Categories
Apple

iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Prices in Kuwait

Yesterday I posted that the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro will be launching in Kuwait on September 29th and now I have the prices. These prices were sent to me by Gait and are the official Apple prices, so all authorized Apple resellers will have to follow them. Here they are:

iPhone 15
iPhone 15 128GB KWD 294.9
iPhone 15 256GB KWD 329.9
iPhone 15 512GB KWD 399.9

iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Plus 128GB KWD 329.9
iPhone 15 Plus 256GB KWD 362.9
iPhone 15 Plus 128GB KWD 329.9
iPhone 15 Plus 512GB KWD 436.9

iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro 128GB KWD 372.9
iPhone 15 Pro 256GB KWD 406.9
iPhone 15 Pro 512GB KWD 480.9
iPhone 15 Pro 1TB KWD 552.9

iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB KWD 442.9
iPhone 15 Pro Max 512GB KWD 514.9
iPhone 15 Pro Max 1TB KWD 587.9

If you’re wondering if the price is cheaper if you order it from the US Apple store, it is. I’m interested in the 15 Pro 256GB version and I just did a quick rough calculation and if I order it online it would cost me around 377KD after taxes and shipping versus 407KD here in Kuwait. The more expensive the phone, the bigger the difference will be.

If you’re interested in getting it locally, Gait will start taking preorders next Friday, September 22nd.




Categories
Apple

New iPhones Launch in Kuwait on September 29th

Last night Apple announced the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro and I just got word from Gait that all the new phones along with the new Apple Watches will be launched in Kuwait on September 29th.

The prices haven’t been announced yet but they should be available before they open pre-orders on September 22nd.

I’m currently using an iPhone 13 Pro so I’m planning to upgrade to the 15 Pro. I’m not sure its worth the upgrade if you have a 14 Pro, I tend to upgrade every other year but since the phone is something you use all the time, it could be worth the upgrade I guess.




Categories
Information

Is Kuwait’s tap water safe to drink?

Yesterday the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued a decision where all restaurants and cafes in Kuwait will now be obliged to have tap water as an offering. Now that this was announced I realized how odd it was that this wasn’t a thing considering the tap water in Kuwait is actually really clean and safe to drink straight out of the tap.

Years ago I was invited to the Water Resources Development Center located in Shuwaikh where they explained to me how the water sent to homes is clean and safe to drink. The Water Resources Development Center also has two laboratories, a chemistry lab and a bacteriology lab and every single day water samples are collected from various institutions around Kuwait (schools, hospitals, mosques etc..) and delivered to their laboratories for testing. If the water is contaminated, the source of that water is closed down right away and only reopened once the problem has been fixed.

The government is responsible in providing you clean and safe water up until the building meter, after that point it becomes the building owners responsibility. If the water you’re getting at home isn’t clean, thats most likely because of a problem with your building pipes, boilers, or storage tanks. In that case, you’re recommended to use a filter which is what most restaurants will also be using.

But the answer is yes, Kuwait’s tap water is safe to drink but only if your building or home is maintained correctly, if not, you’ll have to use a filter.




Categories
Food & Drinks

A Food Lovers Guide to Kuwait – 2023 Edition

An interview with a Michelin Star chef popped up on my TikTok feed last week and he said something really interesting which was basically that food is the third most important thing in a restaurant, with ambiance and service being more important. I think thats true and I realized that while I was putting this list together.

Sometimes I wonder why certain places are always busy while I’m sure other people wonder why I like a certain place, it really comes down to our individual experiences. I eat out pretty much every single day and the list below are some of my favorite places in Kuwait:

Breakfast
Cocoa Room (@cocoaroom) is the spot I go to when I want to have breakfast on a Friday morning while Alf Layla wLayla (@alf_laylawlayla) is the spot I have breakfast with friends midweek when the weather is good (Tip: Bring your own chapati from Sound Indian Restaurant at the roundabout next door).

Healthy-ish
Ever since OVO (@ovokwt) opened their new location in Shuwaikh I’ve loved going there. M.E’AT (@meatkwt) is my don’t think about it, just go build a bowl eat and leave spot.

Kuwaiti
Al Shemam (@alshemam1) is mine and everyones favorite with delicious grilled fish options and kebabs but I also really like Midar (@midar.me) in The Avenues.

Italian
Vigonovo (@vigonovo_kw) has been my go-to spot for the past 7 years ago but this past year I’ve been bouncing between them and Leccino (@leccino.kw).

Asian
EDO (@edo_restaurant) is my favorite Japanese right now while Great China Wall (@chinagreatwallrestaurant) is my favorite Chinese/Hot Pot spot.

