Search: “kuwait”

Have you ever been to the opera? Because I haven’t but I’m going to next week. “The Magic Flute” opera is going to be performing in Kuwait next Thursday and Friday at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre and they’ve given me four platinum tickets to giveaway to my readers.

“The Magic Flute” is one of the most popular operas composed by Mozart, and one of the most performed operas in history. The opera is described as an enchanting masterpiece, a fairy-tale adventure that will transport you to a world of fantasy. I don’t think I’m an opera kind of person, but I always like trying new things so I’m pretty excited about this.

The opera is going to be held next Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of September. Tickets start at KD35 for the bronze seats but I’m giving away 2 platinum tickets worth KD170 for the Thursday show, and 2 more platinum tickets for the Friday one. So there will be two winners for this giveaway! If you’re interested in winning these tickets all you need to do to enter the draw is answer this simple question in the comments below: Where is “The Magic Flute” opera going to be held? I will stop accepting entries in the comments section tomorrow (Thursday) at 2PM and then randomly choose two winners and notify them via email.

If you haven’t been to an opera before this is a great opportunity. JACC also gave me a sneak peek of their upcoming events for this season and there are some really interesting things coming your way so stay tuned. For more information on “The Magic Flute” or if you want to buy your tickets, click [Here]

Giveaway Rules: Only one entry per person and please make sure you use a working email since the winner will be contacted by email. There will be two winners for this event, the first winner to respond to my email will get to choose which day of the opera they want to attend, the second winner then gets the other day. If a winner doesn’t respond within 24 hours, another winner will be randomly chosen. Good luck!

Update: Commenting has been closed. Thanks for participating, will randomly draw two winners later today!

Update2: Using Random.org I got two winners and contacted them. If they don’t respond within 24 hours I’ll draw another number out.

Since the weather is getting better I’m going to be reviewing cars again, mostly because there are a bunch of new cars I’ve been wanting to try. The Lexus LC500 was one of them, I hadn’t seen many on the road, maybe just two or three this past year and so it had always intrigued me. So I got in touch with the dealer and they lent me the car for five days to enjoy.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice how gorgeous this car is, it has an incredible rear end that looks like something from the future. As soon as I drove the car out of the dealership I could feel people checking out the car, and I really think its because of its futuristic look. The dealer used to have a yellow LC500 on display and before picking up the test drive car I was praying I wouldn’t end up with it. Luckily I got the best color combination I could have hoped for, a dark grey exterior with a maroon and black interior. The dark grey color helped with the futuristic look and made it super photogenic in front of the camera.

The LC500 has a 5.0L V8 engine sending 471HP to the rear wheels with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The car is pretty fast but what caught me off-guard the most was the exhaust sound. When you put the car into sports mode it starts sounding like an American muscle car, it was very un-Lexus like which is why I loved it. Sadly the soundproofing on the Lexus is so good, you really need to lower your windows to fully appreciate the sound. Lexus is still going to be Lexus and so the interior of the LC500 was, of course, comfortable, super quiet and just a wonderful place to be in. I had the car for five days and I just felt so chill driving it around. Even though Lexus are marketing the LC500 as a sports car (at least locally), it didn’t feel like one and I didn’t drive it like one. For me, the LC500 is a car that would take me from point A to B in style and comfort. Other than the infotainment system (more on that in a bit), the interior of the car is a fantastic place to be in during traffic. The car also comes standard with a lot of features like pre-crash safety system, lane keeping assist, dynamic radar cruise control, parking assist, a smart entry and start system, as well as a pretty kick-ass Mark Levinson sound system with 13 speakers.

But, like other Lexus’s, the LC500 has one major flaw and it’s the infotainment system. The interface not only looks outdated but is outdated without having modern features like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. If that wasn’t bad enough, the way you interact with the infotainment system is extremely clumsy using their touchpad which isn’t very intuitive, responsive nor practical when driving. I hated it. It’s really the only major issue I had with the car but one that would most likely drive me mad if I had to interact with it on a day to day basis. If all you want from your infotainment is to stream music via Bluetooth, then you’re going to be fine with a Lexus. But, if you want a visually pleasing interface that will run apps from your phone, you’re going to be extremely disappointed.

