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The 1976 movie “The Message” is one of the classics currently playing at Cinescape’s 1954 movie theater. What not a lot of people know is that the star of the film, Anthony Quinn came to Kuwait back then because of the movie. Kuwait, Libya and Morocco had originally promised to support the making of the film financially, but when it was rejected by the Muslim World League in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait still kept its financial support which is why I think the press conference was held here.

Above is a short clip from the conference which starts with Anthony Quinn and then is followed by the director Moustapha Akkad. If someone knows where I can find the full video, let me know.

Sitting two seats down to the left of Anthony Quinn is also Farouq Abdul-Aziz, the creator and host of the Kuwait Television cultural show “Cine Club” which aired from 1977 to 1992. According to a recent interview I found with Farouq, turns out he was later hired to document the making of Anthony Quinn’s movie “Lion of the Desert“. You can watch a short clip from that interview above.

And completely random but related, I just found out while researching the info above that Farouq was also responsible for the Kuwait scenes in Ron Fricke’s award-winning movie documentary “Baraka”. He had researched and produced those scenes which you can view above. If you haven’t watched “Baraka” or the follow up film “Samsara“, then you’re missing out.

You’ve probably seen the ads on the roads for Drops, they’re a grocery store app where you order your items from and they’d deliver them to you. There are a bunch of other grocery store delivery apps but I was attracted to Drops for the simplicity which is why I’ve been using them.

I generally used to love grocery shopping in person but that was mostly when Sultan Center Shaab was open. The place was never too busy and it was always a good calming experience shopping there. Once that location shut down I never really got used to shopping at another supermarket and covid after that just made things worse. I live next to Lulu in Salmiya but that place is so overcrowded and tight, it’s never a chill experience shopping there. The old Sultan Center in Salmiya on the other hand looks great with their new redesigned interior but somehow managed to make the checkout process an even worse experience than before. I’ve stopped shopping there completely because of the checkout layout which is chaotic, squeezed and so old-fashioned. They really should have installed some self-checkout counters at least, it’s 2021! Or at least, at the very least set up a single queue multiple counters layout.

When vacationing in Europe a couple of weeks back I barely dealt with any cashiers, most places I shopped in were self-checkout and a lot of places now had RFID baskets where you just place your items next to the checkout screen and the machine prices everything in it. Super convenient.

Anyway back to Drops. I’ve used them a few times and I like them. Unlike some other apps, with Drops you don’t pick a supermarket and then shop for items. Instead, you treat Drops as a large supermarket and not just a delivery platform. You can shop either by category, brand, or just search for the specific items directly and add it to your cart. You can also create various “wishlists” of items you usually order to make it easier to add the next time. I’ve used them a bunch of times and the items generally arrive within 2 hours. The first time it took longer than 2 hours and they credited my account back with the delivery charge. All the items arrive in Drops branded boxes or bags and the delivery guy has a small trolly so you can order boxes of water for example and not feel guilty about the delivery guy having to carry them.

The worst thing about Drops though is their tracking system is shit. All my orders that were already delivered still showing as “Being Prepared”. When the item goes out for delivery you can’t tell nor can you track the driver even though these features are built into the app, they just never progress past the “Being Prepared” stage.

The prices of the items on Drops are similar to what I pay when I go to the supermarket myself. The only difference is I now pay 1KD to have them deliver the items which really isn’t that bad considering how much time they save me as well as having them deliver the heavy boxes of water instead of me having to carry them up from my car in multiple trips.

If you want to try them out they’re on instagram @dropskuwait and you can download the app from the Apple and Android app stores.

A bunch of interesting events happening this weekend. Murouj was meant to also have a market this weekend but they had to postpone. I personally signed up for the classic car open track on Saturday although not sure how much actual racing I’ll be doing in my Alfa. All Kuwait Motor Town events are open for the public to come and watch. Check out all the events below:

Thursday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Melemele Karaoke Halloween Weekend
Skateboarding: Halloween Huckjam
Kuwait Motor Town: Drag Open Day – Roll Race
Kuwait Motor Town: Car Open Track Day
Live Painting/Sculpting Night
House of Evil Drive In Movie