Indian
Cardamon Club (@cardamom.club) is my favorite “fancy” Indian place while Paratha King (@paratha_king) is my hole in the wall.

My Comfort Food
Tampopo (@tampopo.ramenshop) because it’s simple and right next to my house. I still love Solo Pizza (@solopn) even though there are a lot more pizza places nowadays. And finally, one of my favorite restaurants in Kuwait, Oak & Smoke (@oakandsmoke). I would also have added Five Guys here if it wasn’t a franchise.

These are my favorite spots, let me know if your favorite place should have been on my list.




Categories
Sports

Former UFC Champion booked for MMA return in Kuwait

This is a completely random tidbit that popped up on my feed this morning. Renan Barao, the former UFC bantamweight champion is making his return to the fighting scene after leaving the UFC 4 years ago with a fight next month here in Kuwait. Source

Barao will face Peter Ligier in the main event of Fera Championship’s debut card on October 7. I checked the @ferachampionship Instagram account and it’s still empty as of this post with just a mention in the profile that says the event is on October 6 & 7.

If you’re a UFC fan this looks like it might be a pretty interesting event to go to.




Categories
50s to 90s Food & Drinks

The First Chinese Restaurant in Kuwait?

Whenever I flip through old newspaper there are random things that always catch my attention. Recently while flipping through a 1976 issue of Kuwait Times I came across this ad for what supposedly is (according to the ad), the first Chinese restaurant in Kuwait. Never heard of it and can’t find anything online about it either. I can’t even find the building it was located in.

If anyone has any information about “Golden Nest”, let me know!

Update: I found another ad (above) and this one has a map. So I tried to figure out where the restaurant used to be located and if Al Shuhada Street used to be called Al Hilal Street back in 1976, then I think Golden Nest was located in the same block as where Al Assima Tower and Solo Pizza are located today. I overlapped the map onto Google Maps and if you line up the streets and roundabouts they match. Whoever drew the map though placed Shaab gate on the wrong corner of the intersection though.




Categories
50s to 90s Music

When James Brown Came to Kuwait in 1978

Back in 1978, James Brown came to Kuwait and performed over 7 days at Al-Andalus Cinema in Hawalli. The event was organized by a person called Hussein Abul who over the years had brought other performers to Kuwait including Boney M, Demis Roussos, and Santa Esmeralda.

I also heard an unconfirmed story that Hussein had also signed a contract with Michael Jackson to come to Kuwait, but due to cultural changes in Kuwait taking place at that time, concerts started to get banned and Hussein ended up moving to Brazil permanently.

The James Brown event on the other hand was a huge success to the point the organizers had to add more performance slots. Saif Abu Baker from the local band The Scorpions used to be managed by Hussein and ended up getting the job of driving James Brown around since Saif spoke both English and Arabic. That opportunity later got Saif to play bass on the track Super Bad with James Brown on stage.

I’ve previously found newspaper clippings of the concert but only in Arabic. But, thanks to @kuwaittimes giving me access to their archive, I managed to find a few ads for the event as well as two articles.

“Had not the Andalus authorities exercised diplomacy on the audience, the cinema hall would have turned into a dance hall when the celebrated musician James Brown made his debut in Kuwait yesterday. – Kuwait Times, Dec 1978”

The ticket prices for the concert ranged from KD2 to KD10 which in todays money would be around 10KD to 50KD which is actually a pretty good deal.




Categories
50s to 90s

The First Flood – Kuwait, 1934

Rawan Alsaffar, a Landscape Architect published a paper recently that had an interesting story which I hadn’t come across before, the first flood from back in 1934. The flood caused a lot of physical and political damage which was felt for years to come and although tt’s a bit of a long read, the paper does cover more than just the flood. Here is the link.




Categories
50s to 90s

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait – 1972

A scan of a postcard from 1972 showing the beautiful Commercial Bank of Kuwait building from back then. For more old postcards, click here.




Categories
Travel

KLM to Suspend Kuwait – Amsterdam Flights

Since Kuwait Airways upgraded their planes and moved to T4, I’ve stopped flying other airlines and I guess so did a lot of other people because starting October 29th, KLM are dropping their Amsterdam to Kuwait route because it’s no longer profitable.

I used to use KLM to fly to Amsterdam but wasn’t a big fan since it was an overnight flight which meant I needed to sleep on the plane but I remember they used to be one of the cheapest options available especially when heading to the US.

