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If you’ve been wanting to go to India and are looking for direct flights on brand new planes then this post will interest you.

Akasa Air is one of the newest Indian airlines, established just a few years ago, which is why their fleet is one of the youngest in the world. They currently operate Boeing 737 MAX aircraft flying to over 28 destinations including Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.

Their local agent is AlKazemi Travel & Tourism, one of the oldest travel agencies in Kuwait, established in the late 60s, so you can expect everything to be handled smoothly and professionally. Akasa has been operating in Kuwait since last year and now has daily flights to India except on Sundays. Their local office is located on the mezzanine floor in Sanabil Tower, Sharq.

Akasa’s aim is to provide comfortable air travel at competitive rates while maintaining a high level of service. Café Akasa, their inflight meal service, offers a menu with over 45 meal options to suit all diets and tastes. Even though they’re a more economical option, all their seats have extra legroom and most of their aircraft have USB ports to charge your devices. The cabin is noticeably quieter, with up to 50 percent less noise inside.

They’re also an airline that cares. Akasa believes in sustainability, which is why they use recycled and bio-friendly materials wherever they can. Not only is their packaging and cutlery for inflight meals biodegradable, but even their crew wear sneakers specially designed for them by Adidas and made from recycled materials. They’re one of India’s greenest fleets. Their safety manual and menu card even include braille, a small but thoughtful detail that shows how much they care about accessibility. Last but not least, Akasa is a pet-friendly airline.

If you want to book your next trip or learn more about their routes and services, check out akasaiar.com and their local agent alkazemitravel.com

Last week I visited Failaka for the first time since a school trip back in 1989. I’ve been meaning to go back ever since, but because I get seasick, I kept putting it off. A few months ago though, my wife and I got accepted into the Failaka Institute for Knowledge and Arts Research (FIKAR) residency program, and that was the push I needed to finally go back.

FIKAR is a space dedicated to artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and researchers who want to explore and celebrate the history and stories of Failaka. I first found out about it when I met the founder (Sulayman Al Bassam) a few years ago and they’re now in season 3 which I’m excited to be part of.

For anyone who wants to visit Failaka but isn’t sure what to expect or even how to get there, I wanted to quickly share my experience.

Transport
I’d recommend taking your car since Failaka is big and you’re not going to be able to explore all of it on foot. You can walk around some of the abandoned buildings and visit an archaeological site, but not much else. There are two car ferry operators, Joan alKuwait and Ikarus Marine. I went with Joan since I was taking my dog and Ikarus doesn’t allow pets. The cost was KD30 for a round trip including the car and driver, and additional passengers are KD10 each.

Things to do
Once you get to the island you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a post-apocalyptic movie scene. Imagine an abandoned neighborhood with no people, cars left decaying in driveways, and empty destroyed homes slowly being taken over by nature. I loved it.

Other than exploring the abandoned buildings, there’s a museum on the island with archaeological sites you can visit. We drove out to a live archaeological site in the middle of the island, and an archaeologist there was nice enough to give us a tour. There’s also Wanasa Beach, which has a restaurant and a place to rent bicycles and kayaks. And that’s pretty much it. One night is all you need on the island.

Stay
We stayed at FIKAR, but there are small houses you can rent and hotel rooms in the Heritage Village which you can book through Ikarus.

Finally, there is 5G service on the island, two bakalas and a gas station. If you have any question or curiosities let me know in the comments.

This weekend the Grammy award winner Jon Batiste will be performing in Kuwait at JACC. The largest food festival in Kuwait is also happening, along with a bunch of other interesting events and activities.

Thursday, November 27
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Literary Open Mic
Lush Fun Day
Quantum Con
Sons of Yusuf Album Drop
A Night of Short Films & Theater

Friday, November 28
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Lush Fun Day
Quantum Con
Junk Journal Workshop

Saturday, November 29
Kuwait International Book Fair
Murouj Market
Finding Your Voice as a Creative
The Avenues Shopping Marathon
Kuwait Food Festival
Jon Batiste Live
Quantum Con
KTAA Winter Bazar
Kashta with Madang
Paper House Shop Launch

Later today I’m heading to Failaka for the first time since 1989 which is when the photo above was taken. I’m pretty excited since it’s been on my todo list for decades now but I kept putting it off mostly because I get sea sick and didn’t want to be on a boat for so long. But, a few months back I got accepted as a resident of season 3 at the Failaka Institute for Knowledge and Arts Research (FIKAR) and so I’m heading there today for my first stay. It’s a short one night stay for now just to get my bearings and then will head back for a longer visit. Already the whole process of getting there with my car was more complicated than I expected.