The Lexus LC500 starts at KD32,000 which I find mind-boggling because the car looks like it’s worth so much more. It really is a very hot looking car which is why I’ve been so eager to drive one. If you’re interested in test driving the LC500 yourself, the dealership has a car available. For more information, check out the LC500 product page on the Lexus Kuwait website [Here]

On a side note, I have a quick question. What do you want more from these car posts? I generally don’t try to go into too many details since I know a lot of people aren’t into cars, but what else would you want to see? Would a video walk around of the car and interior be something you’d like to see for example? Let me know in the comments.

The Staged in Kuwait IMPROV comedy night is back again and will take place at the end of this month. They’re my favorite local comedy show and if you’ve never been to any of their shows you definitely should. I actually wasn’t going to post about the show until next week, but I just noticed most of the tickets are already sold. So if yo want to check them out, you should probably hurry up and get your tickets today. For more information, click [Here]

To be eligible, residents born in Qatar must have lived in the country for 10 years, while those born abroad would need to have lived there 20 years, according to the decree. A passing command of the Arabic language, proof of sufficient income and sound legal standing are also required.
…
Permanent residents will be able to establish commercial companies without needing a local partner and will be able to take part in national economic projects. Permanent residency permits can be withdrawn in certain cases. [Source]

When expats like me who’ve been living in Kuwait all their lives talk about wanting some kind of benefit or advantage over an expat who’s been in Kuwait for just a week, this is what we really want. We want the ability to live in Kuwait without requiring a sponsor, without having to renew our residency every year and the ability to purchase a home or open a business if we want to. We’re not asking for the passport or a social security check every month.

Why is Kuwait Airways singling out “Overseas Filipino Workers” as a passenger type? Seems a bit odd…

This post is a jab at how slow Aramex is, but also shows how our postal service can be pretty good sometimes. I know we all like to hate on the postal service but my latest experience has completely changed my view on them, at least when it comes to shipping between GCC countries.

Last month I found a pair of Nike Metcon 4’s on the Sun & Sand Sports website based in Dubai, they had free shipping plus a 15% discount for new customers so the pair ended up costing me substantially less than if I had purchased it locally. Not only that, but they didn’t even have the color I wanted locally so it was a win win.

Sun & Sand Sports shipped my package via Aramex on August 29th and only just today, September 10th it’s being delivered to me (I still haven’t gotten it as of this post FYI). That’s 13 days from Dubai to Kuwait.

On the other hand, last week I ordered a package from Qatar which got shipped by regular post on September 3rd. I thought I was screwed and that the package might take forever to get to Kuwait but then on September 6th I got a call from the Hateen Post Office telling me I could pass by and pick up my package which I did. I thought the post office probably closed around 1PM but surprisingly they closed at 7PM. They were pretty friendly at the post office and an old guy behind the desk offered me some Quality Street sweets. The only awkward part was when the customs agent asked me what was in the package and I had to try and explain to him it was a musical ballerina figurine in an abaya, but other than that the whole thing went pretty smoothly.

So…

Qatar to Kuwait via regular post = 4 Days
UAE to Kuwait via Aramex = 13 Days

13 days from Dubai to Kuwait, that’s crazy. To put it in perspective, I had a pair of sneakers ship from New York on August 31st by PostaPlus, and I got them today!

New York to Kuwait via PostaPlus = 11 Days

When your express mail service is over 3x slower than regular Kuwait mail, you know you’ve got a problem.

Although it doesn’t look like it, the Wrangler pictured above is the all-new 2018 version that’s been completely redesigned. It was released in the States earlier this year and since then I’ve been eagerly waiting for it to come to Kuwait so I can test drive it.

I finally did last weekend when I was given the Wrangler Sports edition to test drive for the weekend. It may not look that different on the outside, but I can tell you the new Wrangler is vastly different from the previous generation. Although the outside looks pretty identical to the previous generation, every panel was actually completely redesigned. You just can’t tell unless you put the old model side by side with the new one. Where you will notice major changes is in the interior.

The interior is where the new Wrangler has really improved. I owned the second generation Wrangler and I’ve rented the third generation one a few times so I’ve had a lot of experience with the previous models. The new fourth generation Wrangler is easily the most comfortable and featureful version yet. Even though I had the entry level Wrangler it was still packed with comforts. The interior felt more car-like than ever with a large touchscreen that had Apple CarPlay, keyless start, a reverse camera with probably the best quality footage I’ve seen on a reverse camera yet, USB and USB-C ports all around, AC power plugs, and because I had the 4-door version, there were rear AC vents, a feature I know a lot of previous 4-door owners wish they had.

