Search: “kuwait”

Yesterday Shop & Ship sent out an email stating that due to the current situation in the region and the impact it has on their costs, they will be temporarily increasing their prices. A few moments ago those prices went into effect and below is a comparison between the old rates and the new rates. I’ve included both the basic price and the discounted price if you’re a Flex member.

0.5 KG

Old Price: 3.75 KWD
New Price: 4.70 KWD (+25.3% increase)

Old Flex Price: 3.65 KWD
New Flex Price: 4.60 KWD (+26% increase)

1 KG

Old Price: 6.90 KWD
New Price: 8.25 KWD (+19.65% increase)

Old Flex Price: 5.90 KWD
New Flex Price: 7.35 KWD (+24.6% increase)

5 KG

Old Price: 32.10 KWD
New Price: 36.65 KWD (+14.2% increase)

Old Flex Price: 22.30 KWD
New Flex Price: 27.75 KWD (+24.4% increase)

10 KG

Old Price: 63.60 KWD
New Price: 72.15 KWD (+13.4% increase)

Old Flex Price: 40.80 KWD
New Flex Price: 51.25 KWD (+25.6% increase)

20 KG

Old Price: 107.60 KWD
New Price: 143.15 KWD (+25.3% increase)

Old Flex Price: 77.80 KWD
New Flex Price: 98.25 KWD (+26.3% increase)

The cost increase for regular members is on average 21% while the increase for Flex members is around 25%. They probably tried to keep the prices as low as possible and so aren’t able to give Flex members the bigger discounts they used to offer.

They seemed to also have resumed shipping to Kuwait. Although I still have a package stuck in my US mailbox, a friend had his item ship on March 3 and arrive to Kuwait by March 10 (via Riyadh instead of Dubai).

I also noticed a lot of items on Amazon I had on my Wishlist that previously had free shipping no longer have it. Amazon is still offering free shipping on some items, though I’m not sure why it no longer applies to a large chunk of my wishlist. I did place an order for some items on March 8 that were eligible for free shipping but the order hasn’t processed yet and seems to be on hold.

I know a lot of people with pets have been wondering what the requirements are if they want to travel abroad with their pets. So to clarify things, I decided to head to the International Veterinary Hospital (IVH) and meet with their import/export department, who’ve also been getting tons of questions about this lately.

If you’re planning to travel with your pet by plane or drive across the border into Saudi Arabia, you’re going to need an export permit. That was a bit of a surprise to me since I assumed crossing into Saudi with my dog would be a casual thing since it’s a GCC country to GCC country trip, but it isn’t. According to IVH, before you leave Kuwait with your pet you need to apply for an export permit. The process takes around 10 days to get done and you can do it yourself or pay someone like IVH to handle it for you. I think the most important requirement you should check for right now is that your pet’s rabies shot is valid. If it’s not valid, you’ll need to wait 30 days after getting a new shot before your pet can travel. So if you’re thinking of traveling anytime soon, get this sorted beforehand.

Once the exit permit is issued for your pet, it’s valid for 2 weeks.

Another thing to consider is that you can only travel with a maximum of two pets. If you have more than two, you’ll need someone else traveling with you to register the additional pets under their name.

At the moment, direct flights out of Kuwait are not available, but you can drive to Saudi Arabia. If you’re considering driving, be aware that Saudi Arabia requires a pet import permit to enter. They have their own set of requirements, all listed on their NAAMA portal, and the good news is you can apply online.

Once the Saudi pet import permit is issued, it’s valid for 4 weeks.

Finally, when you’re ready to return to Kuwait, you’ll need to obtain an import permit. Unlike Saudi, this can’t be done online and needs to be done in person here in Kuwait.

This isn’t a complete list of everything you’ll need, but it should give you a rough idea of what to expect when traveling with your pet dog or cat.

I’m trying to ease myself back into posting, and while thinking of a subject, I remembered some photos and research I’d gathered last year on the Kuwait Fire Force. Most of it was kindly provided by Colin Tomlinson and Ali Asad, whose fathers Len Tomlinson and Husain Asad both served as Chief Fire Officers.

