Search: “kuwait”

Over the weekend Kuwait kicked off a sanitization campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Trucks were going up and down the streets spraying disinfectants on the roads but I’ve got two questions which hopefully a reader might explain to me:

First question, why are roads being disinfected? I tried to find an answer online but can’t seem to find any solid answer to why it’s effective, I’ve found articles explaining why it’s useless but nothing that supports it. It’s not just Kuwait doing it, other countries are also sanitizing the roads like China and the UAE. In Dubai, they’re even using drones to do it although that might just be a PR stunt. So if anyone has a theory or an article on this please share it in the comments. I’m genuinely curious.

My second question is, why are they using ice cream truck music? You can hear it in the video above. It’s kinda funny because whenever I heard the music yesterday I ran to my window. It reminded me when I used to spend my summers in the States as a kid because I’d run to the window whenever I heard the ice cream truck music as well.

Interestingly, the baladiya are on my street today cleaning up the area around the garbage bins. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you know I’ve had lots of drama with the baladiya and the garbage on my street. This is the cleanest I’ve seen the bins area and I think it’s part of this sanitization campaign which is great!

If you’re wondering if Aramex or other companies are still delivering packages during this pandemic, they are! Even though commercial flights in and out of Kuwait have stopped, cargo flights are still operating. And even though places like New York have been hit hard because of the virus, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down or stopping our packages from being shipped to us. So far I’ve had packages ship from the US, the UK, and Germany. Packages are taking around 10 days from arriving at my Shop & Ship mailbox to being delivered to me at my home which is normal.

For example, yesterday I had my Odroid Go Advance delivered to me (pictured above). A reader had told me about it in the comments under one of my posts on March 14th. On March 15th I ordered the device and on March 19th it arrived to my New York mailbox. Yesterday (March 30th) it was delivered to me. So 9 days from arriving to my mailbox in New York to being delivered to me here in Kuwait. Customs in Kuwait are also working normally which is pretty impressive. There is something very comforting knowing I can continue to buy stuff online and have them arrive to Kuwait.

In case you weren’t aware, the MOH Instagram account posts Coronavirus updates daily. What I especially appreciate about the MOH is the fact they breakdown the new cases with details on how the people contracted the virus. They’re being transparent which I like and I’m also pretty sure the lockdown is making it easier for them to track down all the people who were in contact with the positive case.

If you want to see these daily updates then follow them on Instagram @kuwait_moh. For more local official Coronavirus news sources, click here.

Over the weekend I got outbid on some Harvey Llyod slides of Kuwait dating back to 1979. They were being sold as part of an estate find and according to the seller, there were 180 film slides of Kuwait covering a wide range of subjects. I didn’t think anyone would be interested in them but I ended up getting outbid on them by someone I’m guessing is some kind of collector in Kuwait since their bidding history involves a lot of old Kuwait stamps.

So in case whoever won these slides reads my blog, can you please get in touch with me? I was planning to scan all the slides and share them here so maybe we can still do that.

Yesterday the Kuwait Municipality announced that starting today you can only get your coffee delivered. Up until yesterday you could still pick up a coffee from your favorite coffee shop or use their drive-thru service. I’m guessing the reason behind this decision is that having your morning coffee isn’t considered essential and so no reason for you to leave the house or wait in a busy line just to get it. On the bright side, most coffee shops are now on the delivery apps and Arabica have started delivering hot coffees as well.

Because there are fewer people on the roads and fewer factories working right now, the air quality in Kuwait has to be the best I’ve ever seen compared to 358 “Hazardous” which was the highest I’ve seen it reach. Source

A lot of you don’t know this but for the past two and a half years I’ve been working in the restaurant industry. It’s a really challenging field and I’m working harder than I have ever done but I’m also loving every minute of it. Right now the restaurant industry all over the world is facing a major crisis. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of restaurants have had to stop operating dine-in and those who offer delivery have had their sales drop considerably.

I’m still ordering food in as I usually do and in the rare occasion when I need to get out of the house, I’m going and picking up the food myself. But, a lot of people have stopped ordering and that’s really hurting restaurants (of all sizes). I’m trying to do my part in trying to support local restaurants and with the number of discounts and offers right now it’s a good time to be a customer. Below are some of my favorite places which I’m supporting:

Delivery
Abby Shawaya – Best pulled chicken sandwiches (musa7ab)*
China Kitchen – My favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant
CHKN – Best fried chicken sandwiches in the world* (I’m serious)
Clean Eats – My favorite vegan restaurant
Enab Beirut – They’re one of my favorite Lebanese delivery places
Frankies – One of the hottest breakfast spots in town now delivers
KAU – One of my favorite burger places right now (order the truffle burger)
Lavan – My favorite Indian restaurant now also deliver
Momo Zaa – The Bhutanese dumpling place now deliver
Leila Min Lebnen – My other favorite Lebanese restaurant
Lucky Bun – Another favorite burger place (order the Ooh Mami with an extra patty)
Madison & Heig – Probably the best bakery in town right now
Roto – Delicious wood-fired rotisserie chicken
Rustic Thai Kitchen – Authentic and delicious Thai food
Tampopo – Best Ramen in town easily!
Vigonovo – Still my favorite Italian restaurant in Kuwait
Wachamean – Order the Wacha Burger with an extra patty

Pick up
BBT – I love this tiny burger place
Shawarma Shakir – Their spicy meat shawerma is the best

You can also support your favorite restaurants by following them on instagram and writing reviews about them. If you have a favorite little place you want to support, let us know about them in the comments below and what kind of food they serve.

*One of the brands I work for

If you’re bored at home and looking for a good book to read, Aafaq Bookstore have an offer at the moment in response to the Coronavirus situation where they will deliver any book to you for free, no minimum order required. Their website is still under construction but you can use it, for now, to browse for books and then call them or whatsapp them to place the order. They have over 1,400 English books available and over 2,400 Arabic ones. Their website is aafaqbookstore.com and to place an order call or whatsapp them on 55524066

This offer is valid until March 29th when the public holiday is over.

Update: Their website is now live! Use the code KAFD for free delivery in Kuwait except for Sabah Al-Ahmad residential area and Ali Sabah Al-Salem.

When considering your ideal workspace, it is essential that your surroundings speak as a testament to your chosen environment. Methodically thought-out plans and endless hours of laboring over various design options, floorplans, furniture and accessories are only part of the labor of love required to envision, and then fully see that vision come to life.

Interior design as a concept is actually more than just what you see around you; rather, it’s about how the space that surrounds you makes you feel, and how it captures your singular and exclusive personality whether as an individual, or a brand.

Thus, was born the idea of A-LINE DESIGN, an independent interior design studio committed to the planning and execution of conceptual spaces for commercial projects and residential as well. Based in Kuwait and Lebanon and servicing the GCC and MENA region, A-LINE DESIGN is led by experienced interior architects and designers, the studio considers passion as the essence of their design journey, according to their vision statement.

If you find yourself asking, “Why would I consider an interior design studio when I can do it on my own?” The answer is simple: at A-LINE DESIGN, the team has studied meticulously the way your environment can relate to you, thus becoming responsible for creating spaces that are not only rich in beauty and function, but also ones that exude aesthetic positivity and evoke comfort and wellness. A-Line can help by enriching the experience through the utilization of the space to its fullest potential.

Not interested in the ordinary or mundane, A-LINE DESIGN instead seeks to create spaces that inspire the mind and spirit, constantly exploring creatively so that every room, every project is its own unique, one-of-a-kind space.

Working together with the client – considered a design partner and active member of the team – A- LINE DESIGN takes time to fully understand your needs to help you create a harmonic and dynamically impactful design. After thoroughly inspecting the space and learning your inimitable requirements, the team then prepares the concept design as it aligns with your objectives. This process of conceptualizing is in fact what A-Line Design considers the key to their success.

A-LINE DESIGN is a studio that is driven by passion and the desire to create masterful and distinctive spaces that inspire and stimulate. There is no singular ‘signature’ style, as every individual or brand carries a uniquely original sense of self, one which A-LINE DESIGN can help hone.

If you’re thinking about renovating your home or workspace to a more impactful and rousing design, look no further than A-LINE DESIGN.

You can follow A-LINE DESIGN on insta @a_linedesignco or by giving them a call on +965 55882881 or by email: [email protected]

Instagram: a_linedesignco
Facebook: A-line design

If you’re looking to get away from the city for a weekend (or more), there is a company in Kuwait called RV Way that rent out (and sell) RV’s. They’re actually the goto guys for everything RV related not just the caravans, but everything else you also might need for camping with an RV. Their RV rentals start from KD 90 and you can get more information by visiting their instagram account @rv4way or their their location in Qurain.

Yesterday it was announced that in order to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus, movie theaters in Kuwait would be temporarily shut down. I understand the idea behind this, but I think there were more people waiting in line for a burger at Wachamean last night than there were people at the movies. If we’re closing down theaters and schools because it’s this big of a deal, then we should really close down the whole country for two weeks and not just the cinemas.

Note: Just to clarify, I don’t want the country to shut down, quite the opposite, I think businesses are suffering as is.

