The coolest cop in Kuwait

This guy has got to be the coolest cop in Kuwait, he's out in Qortuba during the week helping the traffic flow. He's always smiling and waving and has become a celebrity, I always see people taking pictures with him. If every cop in Kuwait were nice and friendly like this guy it would be a better country.

Lost the weight and the Wife

An obese Kuwaiti man decided to undergo a gastric bypass surgery to slash his with to please his new wife. Instead of applauding his new slim look after losing nearly 100 kg, his wife filed for divorce.

The unnamed woman told the court they she had agreed to marry the man because she liked his big body without knowing he was seeking medical treatment to shed weight.

She said that she had not seen him for a long time since they agreed to marry and that he had failed to tell her he would undergo plastic bypass operation.

Once the marriage contract was completed and he went into her bedroom for the first night of their honeymoon, she got the shock of her life.

"He was 180 kg when I first met him and we agreed to marry. When we married and went into the bedroom, I was shocked, he was only 70 kg" the woman told the court, according to 'Al Watan' Arabic newspaper.

The paper then quoted the woman's lawyer as telling the court: "My client has always wished to marry a man with special features. She told me that she had always dreamt of a special husband who would make her happy and proud".

"But after she went into her bedroom she was shocked and frustrated. She said that when she looked at him all of her past dreams vanished and she felt that she lost her youth and became an old woman. She said she was shocked by the way her husband looked and was disgusted by the surgical wounds on his body".link

WTH? And people wonder why Kuwaiti women are unmarried and their men marry foreigners, just sayin'

Line Lock for the 2015 Ford Mustang GT

The guys (and girls like DG and I)  in Kuwait will have fun with this feature.

American Tax Bureau Kuwait

In light of the new rules regarding taxes for US citizens a new company has popped up to help those with their tax returns and questions. I don't know how much they charge, luckily I know a tax guy to did mine for 25 KD up 5 KD from last year. I asked him if he wanted me to post his info but he is a little overwhelmed with the number of people he has already.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 - Polaroid Camera



If anyone remembers the days of Polaroid cameras here's an instant photo camera from Fujifilm.

 



I found them at Xcite and Amazon with only a few dinars difference in price. 

Alice in Wonderland Kuwait

Not your ordinary Alice in Wonderland....

Date: May 1-3
Location: The English School

You can find out more information on their website

Qatari guy goes to drive thru on a Camel

 

I follow these guys on YouTube and their website, here's an article about them. They are really funny and create a positive image for Qatar.

 



Hey expats, no trucks for You!

Kuwait Times: Why you can’t drive a pickup truck in Kuwait – Expats unaware of the law are often surprised when they head to a showroom looking for the latest pickup.

Do you have stuff to haul from a house? Do you want to buy a new bed but don’t want to pay the delivery charge? Are you thinking about starting a small home catering service but need a pickup to transport tables, chairs and other items? Forget it.

 

If you’re an expatriate in Kuwait and need to have something hauled or moved, you’ll have to hire a half lorry or ask a Kuwaiti friend.

 

Do-it-yourself moving is not only difficult, but it’s illegal for expats in Kuwait. Foreigners are forbidden by law from driving a pick-up without a special license. Article 28 B of the traffic law issued in 1983 requires those driving pickup trucks to have a special permission to drive it.

 

From 1983 until 2000, self-employed foreigners could obtain this special permission to own a pickup truck (often referred to locally as a 1.8) if they worked in certain professions. But when the self-employment law for expats was cancelled so were special permissions.

 

As of 2000, all foreigners are forbidden from driving the pickup truck in Kuwait and cannot be issued the special license, explained Lt Colonel Nawaf Al-Hayaan, Head of Public Relations at the Traffic Department of the Ministry of Interior.

 

According to Al-Hayaan, the reason is simple. Pickup trucks are used to transport people and goods and foreigners should not be doing either on their own. “When the law was issued in early 1980s, it was popular in Kuwait to use pickup for illegal transportation.

 

So, this law was issued in order to eliminate this phenomena; the same thing applies to lorries and camions (semi trucks),” Al-Hayaan explained.

 

Expats unaware of the law are often surprised when they head to a showroom looking for the latest pickup.

