Kids in Front Seat

I was pulling out of the mall this afternoon and snapped this picture through my rear view mirror.  It is a bit grainy, but hopefully you can make out the two small children riding shotgun with mom.  And no, seat bells aren't visible in the picture.

Gettin' It Right

Although the movie ticket was about the same as NY (3KD or about 11 USD), the appointments are much nicer.

I'm seated in a lovely, plush, high backed chair. My soda is human sized and rests comfortably in the cup holder. There's about 2 feet between the aisles, and seats are selected upon purchase, so the mad rush is eliminated.

Popcorn and a soda was less than 4 USD which makes is even better. The only improvement I can think of is the movie selection. I settled on Planet of the Apes because The Smurfs wasn't too appealing!

I Love You Abu Dhabi

What a pleasant suprise! I wish I could stay longer in the airport.

The One True King

I only wish I found this "coffee shop" 45 minutes earlier when I first arrived.

Celebrating the New Year

I asked myself...  "what better way is there to ring in the new year, than to visit the Grand Mosque?", and couldn't come up with a better idea.  So, off I went.  Arranged for an early morning wake up call, chowed down on some pancakes, slurped some coffee and hopped into a cab.  I had seen the mosque from the road when I first arrived and thought it would be a nice to stop by.  The craftsmanship and stunning beauty of this place is like nothing I've ever seen.  The size (2nd largest in the Middle East -- I believe the one in Saudi is larger), and attention to detail is mind-blowing.  What you might not be able to appreciate from the photos is that everything is marble, and all of the floral patterns are inlays.

Click "Read More" for additional photos

This Place Ain't Too Shabby

Malls, Malls, Malls

Looks like the favorite activity in Abu Dhabi is the same as Kuwait.... going to the mall.

The claim to fame for the hotel I'm staying at, The Grand Millennium, is the "right next door to the Al Wahda Mall".  For dinner tonight I went all American.  Fuddruckers and Cold Stone.  I think the waitress had a laugh at me when I ordered the cheeseburger value meal which I think translates to kids menu.  It was a 1/5th lb burger and about 12 french fries.

Abu Dhabi or Bust

Arrived at the airport this morning only to find out that when I originally arrived the driver took my original visa and left me with a copy.

Getting out of Kuwait wasn't an issue, but getting back in might be an adventure. I'm hoping he put my visa in a safe place!

Plan B will be to get a new visa at the airport. Hopefully figuring this out will be easier than getting my washing machine working.

Textile Souk

I went back today for my fitting and things are looking good.  I believe these tailors might just be the real deal. That being said, the jacket was too big (everywhere), and needs quite a bit of work.  I need to go back in another week for fitting #2.  The pants on the other hand were nearly perfect.  Fingers crossed I can wear this bad boy sometime in the next few weeks.

Even better news is I remembered my camera this time.  Here are a few pictures of the Textile Market.  I hope you enjoy.

HELP!

This sign was in the parking lot at The Avenues.  I've seen these signs in random other places as well.

The Weekend is Over

The downside of having the weekend begin on Friday is that Sunday is a work day.  I'm not sure I will get too used to that.

This afternoon was my first experience at a public hospital here in Kuwait.  I was invited for a presentation from a Pharma company.  The presentation included: (1) live video feed from the Operating Room on a burn victim, (2) a 45 minute presentation, for which I was up front, of before and after pictures of burn victims.  What I couldn't understand is how some in attendance were able to eat during all of this.

Photos from Today

The night weather is getting very enjoyable now.  It is a cool 99 degrees!  Honestly though, without the sun, 99 feels like a break from the heat.  So anyway, I took a walk around the block and snapped just a few photos to give a sense of some of the stores.  These shops I would say are on the lower or low to mid range of the services available in Kuwait.  These are generally the local establishments catering to the broader population.

Delivery is common.  If you are wealthier, that may come in the form of your own driver delivering you your food.  Alternatively, most shops and restaurants will deliver as well.  At many take out places, people don't even leave their car.  The workers will come out to the car to accept the order.

It Was Recommended I Fly

At dinner last night, it was recommended I fly on Jezeera Airways.  They are just like Ryan Air or Easy Jet in Europe.  I'm going to stick the airlines I see listed in Expedia for the time being.

http://www.jazeeraairways.com/

Yo Quero Aco Bell

No, that was not a typo in the subject. I saw the following ad in the Arabian Times today.

