RECREATIONAL GARDENS & RESORTS
The Government's success in greening the harsh
desert can be seen in Kuwait's parks and road
verges. Most public gardens have children's play
areas and there are several amusement parks dedicated
to the art of keeping children actively enthralled
for hours at a time.
Municipal Gardens
The Municipality maintains several well designed
public gardens, all with naturally shaded areas,
around Kuwait City.
Zoological Park
Kuwait Zoo (tel: 473 3389) is open every day except
Saturdays from 8am to 8pm in winter, and from
8am to 12 noon and 4pm to 8pm during summer. Located
in Omariya on the Airport Road, entrance is 250fils,
infants free.
Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC)
The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) organises
many of the major entertainment and recreational
facilities in Kuwait. It works in cooperation
with local companies in developing and maintaining
leisure related projects, such as beaches and
sea clubs, recreational parks, guest houses and
resorts, and entertainment centres for children.
(tel: 5650111/5653771)
Recreational Parks
Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) has two recreational
parks, the South Sabahiya Garden (tel: 361 0472)
in Ahmadi Governorate, and the Touristic Garden
(tel: 434 5961 / 434 9283) in Jleeb Al-Shyoukh.
Each has amuse-ments, rides and other games for
children and adults, as well as snack bars, gift
stalls and piped music. Both parks have 'Roman'
theatres for the presentation of entertainment
on weekends. Entry is 250 fils a person on ordinary
days and 500 fils on evenings when shows are presented.
There are also several smaller parks, run by private
enterprise, offering amusements and games for
children, located in different areas.
The privately owned Al-Shaab Leisure Park (tel:
561 3777) is located next to TEC's offices on
Gulf Arabian Street. The Park has a variety of
games and amusements for young and old, including
carousels, dodgems, bowling hall, billiards, snooker
and tennis, as well as a theatre and cinema. All
the amusements are linked by paths that meander
through gard-ens and around water fountains. There
is a restaurant block conta-ining branches of
most fast food outlets in Kuwait. Open daily from
4pm to midnight (from 10am on weekends), entry
is 500fils a head and games cost 250 to 750fils
a go, though a full ticket may be purchased for
KD2/500.
The Green Island
Managed by TEC, this artificial island is near
the Kuwait Water Towers. Linked to the main land
by a short walkway, the Green Island has an amphitheatre,
two restaurants, a viewing tower, a children's
castle and landscape of flowers and greenery.
The entry charge of 250fils a person provides
a pleasant walk with some nice views of Kuwait
City.
ENTERTAINMENT CITY
Al-Madina Al-Tarfihiya (the City of Entertainment)
is located in Al-Doha, about 20 kilometers from
the City. Run by TEC, the complex provides a complete
range of amusements based on themes from the 'Arab
World', the 'International World', and the 'Future
World'. One of the best amusement parks in the world,
the entrance fee is only KD3/500 per person, an
all-in price which allows the ticket holder to enjoy
various rides and amusements without paying anything
extra.
Timings: Summer Winter
Sun - Wed 4- 12pm 2:30-10:30pm
Thur - Fri 4- 12pm 10am - 9pm
Sat - Closed
tel: 487 9545 / 487 9455
SHOWBIZ
Showbiz (tel: 571 4094/5/7) is a permanently sited
carnival with carousels, dodgems, donkey and cart,
pony and camel rides, etc, located in Ras Salmiya.
Open daily from 4pm to midnight (from 1pm on weekends),
entry is free but each amusement costs 500fils a
go, except for the large roller coaster (KD1) and
a few other main attractions.
TOURISTIC BUS
The Touristic Bus is an open top double-decker
bus that runs from Showbiz in Ras Salmiya along
the coast to Shaab and back via Salmiya and the
Sultan centre. The half hour sight-seeing round
trip costs 250fils per person.
THE MUSICAL FOUNTAINS
Considered to be the fourth largest fountain in
the world, the Musical Fountains (tel 242 8394),
next to the Ice Skating Rink on the First Ring
Road, provide a sight and sound show of music
and colourful 'dancing waters', every night during
the summer from 4pm to 11pm. Entry is 250 fils
per person, but subscriptions for week-end shows
are 500fils per adult and 250fils per child
RESORTS & CHALETS
Accommodation for the week-end or longer can be
rented in many places along the southern part of
the coast.