Before 1946, fires in Kuwait were fought by the residents themselves using water carried by donkeys and mules. Then in 1947, a Ford tanker truck equipped with a pump and hose was brought in to help extinguish fires and in 1949, a second truck was added to meet growing demand. By 1950, the fire brigade had added four new tanker trucks and personnel had grown to 30. Development continued from there, and the photos in this post are of the Ahmadi Fire Department, taken mostly in the late 50s and operated by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).

KOC had originally established two fire stations, one in Ahmadi and one in Mina Al Ahmadi. In the mid 60s, the government established another fire station in Ahmadi. Then in the early 70s, KOC handed over all the firefighting activities to the State fire force and one rule was established which is still active today, any fire involving KOC assets in Ahmadi is led by a KOC fire officer.

To check out all the photos, click here.

Last week I posted about how all pharmacies now are being forced to be brandless, well it sucks that it’s happening.

Over the weekend I needed to get a specific plaster from a pharmacy which according to Talabat only Al Hajery Pharmacy had. Great, so I decided to pass by Al Hajery Pharmacy to get it since it’s a 500fils item and didn’t make sense to order it with Talabat. I couldn’t find an Al Hajery Pharmacy.

I obviously knew pharmacies were brandless now but I thought I remembered an area in Hawally where one branch was located. I also knew they used the color green for their branding so I figured it wouldn’t be so hard to find it. I was wrong. I went to three different green pharmacies in that area, two turned out to be Al Mutawa and one a Pharmazone!

I haven’t come across any news article about this change so I still don’t know what the reason behind this decision is. As an example of what I mean by pharmacies going brandless, the image on top is of a Boots store at The Avenues.

For those wondering if there will be an air show again this year, there will be. The air show is taking place tomorrow, February 25, from 2PM to 3:30PM near the Kuwait Towers.

There will also be a military display near the Kuwait Towers tomorrow from 5PM to 12AM and on February 26 from 3:30PM to 12AM.

As of now, it doesn’t look like there will be any fireworks.

With National Day coming up, I decided I’d share these photos from Verity Cridland’s archive taken in June 1962, when Kuwait celebrated its first National Day.

National Day used to be celebrated on June 19, but due to the summer heat an Amiri decree merged National Day with the accession anniversary of the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, officially moving the celebration to February 25.

Verity was 12 years old when her father moved to Kuwait from Baghdad in 1958 as an assistant chief engineer, mainly responsible for roads and roundabouts. He lived here for five years before returning to England. Verity, her mother, brother and sister only visited Kuwait three times during that period, and most of the photos she later scanned and uploaded to Flickr were taken by her mother, with only a few by her father.

I’ll link to the Verity Cridland archive in a second, but first, I’ve put together all the National Day photos in a single post and shared them on my Instagram. The photos here are from two different celebrations and you can see them by clicking here.

Alternatively, if you want to go through her full archive, click here.

Back in 2020 I posted about the Extreme Sports van parked outside Green Island renting bicycles to anyone who wanted to ride up and down the Gulf Road. That was before the waterfront makeover and the addition of dedicated bike paths.

A few days ago, Extreme Sports soft launched their first Extreme Bike Rentals storefront on the Gulf Road pathway outside Green Island. They’re planning to open four more spots along the Gulf Road, with approximately one new location launching every 10 days.

The other locations will be next to the Kuwait Towers, opposite the Kuwait Society of Engineers, next to Villa Fayrouz, and next to the Swimming Pool Complex.

They have bicycles and tricycles available to rent in adult and kids sizes, and they haven’t increased their prices. It’s still just KD3 per hour. At the moment they’re open from 6AM to 10PM, but during Ramadan the timings will change to 3PM to 3AM. @extremebikerentals

eL Seed, the popular French Tunisian street artist known for creating large scale murals that blend Arabic calligraphy with graffiti, is currently in Kuwait. The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters invited him to paint a mural around the Abdulhusain Abdulridha Theater in Salmiya as part of an overall revitalization and maintenance of the building.

I always thought the building looked dull and lifeless, but the burst of color from eL Seed’s mural has completely transformed it. The mural should be finished by tomorrow from what I’ve been told. I was going to wait until it was finished to take photos, but the sky and light yesterday were perfect, so I had to take my pictures then.

If you want to pass by and see them working on it, you still can. The Abdulhusain Abdulridha Theater is located in Salmiya across the street from the Kuwait Bowling Club. Here is the location on Google Maps.

