Kuwait City

More photos of Kuwait for your viewing enjoyment. These are Kuwait City which is the main commercial hub of Kuwait. All the ministries are located in this area as are many businesses. This is the oldest part of Kuwait as you can tell from the architecture. Many buildings look very ragged and in need of renovation or tear down.








What amazes me the most about Kuwait is that there are these amazing modern buildings and high rises mixed right in with the shambley old buildings.


The Kuwait stock exchange. Things are starting to go bad in this part of the world as well.


The Grand Mosque which is a major tourist point of interest and I can sheepishly admit I have never been! Maybe I should squeeze in a visit before I depart.

A stop at the Garment district to pick up the suit I had custom made. It is very cheap to buy material and have clothing made. I paid KD 8 for the material ($31) and KD 35 ($135) for the tailor. Very cheap (for a suit that includes jacket, skirt, and pants), however I don’t really like the final product. It’s very well done just something about it I am not thrilled with. My brother loves his suits though as do most of the men. I wanted to have a formal made but never took the time.




A sidewalk market full of scarves, dishdashes, shoes, etc… I tried to drive a hard bargain but it wasn’t working so I’ll try again at a different venue. I did manage to buy a blue scarf for wear at Creighton games.

City Center

I have very few photos of Kuwait. So over the next few days I plan to snap away. Today I made a quick trip to the City Center mall. This mall is not flashy like the Avenues with name brand stores, but instead has a lot of fun and affordable items the locals use daily.



Anyway there were some great architectural details. I really loved the lights.




On my way out I passed by this sign and figured I would explore a bit more.


Nothing like a full cow hanging in the window to entice you in to buy meat!



I also made a pit stop at the local beauty salon for eyebrow threading. Yes threading, not waxing. They have an amazing technique where they use thread to remove excess hair. It works great and is cleaner look than waxing. Hurts like you wouldn’t believe and brings tears to my eyes but worth it.

Muscat, Oman

As I reflect on my time in the Middle East I wanted to share my favorite Middle East vacation. I stayed at the Chedi and had a wonderful 4 day break from Kuwait. It was my first vacation solo and I was quite unsure at first but turned out great. The resort was right on the water, gorgeous, and very private.







Even the gym overlooked the water.

My room was pretty large with huge windows, a sitting area, comfy bed and linens.




Each room was by itself or part of just a few other rooms. No massive hotel/elevators/hallways. I loved the privacy and boutique feel.

The beach was superb. The staff constantly brought around fresh cool towels and mint and lime ice water. It was the best water ever. Especially as it was about 140 degrees and very humid. Exceptional service.




The restaurants were excellents with yummy sushi and gorgeous views of the water. I even managed to have a date for 2 of the 3 evening meals – not to shabby.

I was very impressed with the Souk. A few typical cheesy souvenirs but mostly neat items locally made. I bought a chair of inlaid wood and mother of pearl for my house. A cool brass medallion/tray for my mom that she wanted after seeing one in a home in Kansas City. Frankincense is harvested in Oman and smells pretty good.







Overall an amazing place to visit and by far my favorite hotel ever. Very relaxing trip but far from boring. Perfect.