Our television has 2,400 channels.
We were excited when we first found out but quickly realized that the majority of them are pay channels that have not been paid for... We have then been left with CNN, BBC World, Al Jazeera International, a French, a German and a Chinese channel - and a couple hundred Arab channels of which a few show series and moves in English.
In an attempt to locate some Kuwaiti channels I searched through 500 of the 2,400 (and found 3) but along the way I often wondered if a particular channel was from the Gulf or from other Arabic-speaking areas.
Well, today is the day to find out - following the tragic death of Sheikh Ahmad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan the brother of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan the ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates - the United Arab Emirates have entered into 3 days of state mourning (the story is here). All television channels from the UAE have cleared their schedules and are broadcasting non-stop Qur'an recitals and prayers for the deceased.
When they say state mourning it is certainly not just the 1 minute of silence that is often observed elsewhere in the world, the wearing of black armbands or the lowering of the flag to be flown at half-mast.
Mind you, when the Emir of Kuwait died in 2006, Kuwait observed a 40-day mourning period.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tell Me There Is Nothing In The Desert Again
Unfortunately there is a tendency among many of the foreigners who live in Kuwait to complain about how there is 'nothing to do in Kuwait'. While it is less developed in some aspects of 'entertainment' compared to many US or European cities it is certainly not true that there is nothing here to do. Usually, those same people who complain are the ones who then look all surprised when you tell them about a wonderful museum you went to or activities you took part in. Somehow it's a vicious cycle I guess - foreigners complain to newly arrived foreigners who then don't make the effort to look for - sometimes well-hidden - places of interest and things to do - and then there is consensus and we can all reassure each other of our belief. Sad, really.
Okay, so you can not go out drinking, or hang out in a bar for after-hours beers, you cannot go to discotheques and night clubs because there aren't any (at least not officially) and it's hard to find concerts, theater plays and the like. But that doesn't mean there aren't other things to do.
It's a bit the same with the desert - 'it's flat, boring and there's nothing worth seeing there'. A lot of people don't even go because they heard that 'it's flat, boring and there's nothing worth seeing there'. Others go and drive right through it in their air-conditioned cars and confirm that 'it was flat, boring and there was nothing to see'. That's just not true. I'm not saying we should all enjoy walking around in the desert looking for bugs and plants (nor do I expect that you all find it interesting to see my pictures from there) - I admit it is a bit nerdy but just don't tell me that there is nothing in the desert!
The pics are from 2nd March and we went to the same place as last time - my previous post is here: Day Out In The Desert.
(A wonderful sunny morning in the desert near Bubiyan Island)
It was extremely windy and probably not the best day to climb a sand hill - but we did anyway:
(My friends looking over the desert and trying not to get blown off the hill)
Down by the water there were still the funny mudskippers we saw last time and there were also some crabs who escaped as soon as we came near. I did get some pictures of the slower-moving creatures there, though:
(Moving around the mud flats)
(Hermit legs sticking out)
(Hello neighbor!)
There were still some flowers in the desert although it was clear that in the 3 weeks or so that had passed since we were last there, the desert has dried out a lot.
(Flowers in the desert)
(Flowers in the desert)
(Flower in the desert)
There were also still some desert hyacinths out there:
(Desert hyacinths)
It never ceases to amaze me how these flowers break through the hard and dry surface of the desert:
(Desert hyacinth breaking through)
The hyacinths aren't the only ones having to break through the sometimes really dry and hard surface of the desert:
(Small plant coming up through the dry flakes of the desert)
(Green plant coming up through the dry flakes of the desert)
(Plant casting its shade in the desert sand)
(Plants, flowers and some dry roots)
There were tons of butterflies everywhere that day:
(Butterfly sitting on some flowers in the desert)
And I managed to get some pretty nice photos of some of them:
(Butterfly on a desert flower)
(This one had wings so thin they were almost transparent)
(Getting ready for landing!)