Friday
Melemele Karaoke Halloween Weekend
Sailing: Friday Morning Race
Trashtag Bneid Al Qar Beach Clean Up
Kuwait Motor Town: Motorcycle Open Track Day
Kuwait Motor Town: Car Open Track Day
Sunrise Ashtanga
House of Evil Drive In Movie
C Club 5K Charity Run
Persian/Arabian Music Night

Saturday
Exhibition: Art from the Islamic Civilization
Grand Mosque Tour
Melemele Karaoke Halloween Weekend
Sailing: Saturday Sunset Cruising
Gulf Bank Breast Cancer Awareness Walkathon
Flying Start Triathlon
Kuwait Motor Town: Race Car Open Track Day
Kuwait Motor Town: Classic Car Open Track Day
Afro Night at Curiocity
House of Evil Drive In Movie
Exhibition: Fajer AlWugayan

As usual, if I’ve missed an event, let me know in the comments below.

I got back to Kuwait late last night and wanted to share some info on what you need or don’t need to do when flying back. The information I found online was either outdated or not accurate so here is what I went through:

Check-in
When checking in to my flight in Amsterdam the Dutch staff had notes on what to ask for and they asked me the following questions:
– If I had a negative PCR test and I needed to share with them my result
– If I had a vaccination and I needed to show them my Immune app
– If I had shlonik installed

PCR Test
Before flying back into Kuwait you need to get a PCR test done. This was something I already knew but what gave me anxiety is some people said I needed a PCR result that had a QR code. The test I took in Amsterdam didn’t provide a QR code with the result so I was worried it wouldn’t be accepted. This turned out not to be true, when checking in at the airport the employee just asked if I had done a PCR test and then checked my result on my phone (a PDF file) and that was it. No QR code was required on my result and nobody in Kuwait checked my test once I landed.

One thing to note is to make sure you don’t leave your PCR test for the last minute. I thought getting one would be easier in Amsterdam than Kuwait and so left it till the last minute. That turned out not to be the case. There were limited places that did the test with the result taking up to 24 hours to come out. Also, it was much more expensive to get one done there.

Kuwait Mosafer
Nobody asked me about Kuwait Mosafer. Supposedly you are meant to sign up to kuwaitmosafer.gov.kw before arriving but nobody checked for it or asked me about it.

Shlonik App
Once you land in Kuwait you’ll find posters saying you should install the Shlonik app. The reason for this is you’re automatically placed in quarantine once you arrive and if you have the app installed you’ll get a notification about it. You’re meant to quarantine for 6 days unless you get a negative PCR test so on my way home I just dropped by the 24-hour Jarralah drive-thru PCR test location in Hawally (Map) and got my test done. I had the test at 2AM and by 5:30AM the result was out and the app automatically removed me from quarnatine.

It was overall a pretty simple process which means traveling for a quick weekend like the old days should be very doable. I also liked flying with Kuwait Airways because of the fact they were very lenient in regards to wearing masks on the flight. Even on arrival at the airport nobody cared if you wore a mask or not which was great since we’re all vaccinated anyway.

If anyone has any questions regarding flying in or out of Kuwait, let me know in the comments.

Last week the pioneer Kuwaiti filmmaker Khalid Al Siddiq passed away at the age of 76. Khalid was behind the first feature film to be made in Kuwait (and the GCC) which was released in 1972 called “The Cruel Sea” (Bas ya Bahar).

The film caught the attention of the international film community after it was released including film critic Roger Ebert who wrote the article below (source):

Promising first from Kuwait
By Roger Ebert

In term of film production, the Middle East remains a largely undiscovered territory. There are a handful of nations with healthy movie industries – Israel, Iran and Egypt come to mind – but their product has been mostly for home consumption. That’s started to change in the last few years and Wednesday’s session of the Chicago International Film Festival presents excellent new films from Kuwait and Iran.

“THE CRUEL SEA” (8:45 p.m. Wednesday) takes place before the discovery of oil in Kuwait; the people are desperately poor and scrape by with subsistence farming and fishing. And of course, there is always the long shot: The possibility that an oyster-diver will discover a pearl.

The movie is the first feature, not only for its maker but for its country. Director Khaled el Seddik, who did graduate study at the University of Southern California, returned home to make Kuwait’s first feature. He has resisted any temptations to make a flashy or trendy film, and is true to the rhythm and values of Kuwait’s peasant life of many years ago. And so the picture has a strange emotional undertow; the characters behave toward each other in conservative, almost ritualistic ways, yet their emotions come across all the more strongly.