 

Tony, an Indian who has lived in Kuwait for more than a decade, had planned to buy a pickup as a gift to himself (his wife drives a sedan). But when he visited a showroom and asked the salesman to give him details on a truck he liked, the salesman immediately warned him off. “I was surprised by his response.

 

He told me that the Kuwait law does not allow expats to register any pickup vehicle in their name. So in order to buy a pickup I have to either register it in the name of a Kuwaiti citizen or if I am a partner in any business, then I can register it in the name of the company,” he told the Kuwait Times.

 

When he asked the salesman why, he was informed that the Interior Ministry prohibits foreigners from owning pickup trucks. “The salesman said that some people told him it may be to avoid expats transporting people illegally. Although I think that it’s much easier to transport them in a minibus or vanette,” Tony added.

 

Indeed, vanettes may be bought and driven by expatriates and are often used in illicit transport services along with sedans. In some areas, like Jleeb Al- Shuyoukh, smaller pickups and vanettes are commonly used for illicit transport.

 

Drivers will block a main road, stopping in front of busses and forcing the bus passengers to get off the bus and pay again to ride in the illicit pickup or vanette in order to get home fast. Kuwait Times has previously reported on this ‘traffic extortion’ but it continues.

 

With regard to trucks, the law remains in place. Salesmen from three different car agencies confirmed the same information on the banning of selling pickup vehicles to expats (to be used in Kuwait). The salesmen advised expats interested in driving a pickup in Kuwait to register it on the name of any Kuwaiti or a company.

By Nawara Fattahova

 

I've always known about this since my mom told me when I first moved to Kuwait, I thought it was stupid but got figure. My sister drives a 4-door pick-up truck, she also has Kuwaiti nationality. When I worked on base I would take one of the trucks off base and boy did I get looks from shocked people, I also got my pick-up truck license back in 2006 before they barred females from getting them. They don't go after illegal taxi drivers or drivers who exploit people do they?

Palestinian Cultural Exhibition

Today is the last day to catch the exhibition.

"Dark Horse" PARODY

I love this guy!

 

Here's the link to the original Katy Perry Dark Horse video.

Life N Style Expo - Crowne Plaza

The Life N Style Expo is being held at Crowne Plaza and tomorrow is the last day to shop for jewelry and clothing from Kuwait, Syria and Lebanon. 

 

The hours are from 10 am - 1:30 pm and 5 - 10 pm, more info on their Instagram account @lifenstyleexpo.

Blitz to Glitz Event

Sounds like an exciting place to be!

Follow the Frog - Get free Coffee

Costa is reaching out to all bloggers to spread the word!

If you go to that branch today and say "I follow the frog" you'll get a free coffee! It's Earth Day and our Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee is kind to the forest and  supports farmers and farm workers worldwide who are working to improve their livelihoods and those of their families.

So, in honour of Earth Day, enjoy a coffee on us! We'll have free coffee at another branch tomorrow, and at a third branch on Thursday. The locations will be revealed on the day, so stay tuned! 

 #FollowTheFrogKW 

I know where this location is too bad I won't be in the area.

Pictures around Kuwait

I saw this sign hanging in Surrah Co-op, "It's the law" that's a nice gesture but I still see 12-year olds hanging out in the park trying to smoke.

If you dine-in at Taco Bell Abu Halaifa this is what you get, a cost cutting move perhaps?

Great garage in Fahaheel

If you're looking for a decent garage for your car I recommend Jawhar & Mozaffar Trading garages. They are located in the garage area in Fahaheel, the last right turn as you are heading toward Sultan Center Fahaheel. The guy pictured above is Mohammed (I think) and he speaks English as well as a couple other languages.

Funny Stuff in Kuwait

If you're looking for an apartment with "bureaucracy + monsters" this is the place for you! Only in Kuwait! Get it before someone else does!

Missing a pet? Check out Friday Market

When I visit Friday Market I always take some pictures of the dogs and post them in case someone might be missing one of the dogs. If you lose a dog or cat the first place I would check out would be this place.

Carribean Hut Restaurant

 Ibrahim Bader Al Boreeqee Chef and owner of Caribbean Hut Restaurant Kuwait and his father.