I was meant to be on the island from November 25 to 27 (Tuesday to Thursday). I initially contacted Ikarus Marine but turns out their car ferry is only available on weekends. I then got in touch with Joan Al Kuwait (KPTC) and they had daily ferries so decided to go with them. I was supposed to leave yesterday but yesterday’s ferry got canceled. So I moved my stay to 26 to 28 (Wednesday to Friday). When I went to book the ticket yesterday turns out they have daily ferries except for Friday. So now I’m just staying a night which is fine but yeah, if you want to head there with your car it’s a bit more complicated then it should be.

One interesting point. Ikarus doesn’t allow pets onboard while Joan do as long as they stay in the car. So if you want to take your dog to Failaka you can with the Joan ferry.

Anyway, if you’re curious about anything to do with Failaka let me know and I’ll try to get the answers for you.

On a side note, the only memory I have of the island involves the Philips Moving Sound walkman I had with me on the trip. The walkman has a speaker so you can listen to music with friends without headphones and I remember I was on small metal watch tower of a sort listening to music with the walkman with a couple of friends who were on the trip with me. I have four of those walkmans (don’t ask) and so gonna have to take one with me and try to find that spot on Failaka if it’s still there.

Mr Baker is probably everyone’s favorite cake shop brand. I personally love their eclairs and tend to have them a couple of times a month when we get Mr Baker cakes for Friday lunch. Last week they shared with me their new Tea Cake collection with a campaign inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

The idea behind the collection is to make tea time feel a bit more magical. They’ve created over ten different “Tea Cake families,” each one built around a specific origin or purpose. The traditional family includes the classics we all grew up with in Kuwait like Rahash and Girs Ogaili, while the international family features cakes inspired by favorites from around the world such as Victorian cake, honey cake, coconut and fudge.

Some of the families are more about convenience. The bites family is made up of smaller cakes for anyone who prefers lighter portions, while the Tea Cake Baskets are curated mini selections that work perfectly when you’re visiting a small group or hosting a quick gathering.

The whole collection is meant to give you options depending on what you’re in the mood for, whether you want something nostalgic, something international, or something easy to share.

You can order everything through their newly launched website with delivery across Kuwait, or pass by any of their shops and choose from the display. For more photos, head over to @mrbakerkwt

Over the weekend I was invited to Sahara Arena, a new upcoming area of Sahara Resort. I wasn’t there to check out the arena itself, which is still in the early stages of construction, but to get a sneak peek at a new pop-up called The Diwaniya Show.

The Diwaniya Show is being described as Kuwait’s first dining show to feature a full Broadway style production. It’s a project created through a collaboration between three local brands: the creative agency Beattie+Dane, the production company Massive Content, and Seazan, the team behind the Melenzane By the Sea experiences. With all three teams involved, you can expect the same elevated experience they’ve become known for with their previous projects.

Similar to the previous By the Sea experiences, The Diwaniya Show is a large installation that’s being built from the ground up. They took over a large section of the Sahara Golf Resort and built a large theater along with an outdoor retail and entertainment space that overlooks a beautiful artificial lake and the golf course’s green hills.

The idea behind this year’s experience is to give guests an immersive evening where the storytelling, music, and performances all take place just a few steps from their dinner table. There will be two daily shows with dinner, running five days a week. Although it might not look like it from the photos, The Diwaniya Show is expected to open at the end of this month. They just launched their Instagram account, so if you want to stay posted, head over to @aldiwaniyashow

For more photos, click here.

Soundstorm, MDLBEAST’s flagship festival, is the largest electronic music event in the region and has been held annually in Riyadh since 2019. I remember the first time I heard about it back then, I couldn’t believe it was happening in Saudi since they were just starting to open up and the event was bigger than anything I had seen in the region at the time. Since then Soundstorm has kept growing, with last year attracting over 450,000 visitors, and this year they’re going even bigger.

Soundstorm 2025 will have a lineup of over 200 artists with some huge names including Post Malone, Benson Boone, Cardi B, Metro Boomin, DJ Snake, Halsey, Major Lazer, Pitbull, Calvin Harris, and many more.

