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There is a new roller skating rink opening soon in Salmiya called the Roller Hub. They haven’t opened yet but they’ve already stirred up controversy with their prices:
1 Hour – KD20
45 Mins – KD15
30 Mins – KD10
15 Mins – KD5
Their post has over 100 comments calling them out on the over-the-top pricing. To put it in perspective, you can go ice skating for 1.5 hours for just KD5. Check them out @rollerhubkw
Also found the video above that gives a sneak peek look at the rink.
So last week I posted about DesertCart and ever since that post I’ve been searching for other items I want but wouldn’t be allowed to ship with Aramex. While adding one such item to my cart, I got an option to ship for free if I agreed to become a DesertCart Plus member where for just 5KD a month I would get unlimited free shipping. That didn’t make any sense. Does that mean I could order a bowling bowl every day and not pay shipping for it? I decided to investigate things further.
Firstly, DesertCart already has a flat shipping rate of 3KD for items valued under 30KD and free shipping for items over 30KD. That alone is a great deal. But when you read the fine print on their website, (which also applies to their “unlimited free shipping” offer) you’ll see the big “but”:
We have a flat 3 delivery charge for all orders below KWD 30. If your order is KWD 30 or above, your order is delivered for free! You can see the final cost of your order after adding an item to your cart. If the item you have ordered is oversized, an extra shipping charge may apply. If your item exceeds a courier’s standard dimension or weight, they may charge an additional fee. We will communicate this with you before we charge your order.
I highlighted in bold the sentence that caught my attention so I got in touch with customer support via their live chat to get clarification on what exactly constitutes being oversized? What a frustrating and waste of time that was. Their support staff seemed to have been trained to maneuver around a straightforward answer but I kinda managed to squeeze out a number from them, 1-1.5KG. According to the first live chat operator (yup I contacted a bunch), as long as the item was below 1 to 1.5kg, they would ship it for free.
That’s actually not a bad deal, 5KD a month to ship an unlimited number of items that weigh around 1KG. But why isn’t that information on their website, why not make it clear or mention it in the fine print? I needed someone else to confirm that to me. So I got in touch with customer support a second time on a different day and no matter what I asked I couldn’t get an accurate answer from them. Instead, I was fed with the generic answer below:
We do not have the option to check if the item is considered oversized. Normally, if the item has large dimensions or is heavyweight, the international merchants apply the extra shipping charges before shipping the item.
At this point, we notify the customers if they are willing to proceed with the order by accepting the additional shipping charges or the customer can cancel the order from the order status page.
The merchant can only confirm the shipping charges once we proceed with the order.
When I highlighted to them that the “merchant” is Amazon and they don’t charge extra for heavy items, they responded to me with the following:
We are not affiliated with Amazon. Desertcart ships products from merchants around the world mainly from the UK, US, and India, and some from local UAE merchants. We cannot confirm what are items considered as oversized as the merchant can only confirm the shipping charges and not us. But in my experience, items that are 5kg is considered as heavyweight and the merchant might ask for the extra shipping cost
This is where their lack of transparency really bothered me. They ARE a storefront for Amazon and they ship the items to their warehouse (forwarding address in Delaware) before shipping to the UAE and then to Kuwait. You can copy-paste any product name no matter how it’s written on Amazon and DesertCart will pull up the exact same item, with the same photos and the same reviews. The customer support person got very defensive when I called them an Amazon storefront.
They were also still being very vague about what weight wouldn’t be eligible for free shipping and the fact you need to purchase the item, pay for it, and then be told if you would pay shipping is bad practice. So I kept at it trying to find out more, I decided to give them a call which didn’t result in anything new either since the person over the phone was also programmed to reply the exact same way. They recommended I email them which I did only to be also given a generic reply.
I really want to like these guys but they’re making it really difficult. They’ve also scored terrible on Scam Detector which doesn’t help their case either.
But, I still wanted to see how this free shipping works so I decided to order a lightweight and cheap item that I needed but wasn’t worthwhile to ship with Aramex, an adapter for my tire inflator. Even trying to order that was a horrible experience. The item on Amazon would have cost me around KD2.200 with tax and shipping to my Aramex address. The price on DesertCart was listed as KD2.900 which is slightly more but they need to make money as well plus currency conversion, etc, so that’s fine. But, when I would select the item to add it to my cart, the price would jump up to 7.5KD (check above). It kept happening over and over and not only with this item but with others as well. I can’t tell if it’s a buy-in their system (they have a ton of them) or if that’s part of their business model. I’d search and find an item I want and the price would say 3KD, when I click on it changes to 5.9KD. It was very frustrating. But after exiting the page and coming back in, and trying it out from the iPhone App and different browsers, I finally managed to click on the item and not have it triple in price. I added the adapter to my cart, chose to become a DesertCart Plus member (it’s free for the first month), and placed the order with free shipping.
