Passtimes

Aug. 8

Friday afternoon brought out yachts and large wooden dhow boats into the Gulf and many of them clustered around the Movenpic Beach. A floating boundary encircles the hotel waterfront and provides a walkway for brave, well balanced guests. Ethan, Emily & I ventured out to enjoy the water and we found that people-watching was the highlight. Perched on the edge of this floating "dock" was 6 mostly covered girls and one likely brother sat beside them. In spite of the sizzling heat, with two exceptions, the teens wore layers of clothes and head scarfs to cover all but feet, hands and face but the young men on boats and wave runners were lined up in the water watching them like it was the best show in town. Only 2-3 lucky females did I ever see enter the water for a ride or the many recreational boats, but the males delighted in driving wildly within inches of the girls to douse them with saltwater and watch their shrieking retreat. We were advised that staring was a common means of flirting but I didn't expect it to be so blatant!

Around 8pm, Robert & I decided to check out the Marina Mall as the darkness gave slight respite to the heat...us and the rest of Kuwait were ALL out on the Gulf Road it seemed. Traffic crawled and parking spaces were rare as pearls. The sprawling complex of restaurants and shops stretched beyond what we were willing to walk in the time we were there, I've never seen such a large mall. All the familiar shops from both the US and England were there. It seemed so ironic that fashions are being sold that are never seen in public, or if so, the cute shirts are put over long sleeved/high necked undershirts and take on such a different look. For the first time, we did see Western dress but it was definitely not the norm. Families with young children, maids, teens (boy groups much more common than girl groups)...all were shopping and eating and perhaps buying gifts for the upcoming Ramadan from vendors. The makeup we saw was over the top: highly decorated eyes, shimmering shades highlighted one lady's nose, another had glitter lining just the cup of her upper lip. Jewelry sales appeared to be strong. I did not see tattoos, or even henna for that matter. Steep heels and fashionable shoes were also in view, sometimes peeking out under long pants or abayas. The mall's interior was extravagant and the prices were even higher than London if we did the conversion. People were polite, but did not initiate conversation as in the souk (market.) The entertainment value was high, but for actual shopping purposes, I found it disappointing.

Around midnight, room service hummus, olives, stuffed grape leaves, soup and other unrecognized items were pure indulgence...in just a few more days we will have to move out, find the grocery stores and discover what "normal" is like in this new place.