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One thing a lot of people like to do in the summer is head to one of the islands off the shore of Kuwait and chill there for a day. If you don’t have a boat or yacht that wasn’t so easy to do before but now there are a lot of different ways of finding one to rent.

The easiest way to get a boat is probably using the app WAVES. I just counted 36 yachts available for rent in the app with prices starting from 25KD. The starting prices listed are a bit misleading since most yachts have a minimum hours you need to rent. If you’re planning a trip to Kubbar for example, expect to pay 200KD and upwards for the trip. There are smaller boats for cheaper, but they won’t be as fast or comfortable. The WAVES app is fairly easy to navigate and book with and most importantly, you don’t need to create an account if you just want to browse.

To check out the WAVES app, click here.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to use the WAVES app and prefer contacting the yacht owners directly, there are a lot of different Instagram accounts that offer boats and yachts for rent. Here are some of them:

7 Oceans Yacht Rental
Adventure Icon
Aloha Beach Boat Rental
Aquarium Boat Rental
Deverano Kayak Rental
Jigging and Fishing Cruises
Luxury Yacht Rental
Maria Luxury Yacht Rental
Neom Yacht Rental
Queen Nina Boat Rental
Sanpedro Fishing and Sea Trips
Sea Adventures Q8
Soud Yacht Rental
Summer Winter Trips
Uber Marine

I’m sure there are more accounts I’ve missed so if you know of any more let me know in the comments. Also if you’ve tried any of them and had a good or bad experience, let us also know in the comments.

Below is the list of events for this weekend. As usual if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:

Thursday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Exhibition: “The Mystic Letters” By Antonella Leoni
Exhibition: ‘The Emir from Poland’ – An exhibition about Wacław Seweryn Rzewuski
Cinema Thursdays at the IFK: Mystère
Windmill Fundraising Series | Ultimate Frisbee Hat Tournament

Friday
The World of Dinosaurs Tour
Workshop: Fossils who am I?
Coffee Sunset – A Cruise with a Musical Performance

Saturday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Exhibition: ‘The Emir from Poland’ – An exhibition about Wacław Seweryn Rzewuski
Grand Mosque Tour
International Aquathlon Championship
The World of Dinosaurs Tour
Miseen Scene Club: Diego Maradona
TrashHero Cleanup – Sulaibekhat Beach

The court has dismissed the lawsuit filed by a Kuwaiti lawyer against the MOC demanding the blocking of Netflix due to the Arabic movie Perfect Strangers. Phew… Source

If you’re looking for an indoor activity for the summer, how about dance classes? It’s something different to do and could be a good way of meeting new people. Below are some dance centers that offer various classes ranging from hip-hop to Tango:

Haraka Center
Harmony Academy
Omni Studio

If there are any other dance centers I missed, let me know in the comments.

Over the weekend the US Embassy in Kuwait posted a message by President Joe Biden in support of Pride Month and as you can imagine, that didn’t go well.

As of this post, there are over 21,000 comments under that Instagram post with the majority of people being really upset about it. The story was picked up by the international press and is now making its way around the Internet.

I was curious about whether the US Embassy in other Arab countries also posted a similar message supporting Pride Month, and if they did, what kind of reaction people had to it. Below are two lists, one relating to Instagram posts and another relating to Twitter:

US Embassies Pride Post on Instagram
US Embassy in Bahrain – Yes (633 Likes – 4.8K Comments)
US Embassy in Egypt – No
US Embassy in Jordan – No
US Embassy in Kuwait – Yes (2,930 Likes – 21.8K Comments)
US Embassy in KSA – No
US Embassy in Lebanon – No
US Embassy in Qatar – No
US Embassy in the UAE – Yes (609 Likes – 1K Comments)

US Embassies Pride Post on Twitter
US Embassy in Bahrain – Yes and Banner (18 Likes – 73 Comments)
US Embassy in Egypt – No
US Embassy in Jordan – No
US Embassy in Kuwait – Yes (1,009 Likes – 2.3K Comments)
US Embassy in KSA – Yes (560 Likes – 1K Comments)
US Embassy in Lebanon – Yes Retweet (39 Likes – 99 Comments)
US Embassy in Qatar – No
US Embassy in the UAE – Yes (41 Likes – 156 Comments)

A few interesting things. Firstly this wasn’t a universal message posted on all the embassies’ social media accounts. The US Embassy in Bahrain went a step further and replaced its Twitter banner with a Pride Month one. Finally, one thing is pretty apparent from the lists above, Kuwait’s social media response completely shattered the other Arab countries when it came to comments and likes. I’m now curious to see what’s going to happen next if the US Embassy doesn’t remove the post, are we going to boycott US products? Doubt it.

