Monthly Archives: March 2011

Dust Storm Hits Kuwait

A dust storm hit Kuwait last Friday, March 25th. Thankfully, I was safe in my hotel room when it arrived in our area. The windows in my room look in to a fairly large courtyard that is surrounded on all four sides by buildings. It was a nice sunny day and the next time I looked out my window the sun was gone and I could hardly see to the other side of the courtyard. At first I thought it was fog that had come in off the gulf but when I went to the door to take a closer look I realized that it was dust, not fog!

The storm lasted a few hours and when it was over there was a layer of dust all over the place about ¼” thick—even in the hotel’s underground parking garage! This dust is very fine—like icing sugar. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be caught out in that storm while you were walking or driving in a car.

People all over the city have been busy cleaning up the mess. Apparently this is the time of year when dust storms can occur, so there may be more yet to come.
Has anyone got a few extra Swiffers they can loan me?

 

Please Say A Prayer For Japan & Donate To Help Recovery

Like many other people around the world, over the past few days I have watched television reports about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and am stunned by the extent of the destruction that has occurred.

I cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying it must have been for the people there and for the challenges they now face to rebuild their lives and their country.

Please take some time to say a prayer for the people of Japan and make a donation to a charity you trust that is helping with the recovery efforts.

Wally

Fill ‘er Up!

 

For traffic safety reasons, only a few members of our team drive cars here in Kuwait.

I was out the other day with one of my colleagues and the car was low on gas so we stopped at a local service station to fill up.

We bought 65 litres of gas for the equivalent of CDN $14.50. That amounts to about $0.22/litre! No wonder the locals are all enjoying driving their big cars!

Sunrise in Kuwait

The hotel where I am staying is on the shores of the Gulf. The hotel’s main restaurant faces the water & on a clear morning the view of the sunrise is beautiful.

We have had numerous mornings that look like this. A great way to start the day while having breakfast.

 

Hotel in Kuwait

 

Kuwait Movenpick Hotel Entrance

I am very fortunate to have a nice Place to stay while I am working in Kuwait.

The team is staying together at a Movenpick Hotel that is right on the gulf. The beach in front of the hotel is pleasant to look at and to walk on but it is stoney so it’s not well suited to swimming.

 

 

Movenpick Hotel Courtyard Balconies

The hotel has several swimming pools that are beautifully landscaped. It’s been too chilly here to do any swimming but I hope to at least be able to do some lounging by the pool as the weather warms up.

We are all working 6 days a week. We leave for the project site around 6:45am each morning and get “home” around 5:00pm – so that doesn’t leave a lot of leisure time available.

Courtyard Pool View From Hotel Room Balcony

The daylight hours are getting a bit longer as each week goes by, so I’ll start trying to take more advantage of the hotel’s amenities in March & April.