Al-Khiran Resort (tel: 395 1122) is a TEC facility
about 120 kilometres south of Kuwait City. The resort
has nearly 200 chalets and studio flats. Facilities
include a yacht club and fully serviced marina,
swimming pools, playgrounds, sports and health facilities,
shops, a supermarket, coffee shops, and a 24-hour
business centre. Small chalets cost KD100 for a
weekend and KD202/500 a week. Regular chalets cost
KD110 per weekend and KD285 for a week.
The Scientific Center
A new addition to Kuwait's attractions, The Scientific
Center, was inaugurated on 17th April 2000. Situated
on Gulf Road in Salmiya, this new monument is
a symbol of cultural heritage projecting the advancement
in sciences. Conceived and financed by Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS),
it has the largest aquarium in the Middle East,
a class IMAX theatre, Dhow Harbour, Discovery
Place for children, a restaurant and a gift shop.
(For further details Tel: 848888, or visit their
website at: www.tsck.org.kw)
Other Palces of Interest
Other places of interest to see in Kuwait encompass
the moderately old and the almost brand new.
Dhow Harbours & Building Yards
There are several dhow harbours along the coast
where traditional wooden boats, such as sanbooks
(medium-sized coastal traders), can be seen. There
is a fairly large dhow harbour between the Seif
Palace and the fish market, and another one just
opposite the National Assembly. These are working
harbours and most of the boats are used for fishing.
Doha Village was once the centre of boat building
in Kuwait but the building yards were looted and
fortified by the Iraqis, and nowadays very few
dhows are being built except for some exquisite
miniatures.
Al-Hashemi II
The world's largest wooden dhow, owned and built
by Hussein Marafie, Al-Hashemi II is a 'Baghalah'of
monumental proportions. 'Baghalah' was a large
wooden cargo vessel which sailed the seas in the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Constructed
next to the Radisson SAS Hotel, the double-decked
Al-Hashemi II is dry-docked next to a pre-oil
era Kuwaiti village and marine museum containing
models of extinct and modern dhows. The lower
deck has the Grand Ballroom, one of the finest
in Kuwait.
Al-Hashemi II has earned the distinction of being
listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
OLD BUILDINGS
There are several old houses from the pre-oil
era along the seif (waterfront) which have been
renovated and prese-rved, including the old British
Political Agency building opposite the Dhow harbour.
In the area just inland in Sharq there are some
interesting broken down old houses awaiting preservation.
Bayt Al-Badr, an old house located next to As-Sadu
house, was built between 1838 and 1848. It is a
good example of the famous front doors of old Kuwait
and exhibitions of local handicrafts are sometimes
displayed there.
There is a replica of an old Kuwaiti town next to
the Dhow harbour opposite the National Assembly,
which includes a play area for children and is occasionally
used for traditional cultural events. Though it
is a bit contrived, the replica does provide a good
idea of what a coastal Gulf village was like in
the old days.
There are several ancient mosques in Kuwait City
which are still in use. The oldest is the well-preserved
Al-Khalifa Mosque, opposite the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs on Arabian Gulf Street, which was built
in 1714CE (1126AH). Other 18th century mosques include
Ibn Khammes, Al-Nesif and Soud Mosques, and Al-Hamdan
Mosque in the Central Area. Al-Matabba (now Shamlan
bin Ali bin Seif Al-Roumi) Mosque and Ibn Bahar
Mosque (opposite the Council of Ministers) are from
the 19th century.
OLD CITY WALL GATES
The wall around the old City was demolished in 1957
but its five gates were left standing as monuments
to the past. These are Maqsab Gate (by the sea,
down from the Sheraton Hotel), Jahra Gate (inside
the roundabout at the bottom of Fahd Al-Salem Street),
Shamiya Gate (at the start of Riyadh Street), Beraisi
Gate (at the end of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street), and
Bneid Al-Qar Gate (in Bneid Al-Qar), in the green
belt between Soor (wall) Street and the First Ring
Road. The gates were destroyed by the Iraqi invaders
but have since been rebuilt.
