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There used to be a pool hall in Salmiya behind Hungry Bunny called Shark or Sharx, not really sure. I can’t seem to find any information about it online or that it even existed. But a reader sent me the snippet above from a Russian news channel that had filmed a short report in the place and you can watch it above.

If you remember anything about it let me know.

Thanks Janna

Update: Turns out it wasn’t behind Hungry Bunny but instead next to Zahra Complex. Here is a photo of the building that was in taken from msmooretravels.com

Update2: Here is a photo of the entrance but taken after it had shut down

I’m not really sure how I initially found out about this specific yellow pages directory from the American Women’s League of Kuwait, but it was on my watch list for some time and one eventually popped up for sale a few weeks ago. I tend to find out about random books and then add them to my watch list and wait patiently, usually, years before a copy eventually/hopefully pops up somewhere online and I get a notification. When this book popped up on eBay and knowing how difficult it is to find because it really isn’t a book you’d generally save, I quickly purchased it without even trying to negotiate on the price. I like directories because they usually help me connect various things together.

For example, on the Salmiya map on one of the pages it showed a “Camping Area” which confused me, how did Salmiya have a camping area? Then a follower on Instagram helped me figure out where that area was (Google Maps) and I realized that was the location of the Salmiya Youth Hostel which was supposedly run by the Kuwait Boy Scouts.

Then under the grocery store section, it listed various supermarkets, many I actually need to research especially New Supermarket because I remember the Salmiya location from the early 80s. But one of the supermarkets listed was Khalaf, which last year I happened to find photos of their Salmiya location.

Since I felt this was worth sharing, I took photos of the most significant pages and turned them into a 44MB PDF. You can download it here.

A couple of days ago I got to visit the studios of Beyond Dreams, the entertainment company behind the local Netflix show, The Exchange. I was asked not to reveal the location of the studio but I can describe the location. It’s an old abandoned school that was repurposed as a studio (think Warner Bros or Universal Studios). A large part of the outdoor area of the school was turned into an old Kuwaiti village (used for a different show), while the classrooms around the school were turned into various sets for different shows. I was only given permission to shoot the sets of The Exchange, but I’m going to try and get permission to take pictures of the village set for another post since it looked very realistic and I think would surprise a lot of people that a film set like that exists in Kuwait.

After getting a tour of the studio grounds, we started visiting the different sets of The Exchange. I wasn’t aware they had shot all the home scenes in a studio so I was a bit surprised when I walked into the first set. All the home shots in The Exchange were filmed at this studio location where they built everything down to the very minute details. I was walking around the rooms checking out all the different items on the shelves since there were so many props from the 80s all laid out, many of which wouldn’t be even noticeable on TV but were still there for realism.

I also visited the set of the “Bank of Tomorrow” offices including the conference room where some key parts of the show took place in. I couldn’t visit the set of Hungry Bunny since it was being repurposed for another show, but the main thing I wanted to see anyway was the stock exchange.

I had heard that a stock exchange was built for the show, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought they might have built various small parts of the exchange but not all of it. You should have seen my face when I walked into the hall and realized they had actually built the whole thing including an upper floor. The stock exchange set was HUGE! I tried to capture how big it was with my video so I hope I managed to get the size of it across.

Netflix hasn’t announced a second season of the show but hopefully, it’s going to get another season because it was actually really good. If you haven’t watched the show, it’s currently streaming on Netflix.

Below is the annual list of Ramadan buffets in Kuwait. This year I tried to cover a broader spectrum of prices and cuisines, so you’ll see options that aren’t just Arabic food and prices that start at KD1.950 all the way up to KD28 per person. The KD1.950 buffet which is the most affordable on the list belongs to IKEA, while the most expensive KD28 buffet is at the St Regis. As usual, I’ve also highlighted the price variation from the previous year if applicable. You’ll find the variation in brackets after the price.

Below is the full list divided into two parts, hotels and restaurants. If I missed a place let me know in the comments.

