Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

Not Your Kuwait Parking Lot

When I first arrived in Kuwait, two very kind Kuwaiti ladies helped me take care of an important errand, showing me exactly where to go, who to trust, etc. Their kindness to me moved me greatly. As we left, I said “you have been SO kind, I insist on paying for parking” and they totally cracked up, almost limp and helpless with laughter, and then they explained to me that parking would cost 150 or 200 fils (around 50 – 80 cents).

In contrast, here is where we parked to go to the Pike Place Market:

00notkuwaitparking.jpg

December 1, 2007 - Posted by | Bureaucracy, Community, Humor, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Seattle, Shopping, Social Issues

9 Comments »

  1. Shhh, I don’t want our Kuwaiti parking owners to see how low their prices are.

    Don Veto's avatar Comment by Don Veto | December 1, 2007 | Reply

  2. DV, in Doha they had only one paid lot that I can remember in the entire town. At one point they dug up several streets and installed parking meters, but there was such an outrage among the Qattaris that they never took the plastic off of them, and then one day they were just . . .GONE! Parking there is chaotic, but always free.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | December 1, 2007 | Reply

  3. its one thing to pay for parking when it is your choice, like going to a theme park, a fair, or the theatre – and its a completely different thing to pay for parking AT SCHOOL!!! students at my university pay 8 to 12 dollars a day on average just to get to class. its just too expensive especially for college students. That’s like 250 a month just for parking! WHYYYYYYY?

    nQ's avatar Comment by nQ | December 1, 2007 | Reply

  4. Wow, no wonder Visa/Master card are are promoted on the sing 🙂

    I wonder how much it costs for parking valet?

    Touché's avatar Comment by Touché | December 1, 2007 | Reply

  5. nQ – That is OUTRAGEOUS! You already pay tuition and books, and books cost a fortune at the university level. Is there any place off campus to park and then walk to campus?

    Touche – no valet parking at all, except one or two of the very nicest hotels. It’s all park-it-yourself.

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | December 2, 2007 | Reply

  6. oh total rip off. Sigh* supply and demand I guess is to blame.

    Kaos's avatar Comment by Kaos | December 2, 2007 | Reply

  7. You are SO right, total rip-off. I suppose supply and demand, but whatever happened to community spirit, fair market value, and making a decent profit, but not sheer GREED???

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | December 2, 2007 | Reply

  8. Gosh, those prices make me speechless….!

    NicoleB's avatar Comment by rainmountain | December 3, 2007 | Reply

  9. Rainmountain – me too!

    intlxpatr's avatar Comment by intlxpatr | December 3, 2007 | Reply


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