BAYT LOTHAN
A wonderful cultural centre on the seif at Salmiya,
Bayt Lothan (tel: 575 5866 / 5877) was set up
to preserve the culture of, and develop skills
in the creative arts and crafts of Kuwait and
the Gulf, and to promote fine arts and handicrafts
both locally and internationally. The Bayt's facilities
include a court yard for lectures and concerts,
an exhibition hall, a children's play centre,
two tea rooms, a shop selling art materials, books
and gifts. The Bayt, a private non-profit organization,
offers basic training programmes in creating jewellery,
pottery, drawing, painting, mixed media, photography,
Arabic calligraphy, and music, and provides much
of the materials and equipment needed. All courses
are conducted by professionals and are open to
both the indigenous and expatriate communities.
Bayt Lothan also organises and sponsors art exhibitions,
educational programmes and public service campaigns.
SADU HOUSE
The 'House of Weaving', located near the National
Museum, is a fine example of a pre-oil era house.
It exhibits bedouin camel bags, decorations, tent
dividers, carpets and cushions and is open in the
mornings and from 5 to 7 pm, Saturdays to Thursdays.
Founded to preserve the art of Sadu, Bedouin women
can be seen weaving inside. Sadu House (tel: 243
2395) organizes weaving lessons. The Kuwait Textile
Association (President: Fadela Bird tel: 5624517)
holds seminars, lectures and demonstrations under
the auspices of Sadu House.
(Website:
www.sadu-house.com)
MUSEUMS
The National Museum (tel 245 1195 / 245 6534 fax
240 4862), near the National Assembly, comprised
four buildings and a planetarium. It once housed
the Dar Al-Athar al-Islamiyah, the As-Sabah collection
of Islamic Art, one of the most comprehensive in
the world. Other buildings housed pearl diving relics,
ethnographical artefacts and archaeological material
from excavations on Faylaka Island. Looted and burned
by the Iraqi invaders the museum is now restored
and some exhibits are again open to the public including
parts of the Dar Al-Athar al-Islamiyah collection,
ninety percent of which has been returned from Iraq.
In 1997, Muhallab II, the replacement for (and replica
of) the magnificent trading dhow from the 1930s
that graced the front yard of the museum before
it was burned by the Iraqis, was constructed on
site and is now open to visitors.
The Educational Science Museum (tel 242 1268 / 244
8320-1 / 244 1791-2) is on Abdullah Mubarak Street.
It contains displays of the petroleum industry,
natural history, aviation, machinery, electronics,
space and zoology subjects, as well as a health
hall and a planetarium. The museum is open from
9:00am to noon and from 4:30 to 7:30pm everyday
except Thursdays and Fridays. Entrance fees are
150fils per adult and 100fils per child.
The Taraq Rajab Museum (tel 531 7358 / 531 8060)
is a private museum, located in a villa in Jabriya
(area 12), that specialises in Islamic arts and
crafts. A large collection of ethnic and Islamic
gold and silver jewellery, manuscripts, metalworks,
textiles, embroideries and costumes, ceramics and
musical instruments, can be viewed every weekday
from 9am to noon and 4 to 8pm every day except Friday
afternoons.
The new KOC Display Centre is an ultra-modern audio-visual
museum of Kuwait's oil industry, past and present.
It is open to the public by appointment (tel: 398
2393).
LIBERATION MONUMENTS
There are several monuments to the Iraqi occupation
and Allied liberation of Kuwait here and there,
all conceived in a discrete understated style.
Al-Qurain House (tel 543 0343) was the site of a
bloody battle between the Messilah Resistance Group
and the Iraqi occupiers. Situated in the new Qurain
housing area on road 208 between the Fahaheel and
Magreb Expressways, the house is now a museum and
monument to the martyrs of Kuwait.
MODERN ARCHITECTURE
A stroll around Kuwait City or its suburbs is well
worth the while for persons interested in modern
buildings.
The Kuwait Water Towers (tel 244
4021) are situated on Arabian Gulf Street on a promontory
to the east of the centre of the city in Dasman.
The Towers are the country's most famous landmark.
The uppermost sphere of the largest tower (187 metres
high) has a revolving observation area (one full
turn every half hour) and a restaurant, with access
by high speed lift. Entrance is 500fils per person
but is free if lunch or dinner has been reserved.
Cameras with zoom lens are forbidden. The other
two spheres in the towers are water tanks, containing
about 4.5 million gallons of water each.
