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)

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...

World Trade Deep In The Heart Of Deira

With two degrees in business, I have done my fair share of studies on world trade and its many implications but never in my entire life have I SEEN world trade like I have seen it deep in the heart of Deira (northern part of Dubai city). Somehow it has always been very theoretical - just numbers shifting around, electronic transactions, distant warehouses and shipping routes that you rarely get a chance to see. Until now.

One of the days K was working, I ventured into the souq area of Deira. Part of it is more touristy bazaar stalls selling the typical t-shirts with Dubai print or stuffed camels but the further you move away from those stalls the more it becomes evident that there is some serious trading going on.

The famous gold souq - which sees its fair share of tourists - is also a trading place in the old sense. I have seen people from various countries of Africa dressed in their colorful traditional dresses with the big headpieces buying gold to take home and maybe trading for something else. Once you stop looking at all the glitter you start seeing small, non-noticeable hotels where the traders stay overnight (lobby full of packages and traders carrying their newly purchased goods in and out). In the narrow streets everything is being sold and traded - clothes, electronics, household supplies, spices, you name it. It seems that the whole world comes together here - I have seen nationalities and cultures I hardly knew existed - national dresses I had never seen before and have no idea where are from. Variations in color, in the shape of hats, in the patterns of a dress - all national and regional differences coming together in one place. People everywhere.

I hardly need to say that I was - again - the only white person around and way out of place but somehow it seemed that people in that area are so used to seeing all kinds of people that they didn't bother to say anything - from men in various traditional outfits to men wearing a skirt-looking sarong - to Indian women in saris with their shoulder and back part bare or those covered up in beautiful colorful dresses with floral embroideries, to African women in big colorful dresses. Also here there are about 100 men for every woman you see but (luckily) it's social taboo to approach a woman so I just kept my eyes down and kept walking through it and no one bothered me. That also explains the lack of pictures - I just couldn't stop and draw more attention. I only stopped at a small juice bar with a menu consisting of pictures that made it easy to point at wonderful freshly made strawberry/mango or watermelon juices. There were 3 small tables on the sidewalk right next to the busy street and some traders were resting. I think it's the only place in the region I have been to so far where no one cared if men and women (i.e. strangers) sat next to each other - if there is an empty chair you sit down. Drink your juice and continue your trading.

I feel that I have seen the real world. And in the middle of the chaos with its many different sounds, smells, sights and with people from all over I feel the most alive - alert, all senses working overtime, cautious and curious at the same time and a reminder of just how much I love to travel.

I did manage to take two pictures, however, in a rare moment when I was not surrounded by people.

Shop supplying all imaginable kinds of head scarfs, veils and things to wear under the veil to keep the hair hidden and in place. And outside is a vast assortment of hats worn by men - with all the varieties of patterns, embroidery, shapes and colors:


(Shop in Deira in the heart of the trading area)

This one catered only to men but was also well-stocked in different types of hats and headpieces:


(Shop in Deira in the heart of the trading area)

I also had a long walk in the part of the area where the wholesale trading offices are located - typically small offices with glass doors and fronts, some men, a desk, a phone and some goods on display - mostly sacks of rice, it seemed but also spices, shoes and other goods.

This one was a bit different (and the men had left for their lunch break so I could take a picture through the window):


(Chewing gum on display at a whole sale trading office, Deira)

Although not related to trading, I also walked past the government office where all the guest workers need to go - I suppose for all the paperwork for their work permits. It was in the midday sun and there must have been at least 50 men queuing in the heat (and the queue did not seem to move). In all the streets around this office were little shops offering their services in translation - English and Arabic - as well as typing. I have not seen typing services anywhere else, I think, but of course it is needed here.

A greenish mosque in the Deira souq area:


(Mosque, Deira souq)


(Mosque, Deira souq)


(From close to the juice bar - this 'down town hotel' really is down town - just don't expect it to be in the touristy area)


(View from the juice bar, next to the bus station - it has little to do with Texas, though)

And a few pics from the touristy part of the souq:


(Wind chimes, Bur Dubai souq)


(A mother cat looking at shoes while her kitties play in the background)


(Traditional embroidered shoes - possibly worn only by tourists and made in China?)

Claustrophobic (?) In Dubai Marina Area

Our blog is slowly turning into a holiday picture album but rest assured that we now have very few pictures left to show you from Dubai :)

On the last day we went to have a look at the Dubai Marina area:


(Skyline behind the Dubai Marina)

It is still very much a construction site and despite the financial crisis they are still building:


(Ongoing construction in Dubai Marina area)


(The finishing touches and window cleaning in a new building, Dubai Marina)


(Window cleaning in a new high rise, Dubai Marina)

The Dubai Marina - the ocean is behind the row of high rises:


(Dubai Marina)

Behind the marina are some of the nicest beaches of Dubai:


(Beach in Jumeirah near Dubai Marina)

Those of you who read my previous blog post Dubai - heaven on earth or hell in the making will recognize this picture taken from the beach here:


(Tourist, a local and camels - a Jumeira beach)

Enter baby...


(One baby, one man, two camels - could be a (bad) movie)

Being on the beach here feels a bit like stepping out of Manhattan straight on to sand...


(Beach, Jumeirah - hotels and residential buildings)

Dubai is also the playground of some seriously rich people - like the owners of this nice 'little' yacht:


(Yacht off a beach in Jumeirah)

As much as I love Manhattan, I do feel that he buildings here are just way too close to each other - there is land enough (still), why not leave a bit of space in between the buildings so that people can breathe?


(Constructing new additions to the already long line of high rises off the beach)


(View of part of the beach in Jumeirah, the Dubai Marina behind the row of high rises)

There is a pedestrian street - appropriately called 'The Walk' right next to the beach here. In the evenings it's a great place for people spotting (including the prostitutes working the restaurant tables when the managers look away). It is also where the affluent youth comes to show off their expensive cars - but we had not seen this one before (I bet it's not cheap, though):


(Car, The Walk)


(Car, The Walk)