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If you’re planning to visit the Comic Festival Convention this year tickets are currently for sale on The Arena website. The event is taking place from March 29 to April 1st and they are currently selling a 4-day pass for KD20. On the actual COMFEST days, you can also purchase a 1-day pass for KD10 or you could cosplay and go in for free since there is free entry to cosplayers.

If you want to purchase a ticket, here is the link.

Note: The website has a bug where when you try to purchase a ticket the website turns Arabic with no option to switch back to English. So maybe have someone translate for you or use Google Translate.

Photo by @lensfoxq8

I posted about weighted blankets for sale at Ace Hardware last year but these blankets by OneBase are much nicer. They come in two colors and two weights, 5KG and 8KG. Unlike most weighted blankets, OneBase does not fill theirs with plastic pellets, instead, they’re made from 100% fabric. The chunky style of hand knitting also keeps you cool due to the air gaps within the braids.

They’re slightly more expensive than the blankets Ace was selling but they are much cooler looking and of better quality. Plus it’s always good to support local brands. If you want one, you can order it from the OneBase website byonebase.com

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. To mark the occasion tonight there is a musical event taking place at the French Institute’s garden that will feature some of the best female musicians and artists in Kuwait.

If you’re interested in an outdoor music event tonight, tickets are still on sale at Eventat.

Over the holidays I went to Istanbul for vacation, my first time there since a university trip 22 years ago so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. There were two things I kept hearing about Istanbul or Turkey in general which is the food isn’t great, and people aren’t very friendly. Well, no idea what people are talking about because the food was great and I found everyone incredibly friendly (except for people in cars who seem to just want to run over everyone).

The trip was semi-spontaneous, originally the plan was to go to London but by the time I decided to book my ticket the prices had shot up a lot and it just wasn’t worth it anymore. I looked at other destinations that I could fly direct to and decided to head to Istanbul. I did some quick research on hotels and right away booked at Soho House, there really was no doubt about the choice and after staying there I’m glad I did because everything about the hotel was great. I booked their “small” room which really didn’t turn out to be that small and was really nice looking. The staff were great and the hotel turned out to be located in a great spot and less than a 5-minute walk to a subway station. Because I was staying at the hotel I also got access to the members-only Soho House Club next door. The club has two bars, one on the ground floor and one on the top floor as well as a restaurant and tons of cozy seating areas. It’s a very nice space where I ended up every night just chilling on my phone while having a drink.

Traveling around Istanbul was hit and miss. If I could take the metro to wherever I’m going then it was a hit. If I needed to take a cab then it was a miss. Uber is terrible in Istanbul and mostly because drivers kept canceling trips or messaging me after I booked asking me where I wanted to go. If the trip wasn’t in the direction they were heading they didn’t want to take it. That was the case the whole trip, drivers didn’t want to take any trip that would get them stuck in traffic or take a trip that wasn’t in the direction they were going. Their subway system on the other hand was great, very fast, very efficient, and pretty new. It’s what I used to get to most places and it’s how I avoided the terrible Istanbul traffic. The only issue I found was that their ticket machines didn’t accept credit cards so I always had to keep cash on hand which I hated.

The city itself is really beautiful, I was worried that a week would be too long of a time to spend in Istanbul and eventually I’d get bored, but it was actually the opposite. There was so much to do and see I didn’t even get through my full list of things to do, nor did I get the chance to hit up most of the museums on my list or even restaurants. I tried as much as possible to stay off the beaten path and it was fairly easy to do with so many nice areas and lots of great shops. If you want a fancy area they have it, if you want a ghetto area they have it, if you want a hipster area they have it, there is so much variety it kept me entertained till the very end to the point I’m now thinking of going back just to finish going through my list. One thing to note is that Istanbul is fairly hilly and you’re never really walking on a flat path, you’re always either walking downhill or climbing some super steep hill. It was exhausting exploring the city on foot, but because the weather was cold, it was very manageable. In the summer I’m not really sure it’s something you’d want to do unless you don’t mind sweating a lot. When it came to food I tried as much as possible to stick to Turkish food and that worked out really well. Lots of kebab, lots of tea, and lots of desserts.

I think my favorite part of the trip though was how affordable the whole experience was. It took me a couple of days to adjust to the price because I kept thinking I was miscalculating because everything was coming out really cheap. Most of the places I ate at the bill was around 10KD for two. My favorite breakfast spot was around 6KD for two and that was with a lot of food. Even the hotel which is one of the best cost me around 80KD a night. It won’t cost you a lot to have a great time in Istanbul.

