Kuwait

My Couchsurfer host in Kuwait is an interesting person to meet. He is a serious traveler that visited many remote countries around the world in the simplest and cheapest way.

He invited me to meet his friends. I expected to meet them in a local café or a restaurant, but I was amazed when he told me that we were going to one of his friend’s house: the dream of every traveler.

Actually, we gathered in a big room called Dewaniya. It is an extension of the house where male guest can access from outside without getting to their guest home. It is an important mark in the Kuwaiti traditional daily life.

In his friend’s Dewaniya, I met the rest of his friends, played some video games, listen to some music, and spoke about travel. When the moment came to order to eat, I asked for local food. They were surprised, because the local cuisine is mainly rice and chicken, it is not the most diverse and famous one in the world. At least I tried.

March 2014

Moments

Did you know

1. Until 1962, Kuwait celebrated its National Day on June 19, the anniversary of its independence, but in 1963 it changed it to February 25 to avoid the hot weather of June.

2. February 25 was the anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah becoming Emir of Kuwait in 1950. February 26, 2011 was the day Iraq’s occupying forces were driven out of Kuwait.

3. Kuwait has the world’s fifth largest oil reserves.

4. The national bird of Kuwait is the falcon.

5. There are 1.43 males to every female in Kuwait.

6. in 2006, Kuwait became the first country to introduce the sport of camel racing, with remote controlled robot jockeys.

7. When Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990 and named it the 19th Province of Iraq some dissidents called it “Wimbledon” which is SW19.

8. Kuwait has won two Olympic medals, both bronze for Fehaid Al-Dehani at trap shooting.

9. Kuwait is the only country in the world with no natural water supply from lakes or reservoirs but it did open its first grass golf course in 2005.