The 62nd exhibition by the Palestinian Culture Center, in collaboration with the Embassy of Palestine, kicks off today, celebrating the heritage, resilience, and artistry of Palestinian women.

The center has been active in Kuwait since the early 1970s, and each year they host this exhibition to help keep Palestinian culture alive while supporting underprivileged women and children in refugee camps.

The exhibition features handmade embroidery, ceramics, traditional foods, and books for sale. Every item reflects the rich culture of Palestine and supports the women who continue to preserve it with care.

This year, the exhibition is taking place at a new location, the Contemporary Art Platform in the Design District, Shuwaikh (Google Maps). Conveniently located next to OVO and Cantina.

The event runs from today, Monday, February 9 to Thursday, February 12, from 10AM to 8PM daily. @palestiniancc

Photo by @prettygreenbullet

Last night I found out that Xcite have the JBL L100 Classic MkII speakers for sale. I had my eye on these years ago but shipping them to Kuwait would have costed an arm and a leg on top of the already crazy expensive price. Eventually I ended up getting the KEF R7’s, but now the JBL’s are available in Kuwait.

These speakers were originally released in the 1970s and became an iconic model. These’s MKII’s are a modern take on them and they’re selling at Xcite for KD 540 per speaker. So KD 1,080 for a pair. Sounds like a lot, cuz it is a lot but it’s still cheaper than how much they sell for abroad. This is technically a good deal.

It also looks like they recently got some new FOCAL speakers and updated their Marantz collection. Only reason I found out about all this is because I’m always looking for KEF items and it seems they’re no longer getting anything new. I need speaker stands for my LSX and LS50 speakers which they were selling at a steal at one point when they were getting rid of them, but now they don’t have any left in stock.

If you want to check out the JBL’s, here is the link.

I also noticed their website no longer lists any SVS subwoofers nor any Bowers & Wilkins speakers. Looks like they stopped getting those two brands as well. It’s really sad they stopped getting SVS products, they make the best subwoofers. I guess I’m lucky I bought the PB-2000 Pro and SB-2000 Pro when they had them in stock. Can’t recommend them enough!

Since the 24th Annual Kuwait International Camel Racing Championship starts today, I thought it would be the perfect time to share these photos taken by Mark Lowey in 1988.

Mark Lowey (also known as AbuJack) worked for the Kuwait National Petroleum Company and lived in Kuwait with his wife from 1985 to 1988. One Friday on his day off, Mark and a friend headed to the camel races, where he captured a number of photos. This was during a period when camel jockeys were mostly children, a practice that was later banned in the 2000s.

Mark actually put together a photo essay from that day, complete with a detailed write up, but it was published on the Aramco Expats website, which shut down a couple of years ago. Luckily I still had some of the photos saved from when I first shared his photos on my blog back in 2021.

Also, for those of you interested in the camel racing championship, it’s taking place from February 7 to 12 and I’ve shared the schedule below.

Saturday, February 7
Morning Races start at 8AM
Afternoon Races start at 3:30PM

Sunday, February 8
Morning Races start at 8AM
Afternoon Races start at 1:30PM

Monday, February 9
Morning Races start at 8AM
Afternoon Races start at 1:30PM

Tuesday, February 10
Morning Races start at 8AM
Afternoon Races start at 1:30PM

Wednesday, February 11
Morning Races start at 8AM
Afternoon Races start at 3:30PM

Thursday, February 12
Races start at 1:30PM

Here is the location of the race track on Google Maps.

City Hypermarket, Kuwait’s fastest-growing locally owned supermarket chain, officially opened its newest location in Aswaq Al Qurain on February 4th. The new store was launched by the Founder Mr. Adel Alghanim, Deputy CEO Mr. Nasser Alghanim and Mr. Marzouq Alghanim, delivering on the brand promise of “Value, all the time” with a spacious, redesigned store and competitive Ramadan promotions for families across Kuwait. The opening was also attended by members of the press, the mall owners and landlord, amidst a festive celebration with the general public.

The new Qurain store features refreshed and redesigned layouts that deliver a more elevated and spacious shopping environment for customers. To celebrate the opening, City Hypermarket launched competitive deals across fresh produce, supermarket food items, and household essentials — all designed to make Ramadan shopping more cost-effective and convenient for families across Kuwait. The opening celebrations also featured a cultural Kuwaiti performance, family activities, and free giveaways for all to enjoy.

