Keeping up with the Kuwaitis - Part 1: Day 1 + 2

Day 1: Traveling

A few months ago my friend Joeri and I decided to go on a holiday to Kuwait. Since then the only question I kept hearing from my friends and family was: "Why?!" And the answer to that is: "Because the plane tickets were so cheap." €175 for a return ticket and we thought: "What the heck". 

Since then I've found out that apparently we are the only ones who think that. I think that about 95% of all visits to Kuwait are business related. This makes it quite difficult to find some decent tourist information.  Luckily, both Joeri and me like a challenge, so off we went...

Jacket: Tatiana's Delights on Etsy / Sweater: H&M / Trousers: H&M / Scarf: Alice by Temperley 
Bag: Longchamp / Bag: Ebay / Loafers: Zara / Earrings: Designs by Noa on Etsy

---

To get to Kuwait City, we had to take the train to Dusseldorf Airport in Germany, and then two 4-hour flights, with a transfer in Istanbul, Turkey. Unfortunately, the plane pictured on the right wasn't out plane, but it would have been so awesome if it was. Those Germans know how to paint their planes! ;-)

I learned by now that the key to travelling comfortably is layers, so for my travelling outfit I went with a pair of black stretchy skinny jeans, a pair of black loafers (comfortable to walk in and easy to slip off once you're seated in the plane), a white top and a white knitted V-neck sweater and a lightweight jacket. Also, I always take a scarf with me, because the airconditioning always gives me goosebumps. Plus, it can make a nice little pillow to nap on ;-) This scarf by Temperley I got on sale last month at Zalando for only € 30! I just love the print! (I believe Pippa Middleton wore a pair of trousers with the same print a few months ago). 

Luckily, the journey was without any delays or other hiccups, so we arrived on schedule in Kuwait at 2 am. Unfortunately, we then had to get our visa. 

Most nationalities have to get a visa on arrival in Kuwait. When we found this out we thought it would be the same as when visiting Turkey, where you have to go to a counter to pay a few bucks and then get a cachet in your passport. Boy, were we wrong... 

Apparently, in Kuwait they love to make things as difficult as possible. 
You first need to go to a counter to get a copy of your passport and a number. After that you need to get some sort of stamps worth of 3 Kuwaiti Dinar from a large vending machine. This means you first need to go to the nearest ATM machine to get Kuwaiti Dinar. Unfortunately it turns out this ATM machine doesn't take debet cards or any of the most regularly used credit cards. Luckily, you still have some Euros in your wallet that you can change at the adjacent bank counter. After having stood in line for a while you finally reach the vending machine, only to find out it only takes exactly 3 Dinar, which means you need to change the money you got again for smaller notes. After having annoyed the bank employee once again, and after having to stand in line once again, you finally reach the vending machine and get your stamps. Great! You're almost done! Now you only have to wait for an hour until your number called! 

Luckily, that was the worst part. Once my number was called I only had some difficulty pronouncing my name to the Kuwaiti desk employee who had to write down my name phonetically in Arabic. After that I got my visa and it was a pretty swift ride from the airport to our hotel, Ibis Sharq. But by then it was already 5 am. The only thing on my mind was taking a shower and sleep for a loooooong time, so that's what I did. 

Day 1: Exploring

Having slept past noon meant my first 'full'  day in Kuwait was quite a short one, but that didn't stop me from exploring the neighbourhood a bit. The first thing I noticed is that Kuwait has all these tall skyscrapers, but where tall buildings usually are built due to a lack of space, the buildings in Kuwait are pretty far apart and apparently only built for show. (For those who don't know: Kuwait is a rich oil state.) 

We first walked to the beach (pretty rocky) and got ourselves some ice-cream (pretty over the top). Apparently "a strawberry ice-cream" means "strawberry ice-cream with strawberry milkshake and strawberry sauce,  topped with strawberry cake and fresh strawberries". No wonder we passed the Kuwaiti Diabetic Centre on our way over here... 

After this sugar bomb we went to watch the sundown over the yacht harbour and visit دبنهامز (Debenhams in Arabic) in the Souq Sharq shopping mall. 

Because I wasn't quite sure yet what was suitable to wear, I went with a pair of skinny jeans again, a white t-shirt and a sheer white tunic. It is said Kate bought this tunic from Warehouse for her honeymoon, but she has never been pictured in it since. It is a great versatile piece so I can imagine she bought it to take with her on holiday! 

Just around the corner of our hotel is the Al-Hamra tower, the tallest building in Kuwait, which has a luxury shopping mall on the bottom six floors. Alcohol is prohibited in Kuwait, so there are no bars or clubs. Kuwaiti social lives entirely takes places in the many shopping malls around town, so Joeri and me decided to grab a bite there. 
For the occasion I wore a red maxi dress, camel peplum jacket and my favourite Stuart Weitzman wedges. I bought my new grey bag on Ebay as a replikate of Kate's Tod's D-bag. The colour is a bit more cream than the original, but apart from that I think it is a best replikate of it I have found so far. Would definitely recommend. For $ 32 for a real leather bag, you can't really go wrong. 

So that's my Kuwaiti adventure so far. Can't wait to discover more. Will keep you all posted!

Top: Warehouse / Jeans: H&M / 
Flip flops: Havaianas / Bag: Ebay / 
Earrings: Cristalina / Sunglasses: Amazon UK

---

Jacket: Tatiana's Delights on Etsy / Dress: H&M / Belt: H&M / Bag: Ebay 
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Earrings: Designs by Noa on Etsy

---