Touring Kuwait

Today started out super lazy. Forgot to put out the do not disturb sign so the maid woke us up about 9:30 AM (we had gone to bed at 10 PM ...... the more you sleep the more you need to sleep it seems). Mark had a shower and we went to breakfast (as yummy as the previous two days .... snffff only two days left as we have an early flight on Friday). When we came back to the room, I wanted to take a nap -- so Mark went off to the beach.

Mark came back around noon and roused me up .... we were going to go to some museum about the Iraqi invasion and subsequent liberation. But the taxi driver pointed out that the museum closed 1 PM - 4:30 PM so we wouldn't see anything. We decided we would go to the souk (the market) but that was closed to.

So we went to the gym instead. And then the pool -- OMG the water is gorgeous -- crystal clear and the perfect temperature. We then went to the far off pool so we could get lunch (by now it was 3 PM). No one ever seems to be there so it is like a private pool. Only huge. After lunch I assumed the "legs up the wall"yoga position on a sunbed and got into a totally relaxed state. Mark woke me up at about 4:30 PM and we got ready to go see Kuwait.

The concierge said we should have the driver wait but we insisted we'd take a taxi back. Good thing they did not listen. The driver (who was Lebanese) spoke great English. We picked up a hotel staffer and dropped her off (making us a sherut (shared taxi) I guess -- a Middle Eastern custom). I asked him if he was here during the invasion -- and he had lots of tales (it took them longer to find out they were being invaded than folks in the U.S.). After we dropped her off, he told us about the Kuwait towers (you've not been to Kuwait unless you've seen them). He stopped several times for photos. Then at several other sites (old houses, the marina).

On to the museum (which we intended to visit early Wednesday). It was very interesting -- it is so hard to imagine that a wealthy, peaceful place could be overrun. At the end they had a room dedicated to Saddam's demise. He had us pose with the severed head of a Saddam statue. And with old weapons outside. Said the Scud missile previously up front had been removed.

By now it was dark and I wasn't so keen to see the souk (don't need a rug). Decided we would just drive by. After seeing downtown some more (everything is constantly reconstructed -- the place seems like Disney world, so sparkling and new). The souk was just like a souk anywhere else. He made me take photos (which are horrible as I have no clue what to do at night) of everything. This is the woman's section -- whatever that means. Also stopped by the mosque.

On the way back to the hotel he told us a bit about Kuwaiti citizenship. Basically, the only way to be a citizen is if your parents are Kuwaiti. If your parents are Lebanese (like this fellow), you can be born here but you are not a citizen. EVER. You can only live in Kuwait if you have a "sponsor"(job). If you retire you can only stay if you have a son (who has a sponsor) and in turn your son sponsors you. The Kuwaitis get free land and 70,000 KD (Kuwaiti Dinars -- a KD is worth about $3) toward a house. The houses are palatial. Of course the foreign workers (who do most services) live in tiny shared flats. And hardly get paid anything. Those Kuwaitis that work, do so primarily for the Government. Mark read they only work 6 and a half hours, presumably 5 days a week. The 6 and a half hours includes lunch. Your Government job is guaranteed for life. This is paradise if you are Kuwaiti I guess. Or a European or American worker. Not so good for others. But I guess better than home -- otherwise folks would not flock here.

The good news is since we got "culture" out of the way -- have two totally lazy days ahead!