One of the things I loved about the new Jeep was how solid and well-built everything felt. From the feel of the door to the rattleless interior, the Jeep felt well put together, much more than the previous models. Everything felt more premium including the steering wheel which felt great to hold.

A friend of mine wanted to collect rock samples from Mutla’a so I volunteered to drive them out there in the Wrangler. It was a long drive and the Jeep was fairly comfortable with the AC managing to keep the car cool in the very hot weather. The Sports edition I had doesn’t come with any roof padding which would have helped even more with the cooling as well as the wind noise. The wind noise was surprisingly pretty bad, I would have figured Jeep would have managed to improve that by now but looks like they haven’t. It’s actually my biggest complaint about the car. My other complaint would be with the suspension which I found too hard, I was feeling every crack in the road to the point I thought maybe the tires might have been overinflated (they weren’t).

There are three Wrangler editions at the moment, the entry level one is the Sports edition, you then have the Sahara edition which is more feature equipped and finally the Rubicon which is their top of the line model. The engine is the same in all three, a V6 3.6L which I found to be pretty punchy, it made my FJ feel very slow and heavy. Both the Sahara and Rubicon models have a larger touchscreen in the center console and a lot more USB and USB-C ports scattered around the car amongst other options like leather seats, roof headliner with insulation, LED lights and more. The new Wranglers start at KD10,850 but my personal preference would be the Rubicon model pictured above. It has a lot more options than the Sports version including a better suspension, larger tires, and more aggressive look. But it also costs KD15,999 which makes it a lot more expensive than the entry-level model.

If you’re interested to test drive the new Wrangler you could drop by their showroom and book an appointment or get in touch with them on instagram @jeepkuwait_

I’ve been using a dashcam now for four years and even though I haven’t caught anything interesting yet, I still would recommend people have one installed in their cars. Dashcams are small video recorders you mount on your front windshield and they record everything that happens in front of your car. They’re great for capturing accidents that aren’t your fault and are used in a lot of countries for insurance purposes.

The other day while visiting A-Store in Shuwaikh I noticed they were selling a bunch of different dashcams including the brand Aukey. Their prices were more expensive than Amazon but if you don’t want to go through the hassle of ordering from Amazon then they might be a good choice.

Their store is in Shuwaikh across from Tilal [Google Maps] but they have the cameras listed on their online store which you can check out [Here]

If you know of any other places in Kuwait that sell dashcams, let me know.

Wataniya Airways is temporarily suspending operations after “unexpected circumstances” that could not be avoided, board chairman Ali al Fozan announced yesterday.

The suspension is the second time in its brief history that the carrier has had to halt its flight operations.

“Three planes going out of service,” have left the carrier with just one aircraft available for commercial flights, Al Fozan claimed during a press conference in Kuwait yesterday as the reason behind “temporarily” suspending operations.

Wataniya had expected to add two additional aircraft and bring its fleet to six as of last month, he said.

But of the four aircraft it was operating, one Airbus A320 needs to have an engine replaced, while two others left service after the carrier ended a wet lease contract with Olympus Airways over objections by Kuwait’s civil aviation authority – the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). [Source]

Well that explains why they suddenly started having issues. Hopefully, when they come back they’ll have better planes and service since they were flying to some interesting destinations.

Yesterday I posted about Eddie Griffin being barred from entry into Kuwait and this morning I found out it wasn’t true, it was fake news. I never fall for fake news, I’m usually the one telling friends if the news is fake or not but this time I messed up.

How did it happen?

Originally when I was writing up my post about Eddie Griffin, the working title was “Calls for Eddie Griffin to be Barred from Entering Kuwait”. My source originally for this “news” was @tafteeesh. So as I was writing up my post I decided to look for news on twitter. Eventually I found the hashtag #لا_لدخول_الملحد_جريفين_الكويت with a ton of people posting about this including MP’s, users with over a million followers, and various news sources. So I concluded this was a fact and not just a rumor or a call for a ban. I then edited my title and removed “Calls for” because it was no longer a call for action but an action that had already been taken and I published my post.