HOTELS

Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort – Taima’a Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD9.9 (-2.100)
Telephone: 24590000

Courtyard by Marriott – Atrium
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22997000

Crowne Plaza – Al Ahmadi Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18 (+2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Al Noukhaza Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19 (+3.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Four Seasons – Jawaher Tent
Buffet Price: KD25 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22006000

Grand Hyatt – Stambul
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22007698

Hilton Garden Inn – The Avenues
Buffet Price: KD20
Telephone: 22262000

Hilton Resort – Teatro Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19.9 (+0.900)
Telephone: 22256222

Inn & GO Hotel – Al Dallah Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD6.5 (+0.500)
Telephone: 22436686

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Badria Tent
Buffet Price: KD21 (-3.000)
Telephone: 22269600

Marina Hotel
Buffet Price: KD16
Telephone: 22230030

Millennium Hotel – Lamar International Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22050505

Movenpick – Free Zone – Bays Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD12 (-0.500)
Telephone: 24610033

Movenpick – Al Bida’a – Breeze Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22253100

Radisson Blu – Al Bustan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18.5 (+2.500)
Telephone: 25673000

Safir Hotel – Fintas
Buffet Price: KD12.9 (-2.000)
Telephone: 25455555

St Regis – Diamond Ballroom Tent
Buffet Price: KD28 (+3.000)
Telephone: 22422055

Symphony Style Hotel
Buffet Price: KD14
Telephone: 25770000

The Regency Kuwait – Silk Road Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD23 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25766666

Waldorf Astoria – Al Kubbar
Buffet Price: KD26
Telephone: 24774414

RESTAURANTS

Assaha Lebanese Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD13 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22533377

Dar Hamad
Buffet Price: KD18 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22275555

Em Sherif
Set Menu Buffet Price: KD25
Telephone: 90977997

Gulf Royal Chinese
Buffet Price: KD8.5
Telephone: 22622770

IKEA
Buffet Price: KD1.95 (-1.000)
Telephone: 1840408

Jihan Khanah
Buffet Price: KD10
Telephone: 1819991

Joori Min Beirut
Buffet Price: KD14 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22062068

Kuwait Towers
Buffet Price: KD14 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24965500

Mughal Mahal – Hawally
Buffet Price: KD7.45
Telephone: 22626782

Naranj
Buffet Price: KD12 (+1.050)
Telephone: 22268666

Palm Palace
Buffet Price: KD11
Telephone: 67009575

Saraya Palace
Buffet Price: KD9.5 (+2.500)
Telephone: 25711101

Villa Fayrouz
Buffet Price: KD12
Telephone: 22650052

Wok and Grill
Buffet Price: KD3.5
Telephone: 64440089

Below are all the events I found taking place this weekend. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments:

Thursday, March 16
Step Afrika!
Drag Race – Round 4
Tafaseel Design Exhibition
The Last Laugh Comedy Night
Ramadan Food Expo
Padel Tournament 2023
Rebel Kickboxing & Fitness Challenge
Ice Hockey: Stars vs Kakasok
Bugsha Market
Musical Performance by BSK
Cooking Class with Chef Rashid Alsaif
Puppet Show
Souk El Tayeb

Friday, March 17
Spiritual Healing Kashta
Step Afrika!
Drag Race – Round 4
965 Superbike Championship
Tafaseel Design Exhibition
Murouj Market
Ramadan Food Expo
Al-Farsi Kite Show
Bugsha Market
Francophone Bazar
Souk El Tayeb
Let’s Go Hiking

Saturday, March 18
Arab Organization Guided Tour
West Asia Flying Start Triathlon
Discover Kuwait Car Tour
Step Afrika!
Drag Race – Round 4
Murouj Market
Ramadan Food Expo
Bugsha Market
An Insight into Kuwaiti Films
Trashtag Beach Cleanup
Trash Hero Beach Cleanup
Kids Treasure Hunt
Special DAI Family Day Program
Pizza Party Workshop
Souk El Tayeb
OPTIM Being
BLS Clothing Swap & Shop

