“It was my first time seeing skyscrapers braced against an Arabian desert. There is something profound and defiant in that extrodinary visual.” – Old Sean
Greener Sands
Saudi Arabia is in the midst of its National Day celebration. This holiday, which is slotted for September 23rd of 2023, is celebrated to commemorate the unification of the kingdom by the founder King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud in 1932.
What this means is that Saudi citizens get three or four days off, depending on their company’s preferences. My own company was rather tight lipped about what time we would receive, effectively preventing me from planning any trips. Eventually, however, the staff was told we could enjoy a three day weekend and promptly gave us permission to frolic.
My Arabic friends were excited about the holiday to the point of almost apprehensive. I was warned several times by coworkers, friends and clients that Arabic people “go crazy” during the holiday. I walked the streets that evening, watching green flags rise up, lights flare along famous buildings and excitement reaching a fever pitch.
However, I don’t actually think Saudi Arabians go too hard during the holiday season. They’re excitable, certainly. Pickup trucks are converted into one-vehicle-parade floats by attaching massive flowing green flags to the back. Shopping centers are converted into party zones with crowds converging on decorative carpets while traditional tea and green-frosting cake is passed out for free. Walking streets are thronging with more people than usual and free water bottle can be picked up from cardboard boxes. People are often liberally decked out in green attire everywhere I look. The young men are boisterous, often hooting and waving. Women walk around in groups, visiting shops and restaurants. Burgers at fast food chains are given surprisingly appealing green food coloring.
The Real Human Craze
I admit, Saudi Arabia’s National Day seems enjoyable. And Saudi people cut a little bit loose. But I wouldn’t call their behavior crazy or even concerning. Just slightly louder, slightly more cheerful and slightly more generous.
I was in Germany during their World Cup Victory of 2014 and was immediately thrown into a immense, jubilant riot with airborne glass beer mugs, spinning football fans and an explosion of noise which resulted in legitimate damage to public property. I was also in Chongqing during my first Chinese New Year, when fireworks went off with such frequency that night brought no darkness and firecracker residue stood four inches high in the street below. I’ve seen Americans dodge off-target fireworks, rednecks plow motorbikes into lakes, bikers strip naked and pedal through European cities, head traumas and dog rescues during Mardi Gras, tackle-based dance moves during Carnival, fistfights during forest festivals and paint-covered men dressed as Jesus Christ moving throughout raves giving beatific hugs to partygoers.
I don’t deny that Saudi Arabian people cut loose and absolutely enjoy themselves. But I think my acquaintances and friends overexaggerated the levels of pandemonium. I should note that finding open places during the holiday period is a challenge. There are no online resources, so finding a place open or closed is a real gamble.
Despite this, I had fun celebrating a little. However, with an extended weekend, I didn’t wish to spend all my time in Saudi Arabia. As such, I booked a ticket and an Airbnb in Kuwait.
Landing in Kuwait
Traveling between Middle Eastern countries is surprisingly hassle-free. Pre-check in is easy, automatic tickets can be digitally scanned and the lines at security gates are professional, smooth and swift. Before I had even fully woken up, I landed in Kuwait City.
Getting my visa on arrival was a bit of a slow hassle, so next time I plan on simply getting that online beforehand. But within moments, a man named Rafat had picked me up from the airport and shuttled me to my hostel.
Aladdin’s Hostel located in Kuwait City was beyond lovely. My host was enormously accommodating, offering my a place to sleep, refreshments, a homemade breakfast and surplus snacks. I wasn’t urgently needed anywhere, so I sat in the shade of the outside rooftop patio and watched pigeons flit by.
My first few hours were spent talking with the other guests of the hostel, including a dauntingly intelligent man named Paris. I enjoyed myself wonderfully, as Paris is wildly informative and prone to well-reasoned and in-depth explanations. Travel experiences, literature recommendations, morality, job experiences and short-term future plans were all chatted idly about. This continued until Paris was called away to meet a friend. I took it as a sign to begin my explorations of Kuwait.
Along the Coast
This may sound silly, but I tend to get rapidly nostalgic for mountains and oceans whenever neither are nearby. I find them centering. Instead of driving towards Kuwait’s numerous attractions, I instead angled towards the coast, where I walked along concrete trails, gazing over the sea.
Kuwait’s urban beaches aren’t actually that nice. The water smells a bit funky, the beaches are narrow and the humidity in daylight hours cloys beathing abilities. For all that, I enjoyed my walk. I stopped at a location called “Waterfront” for some WIFI before forging on to take a small loop through the unimpressive manmade island known as Green Island in Kuwait Bay.
Seaside sights sated, I caught a ride-share taxi to Souk Sharq, passing the famed Kuwait Towers along the way. Sadly, I somehow messed up the payment on the Careem Rideshare App and had to duck inside to get cash for my driver.
But when all awkwardness was passed, I lounged on the shore, watching cats and sunsets, sipping an odd store-bought beverage that somehow fizzled without carbonation. Soon, I went back inside Souk Sharq, which is a large and winding shopping mall, until night had fallen.
Fresh Night
Wandering Kuwait in the waking hours had been brutal. I was grateful for darkness through the rest of my night. I walked past the marina, browsing sailing ships, working boats, fishing vessels and bobbing speed boats. It wasn’t long before I reached the astonishingly large Grand Mosque of Kuwait, one of the largest mosque structures in the world.