We’ll see how it goes, I’ll also try and order a few more items of varying sizes to see what will pass and what will be considered “heavyweight”. I’ll post another update once everything arrives. If in fact, this all does work out, they might be a good option to ship items that Aramex won’t as well as ship items that aren’t too heavy. Let’s see.
As of this post there is no official launch date for the new iPhone 13 in Kuwait nor are there official prices. But, the Anker dealer Astore published their list of prices which should give us a rough idea of what the local prices will be like:
iPhone 13
128GB – 290.900 KD
256GB – 326.900 KD
512GB – 399.900 KD
iPhone 13 Pro
128GB – 360.900 KD
256GB – 397.900 KD
512GB – 470.900 KD
1TB – 544.900 KD
iPhone 13 Pro Max
128GB – 404.900 KD
256GB – 439.900 KD
512GB – 512.900 KD
1TB – 584.900 KD
iPhone 13 Mini
128GB – 256.900 KD
256GB – 292.900 KD
512GB – 365.900 KD
I skipped out on the iPhone 12 last year so going to be getting the 13 Pro in Sierra Blue this year. Not a lot of improvements over the 12, but should be a nice jump for me since I’m still using the 11 Pro.
The last time I posted about places that sold 3D printers was 5 years ago and since then, all the places on that list either closed down or stopped selling printers. So here is a new list:
Dimension W
Located in Promenade they have just one Formlabs printer for 1,400KD
Kuwait Institute for Training and Engineering Simulations
Creality brand of printers with prices ranging between 159KD to 2,470KD
Printa
Phrozen and Prusa Research brand of printers ranging from 199KD to 460KD
Also, here is a list of places and people that can print 3D items for you:
Alternative Solutions
Dimension W
Exfusion
Kuwait 3D Printing
Rapid Manufacturing Technology
StereoLab
Tamim (Robotics)
If there is a place missing that should be on the list, let me know in the comments.
The movies below are now showing at Cinescape, Grand Cinemas and VOX:
New This Weekend:
Adventures of Rufus: The Fantastic Pet (4.2)
Copshop (6.5)
Don’t Breathe 2 (6.1)
PAW Patrol: The Movie (6.2)
Tom and Jerry (5.3)
Other Movies Showing Now:
Black Widow (6.8)
Candyman (6.2)
Cruella (7.4)
F9: The Fast Saga (5.2)
Fatale (5.4)
Free Guy (7.7)
Luca (7.5)
Malignant (6.7)
Queenpins (6.7)
Settlers (4.7)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (8.0)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (4.4)
Spycies (5.6)
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (6.6)
The Night House (7.0)
Till Death (5.8)
Classic Movie Showing Now:
The Patriot (7.2)
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.
I wasn’t planning on posting about this until I bought a watch for myself, but I don’t need another watch so I need people to go buy everything and not leave anything for me to impulse buy.
Al-Batel is an old watch store that was established back in 1959. Back then they used to carry a number of watch brands including Breitling, Heuer (before they were purchased by TAG), Nivada, and Zodiac. Incredibly, they still have unsold watches available for sale (New Old Stock) dating back to the 60s and 70s. They have some of them listed up on their website but they have more on display in their shop in Mubarakia next to AlFares (Google Maps).
If you’re into vintage watches then definitely check them out ASAP. Their prices are pretty much the same compared to online prices for used versions of these watches except the ones they have are all new. Link
If you’ve ever searched for a product on Google then you’ve most likely come across the website DesertCart. It’s an online store that will ship and deliver items to you from around the world, think of it like if Amazon and Shop&Ship merged together because that’s what DesertCart is. DesertCart’s catalog is composed of items from various other websites but with the added convenience of being able to ship the items directly to you.
I haven’t had a reason to ever use them, I just order my stuff directly from Amazon to Kuwait or have items shipped to my Shop&Ship mailbox. But, a couple of weeks ago, I ordered a Dewalt Cordless Tire Inflator from Amazon. It’s really the best cordless inflator you can buy and my friend has one which we use at the race track. It’s super convenient and runs on batteries which you need to purchase separately since they aren’t included with it. The local Dewalt dealer sells 18V 5000mAh batteries for 35KD but I wanted to get 20V batteries which they don’t get locally. Amazon also doesn’t ship batteries directly to Kuwait nor does Shop&Ship. MyUS do ship batteries but they’re too expensive and so wouldn’t make sense with such a low-value item. So I started googling other options and I ended up finding a Dewalt 20V 4000mAh battery for sale on Desert Cart for 29.600KD plus 3KD to ship to Kuwait. So 32.600KD total and that also included customs. So I placed the order.