Exhibitions
A&F Fashion Exhibition
Alexander The Great in Kuwait

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum

Back during the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the internet didn’t exist the way it does today and so it wasn’t easy to find out what was happening in Kuwait other than watching the news or talking to someone who was still living in Kuwait at that time. But there were various newsletters at that time and a good way to describe them was blogs before the internet. Two of those newsletters were “Ku-WAITing for News” which was compiled by American wives of Kuwaitis, and “Voice of Kuwait” which was compiled by the Kuwaiti Student’s Union-USA.

These newsletters were compiled by various volunteers, printed, mailed out, and then photocopied and redistributed again over and over.

One of the old school local bloggers Desert Girl who left Kuwait a few years ago and is now living in the States found copies of these newsletters in her sister’s basement and was nice enough to digitize them and share them with me as a PDF file.

There are 106 pages so I haven’t fully gone through it yet but I did skim through the newsletters reading various articles to get a feel for the kind of content they contained. I remember life before the internet and so I can imagine how important these newsletters must have been.

Pre-internet you really were isolated from the rest of the world, I remember having a pen pal in England and it felt like a big deal to me because there was this kid living in another part of the world sharing their life with me. So while going through these newsletters, understand that to many Kuwaitis living in exile in the US at that time, these newsletters were their internet and source of information about the war that didn’t make it to the mainstream news.

Click here to download the PDF, it’s around 10MB.

Click here to read Desert Girl’s post about these newsletters.

Tribe of 6, the region’s homegrown and sustainable brand officially opened its first-ever standalone store in Grand Avenue at The Avenues.

Tribe of 6 was born to create a community that celebrates timeless and comfortable pieces with regional designs and products. The collection is made from recycled materials of both organic and bamboo-based fabrics, the pieces use less harmful chemicals and are environmentally friendly, certified by the Global Recycling Standard (GRS), while paper price tags are made under the guidance of the Forest Stewardship Council. The working conditions and wages of those involved with the brand are overseen by Sedex, an ethical trade membership organization that aims to improve working conditions in the global supply chain.

Tribe of 6 also embraces diversity and body positivity by offering a wide range of styles and sizes, including unisex styles. Standing at the crossroads of East and West, Tribe of 6 is the region’s go-to brand for mindful shoppers.

In addition to the new stand-alone store in Kuwait, customers can shop online at kw.tribeof6.me as well as at Harvey Nichols in Kuwait, and select Foot Locker stores in Kuwait, KSA, and UAE.

Below are all the events I found taking place this holiday weekend. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Feb 23
Traditional Music at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Expo
Mersaf Market
Souq Al Sahel Beach Market
The Avenues Sky: Kuwait Edition
National Day at Boulevard
Heart of Kuwait Celebrations
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
National Day at the Scientific Center
National Day on Failaka Island
Pro Truck Expo
Interactive Art at Wejha
World Record Attempt – Largest Macron Display
COMFEST 2023

Friday, Feb 24
Colored Parade at Al Shaheed Park
Hala February Expo
Mersaf Market
Souq Al Sahel Beach Market
The Avenues Sky: Kuwait Edition
National Day at Boulevard
Heart of Kuwait Celebrations
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
National Day at the Scientific Center
National Day on Failaka Island
Pro Truck Expo
965 Superbike Championship
COMFEST 2023
Fridges Of Kuwait Food Drive

Saturday, Feb 25
Hala February Expo
Mersaf Market
Souq Al Sahel Beach Market
The Avenues Sky: Kuwait Edition
National Day at Boulevard
Heart of Kuwait Celebrations
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
National Day at the Scientific Center
National Day on Failaka Island
Pro Truck Expo
COMFEST 2023
Traditional Show in the Desert
Radical Cup – Kuwait