Deputy CEO Mr. Nasser Adel Alghanim expressed pride in the opening, stating:

“We are proud to open our first store in Mubarak Al Kabeer Governorate to serve the Al Qurain community at such an important shopping period. As a Kuwaiti company, this opening reflects our commitment to bringing our ‘Value, all the time’ promise closer to more families across Kuwait, helping them prepare for Ramadan with stronger value and greater convenience.”

In addition, City Hypermarket highlighted its specially curated household range for the season, developed with locally inspired designs that reflect Kuwaiti and Arabic culture and heritage. The range features three dedicated collections: Alanoud, Andalous, and Fajer from its exclusive Into Home Arabesque brand, as well as the beautifully designed WABA range. It also provides everything needed to prepare for the season, including kitchen essentials, serving and dining sets, glassware, cookware, and more.

Renowned for its large-format stores and one-stop-shop convenience, City Hypermarket has built its reputation as one of the best locally owned hypermarkets in Kuwait. The brand’s commitment to value-driven pricing and customer-centric service has driven consistent growth and increasing market share across the country in recent years.

The Qurain opening marked another milestone in the company’s growth trajectory, with another store planned to open in 2026 in Eqaila as the brand continues to expand its footprint across Kuwait.

The Qurain location welcomed its first customers on February 4th and is now serving the community 24 hours a day with the same commitment to value and service that has made City Hypermarket a trusted name across the country.

About City Hypermarket

Founded in 1999 by Mr. Adel Alghanim, City Hypermarket is Kuwait’s fastest-growing locally owned supermarket chain, committed to delivering exceptional value to Kuwaiti families and the wider community through competitive pricing and continuous promotions, including its signature 900 fils offers and ½-1-2-3 KD deals. Guided by its brand promise of “Value, all the time,” City Hypermarket has proudly served Kuwait for 26 years, with ambitious plans for continued expansion.

Last night, the winners of this year’s Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced in Abu Dhabi, and two restaurants from Kuwait made the list.

Cantina and Matbakhi both earned spots on the 50 Best Restaurants list, with Cantina ranking 18th and Matbakhi coming in 50th. Cantina’s ranking is pretty incredible and the highest ever achieved by a Kuwait based restaurant on the 50 Best list.

Previous Kuwaiti restaurants that made the list include White Robata in 2022 and 2023, and Bonjiri in 2023.

The Middle East & North Africa’s 50 Best Restaurants list was launched in 2022 and is published every year. Restaurants are voted for by 250 respected food and restaurant industry experts from across the region, all chosen for their knowledge and experience of the local dining scene.

For the full list of 2026 winners, click here.

Last month, a video filmed by Abdulmalek Marafi went viral, showing his struggle to get from Messila to Kuwait Towers in his wheelchair while training for the Dubai Marathon. Abdulmalek was born with a disability and uses his wheelchair to show people that obstacles can be overcome with motivation.

Two days ago, he took part in the Dubai Marathon and not only finished the race, but broke a world record in the process.

Abdulmalek completed the 42.195 km course in 2 hours and 51 minutes, earning him the world record for the fastest marathon completed in a non-racing wheelchair. That’s obviously an insane time and extremely impressive. If you want to see more of his videos, head over to his Instagram @m3rafie

Since Souk Sharq closed down a couple of days ago, I thought I’d post about the time it was hit by an Iraqi missile.

Back in 2003 I was running the blog Qhate with a couple of friends and my sister. It quickly turned into a war blog once the situation with Iraq escalated, and we started covering life in Kuwait during that period. Many people had fled Kuwait out of fear of another invasion, and those who stayed were buying gas masks and taping up their windows. It was a strange and tense time to be living here.

Just after midnight on March 29, 2003, an Iraqi missile landed outside Souk Sharq, injuring two people and causing damage to the mall. Most of the damage was to the movie theater, which is located in the part of the mall closest to the water where the missile landed.

I had shared photos from the aftermath back then and still have them. They’re not high resolution, but they’re still worth sharing. It was a pretty scary time, and along with the photos I’m also sharing posts below written by my friend and my sister, who covered the incident on the blog.

If anyone is interested, the blog is still online as a time capsule of that period. You can check it out at qhate.com