The story involves a young man (Mohamad Monsour) who is shamed by his family’s poverty and by his inability to impress the family of the girl he loves. He vows to become a pearl diver, to return to the sea that crippled and half-blinded his father. The director gives us measured and perceptive portraits of the dignity with which the men face the sea, and his conclusion is not simply tragic but very bitter.

The film won the FIPRESCI award at the 1972 Venice Film Festival and since then has been playing in film festivals around the world (source). If you haven’t watched the movie, it’s available with English subtitles on YouTube and I’ve embedded it into the post above.

Kuwait Karting has been under construction for a pretty long time but it’s finally open. Located inside Kout Mall, Kuwait Karting is an indoor track that is composed of multi-levels with an overall length of 512m making it the largest of its kind in the region.

There are two tracks, a small junior track for kids and a larger one for adults. The junior track is for children 7+ and can hold up to 5 cars at a time with sessions that are 6 minutes long. The adult track is for ages 13+, can hold 16 cars at a time and the sessions last slightly longer at 8 minutes. Both tracks use electric karts.

They’re open Saturday to Wednesday from 1pm to 10pm and 2pm to 11pm on Thursdays and Fridays. They’re opening later today for the first time so I don’t have their prices yet, but once I get them I’ll update this post. For more info they’re on Instagram @q8karting

Update: Here are the prices

Adult Track
Weekday: KD 6
Weekend: KD 8

Juniors Track
Weekday: KD 3
Weekend: KD 4

Yesterday I finally left Kuwait for a vacation, my first trip since the pandemic started and the experience turned out to be much more simpler than I had anticipated.

I chose to fly Kuwait Airways to Amsterdam. I’ll be staying here for a couple of nights before I start making my way down to Paris over the next few days driving through Bruges (Brussels on the way back), then hitting up some spots in the North of France before heading down to Paris. When planning the trip I looked at direct flights, I didn’t want to deal with hubs and changing planes so my options were really limited. But, picking Kuwait Airways turned out to be the best idea.

The airport in Kuwait was fairly busy but lots of empty spots in the long term parking. A lot of people including security officers weren’t wearing masks so the atmosphere was fairly laid back. On the plane we also didn’t have to wear masks which was great. I did two PCR tests before I traveled. I did the first one and then realized for Amsterdam I needed a test taken 48 hours before the trip and mine would have expired by the time I landed so I took another one to be safe. Nobody even checked them, not in Kuwait nor in Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam nobody is even wearing masks, it feels so weird, feels like everything is normal again and I’m loving it. Places are super busy, restaurants packed and nobody has a mask on except for a the odd tourist here and there, I love it. The only two places so far that have checked to see if I’m vaccinated or not was passport control at the airport, and a restaurant I had dinner at last night. For both I just showed them my immune app.

I’ll be posting about my trip while I’m here, I haven’t done that sort of posting in forever so I’m looking forward to it. If anyone has any questions about the process of flying out of Kuwait, let me know in the comments.

One of the nicest museums in Kuwait, Al Salam Palace opened right at the start of the pandemic and so had to close again soon after. But, after a long delay, the museum is now open again.

Unlike other museums, Al Salam Palace isn’t a walk around freely museum but requires you to be part of a tour. They have two kinds of tours available, a standard tour or a VIP tour.

Standard Tour (English or Arabic)
Duration: 120 minutes
Cost: KD8

VIP Tour (English or Arabic)
Duration: 120 minutes
Cost: KD20

The English tour is only available on Sundays which is going suck for anyone with a day job since they’re only open from 10AM to 4PM. But, it’s a great place to visit so if you’re interested in booking, their website is aspm.com.kw

For a sneak peek at what’s inside, check out my previous post from when I took the tour. Link

Another week another ban. Over the weekend there was a tragic incident on the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway, a group of cyclists were riding in front of their support and safety vehicle when a car carelessly overtook the vehicle, hitting and killing a cyclist before fleeing the scene.

This was the second time a rider got killed on the bridge. In 2020 a similar accident occurred resulting in the bridge being open only to cyclists on Friday mornings. That turned out to be a temporary solution since Friday mornings reopened to cars again soon after.

Because of the death, a decision was made yesterday to ban all recreational activities on the bridge. Meaning no more cycling, running or any other form of activity anymore.