Even their airport was one of the nicest I’ve been to. Their main airport opened up just a few years ago and so is really new and it shows. It also had lots of restaurants, a huge duty-free area so you can easily kill a couple of hours before your flight.

Anyway, I’ve temporarily set up a highlight for my Istanbul trip on my Instagram (@mark248am) if you want to check it out. But, I’m also sharing my shops and food list on Google Maps in case you want to use it on your trip.

Exploring Istanbul
Eating in Istanbul

The Common Good is a local online store that recently launched selling products made from natural and sustainable materials. They’ve got some interesting items including very stylish-looking ones from the Danish brand Haps Nordic as well as some cool wooden toys for kids.

Their prices seem pretty decent, at first, I thought they might have been overpricing since there was a lunch box by Haps Nordic I was checking out and it was priced at 12KD. But, turns out Haps Nordic themselves sell the same lunchbox for around 11.5KD so I guess the items themselves are just expensive.

If you’re into natural and sustainable living you might find something you’d like on their website. Here is the link.

Last year I posted about how to get custom car covers but they weren’t cheap costing upwards of 40KD per cover. But what if you wanted a much cheaper alternative?

I was looking for a cheap option for myself and found a local Instagram account that sells plastic car covers for cheap:

5 covers for 10 KD
10 covers for 15 KD
15 covers for 20 KD
20 covers for 25 KD

These prices include delivery.

Most people won’t need more than 5 covers but you could buy more covers and just give them to friends. The covers are basically oversized shower caps and are one size fits all. They won’t provide any protection from the sun and would probably fly off with a strong gust of wind, but they do work really well indoors to stop your car from getting covered in dust. I’ve even seen some people who use these covers over their factory covers (like the ones that come with Ferraris) so those covers don’t get so dirty. They’re cheap and so if they get damaged, ripped, or dirty you can always just throw it away and use another one.

If you want to order these the Instagram account is @car_cover_kw and their WhatsApp number is 55356645. They also have smaller versions for motorbikes.

I’m at the airport now waiting to board my flight to Istanbul so I wanted to post a quick update regarding flying out with the new rules that came into effect two days ago.

I’m flying Jazeera Airways and at the airport, most people are wearing masks. That hasn’t changed since the mask guidelines are still in place. What did change is that I wasn’t asked for my PCR test at any point. Turkey doesn’t require a PCR test for entry and you aren’t required a PCR test to leave Kuwait nor Jazeera require one to fly with them. Instead, they just checked to see my vaccine status. Some airlines and countries do require you to get a PCR test so just because Kuwait no longer requires one doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get one.

The only issue I did have actually today is with Jazeera themselves. For those of you traveling with them this holiday, you should be aware that they don’t have a long parking solution and their park & fly is not active. I asked their Instagram account about long-term parking and was told that park & fly was active and I should park on the 3rd or 4th floor of their parking lot. But when I got to the airport I started asking around if there was anything I needed to do other than just park my car on the 3rd floor and no employee had any information. In the end, after talking to a supervisor, I found out the service wasn’t active yet and if I had left my car in their parking lot I would have been surprised by an 80KD fee on my return (it’s 9.5KD a day). I had to take my car out of their parking and move it to the long-term parking lot in the regular airport terminal and walk back to Jazeera.

The second issue is the fact there is nowhere to sit inside the Jazeera terminal once past passport control. The terminal is tiny and there are more passengers than seats available so there is major overcrowding. People are just standing around, leaning on pillars, or roaming around. So that’s something to be aware of as well.

If anybody has any questions just let me know in the comments.

A lot of people are traveling this holiday now that PCR tests are no longer needed but if you’re staying put and are looking for some shows to watch, here are a few I recently finished watching:

Euphoria
I already posted about Euphoria last year but season 2 is out now and somehow they’ve managed to make the show even better. Season 2 Episode 3 is probably one of my favorite top 10 episodes from any show of all time and the whole series is a must-watch. If you find yoga offensive, skip this show. Euphoria is on HBO Max.

The Shrink Next Door
I didn’t really like this show that much but I’m putting it here since when I was stuck at home with Covid I killed a lot of time by binge-watching this series. The Shrink Next Door stars Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd and is based on a true story. It’s available to stream on AppleTV+

The Book of Boba Fett
Is it me or are the shows based on the Star Wars movies actually better than the movies themselves? First, it was The Mandalorian and now The Book of Boba Fett. Even if you’ve never watched any of the Star Wars film you’ll still really enjoy this series as long as you’re into scifi. You’re going to need Disney+ to watch it though.

And Just Like That…
Quick confession, I was always a huge fan of Sex and the City but mostly because of the character Mr. Big played by Chris Noth. And Just Like That… surprisingly was fun to watch, not too cringy and somehow relatable. The girls have all grown up, they have families now and we get to watch them adulting while they also try to be their old selves. This show is streaming on HBO Max.