(Butterfly on a desert flower)
There were plenty of other little bugs and insects - although I have no idea what most of them are (there were birds as well but they were hiding in the grass and flew away so fast that we couldn't take any pictures):
(Small flies inside a desert hyacinth)
(A beautiful shiny bug - copper-colored with black)
(Big ant)
(Another colorful bug - quite flat and with stripes)
(A fast-running bug - black with sand-colored back part that blends in with the desert)
(No idea about this one either - about the size of a big ant)
I finally got a good shot of a ladybug as well:
(Ladybug on a hairy desert plant)
We made a stop near the only tree visible in this part of the desert - unfortunately it is dead but at least it's still standing there:
(Not A but THE tree in the desert)
Nearby somebody must have had a barbecue or some other feast involving a small lamb or goat - all the bones are scattered around the area:
(Leftovers... been in the desert so long grass is growing out of its eye-holes)
Am I the only one who sees a person (two black dots for eyes) with his hands folded in front of him (fingers pointing forward)?
(Bone left in the desert)
With plenty of butterflies comes of course plenty of caterpillars (well, other way round):
(This one had crawled onto a small plant that it was feasting on)
(You can actually see its spiky 'teeth' used for eating)
(Didn't know these things have actual eyes!)
This time the desert was full of grass - it was very nice:
(Grass swaying in the wind - and a Kuwaiti flag from a nearby campsite)
(Grass swaying in the wind - a rare sight in the desert)
A little bit further along, close to where they are currently constructing a new road we made another stop and saw this funny caterpillar - if that's not the cutest thing...:
(Caterpillar of some kind - looks more like a caricature of a dachshund (gravhund))
At first I thought it was a joke or something left behind by campers but this really is melons growing in the desert (in between a table tennis ball and a tennis ball in size). My friend had taken home some seeds and planted them but so far I have heard no news of a desert melon plant at her house:
(Desert melons)
And last but not least a hazy view of the Kuwait City skyline before we went home:
(Kuwait City skyline and greenery)
Okay, so you can not go out drinking, or hang out in a bar for after-hours beers, you cannot go to discotheques and night clubs because there aren't any (at least not officially) and it's hard to find concerts, theater plays and the like. But that doesn't mean there aren't other things to do.
It's a bit the same with the desert - 'it's flat, boring and there's nothing worth seeing there'. A lot of people don't even go because they heard that 'it's flat, boring and there's nothing worth seeing there'. Others go and drive right through it in their air-conditioned cars and confirm that 'it was flat, boring and there was nothing to see'. That's just not true. I'm not saying we should all enjoy walking around in the desert looking for bugs and plants (nor do I expect that you all find it interesting to see my pictures from there) - I admit it is a bit nerdy but just don't tell me that there is nothing in the desert!
The pics are from 2nd March and we went to the same place as last time - my previous post is here: Day Out In The Desert.
(A wonderful sunny morning in the desert near Bubiyan Island)
It was extremely windy and probably not the best day to climb a sand hill - but we did anyway:
(My friends looking over the desert and trying not to get blown off the hill)
Down by the water there were still the funny mudskippers we saw last time and there were also some crabs who escaped as soon as we came near. I did get some pictures of the slower-moving creatures there, though:
(Moving around the mud flats)
(Hermit legs sticking out)
(Hello neighbor!)
There were still some flowers in the desert although it was clear that in the 3 weeks or so that had passed since we were last there, the desert has dried out a lot.
(Flowers in the desert)
(Flowers in the desert)
(Flower in the desert)
There were also still some desert hyacinths out there:
(Desert hyacinths)
It never ceases to amaze me how these flowers break through the hard and dry surface of the desert:
(Desert hyacinth breaking through)
The hyacinths aren't the only ones having to break through the sometimes really dry and hard surface of the desert:
(Small plant coming up through the dry flakes of the desert)
(Green plant coming up through the dry flakes of the desert)
(Plant casting its shade in the desert sand)
(Plants, flowers and some dry roots)
There were tons of butterflies everywhere that day:
(Butterfly sitting on some flowers in the desert)
And I managed to get some pretty nice photos of some of them:
(Butterfly on a desert flower)
(This one had wings so thin they were almost transparent)
(Getting ready for landing!)