It’s a really frustrating situation. On the one hand, it is dangerous to ride bicycles on the roads in Kuwait, any road no matter how big or small. Drivers are extremely careless with most nowadays driving with their eyes down at their phones instead of the road ahead. But also, the bridge should have been built with cycling and running lanes similar to most large bridges around the world.

As expected, cyclists in Kuwait are upset with the ban and they have a right to be since there are no bike paths in Kuwait. The only place I’m aware of which is long enough and safe enough for bikes is the Gulf Road walkway, but a couple of weeks ago there were rumours that bicycles were going to be banned on that pathway due to them being “a danger” to pedestrians (Update on this below). So what options do cyclists have?

What’s worse is that the bridge has become a popular spot for illegal car races, and people still tend to dangerously park their cars on the side of the bridge to take selfies.

The whole thing is very upsetting and frustrating but I hope the authorities realize that cycling is a fast-growing sport in Kuwait and needs support.

Update: Rumors regarding the ban of bicycles on the Gulf Road pathway are not true or at least the info being shared got lost in translation. The illegal rental of bicycles is whats not allowed and only illegally rented bicycles are being impounded. Source

A lot of Alshaya restaurants closed down during the pandemic last year and most of those locations got picked up by local concepts. The latest two local concepts to open are Doh! and Thick, they both opened up in place of where IHOP used to be in Grand Avenues. Also, Little Ruby’s and Roto are about to open up where Katsuya used to be leaving only the 400 Gradi location in The Forum area that still hasn’t reopened. That large spot got taken over by Burger Boutique and I’m hoping it’s going to be a new OFK location or a Burger Boutique Black. If you want to see a list of all the Alshaya restaurants that closed down, check out my previous post here.

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
No Time to Die (7.9)
The Adventure of A.R.I.: My Robot Friend (4.4)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (4.2)
Black Widow (6.8)
Copshop (6.5)
Cruella (7.4)
Don’t Breathe 2 (6.1)
Dune (8.5)
F9: The Fast Saga (5.2)
Luca (7.5)
Malignant (6.7)
PAW Patrol: The Movie (6.2)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (6.2)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (8.0)
Tom and Jerry (5.3)
Willy’s Wonderland (5.5)
Worth (6.8)

Classic Movie Showing Now:
The Sixth Sense (8.1)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.

Foundation just came out last week it’s so good! If you’re into sci-fi and are looking for a new epic series to watch, get AppleTV+ and start watching Foundation, only two episodes are out and a new one will be released every week so you can catch up pretty quickly.

If you don’t know how to get AppleTV+ working, I pay for the service with Apple Store cards I buy from Xcite and I use SmartDNS to trick AppleTV into thinking I’m in the US (Same for Hulu, HBO etc.).

Around 12 years ago I was introduced to a restaurant that had Korean BBQ, the only condition was I wouldn’t be allowed to post about it. I didn’t mind that, I had a few places that were just mine and not to share and just added Golden Dragon to that list. It was one of my favorite places and I used to frequent it a lot. It used to always be busy since the Huawei staff lived in a building nearby and they’d always pack the place. But, a few years ago I just stopped going, no particular reason, maybe because it was too far or some other reason I forgot, but I only went back again for the first time last week.

Golden Dragon is a small hole-in-the-wall Chinese/Korean restaurant in Mahboula. It used to be an interesting-looking space because of the network of DIY-looking vents that ran around the ceiling and would drop down to the table (the picture above is an old picture I took). These vents could be pulled down onto the table and be used to extract all the smoke and carbon monoxide coming out of the charcoal grill located in the middle of every table.

The place looks a lot different now, based on images posted up on Google it looks like the change happened 3 years ago around the time I stopped going. The interior is a lot darker than it used to be and the walls are now covered in wood with all the seating replaced with wooden benches and tables. It kinda looks more like a steakhouse than a Korean grill. The other major change is the fact the charcoal grills are no longer in the middle of the table but off to the side with the smoke extraction system built into the grill. It doesn’t work as efficiently as the previous system but does look more professional. I personally don’t like the way the place looks like now, and because the vents don’t work as well, you will 100% leave smelling like a BBQ.

