Life In And On The Water - Surviving Summer In Kuwait

We have been in Kuwait a little over 5 months now and I realize that there are many things that I have gotten so used to that I hardly notice them anymore. This is of course completely natural and a sign that we are settling in and feeling more at home here now.

Our apartment has a wonderful view of the sea and a stretch of the city beach (as you can see on the pics from our apartment in my previous post Our New Home Sweet Home). With temperatures now rarely below 40 degrees Celsius/104F (that would be at night time) and often reaching above the 50 Celsius/ 122F during the day, people flock to the water even more so this time of year.

These pics are from back in May when it was already unbearably hot much of the time. This stretch of city beach quickly fills up with families bringing out the BBQ, chairs, blankets and coolers.


(People on the beach near the marina in the late afternoon sun with Kuwait City skyline in the background, May 2010)

I had wondered if the women would go for a swim as well - and indeed many of them did. Some wearing their black headscarves into the water, one in full abbaya and others opting for long-sleeved sports suits. I was happy to see that they too were enjoying themselves in the water.

Below the beach seen from the other side. When I stopped to take this picture, an Arab man (not from the Gulf) asked in broken English if I would take a picture with his wife. She looked shy and had covered all but her face but sent my a shy smile and a 'salaam aleikum'. I thought 'why not?' and went to stand next to her as he snapped a photo of the two of us with the Kuwait City skyline in the background. His camera was an old one - not digital and it seemed the two of them were traveling for the first time. He was all smiles and seemed happy to have accomplished his mission. It happened so quickly that I only afterward thought how strange it was - I mean here I am so careful not to take photos of women and then this guys ask - in front of my husband - if he can take a picture of me? Maybe he figured I live by other rules (as I do). I haven't been in strangers' photos since I lived in China and random people would stop me ever so often to join in their family photos in front of Shanghai landmarks.


(A stretch of the city beach full of people, May 2010)

The authorities have put up this barrier thing a few months ago - it seems to be thick plastic containers tied together - in order to keep the boats and jet skiers away from the swimmers. Of course it has added a new water toy - kids climb onto it and wait for some waves to make it wiggle like a snake:


(The water barrier to keep swimmers safe from boats and jet-skis, May 2010)

Jet-skis are popular here and I have seen them ever since I came in February so it's not only a summer pastime (apparently Kuwait has some of the best jet-skiers in the world which is no surprise considering how much time they seem to spend on their jet-skis!).

Racing up and down the long cost line with friends is an all-time favorite - there are small artificial bays to go in and out of like here - the glass pyramid is Hard Rock Café in case you were wondering (all the following pics are taken from my living room window (July) so I apologize for the poor quality but you can click on the pics to enlarge them - I really need to get that zoom lens...):


(Jet-skiing up and down the coast around the pyramid of Hard Rock Café- making the water more busy than the Gulf Road running along the coast)

And of course a short race among friends is always a favorite as well (anyone know if you can tune those things? They seem to go extremely fast here!)


(Racing friends on jet-ski)

With the addition of the water-barrier and since someone is almost always sitting on it, there's a new game in play (one that I see played almost every day). And it's not this one: (chatting to people sitting on the blue barrier - they seem to all be men but then again, most men have sisters...)


(A jet-skier chatting to some guys sitting on the blue barrier)

No, what I meant is this one: 1) spot some people sitting on the barrier and race toward them as fast as you can:



2) get up really close and almost drive past them...



3)...then make a really sharp turn and spray water all over them! (I have seen it done with normal skis in snow and with skates on ice):



4) before you make a quick escape to avoid any retaliation...



There is hardly any reason to feel sorry for the people - it seems to all be part of the game and some of the people sitting on the barrier even seemed to be encouraging it. I suppose that if you're sitting in the middle of the sea in 50 degrees Celsius, being sprayed with water is actually one of the best things that can happen...

There is another jet-ski game that I saw for the first time the other day:

Quite a lot of people own boats here - it's part of the culture (this is after all a nation that started out as fishermen and pearl divers before they struck oil) and it's one of the more obvious activities to engage in considering the climate and geography (can't think of too many desert activities in this heat...). Try playing tennis in 50 degrees Celsius and you'll understand why the outdoor activities seem to be limited to those involving the sea/water...

Boats setting out for a trip around Salmiya area (it's almost a peninsula so you can sail around it and further down the coast toward the Saudi Arabian border):


(Boats, Salmiya)

Now to the game: 1) the jet-skiers will spot the boats as they leave from the Marina (you can actually see one end of the marina in the lower left corner of this pic) and race the boat for a while:



2) then, once they catch up to the boat, some jet-skiers will get onto the side of the boat and others will stay in the water right behind the boat:



3) then - for the brave ones on the side of the boat - they will make a very sharp turn into the waves created right behind the boat. This will send the jet-ski flying pretty high!!:


(A brave jet-skier breaking the wave of the boat and being sent flying high)

The other had to try it as well, of course - and even those keeping behind the boat had some fun waves to fight:


(Another brave jet-skier breaking the wave of the boat, sending his jet-ski into the air while his friends are fighting some waves)

I saw it done a lot of times and not once did any one of them fall of their jet-ski!! I'm quite impressed.