Sunday, Feb 26
Hala February Expo
Mersaf Market
Souq Al Sahel Beach Market
The Avenues Sky: Kuwait Edition
National Day at Boulevard
Heart of Kuwait Celebrations
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
Live Samra in the Desert
National Day at the Scientific Center
National Day on Failaka Island
Healing Circle

Monday, Feb 27
Hala February Expo
National Day Fiesta 2
Souq Al Sahel Beach Market
Heart of Kuwait Celebrations
Al-Farsi Kite Festival
National Day at the Scientific Center

Note: Photo is from a 1977 National Day Parade

The Yarmouk Cultural Centre will be screening the short film “One Small Visit” tonight at 7PM.

The true story of an immigrant Indian family who unexpectedly passes through the tiny Ohio hometown of Neil Armstrong in the wake of the ’69 moon landing and the civil rights movement and ends up on the Armstrong’s doorstep.

The film is based on a true story and one of the family members on which the film was based will be at the screening for a Q&A.

Based on the trailer the film looks like it would be fun to watch and entry is free. This is the first showing in the Middle East, for more info on the screening, click here.

Below are all the events I found taking place this weekend. If I missed anything, let me know in the comments:

Thursday, Feb 16
Hala Kuwait
The Urban Market
Bugsha Market
The Promenade Family Fun
Scientific Center Weekend Activities
Palestinian Heritage Exhibition
Quantum Con
Atyab Almarshoud’s Show Jumping Competition
Kuwait Riders Bike Show

Friday, Feb 17
Kites Watching in Bnaider
Community Run at Shaheed Park
Hala Kuwait
Spiritual Healing Kashta
Inspire Car Show
The Urban Market
Bugsha Market
Trashtag Beach Cleanup
Scientific Center Weekend Activities
Yard & Toyota at KMT
Quantum Con
Sanad Market
Atyab Almarshoud’s Show Jumping Competition
965 MX Junior Championship
Kuwait Riders Bike Show

Saturday, Feb 18
Hala Kuwait
Ford Desert Challenge 2023
Treasure Hunt at Shaheed Park
Inspire Car Show
The Urban Market
Bugsha Market
Celebrate Kuwait Painting Event
Painting & Coffee
Scientific Center Weekend Activities
Yard & Toyota at KMT
Quantum Con
Sanad Market
SpeakUp Kuwait
Atyab Almarshoud’s Show Jumping Competition
Art Scene V: Freedom in Freestyle
Qout Market at JACC

Sunday, Feb 19
Hala Kuwait
Kayaking for Ladies
Gardening Workshop
Mommy, Me and a Pony Day!
Scientific Center Weekend Activities

Exhibitions
Ala Taraf Lisan Al Ard
Life Forms & Indigo Expressions
Speculative Horizons

Activities
Albohayra Farm
Ascend Rock Climbing
Indoor Karting
Little Jungle
Murouj Farm
Movement Classes at Omni Studio
Roller Blade at Roller Hub
Yoga at Darātma

Museums to Visit
Abdullah Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)
Amricani Cultural Center Museum
Bait Al Othman Museum

Sam Chui, one of the most popular aviation and travel vloggers in the world was invited to Kuwait by Kuwait Airways recently. That was a couple of weeks ago when the airline made a number of announcements including the revealing of the new flight attendant uniforms. His video of the trip just went up and there really isn’t anything revealing or controversial.

But I did find one thing odd, Sam was getting a tour of the Kuwait Airways headquarters and the CEO mentioned that the building was inspired by the stealth bomber. I thought that was an odd design decision for a civilian airline headquarters.

The Kuwait-based Netflix series ‘The Exchange‘ launches today, and after watching two episodes the other night at the show’s premiere, I can’t wait to binge-watch the rest of the season.