I’ve only tried one thing on their menu, the beef. That’s it, never tried anything else on the menu nor am I interested to try anything else. I just like getting the raw beef and grilling it on the charcoal grill. I hate that the grill is off to the side now since previously when I’d go with friends everyone would grill their own food in the middle of the table. With the new set up you now need to assign a griller to do the grilling and that person is going to be the one closest to the grill.

The beef is still as good as I remember it being. They slice the beef a bit thicker now but it still tastes the same. The price of the dish is KD3.5 and you would need one per person plus maybe veggies on the side to grill (I go for sweet potato). I’m not aware of any other place in Kuwait that has a charcoal grill built into the table so Golden Dragon is unique in that. If you want to check the place out, here is their location on Google Maps.

The game-changing all-new Peugeot 508 GT 2022 has been completely re-imagined to emphasise Peugeot’s new sharp, futuristic design language. Its exemplary road-handling, efficient new engines, and, countless technology features is a quantum leap in terms of quality and innovation, making the new Peugeot 508 a game-changer in the executive salon segment, challenging premium automotive brands.

A bold design

The designers behind the new Peugeot 508 stated their aim clearly; to move away from the conventional boot-lid, four-door shape and evolve the design towards a five-door fastback.

The front end’s purposeful stance is highlighted by the radiator grill, complete with a chrome-plated chequerboard effect, it sits between the LED headlights with the famous Peugeot Lion centered on its grill and the 508 logo on the bonnet.

Vertical LED daytime running lights provide a distinct identity, and the bonnet has been lowered to enhance the dynamic look perfectly aligned with modern Peugeot design language, as well as the roof line of the new Peugeot 508 is low and sleek – following premium sector design cues.

Cutting-edge technology: PEUGEOT i-Cockpit®

Inside the new Peugeot 508, the focus is on quality and originality. The premium instrument panel is centred around the latest version of the exemplary Peugeot i-Cockpit® which is now in its third generation.

PEUGEOT i-Cockpit® includes:
• A compact steering wheel
• 8-10-inch HD touch-screen
• Head-up display unit with a high-resolution 12.3-inch digital screen
Entirely customizable with six different display modes, the i-Cockpit® head up display unit is positioned above the steering wheel and presents driving information within the eye line of the driver.

High-end/ sporty finishing and first-class quality

The 508 GT features a refined, yet sporty interior and is fitted with comfortable AGR certified, red Nappa leather seats- or optionally black Alcantara & Nappa leather seats which envelops passengers in a soft, modern, refined environment. The car is also equipped with a wide-opening panoramic sunroof that floods the cabin with light, a hands free tailgate with a foot sensor and a premium audio system by Focal® for unmatched acoustics.

An intense driving experience

The new Peugeot 508 is faithful to its DNA and benefits from technology and dynamic expertise developed by the PSA Group ensuring a sensational driving experience and breath-taking performance.

The new Peugeot 508 features the PureTech turbo engine with six-speed EAT6 automatic gearbox has an electric gear-lever with one-touch control and electric power-steering ensures the perfect balance between smooth and firm handling for all driving situations.

Exclusive offer for Peugeot 2022 models

Peugeot is offering exclusive offers that you don’t want to miss out on, ranging from Lease to Own programs to 6 yrs offer for your peace of mind!

Lease to own program starting from 145 KD monthly!

6 years peace of mind exclusive offer:
• Starting from 6,950 KD
• 6 years warranty or 150,000 km
• 6 years maintenance or 100,000 km
• 1 year comprehensive insurance
• Highest trade in value

Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram: instagram.com/kaico_peugeotkwt
Facebook: facebook.com/PeugeotKwt

The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:

New This Weekend:
Dune (8.5)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (6.2)
Willy’s Wonderland (5.5)
Worth (6.8)

Other Movies Showing Now:
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (4.2)
Black Widow (6.8)
Copshop (6.5)
Cruella (7.4)
Don’t Breathe 2 (6.1)
F9: The Fast Saga (5.2)
Free Guy (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Malignant (6.7)
PAW Patrol: The Movie (6.2)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (8.0)
Tom and Jerry (5.3)

Classic Movie Showing Now:
Gone in 60 Seconds (6.5)

The films below are also now showing at the Scientific Center IMAX theater:

IMAX Movies Showing Now:
Antarctica (N/A)
Backyard Wilderness 3D (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Turtle Odyssey (7.2)

Numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at time of publishing.