At the airplane glided in over Kuwait City, my first impression was that the city looked exactly like it’s shown on television. A vast desert with a dusty city springing up at the edge of the desert. The customs process is easy for a US Citizen and we’re the first on the list of airport obtainable Visas. As I went through Kuwait, I noticed that there are lots of sculptures along the streets and strings of lights that add a festive atmosphere to the city after sundown. Kuwait is one of the more conservative countries during Ramadan. No restaurants or shops are allowed to be open, even for delivery. At 5:00 pm is when the everything comes back to life. There are still few people about because everyone is having dinner at home with their families until about 9:00 pm. In the business district the people are mostly men. I stand out at my hotel even though there are women who work at the front desk, business center, and the concierge.
Go a few miles down to the beachfront and new downtown and everything changes. It’s a world of American fast food chains, shops from all over the world, and a busy hopping scene. The conservative groups are missing and the streets are full of people from all over the Middle East and Asia. There are still not as many Europeans here as there are in Dubai but if the beach development continues, then the ratio will probably change.
The Kuwait Times main headline was about the Pakistan earthquake. The other cover stories are Hospitality in Ramadan, Katrina aid law set to be okayed, Iraq Sunnis counter ‘death squads’, Turkey reports first case of bird flu, and Rove told Bush hands are clean. Next to the ‘death squad’ article is a graph showing the body count since April 28. The count is outlined by shot, unknown, beheaded, strangled, throat cut, and burned. Of the 539 murders, the highest death toll was in September, with 156 bodies found. The phrase "it's a whole different world" certainly applies here.
Go a few miles down to the beachfront and new downtown and everything changes. It’s a world of American fast food chains, shops from all over the world, and a busy hopping scene. The conservative groups are missing and the streets are full of people from all over the Middle East and Asia. There are still not as many Europeans here as there are in Dubai but if the beach development continues, then the ratio will probably change.
The Kuwait Times main headline was about the Pakistan earthquake. The other cover stories are Hospitality in Ramadan, Katrina aid law set to be okayed, Iraq Sunnis counter ‘death squads’, Turkey reports first case of bird flu, and Rove told Bush hands are clean. Next to the ‘death squad’ article is a graph showing the body count since April 28. The count is outlined by shot, unknown, beheaded, strangled, throat cut, and burned. Of the 539 murders, the highest death toll was in September, with 156 bodies found. The phrase "it's a whole different world" certainly applies here.
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