(Brave jet-skiers)

...especially considering that some of them are hanging almost vertically in the air (I know the quality is bad but check out the angle of this guy):


(Jet-skier hanging almost vertically in the air - without falling off his jet-ski)

In case you are wondering why I am not going to the beach, too, there are 2 main reasons (apart from the fact that I am not a big fan of water):

1) I simply cannot stand the heat for more than 5-10 minutes. I see plenty of people who just stand in the water and cool down (not sure how cold/warm the water is - but it looks funny when all you can see is a bunch of non-moving black heads sticking out of the water) which leads to the reason why I don't go and stand in the water like everyone else:

2) back in March the Al-Watan newspaper reported that 'harmful substances four-centimeters thick cover the seafloor of Kuwait shores' - a cocktail consisting of 'sulfur, ammonia, phosphate and bacteria, and is the result of the continuous pumping of approximately 280 million gallons (1,059,915,300 litres!) of sewage water into the sea daily'. 'The danger of the sulfur substance lies in the fact that a concentration of sulfur can cause a chemical reaction and result in a deadly hydrogen sulfide gas.' 'It is believed that the summer season, with higher temperatures and humidity, will experience a mass death of fish.'

If this has been going on since March (or before) you do the math! It was mainly due to a damaged sewage plant but I don't know if they got it fixed yet - and it is a problem in other areas as well where sewage oil waste from the industrial zone is being dumped into the sea. I understand why people enjoy the beach but with this information in mind it's not for me... (Could this possibly be the reason the jet-skiers never fall off their jet-skis :-)? Because they know what is in the water - great motivation to stay out of the water!)

In that case there is always the air-conditioned mall left - as these 3 local men (crossing the parking lot to enter Marina Mall) have realized:


(Local men on their way to the air-conditioned mall on a warm July day)

Walking The Corniche In Doha

While K was busy at work, I decided to go sightseeing in Doha. Just like in Kuwait there is a nice corniche and it's possible to walk all the way along it - which I decided to try.


(I walked roughly from the dhow harbor (bottom arrow) along the corniche - with a few detours - to the Sheraton hotel (upper arrow))

From our hotel it was a short walk to the beginning of the corniche. On the way I passed this reminder of the Asian Games 2006 that Doha hosted (there are a few more in other colors spread throughout the city):


(From the 2006 Asian Games in Doha)

Of course one should never try and compare two countries but I tend to do it because I am trying to understand more of the Gulf region and how Kuwait fits into that picture - i.e. how it is similar and different to other countries in the Gulf. I already wrote about how the Qatari seem to dress more conservatively/traditionally (How To Spend A Week-end In Firenze, Italy (Mall-O-Mania Qatar Style) but another thing that I noticed was that it seems the population of Doha is more mixed than that of Kuwait in terms of nationalities represented. I saw a lot of African people (and later a Kenyan lady I know in Kuwait told me that there is indeed a large Kenyan community in Qatar) and what appeared to be a more mixed Arab population as well. I couldn't really find any comparable statistics to support this, so it's just an observation. Like in Kuwait, the Qatari are a minority in their own country (about 3/4 of the population is expatriate with temporary residence permit).


(A shop selling Sudanese requirements (whatever that includes))

Down by the corniche is the impressive Museum of Islamic Arts. I went to see it and it was absolutely amazing - so much so that I will do a separate post on it later.


(Museum of Islamic Arts, Doha corniche)

From the museum it is also clear how green Doha is in some places - I suppose the humid climate helps but they still must be using an enormous amount of water to keep it this green and beautiful (I realize that to many of you this looks like nothing extraordinary but once you live in a desert country you really come to appreciate seeing green grass):


(Green Doha - a small park/patch of green grass by the corniche)

Right next to the museum is a small harbor that serves as the hub for many of the local fishing boats:


(Local fishing boats, Doha corniche)

...And there was even some wildlife to be spotted:


(Birds - one looks like a type of heron? - in front of local fishing boats - and with a hazy Doha city skyline in the background)


(A heron (?), a sea gull and another little bird hanging out by the water, Doha corniche)


(Another tourist taking a photo of a roundabout close to the corniche - often the roundabouts are nicely decorated - in this case with clay pots and water coming out of some of them)

It seems that Qatar is trying to enforce the traffic regulations - I saw quite a few signs reminding drivers to take care of the pedestrians and people working roadside. This one is also quite nice:


(A lifted finger to remind of the traffic regulations, under a stop sign in Arabic)

From the corniche walk, this impressive building is very visible. It is the Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre - also known as Fanar:


(Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre, Doha)

It also looks really nice at night when it is all lit up:


(Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre by night)

Actually the big Souq Waqif is located in this area as well but I will write a separate post about the souq as I spent quite a lot of time there.