The Liberation Tower, with a height
of 372 meters, is the fifth tallest communication
tower in the world. Construction started in April
1987 but had to stop due to Iraqi Invasion in August
1990 and resumed in 1993. Covering an area of 21,000
square meters, it includes a hall to serve the public
24 hours a day and the new main building has administrative
and technical offices and the Liberation Tower.
The eighteen meter under ground foundation holds
three basements. The tower has a revolving restaurant
and the vertical cavities in the tower body contain
two elevators which provide panoramic view of the
city as they climb to the revolving restaurant and
the viewing balcony.
There are many fine examples of modern mosque architecture
in Kuwait. These include the pyramid shaped mosque
in Ras Salmiya and the Fatima Mosque in Abdullah
Al-Salem. The Grand Mosque (tel 241 8448/7 to arrange
guided tours), opposite the Seif Palace, combines
several traditional Islamic styles using modern
technology while retaining the local characteristics
of Kuwait as well as preserving the Islamic tradition
of calligraphy. The three-storeyed Islamic Medicine
Mosque, attached to the Centre for Islamic Medicine
in the Al-Sabah Hospital Area, is a masterpiece
of Islamic style and calligraphy.
AROUND & ABOUT
There are several areas in the country of interest
to nature lovers. Near Sulaibi-khat, for example,
there are mudflats where various species of marine
and terrestrial animals can be seen, as well as
(occasionally) flamingoes.
Jahra Town was once a small flourishing garden settlement,
with a strategic importance because it was on the
intersection of three major caravan (and invasion)
routes. The ancient Qasr Al-Ahmar (Red Fort), famous
for several historic battles, is open during the
morning and is well worth a visit. Driving in Jahra
is a unique experience.
Ahmadi, Kuwait's oil town, lies about 40km south
of the City. It is attractively laid out in tree-lined
avenues fringed by small houses with well-tended
gardens, which gives the place a park-like appearance.
Wafra, in the deep south, is the main centre for
farming in Kuwait. The area has about 1,000 farms
and the town has a vast vegetable market for local
produce which is patronised by buyers from Kuwait
City, who descend on the place in droves during
the weekend.
SCIENCE & CULTURAL ARTS
The cerebrally orientated will find that Kuwait
is a hive of intellectual activity.
The Sciences
The sciences are actively encouraged. The Kuwait
Fund for the Advancement of Science receives a
compulsory donation from the annual profits of
public companies which it uses to fund scientific
research.
Membership of The Science Club on the 6th Ring
Road is open to all nationalities. Managed by
a group of enthusiastic amateurs, the Club's amazing
range of facilities and the latest in scientific
hardware includes Al-Aujairy Observatory. Its
aims are to create an informal environment in
which people of all ages, from pre-teens to grandparents,
can develop their scientific hobbies. Contact:
tel 5396561/2 fax 5392549
e-mail: kscintr@hotmail.com.
ART & ARTISTS
The government actively encourages the development
of artistic talents in Kuwait and provides funding
for developing artists to study abroad.
The Free Atelier, founded in 1960, to provide
technical help and professional instruction for
students, and its full-time artists have their
studios on the premises near the British Embassy
in Arabian Gulf Street. Visitors are welcome between
8:00am and 2:00pm every day except Thursdays and
Fridays.
There are several commercial art galleries, notably
in Salhiya Complex and in Salmiya.
VISITING DIWANIYAHS
Male expatriates, are often invited to the diwaniyahs
of their Kuwaiti friends. These are excellent
opportunities for making good business contacts.
Indeed, a pleasant evening may be spent going
from one diwaniyah to another. These diwaniyahs
range from large formal gatherings used as public
meeting places and platforms by well known Kuwaitis
down to small private diwaniyahs where a club
atmosphere reigns.
In the formal diwaniyahs seating is usually provided.
If not, sitting cross-legged on the floor becomes
comfortable in time. Tea and other beverages, and
small snacks are served.
SPORTS ACTIVITIES
Kuwait has an abundance of sports and leisure facilities
and there are facilities for playing all major field,
track and indoor sports, such as tennis, handball,
basketball, volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, squash,
table tennis, etc. Despite its small size the country
has four world-class stadiums. Each has a capacity
for about 25,000 spectators and can host international
field and track events by day or night. Football,
with more than 120 football pitches in sporting
clubs and schools, is by far the most popular sport
in Kuwait, followed by basketball.