Throughout the day yesterday, I was reading the comments when one reader posted stating that the organizer Algas Events were doing damage control saying it was just a rumor and that the event would still take place. So I quickly checked their instagram account so I could post an update but didn’t find anything concrete to dispute the original story. The organizers were replying to their followers with vague comments like “we got this” and then when a follower called them out on their vagueness they responded with the following:

That to me didn’t read as a denial to the rumor. In fact, it read to me like a decision was made to ban Eddie Griffin, but that they were in talks with the authorities to reverse the ban and they would keep us updated. Then, this morning I got a phone call.

A friend who is working with the organizers called to let me know that no decision was made to ban Eddie Griffin yet, and that all the sources for this news including reputable sources were not basing it off any official announcement by the MOI.

So, I basically posted fake news… I think. The only reason I’m not really sure is because they haven’t issued an official statement yet denying the ban. So there might be a bit of truth to all of this, we will have to wait and see. For now the event is still on and they’re still selling tickets.

I’m sorry I posted news that wasn’t verified yet (basically fake news) and I’ve updated my previous post to reflect this. I always try to post facts unless they’re clearly stated as rumors but this time I messed up.

Check out the events page for more info on this show [Here]

A reader is selling every single issue of the old and popular Kuwaiti magazine Al-Arabi in the classified section of the blog. The seller has 369 issues in total starting with the very first issue from 1958 all the way up till July 1990, the last issue before the invasion.

The seller is asking KD700 for the whole lot which I’m not sure is a lot or too little since it’s difficult to put a price on something like this. Someone or some organization should pick them up, digitize them and then upload them online for everyone to view.

Check out the listing [Here]

Update: A reader left a comment to let me know that Sakhr (yes THAT Sakhr) have 209 issues of Al Arabi magazine digitized and organized on their website! You can check them all out [Here]

Even though the local Mercedes is changing ownership starting January 1st, the current dealer is still getting new cars. The completely redesigned 2019 G-Class is now available in Kuwait and the prices are as follows:

2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G500 – from 43,000 KWD
2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class G63 – from 55,000 KWD

They currently have one on display in their AMG showroom if you want to check it out in person, but their whole stock is currently sold and so they’re only taking preorders.

Yesterday, Kuwaiti race car driver Zaid Ashkanani scored a second-place victory at the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup 2018. The race took place on the Belgian GP Spa track, the same track the Formula 1 race took place on yesterday. Zaid is now 6th place in the overall rankings.

I couldn’t find any articles online with more details on the race but you could watch the start of the race above (he’s in the grey and white Porsche starting in 4th place) and make sure you check out his instagram @zaidashkanani

Last night I was at The Avenues and decided to pass by the newly opened Pick. When I got there I walked up to the tiny 2 person line behind the cashier and waited for my turn. While waiting, I noticed a long queue on the left side of the place lined up behind another cashier. I realized it might be a one-line queue for two cashiers and that I might have been cutting the line. Or maybe the other people didn’t realize there was a second cashier?

I decided to leave Pick because the situation was confusing, but decided to message them on Instagram just out of curiosity to see if it was actually two separate lines, or one line with two cashiers. My exchange with them was so good I felt it was worth posting about.

Firstly, someone saw my DM right away, they then quickly responded to my question and were apologetic and admitted the situation was actually confusing. The whole conversation was so friendly and sincere, they made me an even bigger fan of the brand.

The situation made me realize again how amazing social media has become for communicating with brands, especially when you have a problem. I’ve DM’d brands a ton of times either to complain, give feedback, ask questions or even to try and cut through lines at clubs (Thank you @the.garten). Other than my internet provider I no longer contact brands any other way. When I had an issue with AVIS in the US I tried calling them on the phone and after spending an hour either on hold or trying to navigate their robotic call center, I decided to tweet them. I ended up getting a response back on twitter in less than 5 minutes! In Kuwait it’s been no different, other than the local Ikea and Jeep dealer (still waiting for a response guys), my experience with customer service on instagram has been pretty good so far. I love it.

A lion was on the loose in Kabd earlier today. The video above went viral quickly and so did the authorities when it came to capturing it. According to KUNA, the security police along with the environment police managed to capture the lion and take it to the zoo. They believe the lion escaped from his owner who had kept him as a pet.

Surprisingly according to the news article, the maximum penalty for owning a lion is three years in jail or just KD50 fine. [Link]