The battery turned out to be available in the UAE and within a couple of hours, it got sent to the DHL warehouse and prepared for shipping. I got a notice by email that the item was classified as “dangerous goods” and that it needed more handling and packaging but that they would still ship it. Due to it being classified as dangerous, shipping took a bit longer than usual since I don’t think batteries can’t be mailed on regular flights. A week later, I got the item.
Throughout the whole process, my order tracking was updated constantly, and overall my experience was pretty great and I’d order through them again, but I did run into issues:
The second issue I ran into was with my account. I have an account but no password, everytime I try to log in I need to enter a code that gets emailed to me. There doesn’t seem to be a way for me to create a password for my account and I think I have three different accounts with them all using the same email and number? I don’t know, it’s confusing because when I log in from the app on my phone, I can see my previous order. When I log in from the browser on my Macs, I can’t. Also, I verified my phone number on my MacBook but now when I logged in to DeserCart from my iMac I noticed my phone number wasn’t verified so I just verified it again. It’s really buggy.
But, as I mentioned, my experience was pretty positive since I ended up getting an item which under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be able to get. Even talking to their customer support was a positive experience. I’m still not sure what I’d use DesertCart for again since I don’t need any more batteries, but what’s going to happen from now on is that anytime I want to order anything online, I’m going to check and compare the cost to DesertCart. I just really hope they work out all their kinks. Check them out at desertcart.com.kw
Have you tried them before? Did you face any issues?
If you’re interested in Japanese desserts, then there are two concepts that you should check out and they happen to be located right next to each other. Over the weekend I passed by The Port food complex off the Fahaheel Expressway, it isn’t really that interesting of a place except for the fact it houses two Japanese dessert concepts, Kumori and Fuwa Fuwa.
Fuwa Fuwa
They opened up a few months back and have fluffy Japanese pancakes, Asian bubble waffles and Taiyaki ice cream cones. They offer delivery except for their ice cream items. @fuwafuwa.kw
Kumori
Unlike Fuwa Fuwa, Kumori has actually been around for some time now. Previously they were simply called Japan Bakery and I had posted about them back when Kuwait was going through a cheesecakes phase. They eventually rebranded to Kumori and opened up a location at The Port. Their cheesecake is still my favorite fluffy Japanese cheesecake but they also have other items like sweet and savory baked goods, bubble tea and some other fun-looking drinks with cotton candy. They also deliver. @kumori.kw
If you want to check both places out, here is the location to The Port: Google Maps
There are a number of other Japanese dessert concepts in Kuwait just not at The Port, for example, Kane Mochi and Kotton. I should probably put a comprehensive list together of all the Japanese dessert concepts since there can’t be that many, so if you know of ones I haven’t mentioned, let me know about them in the comments.
It’s been a while since I put together a breakfast list and since my last list, some new places opened up, some closed down because of the pandemic, and some just stopped serving breakfast due to lack of staff. Below is the latest list I’ve put together along with their breakfast timings (note: breakfast timings, not operating hours). This is also not a list of every single place that serves breakfast in Kuwait, this is a curated list. If there is a restaurant you think should be added here, let me know in the comments.
My two go-to places are still Cocoa Room and Baker & Spice but check out the whole list below:
Angelina
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Baker & Spice
Weekdays: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Weekends: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Bakehaus
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Cocoa Room
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Dar Hamad
8:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Cheesecake Factory
Friday & Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Frankie’s
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Gia
Avenues: 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Avenues)
City / Salmiya: 6:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Ladurée
9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Lazy Cat
Weekdays: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Weekends: 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Lunch Room
360 Mall: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
City: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Madeleine
Wednesday to Saturday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Madison & Heig
8:00 AM – 12:45 PM
Magma
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Mana
Avenues: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Breakfast Club
6:30 AM – 3:30 PM
The Early Bird
Crystal Tower: 7:15 AM – 2:30 PM
Jabriya: 5 AM – 3:30 PM
The Kind Ones
6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
The Social Table
8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Notably absent: Johnny Rockets, Barba, Bouchon, Princi and LeNotre. I couldn’t get a hold of them.
This is the latest footage shared by the Ministry of Public Works showing the progress on the construction of the new Kuwait Airport terminal (T2). It looks like there is still a lot of work to do but, construction of the new terminal is currently on track to be completed by next summer, August 2022.