SPORTS FEDERATIONS & THE KUWAIT OLYMPIC
COMMITTEE
The Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour provides
generous funding for organised sports activities
through the Public Authority for Youth and Sports.
Sports activities are organised into federations
which are supervised by the Kuwait Olympics Committee.
The sports federations and the Kuwait Olypmic
Committee are located in Hawalli (tel: 263 7904).
The Kuwait Olympic Committee, which is recognised
by the International Olympic Committee and is
a member of the Asian Games Federation, organises
Kuwait's participation in international events.
Kuwait first took part in the Olympics in Mexico
City in 1968 and Kuwait won the Olympic gold medal,
in Moscow in 1980. Indeed in the last twentyfive
years Kuwait has had outstanding success in international
soccer, equestrianism, swimming and athletics,
much of which can be attributed to the encouragement
of HH the Amir, generous state support, the enthusiasm
of fans and the media and, above all, to the guidance
and organisational genius of Sk. Fahd Al-Ahmad
Al-Sabah who was first elected chairman of the
Kuwait Olympic Committee in 1974. Sadly, Sk. Fahd
died valiantly in defence of his home on the 2nd
August, 1990. The current chairman of the Olympic
Committee is Sk. Ahmed Fahd Al-Ahmed, a worthy
successor to his father.
ICE-SKATING
TEC's Ice Skating Rink (tel: 241 1151-3 ) is just
off the 1st Ring Road at Shamiya Gate. It has
an Olympic size skating floor as well as a smaller
rink. The small rink is often reserved for women
and children, and it may be rented for private
and corporate parties. Training is available and
there are equipment rental shops (which also sell
skating clothes and equipment) and a small cafe.
Hours are 8:30am to 10:00pm every day except Saturday.
Entry 500 fils and scating costs KD1/500 per head
(including rental of shoes).
Kuwait Skating School offers a variety of reasonably-priced
courses from beginners to advanced for children
and adults.
Contact: Gilda Karam mbl: 9058996
SWIMMING
The beaches are safe, though sea urchins and stone
fish may be encountered. Sea snakes are sometimes
seen but they are not aggressive. Jelly fish may
annoy at times. Shark attacks are virtually unknown.
However there are strong currents along parts
of the coast, so bathing at the popular beaches
and clubs is safest.
Swimming Pools & Sea-Clubs
Women and families may prefer to go to the facilities
operated by TEC, all of which have supervised
bathing, swimming pools, cafeterias, shaded areas
with tables, showers and changing rooms, gardens
and play areas for children, though moderate entry
fees are charged.
The Swimming Complex (tel: 562 2600) in Shaab
on Arabian Gulf Street contains an Olympic-size
pool and a diving pool for youth and adult use
only. There is a family section with a beginners'
pool and two pools for the under-fives. The complex
also has a swimming school and cafeteria as well
as a billiards and snooker hall.
The Aqua-Park (tel: 243 1960-3) is beside Kuwait
Towers. Its main attractions are the water slide
and artificial wave pools. There are also kids
pools, as well as restaurants.
TEC runs three sea clubs, Shaab Sea Club (tel:
564 1953), Ras al-Ardh (tel: 574 0977) in Ras
Salmiyah, and Fahaheel Marine Club (tel: 372 4073).
The clubs have swimming pools, and basketball,
volleyball and tennis courts, and amusement halls.
Shaab and Ras al-Ardh have bowling alleys, fitness
centres, a sauna, a swimming school, and amusement
halls. Shaab also has a karate gym, while Ras
al-Ardh has table tennis. All three clubs have
gardens, each with a theatre and cafeteria. Ras
al-Ardh has a billiards hall and a ball room,
while Shaab caters to nautical members with a
200-berth anchorage for boats (maximum 15-foot)
and related services.
TEC operates three beaches, Messilah Beach (tel:
5650642) just off the Fahaheel Expressway and
Oqeilah near Fintas(tel: 3900583), and Fahaheel
(tel: 3719496), where bathers are supervised by
trained life-guards. These beaches have cafeterias
and open theatres. Messilah also has a swimming
pool for adults and two for children, as well
as children's entertainment such as a spider's
web climbing pole and a train.
WATER SPORTS
Sports such as boating, wind-surfing and jet skiing
may be enjoyed off most beaches. Police regulations
prevent speed-boats and jet-skis from entering
areas used for swimming.
