I’m back in Kuwait. I was driving home from the airport when I noticed the temperature – something we take for granted here. It’s hard to describe where forty-plus-degrees-celsius-heat comes from when the sun is nowhere to be seen! Look at my car’s thermometer after 8pm and more than an hour after sunset.
I saw it at 46 when driving near Messilah and then it dropped back to 44. At almost 11pm it was still 40!
I need a holiday.
We drove to Yanbu’ in the evening and saw very little. This is my second time on this road so I knew there wouldn’t be much action on the way back either – even if it was during daylight. I did find the mirage on the way back rather attractive. It remained with us most of the journey and we seldom saw the horizon.
I’m back in the air!
Jeddah airport has been renovated but it still looks hopelessly dull. It’s such a contrast to what it looks like from outside. I love the simple tent-look of the main terminal building. The lack of the ugly (but necessary) jetways, and the vast open area of the airport apron, help maintain the illusion.
Inspired by Mathai’s Light Writing post, I wanted to do something that gives similar drama but with a faster shutter. I can’t get Yousef and Noor to stand still for 2 seconds – so an ordinary torch would produce a rather dull result. Then I saw that my wife had bought sparklers. I knew instantly that this would produce fun results.
From 30,000 feet, a dust storm is rather beautiful. That’s what we should do in fact: we should build stations high up where the weather is both cooler and dust-free. Just look at that blue sky!
Even dust seems to produce beauty: I love the view above – taken from our cruising altitude. Dubai wasn’t anywhere near as dusty as Kuwait – but it was a ‘yellow’ journey from start to finish. Below are a few shots from the trip, starting with the airport, Dubai, the ‘World’ and Kuwait.
Dubai is awake again. Whilst it’s still not to the Dubai I knew before the recession, there are plenty of positive signs. I used the Sheikh Zayed road to measure the activity level on a previous trip. This time I was actually stuck in traffic on a few occasions. There are still unfinished buildings with no obvious signs of any work in progress; but roads, shops and restaurants are reasonably busy. With the summer heat, malls feel busier and I’m told hotels are taking more and more bookings for the summer.
Work-wise, some of the projects previously on hold have been dusted off and are taking shape – even if only on paper. In all my meetings, I sensed a readiness to do business again.
I hope this continues and I wish Dubai all the best.
This special camera greats anyone arriving into Kuwait and instantly measures their body temperature. With Swine Flu officially a global pandemic, and the airports getting busier with the summer holiday season, it’s a good precaution to take.
Today’s flight to Dubai was delayed, security checks took ages and boarding took more than an hour… I miss the quiet days.
I thought I had seen everything they can do with a remote-controlled car, then I saw these. They’re not well built/put-together, quite ugly and not robust enough for what they’ve been designed for. For a child however, none of this matters… It can drive on walls and ceilings!
Meet our house guest, Flat Stanley. He has been with us a couple of days and leaves for London tomorrow. During his short stay, he has seen Yousef and Noor in traditional Kuwaiti clothes, sampled (the aroma of) Kuwaiti food, driven around in 48°C heat for sightseeing, and even found time for the beach.
Last night, as we were packing up and leaving the exhibition centre, I noticed many police cars and wondered what had happened. This morning, I read in the paper about an event around 8pm last night by Abu Dhabi Police. I then saw this guy on a Harley – flashing police lights and all – coming into the hotel. I took these shots and couldn’t believe my eyes! This is ridiculous – I thought. Why would a police department do this?
 | elaine on Flat Stanley |
 | Marzouq on Home Heat Home |
| Marzouq on Drive Back to Jeddah |
 | ansam518 on Home Heat Home |
 | onlooker on Home Heat Home |