The last flight to Kuwait leaves Amsterdam on October 28th, after that your only way to fly to Amsterdam directly is with Kuwait Airways. Source




Categories
News Videos

Kuwaiti Divers Clean Seabed

Yesterday the Associated Press uploaded the short video above of a group of Kuwaiti divers who are on a mission to clean up Kuwait’s seabed and improve its marine environment. According to Walid Al-Fadhel who is the team’s leader, they were able to salvage 172 boats and yachts.

The video was only uploaded in 360p resolution for some reason so it’s not great quality, but it’s good enough to tell their story.




Categories
Information Interesting

Restoring the Kuwait Towers Windows

If you’ve ever been to the Kuwait Towers you probably noticed the dirty windows and wondered why they weren’t being cleaned. Well turns out they were being cleaned but the glass itself had discolored and oxidized over the years making them look dirtier than they actually were.

The Kuwait Towers are located right by the sea so they’re exposed to the salty sea air that has corrosive effects on a variety of the materials used in the towers including concrete, metal and glass. Back in June I posted about how the blue discs covering the towers were getting restored, well last week I found out that the glass is now also getting restored.

A company called RITEC was contracted for the restoration which involves a 5 stage process. The first stages relate to the actual restoration of the glass where various chemicals and abrasives are used to remove the oxidation from the glass. Once the oxidation is removed, the glass is polished and revived to its original state making it look brand new. The final stages involve protecting the glass with a nonstick clear shield that not only will prevent the salt from adhering to the glass again, but also dust. In fact, the windows will require 70% less cleaning and will no longer need any soap or chemicals to get cleaned, just water.

This restoration process is currently ongoing as of this post and they’ve already nearly completed restoring the glass at the observation deck and are in process of restoring the glass around the restaurants.

The next time you visit the towers you should see a night and day difference. You’ll finally be able to see out of the windows clearly as well as take nicer shots of the city skyline.




Categories
Shopping

The Largest IKEA in Kuwait Just Opened

When I was given a tour of The Warehouse the other day, I also got a tour of the new IKEA located there. The new IKEA is nearly 25% larger than The Avenues location (26,000m² vs 21,000m²) and is considered to be one of the largest in the region. It’s really huge.

What stood out to me the most while walking around the store is how much space all the display areas had. It makes The Avenues location seem cramped even though thats not a small store by any means. One of the benefits of having a significantly larger store is the ability to showcase the complete range of products. So for example, instead of a couch being displayed in one size and two colors, they now have the space to display all the sizes and all the colors. I was walking around checking out products which I thought were new only to be told they’ve had them for years and I had just never noticed them before, or they never had the models on display. Same when we passed by the home appliances section, I had no idea IKEA had their own ovens or fridges for sale. Thats how much of a difference the new larger store makes on all their products, it allows them to really shine.

The store is split across two levels similar to The Avenues location and with the same general flow. The restaurant like everything else in the store is now much larger and features not only the standard food pickup area, but also includes a new permanent buffet section and a conveniently accessible coffee shop directly from the mall. The bakery and food market are located on the lower floor and like everything else, are also much larger.

If you want to check out the new IKEA they just opened today at The Warehouse. Their operating hours are from 9AM to 11PM daily and here is their location on Google Maps.




Categories
50s to 90s

When the Discotheque was Introduced in Kuwait

Last week while flipping through some old Kuwait Times newspapers from 1971 I spotted the article above titled “No. This Is Not In Soho, This is in Kuwait”. The article was about the introduction of the discotheque in Kuwait at a popular hotel back then called Phoenicia. Here is the article typed out if you can’t read it in the image above:

The discotheque, at Phoenicia Hotel, was the scene of a lovely and ac-tion-full night Saturday, when most of the young and several other not-so-young celebrities showed up to enjoy this new form of entertainment to emerge on the Kuwaiti scene, thanks to the efforts made by the organisers of the British Trade Week.

The star attraction of the evening was, of course, the “Miss British Trade Week” Brenda Wheeler. British Ambassador, Mr. Whilton, was also present to lend the evening an official importance.

The Discotheque, in short, is a success in Kuwait, and many people hope it will continue – and also not just in one place.

An interesting side note, the original plans for the Kuwait Towers included a discotheque.




Categories
Music

Kuwait’s Emerging Music Scene

A couple of weeks ago GQ Middle East published a feature on Kuwait’s emerging music scene by spotlighting two Kuwait-based artists, Cascou and Rydeen.

The article is a Q&A with the artists which is a format I’m generally not a fan of, but if you want to check it out, here is the link.

The photos in the article are great and were shot by @mewnyra & @taiibbbaaa