Fishing
There are fish of every conceivable shape and
size in the waters off Kuwait, just there for
the taking, including six different sorts of shark,
two types of barracuda, stinging and non-stinging
ray fish, four sorts of mackerel and tuna, and
an array of soles, breams, snappers, rock and
cat fish, flounders, cobias, puffers and needlefish.
Fishing can be done from the beaches using sophisticated
long casting rods, from prominent rocks and the
ends of piers using simple poles, lines and hooks
or wire baskets to catch fry, from the water off
the beaches using nets held by several persons,
from boats using trawls and multi-hooked lines.
Tackle, from the simple to the ultra-sophisticated,
is available (see Boats & Yachts in the KPG
Business Directory), though many of the most successful
fishers seem to use rather crude looking home-made
equipment.
The fishing boats can be hired either from dhow
harbours or private companies operating in TEC's
sea clubs.
Yachting
Kuwait is a sailor's paradise. Off-shore there
is nearly always a moderate breeze and it is not
often that sailors are becalmed or driven to land
by rough seas. Boats range from small sailing
dinghies to large yachts.
The Yachting Club, on Arabian Gulf Street next
to Shaab Sea Club, has a marina with 390 fully-serviced
berths for craft with a minimum length of 25 feet.
The club has a marine survey centre and also runs
the nearby Shaab Anchorage where it costs KD1
a day to moor a small boat. The Yatching Club
organises an annual regatta and speed boat championships.
The Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association (KOSA)
is a registered Royal Yachting Association shore-training
centre and offers internationally recognised shore-based
theory courses. KOSA, which has about 50 members
and ten boats (24 to 40 foot), runs three racing
series in Kuwait each season (September to June)
under international offshore racing regulations
and also takes part in international races. Meetings
are held on the first Monday of the month at 7:30pm
in the Messila Beach Hotel. Sailing and racing
takes place on weekends from TEC's marina at Shaab.
There is a Catamaran Club centred on the Messilah
Beach Hotel for Hobie (16-footers) and Dart (18-footers)
which meets once a month at the home of one of
its members. All the boats are privately owned.
Members welcome visitors on Thursday afternoons
and Fridays and, though there are no formal training
courses, newcomers will find that members are
happy to demonstrate their craft.
Scuba Diving
Despite increasing pollution from the Shatt al-Arab,
the seas off Kuwait are comparatively clear, and
scuba diving is popular. The best locations are
off-shore around Qit'at (Donkey's Reef), Umm al-Maradim
and Qaruh islands in the south and so most trips
leave from Fahaheel or the Khiran Resort area.
There are several diving schools offering training
courses, from complete beginners to assistant
instructors, conducted by instructors with internationally
recognised certification. Equipment can be hired
from diving centres and commercial establishments,
which also organise diving trips on weekends and
public holidays. Diving trips are about KD15 a
person per day and full cylinders can be hired
for KD2 each.
Pearl Diving
To preserve Kuwait's pre-oil heritage, pearl diving
using traditional boats and equipment is being
revived under the auspices of HH the Crown Prince.
The boats are prepared in April, training in diving
techniques takes place in June and July, and there
are diving competitions in late August.
HIRING & BUYING BOATS
& EQUIPMENT
Taking a boat trip to one of the islands, such
as Failaka, can make for a pleasant day out, with
swimming and picnicing on fish caught by trawl
or line along the way. A dhow can be hired for
a few hundred dinar a day, including crew and
all running costs, which is ideal for a small
office outing or for several families clubbing
together. Enquire at any dhow harbour.
KPTC (tel: 5742664) runs ferry trips from Ras
Salmiya to Failaka Island every day. The return
journey costs KD2/500 per person, cars with driver
KD 20 and box cars KD 25. The time schedules are
different for every day and monthly schedules
are available from KPTC. A trip by dhow to Umm
al-Maradim Island for 30 people from Khiran Resort
(tel: 3951122) costs KD100 for 12 hours.
Boats may also be hired at the sea clubs. One
holding 14 persons rents for KD25 an hour. A 45-minute
sea trip in a large boat usually costs KD2 a head
or KD1 in a small boat. But at the Yacht Club
a 74-footer holding up to 35 persons can be rented
for KD250 for the day.
Parasailing is available from some of the sea
clubs. Jet skis may be hired from private traders
on the beaches for KD10 an hour; the owner usually
insists on holding the customer's civil ID to
ensure the safe return of the equipment.
