Mario’s World

At first glance this notice immediate caught our attention. I guess Ro and I only read the first 2 lines and came closer to read what this was all about. Nothing obscene unfortunately.

25 years later and its as amazing as ever. This time its for Haiti.

Well its not everyday you can really camp or party in the Kuwaiti desert but the climate was great and we had tickets so off we went. The “Institution of Engineers (India)” organised this event at a camp in the Multa desert. First off, whoever printed those tickets needs to re-take that engineers exam. Directions showed 5kms from the co-op, when in fact it was about 13kms! So after driving all the way there we probably drove another 35 kms in circles just trying to locate the place.

First impression of the camp… this place is definitely for Indians… who cares if it was actually for the “Red Indians”, the real ones made it here instead. There are a bunch of Tipis setup that give this place a very lively look. Not designed for your average obese citizen in Kuwait and not too comfortable if you plan to stand in them. But its a fun spot to be in for some smooching and stuff.

The usual Arabian tents were a plenty too. The nicest ones were the open gazebos. There was a barbecue pit too but we couldn’t stick around till evening to see it lit.

The party went well. Lots of games, lots of music, plenty of food and tons of fun! We should find a way to do this every Friday after an overburdening week at work!

While I was at Bahrain duty free I noticed an exhibition section for paintings. The corner with the most amount of paintings was blocked with this portable lift contraption. Not sure if this was on purpose but it looked ridiculous and it has to make it to my blog!

These KFC chaps have started wearing beige shirts to promote their new Panini. While I was at the counter some fellas got confused if they ordered from the right place and started arguing with the server. They wanted the cooks who were wearing red shirts to take their order.

Shows how small change in shirts can make a difference. Maybe if they printed the KFC logo a little bigger it would have been better!

Well actually its disco lights mounted on a model Hummer. Saw this at Wildfire in Sharq. Its a pretty odd sight inside an Indian restaurant.

Can anyone guess where this is?

So this was my first trip on Wataniya Airways. I had to visit a client in Bahrain urgently and Wataniya had the cheapest rates. Even their First Class seats were cheaper than Economy on Gulf Air.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I had an annoying experience getting to their terminal but once I flashed the First Class ticket, the pampering began.

The experience starts with you being assisted to the seating area next to the check-in counter (to relax on the couch and read magazines). They take your documents and check you in themselves. After 5 mins, they come back with your boarding pass and escort you to their first class lounge. Its a very nicely decorated lounge (lots of cotton hanging from the ceiling). More importantly, there is a free snack-bar to keep the obese kids and bored travelers occupied with their mouths full.

I really liked the painting (above) of the private jet parked by the traditional “Kuwaiti” gate (entrance to the city).

15 mins before take off, a lady comes up to you, takes your passport to immigration, gets everything stamped and returns it back to you. All this while, i’m sitting on my lazy ass.

10 mins before take off, you are escorted to a private Mercedes van which drives you to the aircraft. Very nice indeed and beats those big buses you usually have to stand in.

The staff were very polite and friendly and I guess on a longer flight I would have enjoyed the meal. For a slow eater on a 45 min flight, I think I did pretty well. Managed to attack the black forest cake and a few chocolates.

I must say that once I landed in Bahrain, there was no Wataniya Airways staff in site and I was on my own. Guess I was expecting someone to take me through immigration there as well and drive me in a limo to my hotel. (Hint to Watania Airways!) Luckily my hotel sent a limo anyway.

Overall a great experience from the time I entered the building. Must try it again sometime.

There is a restaurant in Bahrain, Al Abrajj (or something similar) whos logo is the Kuwait Towers. Wonder why! This photo didn’t come out too clear but you can still make out the logo.

Its on this street near the Navy base. The street itself beats our “mataam” road in Salmiya with over a dozen restaurants all side by side.

I visited Bahrain after 3.5 years and in that time the place has changed a lot. Lotsa big buildings coming up and there is a massive Bahrain Bay project underway. It’s great to see that the locals are still very friendly and helpful.

I think Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar are all trying to change their skylines rapidly, but nothing to beat the speed at which Dubai did it.