers of Asian food products in Kuwait. Both Ginza and Haiso are located in high traffic areas so just visit the one that’s more convenient for you since both places basically carry the exact same items. Here is their location on Google Maps.

I was extremely impressed at how quickly the Kuwait Red Crescent Society were able to mobilize and fly out to Lebanon after the explosion with aid. To give you an idea of how fast, the explosion had taken place at around 6PM and by early next morning, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society were already in Lebanon with their supplies and team. That’s just over 12 hours later! You can see how they’re helping right now by checking out their Instagram account @k.r.c.s which they’re fairly active on.

But, more importantly, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society have also set up a Lebanon Relief Campaign to help the people who were affected by the explosion. Your donation can help provide them with medical supplies, other necessities, and accommodation. For more information and to donate, click here.

ROVE is a local car booking app similar to Uber. It’s a lot more upscale than the street cabs and more in line with the likes of Draewil. Before the pandemic, I was flip-flopping between ROVE and Draewil depending on which had a cab closer to me but Draewil hasn’t reopened yet (I think they’ve closed down for good they’re going to be back September) so currently ROVE is the only car booking service I’d use.

Like I mentioned in my Draewil review, I don’t use cabs a lot, usually only when dropping one of my cars off to the garage so I don’t mind spending the extra amount of money for comfort and right now, safety. I actually don’t think ROVE is even that expensive compared to the experience you’re getting in return. A trip from my garage in Kuwait City to Salmiya cost me KD4.5, but I was picked up in a brand new Range Rover, there was a bottle of hand sanitizer in the rear cupholder alongside a water bottle, I had a charging cable, lots of legroom, the driver wore a face mask the whole time and the whole service is very professional.

I’m actually not sure if ROVE have other cars since every time I’ve used them I’ve been picked up in a Range Rover. Depending on where you are the time it takes for their car to reach you will vary, yesterday it took 8 minutes for the car to arrive after I requested one. For payment, you can either set up your credit card in the app, pay by cash or pay by KNET. If you’re looking for a premium cab service, I’d highly recommend ROVE right now. Here is a link to their website with the app download links. [Link]

They’re also on Instagram @rideroveapp

I wasn’t sure I could be useful to Lebanon during this important period but a few days ago I linked to my sister on Instagram since she’s on the ground there helping after the devastating explosion, and because of that one post she ended up getting hundreds of messages from people in Kuwait wanting to help. I realized I could use my platform to direct donations to some NGOs in Lebanon so, with the help of my sister, I’ve curated a list.

Below are some NGOs who desperately need your support. Clicking the name of the NGO will send you straight to the donation page but if you want to know more about what they’re doing, the second link will send you to their Instagram account.

CHildren AgaiNst CancEr
They’re in great need of medication since they had to send home the children with low immunity because their hospital was destroyed
Instagram: @chanceassociation

Nusaned
Currently providing food, hygiene kits, temporary shelter and medical supplies
Instagram: @nusaned

BASSMA
Currently providing food for affected families and helping in a variety of ways
Instagram: @bassmalb

Ahla Fawda
Currently providing food and support for affected families
Instagram: @ahlafawda

Arcenciel
Currently providing food for affected families
Instagram: @arcenciel.aec

Offre Joie
Currently providing food as well as material to help rebuild
Instagram: @offre.joie

Lebanon Of Tomorrow
Their goal is to replace every shattered glass and rebuild every broken down door
Instagram: @lebanonoftomorrow

SESOBEL
A social service for the welfare of Lebanese children with disabilities
Instagram: @sesobel

Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon
Their hospital got destroyed and they need help to rebuild
Instagram: @ccclebanon

Every amount is important and helps so thank you in advance.

I found out about the Exotic Snax website because a friend of mine bought Lucky Charms from them. Ignore the part where they say they’re the only online candy store in Kuwait since obviously that’s not true but, they do actually have an interesting selection of products. Most of the items can be found in other places in Kuwait if you know where to look but there are also some I haven’t seen anywhere. There is also the convenience factor of having all these products in one place and being able to order them to your home so check out their website exoticsnaxkw.com

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the 1990 Kuwait Invasion, and every year on the anniversary, I like to share some links related to the war. Here they are:

Free Kuwait
This is a website that focuses on the campaign that was led by Kuwaitis in exile and is loaded with photos and information.

Kuwait Invasion – The Evidence
This is a website that contains over 1,200 pictures taken right after the 1990 invasion as photographic evidence to all the destruction caused by Iraq.

Short movie: Hearts of Palm
Hearts of Palm is a short movie set on August 2nd 1990 and deals with Kuwaiti students living in Miami Florida during the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait.

The Class of 1990
This is a short documentary about reuniting classmates years after the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

Homemade video from the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Video clips taken by a Kuwaiti family during the Iraqi invasion

Desert Storm Photos
Photos taken by soldiers during Desert Storm.

Short Animation: Sandarah
A captivating story based on true events that took place during the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

First Account of Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait
Interviews with various Kuwaitis that were in Kuwait during the 1990 invasion.

Iraqi Invasion Pictures
Photos of the Gulf War aftermath.

Politics of War
A tumblr account with some not so commonly seen photos from the Gulf War. (Warning some are graphic)

Magnum Photos
A gallery of images taken during the Gulf War by some great photographers. (Warning some are graphic)

BBC Documentary: The Last Flight to Kuwait
A series of documentaries on Iraq begins with a look at the fate of British Airways flight BA149 to the Far East in 1990. As the plane landed in Kuwait, Saddam Hussein invaded, capturing its crew and passengers.

Photos in this post are by Bruno Barbey