City on a Hill
If you’re a fan of detective shows like The Wire, you’ll enjoy this a lot. The first season was better than the second season but was still good to watch. City on a Hill is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon while starring Kevin Bacon in one of his best roles yet. If you’re my age you’ll also recognize a bunch of actors from old shows like Rescue Me, The Sopranos, and of course, The Wire. Really easy to binge watch and it’s also streaming on HBO Max.

Dexter: New Blood
As a huge fan of Dexter, I thought I wasn’t going to enjoy this reboot but I just finished it last night, and shit, that was a pretty great series. Except for the last episode that is. No spoilers but I didn’t think it made sense, and going by the reviews online it seems nobody else liked the last episode either. To watch Dexter: New Blood you need to subscribe to Showtime.

If you don’t know how to stream the shows, it’s pretty simple. You need to sign up to a smart DNS service first (easier than a VPN). I use Smart DNS Proxy (affiliate link) and they have step by step guides on how to set it up on your system (I use Apple TV). I then subscribe to all the networks through my Apple TV using my US Apple account.

Deliveroo celebrates its third year of deliveries in Kuwait
Deliveroo Kuwait is turning three! Since launching in Kuwait in February 2019, Deliveroo Kuwait has come a long way in elevating the local food delivery experience, and setting the bar high for food aggregators not only in the country, but also the region.

“This month marks Deliveroo Kuwait’s third year of business in the local market, a milestone that was made possible only through the commitment of our incredible team of employees and riders, and through the trust that our customers place in us, each and every day,” says Seham AlHusaini, general manager at Deliveroo Kuwait. “As we look to the future, we would like to continue to spearhead a spirit of innovation in the food delivery and food technology space, all while ensuring the highest levels of both our customers’ and riders’ satisfaction. With multiple milestones under our belt only three years in, we’re also reflecting on our achievements in the local market so far, and can’t wait for what’s to come!”

Here’s a look back at what Deliveroo Kuwait has accomplished since launching in the local market three years ago:

Service Hero’s “Best Delivery App” Winner
Deliveroo Kuwait has been named the “Best Delivery App” in Kuwait by Service Hero, the company providing the region’s only consumer-powered customer satisfaction index. This year, Deliveroo Kuwait took home the award for best delivery app, a tribute to the delivery platform’s commitment to customer satisfaction and service excellence throughout the year.

Loving Local
Since the start, Deliveroo Kuwait has set itself apart with its ongoing initiative to support local businesses. The delivery platform regularly encouraging customers to order their favorite coffees, meals and groceries from their most beloved local brands, and has even launched a successful Instagram campaign under the hashtag #LoveYourLocal in which AlHusaini interviews some of the faces behind our most beloved homegrown brands. So far, Deliveroo Kuwait has shed a spotlight on OVO, Wilgrow, Matbakhi, Shawarma Sharaf, and Ahmad Al Zamel, with even more to come.

Rider Satisfaction
As a testament to its commitment to rider satisfaction, no other local delivery app places such a large emphasis on rider support. Last year, Deliveroo Kuwait paid multiple riders across its fleet up to £10,000 each as part of the delivery platform’s global initiative to thank riders for their efforts in delivering great food to customers all across the world. The payments were part of a “Thank You” Fund for riders, and one of multiple initiatives aiming to pay tribute to the invaluable role that riders have played in the company’s journey throughout the years.

Creativity & Innovation
The Deliveroo Kuwait team has also set itself apart with its creative ideas to enhance rider safety, constantly launching initiatives in the interest of rider protection and satisfaction. Since its launch, Deliveroo Kuwait has spearheaded various activities to support riders throughout the year and through multiple initiatives, including the provision of specialized rider kits, cooling vests, water, resting spots, and more.

In honor of its birthday bash, Deliveroo Kuwait is offering customers exclusive discounts on some of their favorite local restaurants and coffee shops, including Cinescape, Caribou Coffee, and so much more. Follow Deliveroo @deliveroo_kw on Instagram for more updates!

This weekend is incredibly busy with lots of things happening including two large events. Starting today till Saturday you have the Bugsha Market taking place at Green Island. Then on Friday and Saturday, you have the Made Food Festival taking place at Kuwait Motor Town. I’m coincidently taking part in the Car Open Track on Saturday at KMT so it should be interesting with the event happening there as well at the same time. If you have a bicycle you could go Saturday morning and ride your bike at the track and then when done, enjoy the festival or chill and watch the racing events at the track.