Kuwait Little Theater started back in 1948 in Ahmadi under the name KUOCO Independent Players and is considered to be the oldest community theater in the region:
The first recorded theatrical activity in Kuwait’s oil era dates back to 1947 when a group of Kuwait Oil Company employees met in the old Magwa Club and called themselves “The KUOCO Independent Players”.
Their first production in 1948 was staged in a large nissen hut located in the Ahmadi Industrial area. Rehearsals were usually held in the producer’s or a member’s home. As the building was also the local cinema the sets were often built and painted and then assembled on stage at the last minute.
In 1950 KOC provided the group with a small hut next to the cinema with a mere 18-inch high platform serving as a stage. The hut was so small that it came to be known as Kuwait Little Theater.
Two years later the group moved to larger premises, (the former KOC food store known as Spinney’s on the Main Street), and this nissen hut has gone on to become the permanent home of ‘Kuwait Little Theater’.
Sadly, KLT no longer exists having closed down years ago (I think 2014) because the KLT hut which was still being used contained asbestos and so was no longer safe.
Recently I came across old photos as well as a list of every production that KLT held from 1950 up to 1990 which I’ve decided to upload to flickr. You can check everything out by clicking here.
Also back in 2010, I posted about a documentary that was released to celebrate KLT’s 60 year anniversary. You can check out that old post here.
A couple of weeks back a video of tires burning at the tire graveyard went viral. The problem is the video of the fire that went viral was actually from the huge 2012 fire at the tire graveyard. Back then all the tires were piled up together in one large pile (check out the photos here) but after that big fire, they started separating them which you can see in the satellite photo here.
Even after separating them fires continued to break out just not as big. Even the satellite image linked above has a fire in it, thats how often fires were occurring.
تواجد سعادة الشيخ #عبدالله_الاحمد الحمود الصباح مدير عام #الهيئة_العامة_للبيئة ورئيس مجلس الادارة
بمنطقة السالمي لعمل جولة تفقدية لسير العمل، تعمل الهيئة جاهدة لنقل الاطارات من رحية إلى السالمي لاعاده تدوريها او تصديرها إلى الخارج، واتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة للتخلص منها بأسرع وقت. pic.twitter.com/S1pB7lTQ2s— الهيئة العامة للبيئة (@EPA_KW) May 27, 2021
But recently, after a fire broke out back in April, the EPA decided to start moving the tires to a new location and piling them into smaller piles with a much larger distance in between to try and prevent any chance of a large fire breaking out.
A follower shared a link to the @trtworld account which recently shared photos of this new graveyard and I thought the pictures looked great which is why I’m sharing them here. This is currently a temporary solution until more recycling centers are built or the tires exported. For a few more photos, check out the trtworld post here.
Thanks Nidal and Syed
Originally opened in 1983, the Kuwait National Museum was badly damaged during the 1990 invasion and had remained mostly closed since. There were plans to demolish the museum and build a new one but thankfully in 2014, they decided to refurbish and fix up the existing buildings which I think was a great idea. If only the same was done to the ice skating rink or Sawaber.
The picture above was taken by @111.street. Here are some interesting links related to the museum:
History of the Kuwait National Museum
Inside the Kuwait National Museum
The Kuwait Heritage Museum
Preopening Video – 1983
A few weeks ago I decided to finally upgrade my toolbox with a proper set of tools. Over the years I’ve been buying tools as I needed them and that has resulted in a bag full of random brands, missing pieces, and duplicate items. Since I use my tools a lot because of my cars, I decided to reboot my toolbox and put together a nice set of some great brands and great tools.
There are two very popular hardware stores in Kuwait, Ace Hardware and Bin Nisf, but there are a ton of other smaller or more specialized stores in Kuwait which is mainly why I wanted to put this list together. There isn’t one store that carries everything so if you want to build a kit with the best of different brands you’re going to have to visit different locations. Below is a list of my favorite places that carry some great brands, most of them are only available in the stores they’re listed under. I’ll only be listing the brands I think are worth mentioning, for example, Bin Nisf carries a lot of brands but not many quality ones. Also, some brands like Bosch, Dewalt, Stanley, Makita, etc are sold in all hardware stores so I haven’t mentioned those as well. Check out the places below:
A friend of mine put this list together on Twitter of the various trends we’ve gone through over the years and I thought it was so on point!
2010: Year of the Cupcake
2011: Year of the Froyo
2012: Year of the Gelato
2013: Year of the Karak
2014: Year of the Pistachio
2015: Year of the Pudding
2016: Year of the Chicken Burger
2017: Year of the Lotus
2018: Year of the Coffee
2019: Year of the Healthy Diet Boxes
2020: Year of the Shawarma
2021: Year of the Matcha
The only thing missing is the San Sebastian cheesecake phase we went through back in 2018.
via @_M87