Another Doha landmark is the Pearl monument. Something the Gulf countries share is a pre-oil past of pearl diving (I wrote about this in a Dubai post as well - Soaking Up Culture In Dubai). While it is oil and gas that has paid for much of the modern developments, pearl diving was the main economic activity in many of the Gulf countries until it collapsed in the 1930s.


(The Pearl with local fishing boats and Doha city skyline in the background)


(Close-up of the Pearl)


(The Pearl about to eat the Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre - Pacman style)

Close by the corniche walk is the Diwan Amiri - the residence of the Emir of Qatar (on the right hand side covered as it is undergoing renovation) along with the Grand Mosque and a pink clock tower:


(Diwan Amiri, the impressive green mosque and a pink clock tower)

Further along the corniche, the skyline of Doha city becomes clearer. In this particular part of the corniche walk are large yellow letters forming some words including 'Realize' and 'Think'.

I particularly liked this one as it must really have taken a lot of effort and vision to realize this impressive skyline in what was a traditional desert country:


('Realize' in front of the Doha city skyline)

The 'Think' is in front of the Palm Tree Island. However, I am quite convinced that it is not actually a palm tree but a sidra/cedar tree - a tree important to Qatar and the region and the logo of the influential Qatar Foundation. Considering the Qatar Foundation's heavy involvement in education, I suppose it is a very fitting word to have 'think' in front of that island with the tree:


('Think' in front of Palm Tree Island)


(Getter closer to Doha city skyline)

At one point along the corniche walk there was a long wall with colorful mosaics depicting Qatar's development (there were many more mosaics but I chose just 4 sections to show here):


(From a Bedouin past of roaming the desert with camels...)


(...to trading and selling products...)


(...to diving for precious and at that time (before cultured pearls) expensive pearls...)


(...up until a modern Qatar with oil, gas and the pleasures of modern life and leisure activities set against the Doha skyline)

Qatar has the 4th largest gas reserve in the world and the largest GDP per capita.


(Birds promenading along the corniche)

I also spotted this nice bird - it looks like a blue heron of some kind:


(Blue heron (?), Doha corniche)


(Blue heron (?), ready for take-off)

Speaking of animals, this one - which is an oryx and is also the logo of the national carrier Qatar Airways - is, I believe, the mascot from the 2006 Asian Games. The Asian Games logo has been scratched off its shirt and the count-down display in the background is now used for advertising other sports events. At least they found a way to recycle it:


(Asian Games 2006 mascot with Doha city skyline in the background)


(Another yellow word - 'Achieve')

As I got closer to the skyline, I realized the blue bird had accompanied me (it's at the bottom of the picture):


(Doha city skyline and the blue heron(?))

I got another good shot of it...



...Before it flew off for good:



By then I had gotten into the Doha city centre:


(High rises in Doha city centre)


(Close-up of twisted high rise)

This one appears as nothing special from a distance:



...but as you get closer it becomes clear that it is actually an intricate mesh of Arabic patterns:




(Bird along the corniche)

As I touched upon, Qatar is heavily investing in the education of its population - through the Qatar foundation and other means. I did not go and see it but they have built an entire Education City that has become home to a number of prestigious American university branch campuses and other educational institutions.

Along the corniche there is the newly opened Knowledge Enrichment Centre - another testament to the value placed upon education and knowledge:


(The Knowledge Enrichment Centre - closed when I was there so on the to-do list for next visit)

Here is another thing I did not expect to see in this region. I don't know if anybody actually uses them but the idea is great (the display was all black so I'm not sure the machine is working). If it wasn't for the heat I would have loved to do a bike ride along the corniche:


(Bikes for hire along the end of the corniche)

The trip ended at the Sheraton park - next to the landmark Sheraton hotel (to the right outside of this picture). It was truly a wonderful little park with blossoming trees, lots of green grass, a nice little playground and of course wireless internet throughout the area:


(Beautiful tree with deep orange flowers in Sheraton park)


(Beautiful trees in Sheraton park, downtown Doha)

My trip ended here (I took a taxi back to my hotel) and although it was not much longer than 4 km (without the detours) it felt more like I had walked 25 km. The humidity in Qatar is quite intense and I am still learning how my body reacts to the high temperatures and how little physical effort I am able to make in this climate. It is quite strange as I can only walk about half a kilometer before I need to drink water and gain my breath - and after a trip like this (which is something I would usually do in an hour or two) I went straight back to the hotel and slept for an hour before I felt normal again. I am glad I experienced it though - if we will do more traveling this summer I know not to plan too much in a day.

On a last note, I thought about how the place we grow up shapes our perception of things and in particular how we get used to certain pictograms as generally valid and applicable. To me for example, the symbol for a pedestrian is quite simply a man (walking or standing - depending on whether it is related to a green or red light at a pedestrian crossing) looking something like this:


(What I perceive as a pedestrian pictogram)

I never really thought much about how in other cultures this would look different - here's the pictogram for a pedestrian in Qatar (where both men and women wear clothes that have this silhouette):



I will be posting some more about the Museum of Islamic Arts as well as the Souq Waqif and some of the yummy food we had, so stay tuned...