(Butterfly on a desert flower)
There were plenty of other little bugs and insects - although I have no idea what most of them are (there were birds as well but they were hiding in the grass and flew away so fast that we couldn't take any pictures):
(Small flies inside a desert hyacinth)
(A beautiful shiny bug - copper-colored with black)
(Big ant)
(Another colorful bug - quite flat and with stripes)
(A fast-running bug - black with sand-colored back part that blends in with the desert)
(No idea about this one either - about the size of a big ant)
I finally got a good shot of a ladybug as well:
(Ladybug on a hairy desert plant)
We made a stop near the only tree visible in this part of the desert - unfortunately it is dead but at least it's still standing there:
(Not A but THE tree in the desert)
Nearby somebody must have had a barbecue or some other feast involving a small lamb or goat - all the bones are scattered around the area:
(Leftovers... been in the desert so long grass is growing out of its eye-holes)
Am I the only one who sees a person (two black dots for eyes) with his hands folded in front of him (fingers pointing forward)?
(Bone left in the desert)
With plenty of butterflies comes of course plenty of caterpillars (well, other way round):
(This one had crawled onto a small plant that it was feasting on)
(You can actually see its spiky 'teeth' used for eating)
(Didn't know these things have actual eyes!)
This time the desert was full of grass - it was very nice:
(Grass swaying in the wind - and a Kuwaiti flag from a nearby campsite)
(Grass swaying in the wind - a rare sight in the desert)
A little bit further along, close to where they are currently constructing a new road we made another stop and saw this funny caterpillar - if that's not the cutest thing...:
(Caterpillar of some kind - looks more like a caricature of a dachshund (gravhund))
At first I thought it was a joke or something left behind by campers but this really is melons growing in the desert (in between a table tennis ball and a tennis ball in size). My friend had taken home some seeds and planted them but so far I have heard no news of a desert melon plant at her house:
(Desert melons)
And last but not least a hazy view of the Kuwait City skyline before we went home:
(Kuwait City skyline and greenery)
Monday, March 29, 2010
So You Thought The 'Bedouin' Part Was Just For Fun?
The decision to name this blog 'The Pale Bedouin' was of course an attempt to be humorous - me being pale and blond in this nation of what used to be Bedouin tribes traveling the desert with their camels and belongings - to them home was where the grass (and occasionally water) was and they put down their tent.
There is more to it, though. A quick count from the top of my head says that I have lived in 26 different places in my 31 years (and we didn't move much when I was a child) not counting that I have lived in some places more than once (moving back to my mother's at several occasions for example). If that's not a bedouin life, I don't know what is.
On April 1st we will move into what will be my 27th place - our new apartment in Kuwait that will hopefully be home for a while after having spent 2 months in a temporary apartment. I have already gone into moving mode - thinking about the time we spent here and how time has flown by so fast and thinking about what will be in the new apartment. I can actually see the new apartment from my balcony where I am sitting now (trying to make the most out of having a balcony that faces the sea - we won't have that in the next place) so it's not a big move but it is still an occasion to reflect.
I'll upload some pictures once we are settled in and of course a standing invitation to occupy our guest room in case any of you would like to come see for yourself what Kuwait is all about and where our Bedouin life has taken us...
There is more to it, though. A quick count from the top of my head says that I have lived in 26 different places in my 31 years (and we didn't move much when I was a child) not counting that I have lived in some places more than once (moving back to my mother's at several occasions for example). If that's not a bedouin life, I don't know what is.
On April 1st we will move into what will be my 27th place - our new apartment in Kuwait that will hopefully be home for a while after having spent 2 months in a temporary apartment. I have already gone into moving mode - thinking about the time we spent here and how time has flown by so fast and thinking about what will be in the new apartment. I can actually see the new apartment from my balcony where I am sitting now (trying to make the most out of having a balcony that faces the sea - we won't have that in the next place) so it's not a big move but it is still an occasion to reflect.
I'll upload some pictures once we are settled in and of course a standing invitation to occupy our guest room in case any of you would like to come see for yourself what Kuwait is all about and where our Bedouin life has taken us...
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