Mosques in the Arabian world are impressive for their size and function. They are quiet centers of tranquility offering the masses a place to pray independently. However, due to a profound quirk in Middle Eastern philosophy, they’re rarely adorned. Complex and beautiful geometric patterns are common, as is weaving Arabic script. But paintings, images and other style additions so common to churches, synagogues and Asian temples are absent here. There is a profoundly influential branch of Islam which believes that the worship of God shouldn’t be distracted from and a mosque’s foremost duty is to provide a protected, empty space where prayers can be completed.
After visiting the Grand Mosque and looking at the nearby governmental buildings (which are impressive but illegal to photograph), I turned towards Mubarakiya Old Market.
Thought Drops on Shops
Immediately, my tranquil night of wandering ended. Mubarakiya Old Market isn’t a shopping street, it’s a district and small town unto itself, the traditional center for personal commerce in Kuwait.
There are entire blocks dedicated to nothing but jewlery, sparkling impossible gold and silver. Other districts showcase every type of clothing imaginable, stores sprawling so much that they eventually need to plunge underground. There are entire roads bordered by fresh produce, dates, traditional spices and butcher shops. Toy stores are crammed to the point of blinding visitors with primary colors. Antique shops, usually specializing in wooden sailing models and elegant coffee treys dominate other portions of the market. Everywhere, quiet, Arabian-styled lanterns hang overhead. They provide both light and a soft stream of mist to cool off the thronging crowds of shoppers.
I sampled food wherever I could, grabbed a couple of souvenirs that wouldn’t be too heavy to carry and got lost a dozen times in the swooping maze. Eventually, I plunged free, leaving the immense pedestrian bustle behind.
Skyline Times
After leaving the market district, I found myself in the relaxing space of Safat Square. There are unique sculptures here decorated in squarish lights. A constant patter of fountains drowns out the noise of nearby traffic and enormous building-sized screens show advertisements which light up the evening.
I lingered here for a while, sampling different kinds of drinks and borrowing WIFI to plan my next move. I opted to seek out dinner, specifically looking for a place which served Machboos Laham, one of the traditional foods of Kuwait.
All of my Saudi friends impressed upon me that Kuwait is an especially fine place for cuisine. I always take these assertati0ons with a grain of salt, since Middle Eastern food, while excellent, isn’t my favorite style of cuisine.
However, my doubts proved to be a disservice to the nation. I went to a hidden place that was so chaotic and questionable, it screamed authenticity. The food was divine, and I ended up ordering seconds despite a convex stomach. Sadly, the name was in Arabic and I’m unable to find it on any maps. So this will only be a place in my memories, rather than my recommendations.
Night Hike
Sated and feeling round, I continued to explore the city. I passed from midnight cafe to midnight cafe, enjoying world class service, sweets and recommendations. I even wandered through Assima Mall, where vast sculptures of cords and orbs dripped elegantly from the central ceiling. My last stop involved a butterfly cafe with arcing fake ivy under a white, plastic tree. As the night grew long, I eventually made it to one of my places of interest.
Adie from food and strange shopping centers, I had also hoped to visit Al Shaheed Park, a large part of the Kuwait City green belt. However, I shouldn’t have followed Google Maps when trying to enter the park. Google Maps insists visitors should enter from the northeast, but there’s no entrance here and the park is ringed by an imposing metal fence, hidden by shrubs.
I made the unwise decision to try continuing the loop, causing me to encircle the entire park instead of finding the readily open entrance on the East side of the park.
Chastened but undaunted, I began my night park explorations.
There’s a lot to see in Al Shaheed Park. City cats hide under foliage, their eyes gleaming at surprising intervals. Low mounds of green grass block out the sounds of a city. There are numerous museums and sitting places through the park, along with many displays of abstract artwork. Peace is plentiful, the desert sculptures were particularly interesting to me and I finally sat down, pleasantly exhausted.
I love walking cities.
I finally hitched a ride back to my Airbnb, marveling at a lack of blisters. I rarely go hiking in Riyadh due to the weather and lack of nearby parks, so I was glad to see I hadn’t lost a metaphorical step.
Last Home
That evening, I joined the other people in my hostel for a relaxation session on the roof, continuing to chat with Paris about jokes and the advertisement industry. Sadly, I had booked my ticket before my company had given me permission for an extra day off. So I was coming up on the end of my visit.
I bid everyone a good night after being offered a chicken dinner and began to snooze. A mere six hours later, I woke up again, determined to see one last feature before heading to the airport.
The one thing I didn’t get to do much of in Kuwait was visit a museum. This is a bit sad, since Kuwait is somewhat legendary for their support of the Arabic arts and museums are especially well-designed in this part of the world.
I managed to wake up early enough to attend the Tareq Rajab Museum of Islamic Calligraphy. This museum is home to a truly impressive collection of ancient and beautiful calligraphy from the Arabian Peninsula and Ottoman Empire. The museum is profoundly well-cared for with numerous protected artifacts. There are plaques in English and the staff was kind enough to let me in a few minutes early so I could soak up the whole experience before going onwards to the airport.
I think if I return I’ll bring someone who speaks Arabic fluently to help me understand what I’m looking at. But the overall experience was excellent.
Time brought down to the wire, I summoned a Careem driver once more who skillfully brought me to the airport. Kuwait is far greener than Riyadh, and I’m going to miss the numerous trees and shrubs which decorate this corner of the world.
So concludes another visit to another country. I hope to go onwards to new nations soon, but I’m supremely happy with how my travels have turned out so far.
With that, best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written September 24th, 2023
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Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. Two years ago, I bought two more Osprey Backpacks for my younger siblings on their first tour outside the country. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.