For long-term enjoyment it is more economical
to buy. Most international brands of marine equipment
are on sale (see KPG Brands & Agents Directory),
though locally made boats are also available (KD1,150
upwards for a fibreglass pleasure-fishing boat).
Gear for speed boating, windsurfing, jet skiing,
water skiing, yachting and scuba diving can be
bought from the dealers shown under Boats &
Yachts in the KPG Business Directory.
THE CUISINES OF KUWAIT
The polyethnic diversity of the population is
the reason that a vast range of foodstuffs is
available in Kuwait. The staples of the Arabian,
Western, Indian and Far Eastern diets are sold
in the supermarkets. Up-market speciality shops
offer haute nouriture from Lebanon and Europe.
Small groceries supply the soul foods of Arabia
and the Eastern Mediterranean, Pakistan, Baluchistan,
India, Sri Lanka, Korea, the Philippines, and
Thailand --- everything from fragrant rice to
fermented fish. This phenomenal choice is reflected
on private dinner tables and in Kuwait's innumerable
restaurants. Kuwait is a food lover's paradise.
Home cooking and partying play an important part
in the social life of expatriates. This may be
due to the emphasis on family life and the conservative
nature of evening entertainment in Kuwait. But
the culinary emphasis also arises from the abundance
of freshly caught seafood and fresh vegetables
and fruit available every day in the local markets.
EATING OUT
Kuwait is rumoured to have more restaurants per
resident than any other country in the world.
Without a doubt there is choice enough to suit
every taste and pocket.
Hotels Restaurants
The restaurants found in Kuwait's major hotels
range from coffee-shops to exclusive dining rooms
where international haute cuisine is served. Compared
to Europe, America and Japan, prices are reasonable.
Every hotel has a buffet where for a fixed price
guests may gorge themselves without limit. These
serve a variety of hot and cold foods and though
the cooking is not exclusively Arabic, they do
offer excellent introductions to Kuwaiti cuisine.
Prices range from less than KD5 to 15 a head at
most, which is cheap considering the quantity,
quality and variety of food.
In addition to Arabic and 'intern-ational' cuisine,
many hotel restaurants have 'theme nights', such
as Italian, Japanese, Western, etc, when they
offer foods and ambience based on national cuisines
from the East or the West.
Other Restaurants
Outside the hotels there are hundreds of restaurants
where substantial meals can be enjoyed at very
reasonable prices. Those that specialise in particular
national cuisines, such as Arabic, Persian, Indian,
Chinese, Philippino and Italian, seem to enjoy
better culinary success than the few that serve
a mix of styles in an attempt to satisfy all tastes.
Possibly because of its relative blandness, Continental
and American cuisine is mainly found in the larger
hotels. Yet there are several Italian and other
European restaurants in Kuwait City and down the
coast.
Small Restaurants, Take-aways &
Casual Dining
Every street in Kuwait has several small sandwich
shops with a few seats and a mainly take-away
clientele. Most sell Arabic snack foods, such
as sh'wermas, samboosas, and falafel, and a filling
collation may be enjoyed for less than half a
dinar. Most of the Arab, Indian, Persian, and
Chinese restaurants, even the larger ones, provide
a take-away service.
The apex of local restaurants are the kebab houses
selling kebabs, shish kebabs, hummus, juices,
samadi (a mix of ice creams, fruits and juices)
and other triumphs of Arabic casual dining. These
are mainly found in residential areas. A full
meal costs KD1/250 a head at most, and foil and
plastic wrapped deliveries to nearby flats and
residences at no extra charge are usual.
For those with unadventurous palates, the homogenous
burger of American casual dining experience is
available most everywhere, along with the usual
range of pizza parlours. Though they tend to be
concentrated in the City and the shopping areas
such as Salmiyah and along the Seif (Gulf Road),
outlets for international chains such as McDonalds,
Burger King, Wendy's, Wimpy's, Hardees, Kentucky
Fried Chicken, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Pizza
Italia, etc, are found just about everywhere in
Kuwait. Of more interest to the discerning is
the growth in recent years of local chains of
casual dining outlets, such as Bint Al-Deek, Naif
Chicken, which serve a creative mix of international
and Arabic casual dining foods using mostly home-reared
animals and fresh produce.
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