I have a big day tomorrow.  Aside from catching up on tons of work, and following up on meetings from the past couple of days, I also have my suit fitting.  This is when I'll know whether I'm getting a great deal on a custom suit, or whether I wasted a couple of bucks on cheap tailoring.

Enjoying Kuwait

Last night, my coworkers and I (dare I speak for them) were invited to an incredible dinner party.  The hosts are a most spectacular family; one full of warmth and kindness.  It was the way in which I would always want to experience a new country and different culture.

Today included a trip to the old market or Souk.  It is late, so details will need to be provided another day.  And, to make things worse, the only pictures I have are from the black berry.  The first is of a tea set for camping trips.  The second is a well dressed mannequin.

Good Morning from Kuwait

It is a beautiful, crisp, September morning.  The temperature is 86 and quickly heading north to 108!  This is the coolest morning I've experienced, and can't wait for "fall" to arrive.  

Authentic @ Last

After 10 days, I have finally had an authentic Kuwait meal for lunch.  Not quite sure if the meal I had is traditionally eaten at lunch, but I had it then.  Why was it?  Where? I figured you'd ask.

Taken directly from their own Facebook page: "Al Marsa offers a wide selection of divine fresh seafood dishes prepared in a Kuwaiti traditional way".  I will warn though that inflation has taken place, and the prices reflected online are about 15-20% higher now.


Between three of us we shared 2 fish (Zubaidi which was served fried, and another which I can't recall the name of served grilled).  The waiter brought out bread, hummus, tahini, olives, green salad, pickled veges, other veges, and much much more... and this is just the starter.  When the fish arrived, other sides such as rice, and sauces accompanied it.  Finally, fully stuffed, then came the tea, coffee and desserts.


It was a wonderful meal in a colorful setting.  A photo can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemeridienhotels/5600812858/

The Textile Market

I again visited the Textile Market today.  To be honest, the first visit was the result two mistakes on my part: (1) pulling into the wrong parking garage, (2) thinking the first mistake didn't matter.

Today's venture was planned and well worth the experience.  First I was brought to Fitwell Tailor on the 1st floor (2nd floor when speaking American) of the Block 2 building.  Here I was measured and assigned a number - 29528.  From there it was back downstairs to walk through a couple of shops to find the fabric.  I needed 3 1/2 meters for pants and a jacket.  Back upstairs I went and turned my newly purchased material over to the tailor.  No receipt, no nothing.... just trust I guess.

I go in next week about this time for a fitting and then a few days later the final product is ready.

If the suit fits nicely (which I assume it will), I'll go with upgraded fabric for the next one.

Car Seats

My first update by email. Fingers crossed this actually works.
Driving downtown it finally dawned on me. People here in Kuwait generally don't use car seats. I'm not sure why it took me so long to fully put this observation together! I've seen small children riding in the front seat on mom's lap (yes multiple children on her lap at once), children crammed in the back seat, and never seen a single car seat. I was even in Mothercare (think Buy Buy Baby) and not a car seat in site.

Yet Again, Probably Not The Best Choice of Names

What does Kuwait have that Brooklyn doesn't?

Now, think of an answer and click the "read more" link to see if you guessed correctly.  I'll give you a hint just to make it fair.  It isn't Radio Shack.

Pop Quiz

Can you name the countries represented in the picture below?

follow the "Read More" link to see the answer

Here in Kuwait it is all about the Mercury

** It was 106 in the shade when I snapped this picture.

Feeling a Little....

Extra special love for my wife right now.  She's really top notch.

Peace and Quiet v. Brewed Coffee

I'm not sure what was more satisfying, the peace and quiet when the washer/dryer finally stopped after four hours yesterday or the iced coffee at Starbucks I had earlier today.  Both were magical moments.

I've been living on Nescafe and that will come to a screeching halt as soon as the jar is done.  The French Press from Ikea is coming home with me as soon as that day arrives.

Update -- It has dawned on me that you might be interested in knowing how deep you need to dig into your pocket for a grande iced coffee.  The price is 1.25KD which is $4.50.



   

Souk Sharq and The Fish Market

I was headed out in search of the famed Souk Sharq (not really much to write home about really -- at least early in the day.  Possibly it will be much nicer in the evening).  Anyway, I ended up wandering about a little and landed at the fish market next door.  Once you get used to the small, it is impressive.

I'll share more later, but here are a host of pictures to get your morning started right!

