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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.

I’m a big fan of the Habitat Museum at Al Shaheed Park but now not so sure. I was there over the weekend and it looked so sad. One part of the ceiling looks to have leaked near where the glass floor is with the sea creatures so there are plastic sheets covering part of the area where that happened, and then none of the 3D projectors were working. So you now have this large room with plain white empty tables but nothing projected onto them.

From what I understood from the employee is they’ve been like this for a while and they’re just waiting on the company that built the space to fix them. Hopefully, the issues get sorted soon since the weather is going to start getting cooler and the park will be busy again.

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]

The Ministry of Interior has decided not to allow the comedian Eddie Griffin entry into Kuwait. Eddie was expected to perform in Kuwait next month but has now been barred entry into the country because of his religious beliefs (he’s an atheist) and because he’s performed some religion related sets before. [Source]

The sad thing is that Eddie Griffin is still expected to perform in Saudi Arabia next month for three nights. It’s been kind of a running joke lately that Saudi Arabia is becoming more liberal than Kuwait but it’s starting to look like less of a joke and more of a fact.

Update: As of now the news above hasn’t been verified. Check out my update [Here]

Back in 2012 I posted that Alshaya wanted to bring the super popular American franchise Chick-fil-A to Kuwait. I wrote about how talks had failed since Chick-fil-A wanted Alshaya to close on Sundays (they’re a very Christian company) and Alshaya didn’t want to. Instead, Alshaya was trying to convince them to change that rule for the region but Chick-fil-A wasn’t backing down and the deal fell apart.

Then, a couple of years ago I posted that Al Sayer was in talks with Chick-fil-A. Al Sayer denied it but based on my sources at Al Sayer and the aggressive call I got from the Al Sayer Franchising team it felt like they were, in fact, talking with Chick-Fil-A.

I guess those talks failed because fast forward to today, I get an email from my source letting me know that Alshaya have finally signed with Chick-fil-A. No idea if Alshaya have agreed to close on Sundays or if Chick-fil-A have loosened up their policy for the region, but either way, I don’t care. With Chick-fil-A coming to Kuwait, the only other franchise left that we really need is In-N-Out.

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]

Although Kuwait mail has improved over the past few years it still needs a ton of work. Imagine how great online shopping would be if we had a mail system that wasn’t so archaic. [YouTube]

Thanks K

Not to be confused with the metro project, the rail project is designed to connect Kuwait with the rest of the GCC via rail. Once the project is completed you’ll be able to take the train from Kuwait City all the way to Oman. The first phase of the project will connect Kuwait City to Dammam in Saudi Arabia.

Although there is no relationship between the two, I’m sure everyone here would rather they began work on the far more interesting and useful metro project (pictured on top). [Link]

Since Mogahwi closed down next to my place in Salmiya, I’ve resorted to going to Jarir in Boulevard Mall since that’s currently the closest decent stationary shop to me. But, I might stop doing that after dropping by Mogahwi’s Kuwait City location yesterday.

I used to pass by the Kuwait City branch whenever I needed anything urgently for work since it’s right down the street from me. But the store was old and outdated and I generally didn’t like shopping there.

But recently they gave the Kuwait City store a much-needed facelift. Other than the fact they’ve improved the lighting and given the space a paint job, they’ve also expanded the store and brought in a lot more brands and new items. They’ve now got a much larger variety of arts and crafts supplies as well as a large variety of spray paint brands including popular brands like Montana. They even have their own resident artist.

So if you’re a fan of Mogahwi but hated the Kuwait City store like me, then you should pass by now and check it out. They’re open daily from 9AM to 9PM except for Fridays when they open from 4:30PM. Here is their location on [Google Maps]

PS: If you’re a Copic Markers fan they now carry a very large assortment of their pens. (they still cost an arm and a leg though)

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.

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.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday addressed an ultimatum to Wataniya Airways to resolve problems such as recurring flights’ delay and cancellation.

The DGC warned in a statement that in case the company failed to fulfil its duties properly, its permit would be suspended, effective September 6 for three months as an initial penalty, while compelling it to fulfil its financial and legal liabilities toward passengers.

If Wataniya Airways fails again to tackle these problems, it will be stripped of the license permanently.

The directorate said several warnings had been given to the company to no avail. It assured passengers that it would do its best to ensure their safety and rights, vowing to follow up on Wataniya’s commitment to secure their comeback either on its aircraft or planes of other companies. [Source]

I knew they were having delays and flight cancellations for a few months now but didn’t think it was this severe of an issue even though someone had even sent me a video of the crew loading up supermarket bags of food on the plane because at one point they had lost their catering contract. I hate seeing the airline fail like this since I worked with the original Wataniya Airways on their launch many years ago so when the airline came back again from the dead last year, I had high hopes. And even though I had an average experience flying with them back in November, it was still good having an extra airline to choose from when planning trips. Maybe this will be their turning point…