This year they’re also unveiling a totally new experience with a revamped festival site and brand new stage designs. Riyadh’s downtown area will be completely redesigned and the site will be divided into 4 districts with a total of 14 stages.

Soundstorm 2025 is taking place in Riyadh over three days from December 11th to 13th. Tickets are on sale now at mdlbeast.com. For more info along with the full lineup, head over to the website or their Instagram @mdlbeast.

Yesterday I passed by the Kuwait Book Fair and it was pretty packed in the morning, filled with buses and kids from different schools around Kuwait.

The book fair is divided into three halls, 5, 6 and 7. The English book stalls are all located in a corner of hall 6. Compared to the Arabic books the English stalls make up a very small part of the fair but even if you’re there just for the English books I’d walk around the rest of the fair since there were a few Arabic book sellers that also had some English books for sale. The main English stalls though were the following:

Al Sadu House
Austin Macauley Publishers
Awtar Publishing
Brijbasi Art Press
Harvard Press
Hachette
KISR
Macmillan
National Geographic
Oxford University Press
Qatar Press
Samarkand
Scholastic
Thames & Hudson
The English Bookshop
USBORNE
US Embassy in Kuwait
WH Smith

From the list above all the stalls are in hall 6 except for three, the US Embassy, KISR and Al Sadu House, those stalls were located in hall 7. I’m not sure if I’m just imagining it or not but the English books section seemed smaller than the previous years. Still worth checking out though.

If you’re into Kuwait’s past, there is a great book called ‘Screen & Memories Since 1954’ that documents Kuwait’s movie theater history. I picked it up last year and it’s really nicely put together and bilingual. You can find it at the Maraya Publishing booth in Hall 6, Stall A26.

And if you’re planning to pass by the fair, just take into account that it’s open at different timings on Friday and Saturday compared to the rest of the week.

Mornings 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Afternoons 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Friday 3:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM

I was working on another post when I came across these photos I had gotten from my visit to the KOC Archives years ago. They were interesting pictures of a school, and a quick image reverse search took me to an old Tumblr post that had a similar photo and mentioned the school was Al Shamiya School for Boys. I kept digging to find out who designed it and when it was built, and I ended up finding some information in an essay by Roberto Fabbri titled “Prototyping Spaces for Education”. The essay is in the book Essays, Arguments and Interviews on Modern Architecture of Kuwait, a book that is available to purchase from the bookshop at Amricani or the Yarmouk Culture Center or their online shop.

The Al-Shamiya School for Boys, along with two other elementary schools, a technical college and five nurseries were designed by the British architectural firm Tripe & Wakeham in the 1950s. T&W were appointed by the Emir to design and build a series of ‘western standard’ educational facilities based on the requirements drafted by the Council of Education.

Tripe & Wakeham’s approach on design focused on balancing the sun and keeping the buildings naturally cool. Even though their plans differed from one project to another, everything followed the same idea: one-room-thick layouts to improve cross ventilation. The main spaces were oriented northeast, while balconies and overhangs faced southeast and were usually shaded with shutters or screens.

If you feel like reading some more, the Arabian Gulf Digital Archives have scans of the original notes by the architect Aitken of Tripe & Wakeham on the schools they designed. The scans expand on the above in a lot more detail and it really interesting to read the thinking process behind the designs and you can check those out here.

So if you ever wondered why old schools looked the way they do, now you know.

I got back from my 2-week trip to Japan a few days ago and I had such a great experience. The last time I was there was 13 years ago and I’ve been meaning to go back ever since. Due to the character count limitation on Instagram, I had to change the format for my guide there since Tokyo is such a big and spread-out city that a list by itself wouldn’t be very useful. So instead, I shared some tips on how to make the most of your visit if you’re thinking of going there. Since I’ve got more room here on the blog, I’m also expanding on that guide by listing a few places I liked as well.

I flew Japan Airlines through Qatar Airways. The business class ticket was nearly half the price of Qatar’s, and even if it isn’t as sleek as the Q Suites, it’s really not a big deal. Before flying, head to the Visit Japan website and fill out your landing details. You’ll get a QR code you can use on arrival to enter the fast lane at passport control.

