Monday, June 14, 2010

Second Weekend in Kuwait (June 11 & 12)

My weekend started with a refreshing swim in the Arabian Gulf where the water temps are around 30 deg C this time of year. This water may seem warm at first but in comparison to the daytime air temperatures of 50 deg C (122 deg F!!!), a dip in the Gulf is GREAT! A far cry from the ultra-chilly beach water in Northern California! Then my driver picked me up at 9 am and we drove to Salmiyah. Along the way on Highway 30, we passed an unusual looking building (pictured above).

The Marina Mall - opened in 2002. A great place to shop and hang out in. My favorite place is the Starbucks where I can sit and sip my decaf Americano (1 KD = $3.45 USD) and watch the people go by.

The Sultan Center (this store is located in Salmiyah) - the expat's favorite grocery store in Kuwait. They have all the familiar items available in America, albeit at 2 - 3 times the price back home.

If you ever get to thinking that your job "sucks", well, have I got a job for you! Every week, these guys show up in back of my apartment with their truck and literally suck out the contents of the cess pool (basically, a week's load of toilet flushings).

So what's in the 'cess pool' you ask? Just stand nearby and you'll recognize the odor!!! As we would say when we were kids, "Pee-U"!!

Last, but not least, when I stayed in the bachelor apartments last year, I regularly fed several kitties my food leftovers. It appears that these cats are still living in the area because they come to my apartment each and every morning and evening looking for more handouts!

2 comments:

Hindsfeet said...

Hey TC...

You always end up with such cool architecture shots!

And nice of you taking pity on the kitties.... : p

Safe Travels!

chemist said...

Hindsfeet:

True indeed! Especially after my visit to Doha in January, I must admit I am really impressed by the creativity of the arcitecture over in this part of the world. There are certainly many more unique structures that in Houston or other cites in the USA.

Traveling Chemist