Souk Sharq

Fish Market

Two Final Thoughts Before Bed

Since today was so productive (although I never did get to review the route to the airport), I have two more challenges to add for tomorrow:

1. There is a car wash guy I'll name "Jim" who (I kid you not) I believe lives somewhere in the garage.  There are these convoluted signals I don't yet understand.  Some cars have one wiper up, others have two.  I asked Jim the other day how it works and he just said 10 KD in very broken English -- which is $35 USD so I know he was trying to scam me.  The dust here builds up pretty quickly, so there is going to be a need for Jim's services soon, but definitely not for $35 given the rent on the apartment is only half that amount.
2. There is a restaurant down the street called Divas.  I'm just thinking if that place was in the US they wouldn't be serving food.  More to come on this one.

Office Visit

I made it to the office for my first meeting with little trouble.  In typical fashion, I left myself 1 ½ hours to get here, but needed less than half that amount of time.  The office is beautiful and in striking contrast to the many worn down and decaying buildings which surround it.  There is one in particular I must photograph.  The wall to the unit is blown out (could this be from the war??), except for the air conditioning unit that remains.  The amount of new construction downtown is impressive.  There are large cranes littering the landscape.  -- Update... I will not actually be working in this office, but in another across the street -- I'll see tomorrow if the setting is a spectacular.

My remaining goals for today are:

Get my dryer working.  How it is that they managed to fix the washing function, and didn’t test the dryer is someone beyond me. -- Update - it works.  Apparently the 1/2 load button needs to be pressed in for the dryer function to turn on.  This will be useful information for anyone who decides to buy a second hand model IG 95 LA washer / dryer combo.

  

Learn how to get to the airport.  Being as I volunteered (preemptive since I assumed I’d be asked) to welcome my coworkers at the airport, it would be wise to know how to get there – and to their hotel.  I’ll make a few dry runs before their arrival.  "Learning" for today means studying google maps and marking a route.

There are a myriad of other things I could attack today as well, but I was never an overachiever and have not intentions of starting now!

Last and most importantly before I sign off...  Not only do the incredible housekeeping staff make my bed and clean the floors... they also wash the dishes and put them away.  I know this not because I left dirty dishes in the sink purposefully, but because I had just finished making lunch when they arrived.  And, when I finished eating, (Jill take lessons!) she came over, removed it from the table in front of me, and cleaned it.

Kuwait Towers

First things first, I'll need to buy a small pad and pen to jot down notes and observations.  I take that back, first I will need to remember to close the curtains at night.  The day started about 5:00ish, but that isn't all bad considering I had the opportunity to call Jill and catch up before she went to sleep.

Since I was up early, I decided to play tourist and head over to the Kuwait Towers.  Along the way I stopped a few times along the beach.  What I can't figure out just yet is whether the water is polluted with garbage that washes up on the beach, or if it is littered by people at the beach.  Either way it is unfortunate  given the miles of sandy beaches that line the city.

After the quick stop along the not so pretty from up close beach, I continued on to my destination The Kuwait Towers (included in any top 10 tourism lists).  To pause for a bit of history, the Towers were constructed in 1975 and heavily damaged during the invasion.  The middle tower (the one with a single globe) is actually a water tower with a capacity of one million gallons of water.

And for those that managed to read through to the end of this entry... a special treat from the gift shop on the observation deck ..... dramatic pause....  bobble heads.

The Avenues

I've now made two attempts, and spent a total of 3 hours trying to find the largest mall in Kuwait.  Supposedly it should be very easy to get to, but for those that know me well "a sense of direction" is not something I possess.  After finally making my way back to the apartment and carefully studying google maps (note you can't do point to point directions with google maps in Kuwait) I decided to give it another shot.  I filled up with gas (2KD for nearly 3/4 of a tank) and hit the 5th ring road.  I think this time I turned around just an exit or two too early.  Tomorrow I shall try again.


P.S. The wash function is working, but I still haven't figured out how to get the dryer going.  I'm beginning to think there was a reason the last person who lived here left a drying rack in the bedroom.

P.P.S. The housekeeper made my bed this morning (which was nice) and apparently doesn't like where I keep the garbage pale in the kitchen as she has twice now moved it back under the sink.  It kind of feels like how Mary is with Mia's things.

Laundry

I thought I had it all figured out, but I don't.  I've spent the last hour trying to google Ignis 95 LA -- the brand and model number -- but nope, no luck.  

