Blogs from Kuwait, Middle East

Kuwait reminds people of Gulf war and hot desert. Indeed, that was my impression but it all changed. It was my first time in the Middle East. I took courage as I packed my personal belongings to take up a new assignment on my own in Kuwait City. I landed at the airport and seriously expected camels on the road. Instead stood posh sedan taxis, plying you to the city like a breeze. The big cars almost flew on the fabulous roads and the engines worked like a glass of smooth, golden Scotch whiskey soaking the parched, dry throat. My IBIS hotel stay was non descriptive but the dinner of golden Malabar prawn curry with rice was the tastiest ever. The quantity was generous and the large fresh prawns sumptuous. The ice-creams were awesome too. A ... read more

So, the Arabian Gulf trip came around, and the first port of call proper was Kuwait City, the capital and indeed only city of any size in the small Arab State of Kuwait. Oil rich and blighted by an early 90s state of all-out emergency and conflict, Kuwait in the realm of today is an abode of peace, and with the right amount of planning, you too could enjoy the highlights of Kuwait City in the condensed time frame of a mere two days. The House of Mirrors was first on the agenda, and this could so very easily be the final word in all of the artistic statements which the country has ever been associated with. The majority of ground floor level of the building is adorned with fragments of mirrors, both inside and out ... read more

So for the final flight I was off to Kuwait. Not sure if this was on purpose - send the party animal Scottish girl to a dry country for her last trip! Mmmmmm, probably for the best! Was quite glad I got it actually as get free breakfast and good for some shopping, especially with Christmas coming up. Only a night stop, so we got there about 8am local; had free buffet breakfast then went to bed for few hours. Got up and sat by the pool for a couple of hours. Was really warm but unfortunately not that sunny for me to get my last tanning session. At 6.30pm, myself and three other people on my crew got a driver to take us to The Souk. This is the place to go for all your ... read more

My first destination will be Dubai where I have a brief stop over before continuing on the Persian Gulf state of Kuwait. Kuwait gained independence from the British in 1961 and was invaded by Saddam in 1990 triggering the first Gulf War. Accommodation expensive here but comes with various luxuries including free Wifi and importantly airconditioning because the heat here is extreme. After leaving Adelaide just before 10 pm I finally arrived after 19 uncomfortable hours, I then had to go get a visa which was annoying before passing through customs and stepping out into the furnace. I decided to take a taxi and was surprised when my driver was an Arab, I was expecting an Indian of Pakistani. The man was very pleasant and friendly but drove way to fast relying heavily on his breaks, ... read more

When I walked through the door I was almost blinded. Outside, the day was quite uncharacteristically – for Kuwait – grey and rainy. Inside this house, tucked into the non-descript residential area of Qadisiya, all was ablaze in light and color, refracted off every possible surface.There was no hiding the fact that this was the House of Mirrors. The life’s work of Lidia al-Qattan, an Italian-born, British-educated woman who married a Kuwaiti man (Khalifa al-Qattan, who became one of the most famous Kuwaiti artists), the House of Mirrors is just that: a house covered inside and out in mirror-fragment mosaics. This vivacious septuagenarian woman, a widow since 2003, gives private tours of her home if you ring ahead. Originally, I had planned on joining my hosts, Hamlet and Anita, for an excursion into ... read more