Anyway, below is the full list of events for this weekend, let me know if I missed anything:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Exhibition: Forbidden Love in Arab Art
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
The Avenues Sky
Full Moon Chakra Yin Yoga & Art Therapy
Outdoor Garden Movie & Homemade Lasagna Workshop
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Plant a Tree at Boulevard Park

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
Intersport Desert Clean-Up
Raptors in the Desert
Thrf at Made Food Fest
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Made Food Festival at KMT

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Grand Mosque Tour
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
Brunchito with Chef Julian
360 Fun Run – Parking
Hilltop Geological Camp
Thrf at Made Food Fest
Bugsha Market at Green Island
Made Food Festival at KMT
KMT: Cycling Open Day
KMT: Open-Cockpit Car Open Track Day
KMT: Car Open Track Day
February Fun for Animals in Need

Kuwait is in the news again but for the first time in a long time, it’s actually for good news. Yesterday the constitutional court overturned a law that criminalized “imitation of the opposite sex” which was used to prosecute transgender people.

Back in 2007, the National Assembly voted to amend Article 198 of the law to criminalize “indecent” gestures in public and imitation of the opposite sex. Other than the fact the law was deeply discriminatory, it was also overly vague and should never have been accepted into law in the first place according to Amnesty International.

With the way things have been going recently, I’m personally surprised the law was overturned so I guess there is hope.

Update: Commenting has been closed

Quite a few things to do this weekend. Today is the last day of the GCC Camel Racing Tournament but there is also a market taking place at Murouj. Friday is a bit slow but if you’re at the chalet then you have The Hype by Drive In taking place at Bnaider 264. Saturday is the busiest day with a Poetry & Jam Night taking place as well a few other interesting events that day including Yoga Not in the Desert. Check out the full list below and if I missed anything, let me know:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
BBT Picnic
GCC Camel Racing Tournament (Schedule)
Visit the Liberation Tower
Al Souq Exhibition at Murouj
The Avenues Sky
Take me to Paris
The Hype at Bnaider 264

Friday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
The Avenues Sky
The Hype at Bnaider 264
Road Rush
Curated Cars & Coffee

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Exhibition: Elements – Sculptures from CAPs Private Collection
Grand Mosque Tour
BBT Picnic
Visit the Liberation Tower
Albohayra Farm
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
The Avenues Sky
Mubarakia Market Walk
CPES Hackathon at Shaheed Park
Sailors Knots Yacht Trip
Interactive Children Book Reading at Assima Mall
Anti Bullying Workshop with Horses
Poetry & Jam Night
Yoga Not in the Desert
Pomeranian Meetup

The Liberation Tower is now open to the public for the month of February. The Ministry of Communications is holding a communications and postal exhibition on level 150m of the tower to showcase a unique collection of telecom devices and items related to the postal service.

The tower is open on weekdays from 3PM to 8PM, and weekends from 2PM to 8PM. You need to book ahead of time and you can do so by visiting liberationtower.com

Update: Tickets are sold out!

Update2: Ok, I found a loophole. If you try and book a ticket the normal way you will get a “Sold Out” error. Instead, what you need to do is head to this page and add the product to the cart. You will find tickets available but you can only book one ticket at a time. As of this post they had tickets available from today till Sunday. After clicking on submit, the page will hang and time out. Ignore that and check your email. If you don’t have an account on the website then you will get an email asking to verify your email. Once you verify you should get the tickets sent to you.

Update3: Looks like the loophole has now been closed.

Update4: According to a reader he was able to visit the Liberation Tower using a ticket that didn’t contain a date or time. So the loophole above still works.

Kuwait will ban a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit “Death on the Nile” with a cast of Hollywood stars including Israeli actress Gal Gadot, authorities said Sunday. Source

Can someone with free time on their hands get the domain bannedinkuwait.com and just start listing all the things banned here so we can keep track? Thx.

This past weekend there was a lot of drama surrounding a women’s only yoga trip to the desert that was banned for being a danger to society. The irony is that last week Saudi Arabia held their first yoga festival (pictured above) which attracted over 1,000 people.

Do you remember the days when things got really bad here we’d think “at least we’re not in Saudi”? Do you think Saudis now think “at least we’re not in Kuwait” when they go through a rough patch?

One thing I’m really appreciating though is how vocal everyone is on social media whenever they see something wrong. When I first started blogging, there was no Instagram, there was no Snapchat and there was no Twitter. There weren’t that many blogs either and so I always felt that it was my job to bring to light issues which brought on a lot of hate from readers who felt because I wasn’t Kuwaiti, I had no say in anything. But now, because of the popularity of social media, I no longer have to carry that burden on my shoulders.