Here's what I have managed to do so far:

1. Locate where the detergent goes
2. Open the door
3. Fill the machine
4. Find the on button (right most of the 5 white ones in the middle)

This is my issue...  I believe the first large knob is the water temperature, which I have set to 30.  The middle knob I believe is the drying time (if someone can confirm, that would be amazing).  Lastly, I don't know what the numbers 1-16 means.  I can get the machine to make all sorts of fill and draining noises, but the drum never spins.....

I've attached a picture, so if you know what to do, or want to offer random advice, I'd be happy to try all suggestions and let you know how they go.

Marina Mall

As I started my drive down the Gulf Road this evening, I quickly snapped this picture is of Al-Seef Hospital stuck at a red light.

Although I was planning on going to see the Kuwait Towers (not even sure if they are illuminated), I  ended up at the Marina Mall where I think everyone else went too.  I'm intrigued by the English/Arabic signs of chain establishments.  Here are jut two examples, but there are dozens of other examples.

Getting Here

Here's how it went….  got soaked on the way to the airport, but not in the way you might expect.  Yes, it was pouring out, but I made it safely into the car without issue.  It was only while in the car, nearly to the airport that the soaking occurred.  The driver had the passenger window cracked open and a large semi passed on our right.  As his front tire was even with the passenger window, the truck struck a huge puddle and sprayed a massive wall of water into the car. 

After safely landing in London, I begged my way into the lounge (quite nice) to print my visa that arrived to my email overnight.  Amazingly there is no other business center in the NY or London.  Even less amazing is after all that effort, the copy was of no use (see below for more details).

Sitting patiently and waiting for the flight to Kuwait to board a scary realization hit me.  This is to be an overnight flight and there are more passengers under 5 than over 5.  It is at this moment I (1) regretted my decision to by the Sony and not the Bose Noise Cancelling headphones and (2) popped a second Xanax to ensure I was counting sheep the entire flight.

And now I wait….  after hunting down a printer, it turns out the original is what is required.  I might otherwise be worked up, but the Xanax I took to sleep on the plane haven’t worn off completely yet!  Finally I get through customs and am welcomed by a nice man who speaks little english.  He hands me a phone, takes me to the rental counter for the car, drives me to the apartment…. and then quickly leaves.  I'm now alone and realize there is no toilet paper in the bathroom. 

Have no fear, it all ended well.  I  hopped into the car, landed at the Mega Center, and am now somewhat stocked with food.  

I'd like to keep going, but I have a wedding to attend.  Yes.  You read correctly.  I'll have details tomorrow.

The Wedding

Everyone wanted to hear more about this wedding.  The event took place in the family’s dewaniya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewaniya).  In this instance, the family extends to 10,000 people.  It was a large building with floors made of marble.  You enter into a welcoming courtyard (again, white marble) with rooms to the left and right.  The groom and his father were in the room to the right.  I shook their hands and then sat for coffee one of many couches lining the room.  Juices, fragrant oils and water were also offered.  I counted two other men dressed in western wear, everyone else wore traditional garb.  After greeting the groom we (Fahed and I) went to the room on the opposite side of the courtyard.  That room was filled with food I didn’t recognize.  So, I politely filled my plate and proceed to what I thought was going to be another room where we’d sit and eat.  This was not to be the case.  We proceeded outside where it was 41 Celsius.  For everyone but Thomas and Veronica I say go google it.  It was about 9:00PM when we sat to eat.  And just in case you were thinking “it is a dry heat” I recommend trying to eat a meal sitting in front of your oven with the door open.   

That was Thursday night.  More importantly, right now I’m struggling to boil water.  The stove looks similar to an electric one from home but definitely doesn’t work the same way.  I turned the dial all the way up to 12 and placed the pot with water on top.  After about 5 minutes still nothing.  Apparently 12 is warm and 1 is hot? I’m going to have to spend more time in this kitchen before attempting anything more complicated than hard boiled eggs.

It is now 3:45 and I’m so far passed hard boiling eggs.  Burgers, meat sauce and Nescafe are all part of my “Kuwait cooking skills” now.  I ventured back out this morning to another grocery store.  This one was a bit smaller than the last, but about the size of Whole Foods on Houston.  Unfortunately they didn’t have a French Press (note Nescafe above).  I’ve decided to leave The Avenues for tomorrow www.the-avenues.com.