A native of Puerto Rico and born in El Condado, Puerto Rico in the early eighties, due to the military he moved around a lot between and began cooking at the age of 8 under the supervision of his mother. With the direction of his grandparents who consisted of a Home Economics teach and a Chef/Restauranteur/Hotelier, he was able to increase his knowledge and love of cooking. His official training comes from a basic culinary course sponsored by the Georgia National Guard and the time spent working in some of Georgia’s dining facilities at the age of 16; continuing his training by working for restaurants like Waffle House, Country Pride Restaurant, among others.

 

Fresh  piña colada drink

 Bacalaitos/cod fish fritters

Mofongo- pulled beef with a side of plantains

The chef and his father were very nice and love their business. On this day they weren't able to serve some of their specialties as they were out of some of the imported ingredients. The bacalaitos were good but a little too much oil. I loved the mofongo, next time a little less salt but the piña colada was really good. I would go back when they have more variety but when a business imports their ingredients you have a 50/50 chance of getting certain dishes. They are open from 3pm-11pm Tuesday thru Sunday and closed on Mondays, you can find out more by visiting their website.

Prank Videos on YouTube

Warning: May contain bad language and other stuff.

Aladdin House tour with AWARE Center

For all of those readers who were interested in visiting the house, the AWARE Center is giving a tour with limited seats available, this tour comes every so often so interested folks should reserve their seat ASAP as the house is small and can't accommodate too many visitors at once. Link to my post about my visit to the house.

April 19, 2014 @ 9:00 am

The Arabs are a proud & sensitive people whose culture is mainly derived from family, religion & language. It is considered a great honor to be invited into the home of the locals & this tour offers a great opportunity to have a look from the inside of a truly unique Kuwaiti house. Fee: KD 2 per person (Bus Transportation Only) Meet at AWARE: 9:00 a.m. Departure from AWARE: 9:30 a.m. Very Limited Seats. Advance reservations are required at info@aware.com.kw.

I prefer visiting without a tour group.

No one follows the rules in Kuwait

Sign? What sign? Both of the guys in the picture are setting up their grills, one right in front of the sign saying no fires.

Beach Pictures

Some pictures of the rocky beach in Fintas.

 

A lot of the beaches in the area not good for swimming, too many rocks and submerged junk.





Old Kuwaiti Buildings - Al-Roudan Dwaniya

One of the oldest dwaniyas in Kuwait, the Al-Roudan family dwaniya.

This is one of the oldest schools.

It's a shame the NCCAL doesn't try to save more old structures.

Six Flags coming to Dubai

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the world’s largest regional theme park company, and Meraas Leisure and Entertainment, have announced plans to bring a theme park to Dubai.

In a joint statement, the companies said a new strategic partnership will bring a Six Flags-branded theme park to the emirate.

The project is planned to open in late 2017 and will be located within the multi-themed park project in Jebel Ali launched by Meraas.

“The cornerstone of our international expansion strategy has always been finding the right partner in the right location and, with Meraas in Dubai, we have done exactly that,” said Jim Reid-Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment.

“We are honoured to be working with this world-class organization as the first significant strategic step taking the Six Flags brand to growing and successful markets outside North America.”
Raed Al Nuaimi, chief leisure and entertainment officer, Meraas L&E, added: “We are delighted to have a world-leading theme park company and a brand like Six Flags on board. We are confident their presence will perfectly complement our project and further enhance our overall offerings in the leisure and entertainment space.”

“As part of our commitment towards creating one-of-a-kind experiences and contributing towards the Dubai Tourism Vision 2020, our association with Six Flags will help us develop a world-class destination that redefines the industry and positively impacts the regional tourism sector.”
Terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation posted $1.1 billion in revenue last year and operates 18 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Meraas L&E is the leisure and entertainment arm of Meraas Holding, a Dubai-based real estate development company, which creates integrated master-planned communities.link

Yay! I love Six Flags and it will be closer than Disney Paris!

Al Bustan Restaurant - Radisson Blu Kuwait

I had a meeting with some friends at the Al Bustan restaurant in the newly remodeled Radisson. It's a nice little restaurant with a buffet. 

It's a quiet place with a nice modern feel.