Below is the list of events for this weekend. As usual if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:

Thursday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Exhibition: “The Mystic Letters” By Antonella Leoni
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Exhibition
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
Movies at the Park: Mr.Bean’s Holiday
Talk: Save the Turtles
Bel Canto d’Italia Recital

Friday
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Exhibition
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
Kuwait Kayak Fishing Championship
A Walk In Tunisia – Omrani’nd The Crew

Saturday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Exhibition
Grand Mosque Tour
Sunrise Yoga with Hiba
Miseen Scene: Z
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
TrashTag Kuwait: Salmiya Park Cleanup
TrashHero: Blejat Beach Cleanup
Coffee Sunset Cruise
Stranger Things Watercolor Experience

Below is the list of events for this weekend. As usual if I missed anything please let me know in the comments:

Thursday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Exhibition: “The Mystic Letters” By Antonella Leoni
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
3rd GCC Games
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
Kuwaiti Women’s Week
Hoop Dreams
Movies at the Park: A Night at the Museum
FILA Opening Event

Friday
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
3rd GCC Games
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
Kuwaiti Women’s Week
Hoop Dreams

Saturday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Grand Mosque Tour
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
3rd GCC Games
Musical: MAMMA MIA!
Kuwaiti Women’s Week
Trash Hero: Messilah Beach Clean Up
Sea Trip: Sunrise Breakfast Cruise

Staged in Kuwait, the popular local English community theatre group is ending its tenth season with a warm and wonderful production of the smash-hit musical, “Mamma Mia!”.

Packed with ABBA hits, Mamma Mia! promises to leave you with a smile on your face. The musical is going to be fun and will be taking place over 6 days with tickets starting at KD7.5. The first performance is this coming Thursday so you need to hurry and book now since they’re close to being sold out.

If you’re interested, here is the link.

No idea what’s going on but this weekend is jam-packed with events and things to do. Check out the full list below and as usual if I missed anything, let me know!

Thursday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
French Diwaniya
Dear Zoo Live!

Friday
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
3rd GCC Games
Kids Workshop: What is a Rainbow?
Kids Workshop: What is Light?
Suns of Beaches 2022
Dear Zoo Live!
TrashTag Beach Cleanup – Shuwaikh Beach
Kuwait Music Academy Gala Concert 2022
SUP Race Series

Saturday
Exhibition: I Am Here – Manuella Guiragossian
Exhibition: My Name Is Woman – Maha AlAsaker
Exhibition: Deconstructed Phyche – Sheikha Al Habishi
Grand Mosque Tour
Perfumes, Cosmetics & Watches Expo
3rd GCC Games
Peak 2022 Vertical Race
Summer Music Nights
Shakespeare By Candlelight
International Museum Day Art & Eco Friendly Bazaar
Authenticity Storytelling with Bibi AlSabah
Artists & Muscians Open Day
Our Coffee Trip
Dear Zoo Live!

It’s been a while since I last posted a restaurant review, but there really hasn’t been any that interested me until now. Midar is a new Kuwaiti restaurant opened by the team behind some of our favorite places like Burger Boutique, White Robata and Slider Station. I passed by Friday for lunch and left wanting to go back.

Midar opened during Eid a couple of weeks ago in The Gardens area of Avenues phase 4. I had seen pictures of the space ahead of time and it looked really pretty but in person, it looks even better. The restaurant was smaller than I imagined it being but I liked it more this way since it felt cozy. I had a reservation that I had made a couple of weeks earlier so I was seated as soon as I arrived. We were given a choice of either sitting inside or in their outdoor space, I chose inside and that’s what I would recommend. The outdoor space is pretty generic and so you’d miss out on the beautiful interior.

Once seated it took a pretty long time to be attended to by a waiter. Service was actually the only issue I had with the place, not because the service was bad or the waiters were not any good, they were just not attentive. Their menu like most places today was digital and you can check it out by going to midar-me.com/menu. Midar is a Kuwaiti seafood concept so all their dishes are seafood related and you won’t find any chicken or beef on their menu. I ended up ordering Jahra St. Hummus to start with and then a Grilled Medium-sized Seabass and Fresh Shrimp Mumawash for our mains, followed by the Sticky Date Cake for dessert. Oh and we also ordered their super spicy Special Mabooch on the side.

The food all looked great, the portions were fairly big, and everything we had ended up being delicious. The fish was brought next to our table and then cut open and plated, it reminded me of the one I have at Shemam except this one was obviously elevated and better. The Mumawash when mixed with the special mabooch and the sauce they bring with it on the side was my favorite thing (and really spicy). Finally the dessert, I mean it’s such a basic thing, a sticky date cake, but it was easily the best one I’ve ever had, it actually caught me off guard since I’m not really a sticky date cake guy. Once the meal was done we had a choice of complimentary regular or lumi tea which is a nice touch.

The final bill, including a mocktail, soft drink and water came out to around 35KD which is pretty reasonable for a place like this. Really the only odd thing was the service. The waiters just never seemed to be around even though the place isn’t that big. But, they also just opened and the whole restaurant industry is suffering with a lack of staff so it’s understandable and I’m sure they’ll work out the kinks quickly (their concepts tend to have the best service in the industry). I’d definitely go back and I actually have a to-do list of things I want to try next time.