A couple of weeks ago I wanted to go visit Al Bohayra Farm and since it was pretty far, I figured I might as well take the opportunity to test drive a car that’s more comfortable than mine. I mean out of the 4 cars I own at the moment my FJ is the most comfortable one which is weird because my FJ isn’t even comfortable. So I got in touch with Mercedes and to see if they had a new GLE I could review. I had seen the new GLE at their Avenues showroom and really liked the way it looked so I was very curious to see how it would drive as well. Luckily for me, Mercedes had just put a brand new silver GLE 450 into their test drive fleet and I would be the first person to take it out.

The new facelifted GLE launched last year and like with their other models, I really like the design direction Mercedes has been taking recently. I never used to be a fan of the Mercedes styling and had always been a Beemer guy but their new cars just look so damn good. Even when I went to pick up the GLE from their showroom I spent a good amount of time checking out the new small Mercedes A-Class since it looked pretty great too.

The GLE as expected turned out to be the perfect car for my road trip. It was spacious, super comfortable and just a really nice and quiet space to be in. Even when I ended up on a pothole-ridden road the car ate it up like it was nothing. But the main reason I’ve become such a huge fan of Mercedes is because of their dash cluster. From all the car manufacturers out there, I think Mercedes have gotten the whole digital dashboard thing right. I first experienced it in the Mercedes S-Class years ago and now it’s trickled down to all their models including the GLE. I can’t think of another car manufacturer that combines the dash screen with the center control screen more elegantly and cleanly that they do. And unlike the new more expensive new G-Class, the center screen is actually a touchscreen in the GLE. It was something I found annoying in the G-Class and it’s been fixed here.

I’ve been thinking about replacing my FJ Cruiser with another SUV since I’ve had my car for 10 years now, and one of the reasons I wanted to take the GLE out was to see if it could be a possible replacement. Well, the answer to that is going to have to be a solid no. Basically I realized I can’t own a comfortable normal car or I might not want to drive any of my other cars. First world problem for sure, but that’s currently my reality at the moment.

That’s not to say the GLE was a perfect car, over the short period of time I had it I did discover some minor annoyances. One thing I was surprised with was the fact the car didn’t have adaptive cruise control. It had all the other bells and whistles like lane-keeping assist, automated parking, assisted emergency braking and 3D surround cameras, but no adaptive control which was odd on a fully loaded Mercedes at this price point. It’s kind of a must-have option nowadays especially systems that can work in slow traffic. Another issue I had was with Apple CarPlay. Although it worked flawlessly in the G-Class, my experience with CarPlay in the GLE was fairly buggy with the system crashing on me more than once. But more importantly, unlike in the G-Class, CarPlay wouldn’t take up the full width of the display but instead just occupy a smaller boxed area in the middle of the screen with black bars on the side. I hated that since it made what is a large gorgeous display seem a lot smaller than it is. But, it’s just a software issue that can be fixed with a software upgrade.

The GLE starting price is KD 22,700 but the model I drove cost KD 27,500. It’s a really good looking car with plenty of power and all the options you could want (except for adaptive cruise control). If I didn’t have any of my other cars this would definitely be one I’d consider. I loved the silver color and I didn’t even mind the interior color although if I had to choose I’d probably go with black. When I went to pick up the car from the dealership I walked through the quick service garage (pictured above) and it’s one of the nicest and cleanest garages I’ve seen. If you want to test drive this car you can, here is a link to the GLE website with a form you can fill out.

I guess arcades are making a come back in Kuwait, first with Joystixx and now Retro City. Retro City is a new arcade place that recently opened up inside Boulevard Mall. They have one new machine which is Tekken 7 while the rest are retro looking arcade cabinets with old school games installed. The idea is cool but when I was there I didn’t think there was much variation between all the games to keep me entertained, and some games I wasn’t even sure why they were there to begin with. Here are some of the games they had:

Marvel vs Capcom
Tekken 7
The King of Fighters 98
Super Street Fighter II Third Strike
X-Men
The Simpsons
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug X
Batman
Double Dragon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Pacman
Space Invaders
Zaxon
Dig Dug
Gun Smoke

The last five games, in my opinion, shouldn’t be there especially since every round costs 250fils. I would have liked to have seen some sports games or some vertical scrollers like Mars Matrix (but at 100fils per game since I tend to die a lot). Retro City does have a small memorabilia/action figures store which is cool. But really though I need an arcade with NBA Jam or with the original Sega Rally (1 not 2) or Daytona USA units.

If you want to check the place out they’re inside Boulevard Mall but hidden. The easiest way to find them is look for the Crash Power store on the ground floor. They’re located in the area behind them. You can also find them on instagram @retrocitykw

When I found out the American bookstore Borders was opening up at The Avenues I got pretty excited because I thought finally, a bookstore! Well they opened over the holidays and guess what? They don’t sell books! Borders in Kuwait is a toy store for some reason with not a single book for sale.

The stationary and arts & crafts store Paperchase also opened as part of Borders. Both are located side by side in Avenues Phase I.