Eat
For meals, I used Google Maps to find spots wherever I happened to be and avoided places with too many reviews to stay away from touristy spots. Three days in, I canceled a Michelin dinner I had booked because I realized I didn’t need it, the food was great everywhere I went. Out of 30+ meals, only one was disappointing. Also, the 7-Eleven egg sando lives up to the hype.

I had great Ramen at Ramen Kamo and Nara Seimen. good eggs and Japanese pancakes at Iriya Plus Café. I had sushi nearly every day but the spots that stood out the most were Magurobito, Tsukiji Sushiko, and Sushi Take. I had a really good okonomiyaki experience at Tamatoya, the best unagi at Yatsumeya and yakiniku at Sankouen and Yamashofu.

Drink
Depending on where you’re staying, you might find plenty of good coffee spots nearby, or in my case, just one. There are lots of great coffee places in Tokyo, but they’re spread out all over the city. My biggest issue with them is that they tend to open late, around 10 or 11AM.

My faovorite coffee spots were Up to you coffee, Dotcom Coffee and Teron Coffee & Bar. When I was in Kyoto I also visited the original % Arabica store there that basically started it all. It’s a small store but the first Kuwait branch was inspired visually by it including the fact they used same materials (the floor for example) which were all imported from Japan. So the Kyoto store reminded me a lot of the now demolished first branch here in Kuwait.

See
I was worried everywhere would be packed with tourists and that I wouldn’t enjoy the trip, but that turned out not to be the case. Most people tend to stick to the main areas and don’t really explore the rest of the city, so as long as you wander around a bit, you’ll avoid most of the tourists and crowds. Even in busy temples, step off the main pathway and you’re alone.

Sleep
Since I was staying for 16 days, I wanted a large room, which isn’t easy to find in Tokyo at a reasonable price. So I ended up booking an apartment hotel in a non-touristy area, which worked out great. In Kyoto, rooms are generally bigger, so that wasn’t an issue.

In Tokyo I stayed at Mimaru Tokyo Ueno Inaricho. It was a very comfortable stay since the room was pretty big for Tokyo and at that price point. It was also in a very quiet neighborhood but 5 minutes from 7eleven and Family Mart. Also a 5 minute walk to the Ginza underground line or a 10 minute walk to Ueno Station which has a number of lines. The Ueno area behind the station is also super busy and packed with restaurants and a Uniqlo. So I really liked the hotel location.

In Kyoto I stayed at Dusit Thani. I didn’t want the ryokan experience, just a comfortable stay so picked Dusit because it had a bit of a traditional Japanese feel, was outside the busy areas and looked really good. The stay there was really great and very comfortable.

Finally, if you like photography then definitely bring a camera with you. Japan is very photogenic and there are a lot of cool experiences you probably want to capture with more than just your phone camera.

If you’re thinking of going to Japan and curious about anything specific, let me know in the comments below.

If you’ve got a dog come by to the Pet Gala on Saturday, I’ll be there as one of the judges. Check out all the events below.

Thursday, November 13
The Social on the Roof
AIU Film Festival Movie Screenings

Friday, November 14
KEF Tour 2
The Social on the Roof
Cultural Centre Fall Festival
Picnic Potluck at the Farm
Oil Pastels & Coffee
Salt Beats Live Band Session
Joy Hub Opening

Saturday, November 15
KEF Tour 2
Home Alone Screening
The Social on the Roof
Coffee, Canvas & Connect
Da Gusto’s Pet Gala
Paint & Sip Japanese Edition
Voltaire Market

Note: Camel Racing starts at 1:30PM this Saturday

This past weekend Al Andalus revealed The Petal Pavilion, their new pop-up kiosk located at the center of their plaza. I’m currently halfway across the world on vacation, but they sent over photos of the project for me to share.

The Petal Pavilion was originally designed as a functional oyster bar by the Copenhagen-based studio @lasovskyjohansson for an art fair in Denmark a few years ago. The design won many awards and a version of that pavilion stands at the Design Museum Denmark, serving as a permanent café installation.

What’s cool is that this isn’t a copy of that design, Al Andalus actually worked with the original architects to reinterpret their award-winning concept to meet their specific requirements and adapt it to our unique weather. The result is this new 6.5-meter-tall kiosk where the petal folds open and blooms during the day, casting shadows below, but as daylight fades, the pavilion’s surfaces come alive with colored linear lighting.

