Kicked Out of Kuwait

Well this week has certainly been interesting. It kicked off with a fabulous weekend as I got to see some camels!!! Sherry and Steve felt sorry for me that I had been in Kuwait for 2 months and was yet to see a camel. So come Friday they picked me up and took me on a little excursion!

First we went to the Friday Markets which are sort of like a flee market. Sherry and Steve were greatly impressed although also disappointed for my sake that they had finally gone up market! In the past these markets where held in a dusty dirty parking lot with the blazing sun burning above you. With little Indian guys running around behind you with wheelbarrows to carry your purchases. However the Markets now are under cover and on top of a cement slab. The Market actually seemed calmer and more controlled than the highways of Kuwait! So we wondered about the market where you can buy any thing from a black sheik (the black dress the women wear) to a grinder. From carpets to remote controls. It was an interesting shopping experience. After this my guides took me out of the city and into an area called Jarah. This is where the city ends and the desert begins. On our way out there we actually passed some Indian guys all dressed in their cricket whites ready to start a test match on the roughest pitch Steve and I have ever seen! On further from there we came upon the Camel herders. I have pictures below of the camels and the tents that these guys live in. Quite amazing really and I dunno how they put up with all that dust!

The next day I was back at work, learning my lessons for the week and practicing my Handstands, and Cartwheels when my boss informs me that I will be going to Bahrain tomorrow as my visa has run out and I need to leave the Country!!! When I first arrived in Kuwait I arrived on a tourist visa valid for 1 month whilst they sorted out my papers for my work visa when the month was up they extended it 2 more times for me but the third time we asked for an extension they said no! So I had to leave Kuwait and then come back in to pick up another tourist visa. Strange system really but doesn't surprise me in the least...This is after all Kuwait!

So the next day I was booted out of the country to enjoy a day trip to Bahrain. Those of you not up to date with your Middle Eastern geography Bahrain is a small island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. I arrived in the morning and after quickly purchasing a visa I took off to explore. Bahrain is really well looked after with quirky, narrow but clean streets. I happily stolled around checking out all the shops and the sites and the only stares I received were from shop keepers wanting me to come in and spend my money in their shops; rather than from creepy men giving me suggestive looks. Bahrain is considered on of the more liberal countries of the Middle East and also sells alcohol legally. Whoo hoo I thought I had gone to heaven. I enjoyed a scrumptious lunch which was accompanied by not one but three glasses of cold, crisp white wine....ahhhh.

My stay was only short however before I new it I was back at the airport heading for Kuwait again. I picked up my new visa with out any dramas and was back at work that night! Other news this week is that we actually had a thunder storm! Kuwait nearly drowned in all the rain and the mud as they don't quite have a drainage system in place yet! Any hoos enjoy the photos below and I will be sure to keep rambling on in future so stay tuned....

Ali