‘The Exchange’ is based in Kuwait in the 80s and is inspired by true events. It follows two women who decide to work at the stock exchange, an industry dominated by men at that time. I found the first two episodes very entertaining, and I already have favorite characters and storylines that I’m invested in. It’s that good of a show, and for people like me who grew up in Kuwait in the 80s, it’s super nostalgic.

The series premiers today at 11AM on Netflix and will be available to watch in 190 countries. The show is in Arabic but has English subtitles.

Update: The show is now streaming on Netflix, the whole first season so we can binge-watch it.

This might come in handy one day, a reader recently lost one of his license plates and decided to share the process of getting a new one in case it happens to anyone else. Here are the steps he had to take:

1. Go to the police station and get a police complaint

2. Go to your traffic department and get an application typed by the typing center there (tell them you need to get a new license plate). You will need your civil ID copy, a copy of the car registration, and the original copy of the police complaint from the first step

3. You’ll need to purchase a stamp, the amount depends on the type of license plate you have

4. You need to go to the department head and get his signature and stamp. He will also ask you to write your name, number and sign the paper.

5. After getting your paper signed you will have to go to one of the computer counters. They will enter your details and then call you and ask you to take photocopies of two papers and go to the license plates room. Make sure you don’t have any fines before giving them your papers or else they’ll give them back to you and ask you to go pay your fines first

6. The license plates person will give you a small sheet of paper with details attached to the photocopies you gave them

7. Take the paper and then head to the Assima traffic department in Shuwaikh and head to the license plate factory there which is on the ride side of the main building (Google Maps)

8. Give the paper to the guy at the reception and he will ask you to get a signature from the manager. When you get that signature give the paper back to him

9. He will ask you to wait and 5-10 minutes later you’ll have your new license plate

Thanks Uzair

If you ever wondered what a KD2,000-a-night hotel room looks like, here you go. I originally saw this room last summer when the Grand Hyatt gave me a tour of the hotel, but back then the room was still being accessorized so I didn’t share any photos. A few days ago I went back to see the room because I figured it would make an interesting post.

So here are some facts:
– This is the Presidential Suite
– It’s 260 sq m
– It’s basically a luxurious large apartment, with 2 bedrooms, 3 living rooms, 3 bathrooms, a walk-in closet, a large dining room, a kitchen, and its own private elevator access

I tried to cover the whole room on video in under a minute and barely made it. I even had to leave out some parts like the kitchen and some corridors, that’s how huge the room is. Swipe left for the walkthrough video.

I heard there’s a KD4,500 per night hotel room in Kuwait as well which makes me think I should probably check that out next.

I always imagined it would be crazy expensive to play golf at the Sahara Kuwait Golf Club but turns out that’s not the case. Earlier this week I got in touch with the golf coach there and after a bit of back and forth I managed to figure out the cheapest way to have fun at the golf club.

If like me you just want to go alone or with friends and hit balls at the driving range, then you can do that for just 13KD. The cost to use the driving range for a non-member is 10KD for 2 hours and that includes 150 balls. If you don’t have a golf club which I’m assuming you don’t then you can rent a 7-iron for 3KD. If you want more balls, its 3KD for an additional 150.

Another great option is booking a 30-minute lesson with a professional PGA coach. The lesson costs 35KD and once you’re done with it you then get 2 hours of practice at the driving range with 150 balls to hit. The golf club is included at this price.

I went yesterday to the driving range to try it out and it’s definitely a very fun thing to do. I went just before sunset and the place was very chill. The range can hold 11 people but there was just one person when I was there. 150 balls lasted me nearly an hour of basically non-stop swinging.

If you want to play at the driving range you can either go as a walk-in or book ahead by calling them up on 22203411 or 22203410. There is a basic dress code, for guys, it’s like no jeans or shorts, no flip flops, and wear a top with a collar. When you call them they’ll fill you in. When you get to the Sahara Club, head downstairs to the golf shop, that’s where you pay and go in from.

At 13KD, this could be one of the most affordable and fun outdoor activities in Kuwait.

Photo on top from @itsgee98