The Petal will be hosting different pop-ups throughout the year with the first being @boostcafe from November 6 to December 31 followed by @kello.kw in January.

This tiny spot is a new Japanese concept opening in Jabriya next week. It’s an omakase conveyor belt experience with a French influence and a design that looks way too nice for what’s essentially a hole in the wall.

I found out about Bar Frés and its chef through a friend of mine. When she sent me the chef’s Instagram account, I thought she’d sent me the wrong one because he looked like he’d just graduated high school. I wasn’t far off, Fahad Al-Zaid is only 22 and moved back to Kuwait just six months ago after finishing university in the US. His Instagram is @fahadthefoodie_, which makes sense since that’s how he describes himself. He’s always loved food and cooking, so when the opportunity came along to run his own concept, he took it.

The first thing that caught my attention when I got there was how the place didn’t fit the environment at all. Bar Frés looked way too fancy for the neighborhood, and it was right next door to a baqala. The contrast between the two is actually pretty amazing, and I think it adds to the experience, which itself isn’t typical. Bar Frés won’t have a traditional menu. Instead, the chef will decide what goes out on the conveyor belt depending on various factors like who the guests are, what produce was available that day, or even just the chef’s mood. Fahad meets the guests when they arrive and asks a few questions. If, for example, the guests are into raw dishes, then he’ll serve more raw items than usual. That’s why he calls it an omakase conveyor belt because he wants to decide what to serve.

The interior looks amazing. The small kitchen filled with chefs is located in the back, while the main dining area is just one long bar with 14 chairs. It all looks very upscale, but Fahad assured me the prices will be very reasonable. While I was taking photos, Fahad started sending out dishes for me to try on the conveyor belt, mostly raw items since that’s what I like, but also a few others he thought I’d enjoy, and he was right.

Bar Frés is set to open this coming Sunday and will only be open in the evenings. To stay posted on the opening and bookings, follow @bardefres

These are my favorite events taking place this weekend.

Thursday, October 23
A5 Mall Kashta Expo
FULLOUT HipHop Dance Workshop
Sonatas for Violin & Piano
RoadRush Festival
The Flag-wavers of Gubbio

Friday, October 24
A5 Mall Kashta Expo
The Elite Comedy Show
Let’s Go Hiking!
RoadRush Festival

Saturday, October 25
A5 Mall Kashta Expo
Self-care Day: Violence Awareness & Empowerment Event
Botanical Gelli Printing Workshop
Sip & Flow
Farmers Market
Trash Hero Beach Cleanup
DAI StoryTime at Amricani
Sama & Cacao Ceremony

I just ran into the weirdest internet issue. I have the 5G unlimited internet package from Redbull Mobile. A few days ago I got a message telling me I’ve used up 90% of my bandwidth and today it stopped working. So I got in touch with RedBull Mobile to find out what was up.

Firstly for anyone considering Redbull Mobile you need to be aware they don’t have a call center. Your only option for support is chatting with someone. I tried to do that from within the App, but the person the live chat kept connecting me to wouldn’t respond. Like in 10 minutes he said 1 thing which was unrelated to what I was asking and then stopped replying. I tried closing chat and reopening and got the same person and no response. I usually hate talking to bots but this was actually one time I wished I was chatting to a bot instead of a person. At least bots respond. Eventually I tried live chat from the website and got someone.

Turns out unlimited really means only 3TB which I don’t know why they’re calling it unlimited then. Unlimited means no limited but whatever because looking back at my history the max I’ve ever hit is like 2.2TB a month. But for some reason this month I consumed 3TB already and I still have 10 days to go. I don’t know how, I need to check my Xbox and see if it downloaded anything without me realizing. I got a new phone so maybe downloading everything back to my phone consumed bandwidth but that would be like max 300GB. But all of this isn’t even the issue I have right now.

The problem is I don’t have a choice to add more bandwidth. Technically I do but it just doesn’t make sense. I asked support if I could recharge my internet by adding an additional 500GB or 1TB and turns out the only option I have is to add 50GB at a time and it costs 5KD for every 50GB. That is crazy expensive when I’m paying 10KD for 3TB a month. I can get a new pre-paid line with 500GB internet for 8KD which is actually what I’m going to do now. Going to use that line temporarily fro the next 10 days.

So weird, now I need to go and figure out what consumed so much bandwidth this month.