Since Midar just opened they’re going to be really busy during prime hours, so even though they do accept walk-ins, you’ll have a better chance of getting a table if you reserve through their website midar-me.com

Below are various events that are taking place this weekend. If I missed anything let me know.

Thursday
Music: Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Exhibition: ‘Graduation ceremony’ by Aseel AlYaqoub (extended)
Glow City

Friday
Music: Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Workshop: Make your own Dinosaur
Glow City
3rd GCC Games

Saturday
Grand Mosque Tour
Workshop: Make your own Dino Mask
La Caro Designs Open Studio
Glow City
3rd GCC Games
Trash Hero: Free Trade Zone Beach Cleanup

When I mention the lack of self-checkout machines at supermarkets in Kuwait under one of my posts, a reader told me they had them at Shamiya supermarket. So I went last night to double-check and he was right, they had two of them. Turns out Mishref and Qurtoba Coop also have self-checkout machines.

I don’t shop at Coops so wouldn’t have known about this unless someone told me. Are self-checkout machines now popping up in all Coops? Cuz if that is the case it’s even weirder that a private more modern supermarket like Sultan Center or Lulu don’t have them.

I found out about Smiths Boutique by mistake recently. Before I traveled on vacation I was in Dasman Complex picking up a burger from Top Bun when I noticed something going on in one of the shops nearby. Turns out it was a small event for a local watch boutique called Smiths. I’m a big fan of watches and so decided to check the event out. The owner was there, a watch guy himself (obviously) so he proceeded to explain to me and my friends his concept, the watch brands he had on display, and why he chose to bring those specific ones to Kuwait.

Smiths carries brands you might never have heard of like Laco, Roue, RZE and HVD but they all have interesting stories. Laco for example is a German watch brand that has been around since 1925 while Roue is a brand inspired by watches in the 60s and 70s. Smiths also carries modified and homage watches, a category that has exploded in popularity recently due to watches like the CasiOak, a mashup where people took an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak replica case and combined it with a Casio. Smiths carries some modified Seiko watches which are interesting, fun, and attainable, but that also pretty much describes all the watches Smiths carry.

If you like watches you’ll appreciate what Smiths is trying to do. With most of the watch stores sticking to popular and generic big names, it’s refreshing to see one thats trying to be a bit more unique and offer something more curated. The Smiths Instagram is pretty active and informative so make sure you check that out @smiths.oclock but their website is also mobile phone friendly with all their watches displayed along with their prices, you can check that out at smiths.boutique

For 2022, I decided to put together a Ramadan Desserts list with the aim to highlight the interesting desserts for the season. There are a lot of delicious-looking ones this year which is why I also included all the photos. In addition to listing them here on the blog, I also compiled them into a PDF which you can download [Here]

Check out the full list below.

In May 1960, an international competition was held for the architectural project for the Kuwait National Museum which would be located in the cultural district of the 1952 Master Plan of Kuwait. The competition was won by French architect Michel Écochard and the museum was finally opened in 1983 where it stayed open up until the 1990 invasion. The museum was badly damaged during the war and most of the buildings remained closed (some photos of the destruction here). There were talks at one point of demolishing the museum and building a new one but thankfully in 2014, it was decided to save the existing museum by restoring it.

The restoration project is now complete and the museum is currently in the process of getting ready to reopen. I got invited to a sneak peek of the museum, something that I’ve been wanting for years. I was lucky enough to visit the museum back in the 80s, and although I don’t remember much of it, I do appreciate the fact that they decided to restore the landmark building instead of demolishing it as is the case most of the time.

The Kuwait National Museum is part of the Qibla Cultural District (Google Maps) which includes the Sadu House, the National Library, and Al-Qibla School for Girls Education. The main museum complex comprises of four buildings each housing a different part of Kuwait’s history:

Building 1 – Archeology of Kuwait
Building 2 – Ethnographic History of Kuwait
Building 3 – Ancient East
Building 4 – Ancient East

Buildings 1 and 2 are already open while buildings 3 and 4 are the ones heavily damaged during the war and the ones I got to tour. Buildings 3 and 4 are the largest buildings and will cover art in the Ancient East starting in the 3rd millennium BC going through Arabia before Islam, then the beginning of Islam, followed by the full chronology of Islamic Art.

All four buildings are connected by closed bridges. This means once you enter a building you can navigate the whole museum without stepping outside making it very convenient during the hot summer months.

Minor changes were made to the structure of the buildings, large semi-opaque windows were installed to bring in more daylight, and some minor new stairs and walkways were added due to updated fire safety requirements. All the work looked very tasteful and well-executed although I do wish they had kept the original pink brick facade.

There is also a planetarium outside the museum which you’ve most likely seen driving by on the Gulf Road since it’s the building closest to the road and its round spherical shape is hard to miss.

The planetarium is also in the final stages of renovation and will be reopening soon.

As I mentioned early on in the post, buildings3 and 4 of the museum are currently in the process of getting ready to reopen. They’re expecting that would happen in two years’ time, around 2024. In the meantime, buildings 1 and 2 are open and you can visit those now, here is my previous post about them. Link