Big Blob Sunrise
Good morning, Kuwait!
We almost missed the sunrise this morning; the sky is full of cloudy haze and when the sun came up, there was just this big bright mass, you could hardly tell where the sun was. A few seconds later, the diffusion ended slightly and I grabbed a photo, but my camera had a hard time figuring out where to focus.
I am not complaining. We need rain. We need rain desperately. We had such a terrible time, last year, when so little rain fell and every small wind picked up soil and whirled it around. When I came to Kuwait, over three years ago, I remember thinking how GREEN it was here, compared to Qatar. So many trees! Even in the desert! Now, I fear for the greenery, I fear for the water table. Kuwait needs rain. Maybe it’s time to organize another big prayer for rain, like they did just before the rains last year?
Mubarakiyya Food Court
Several people have asked where the Fatayer Man is in Mubarakiyya.
Here is what the area looks like:
Here is a GoogleMap of the area (isn’t this amazing? Isn’t GoogleEarth amazing? I can’t believe such great technology is give to us for free. I wish I were smarter, I wish I could put arrows on the map, and stars, but I can’t figure out how to do that . . . yet!
You will see three lines of white running parallel – those are covers over the walkways in the main part of the souks. There are others, but this is the heart, where they sell vegetables, meat and fish. You walk straight down one of them until you get to the open court – you will see a mosque. In the GoogleEarth photo, you will see a round gold circle – that is the dome.
Just below the mosque, in the photo, you will see restaurant seating areas. The one closest to the entrance to the “food court” is the Malik al Saj, or King of (a particular type of) Bread; it is written on a great big blue Pepsi sign, and there are lots of waiters there eager to seat you. The food is fresh, and very good.
Now look at the map again. You will see more seating lower in the photo, over to the left. It is just around the corner from the other restaurant areas. This second area is where the fatayer man is. Just go down around that corner, peek into the restaurant areas until you see him hard at work, and then sit in the area just in front of where he is working. If you order tea, in this cold weather, they will bring you a pot with a charcoal heater, to savor while your fatayer is baking.
You can find these tea-heaters in the souks, too, but don’t use them inside, because they need charcoal, and using charcoal inside is a really bad (as in fatal) idea.
Words you need to know if you are not an Arabic speaker:
Chai – tea
fatayer – a breakfast bread filled with “jibn” (cheese), Halloumi (salty cheese) zatar (thyme-sumak spice mix) or jibn/halloumi wa zatar (cheese/salty cheese with thyme-sumak mix)
shish taouk – marinated, grilled chicken on a skewer
semak – fish (some of the fish served is amazing)
mixed grill – mixed grill 🙂
Happy eating! Go while the weather is cool and wonderful!
Rain Almost Over Kuwait
We had beautiful rain this morning – but about a kilometer off the coastline. Can you see those lines coming out of the low-lying clouds? Look at how thick and grey those clouds are at sunrise – doesn’t it look like rain? And yet, just an hour later, the clouds have thinned and – yep – it looks like another glorious day in Kuwait.
Warmer, too, did you notice? We threw off one layer of blankets last night.
Have a great day, Kuwait!
Clouds, No Rain
It was DARK when we got up at our normal time, and I was wondering “where is the sun?” When I looked out, the answer was clear – it was going to be a dark and cloudy day; the sun couldn’t break through.
I was wrong, so wrong. A mere two hours later, the clouds, while present, are mere wisps and the sun is shining through. It is another sunshiny, glorious day in the winter of Kuwait.
We badly need rain. You can see on the chart below – January is supposed to be the peak month for rain in Kuwait, one inch average. So far this January – nothing. People are shaking their heads, brows furrowed with concern.
Have a great day, Kuwait. 🙂
Days of January Glory
“Come! Come look! It is a gorgeous sunrise!” AdventureMan calls as I step out of the shower, drying my hair. It is a rare day when he spots the sunrise instead of me, and he is right, it is a beautiful sunrise – the clouds give it depth and dimension.
Although we both have full days ahead, we take a moment to appreciate the sunrise together. Then, off in our separate directions, sometimes shouting from various parts of the house as we are getting ready but still trying to communicate before we go our separate ways.
The Qatteri Cat has found a place to enjoy the morning sunshine. It still feels cold this morning – and it is:
It is getting seriously warmer starting tomorrow, and I wonder if today will be the last real sweater day. I found this last week, it was constantly shifting from jacket and scarf and sweater to sweater and scarf, to sweater, and then back depending on whether we were in the car (hot hot hot) or walking where there was a stiff breeze or shade (jacket, scarf and sweater) or whether we were having a cup of coffee in the peak of the afternoon sitting outside in the sunshine (scarf and sweater). Life has become very fiddly with all this clothing.
Already, we are preparing for the warmer temperatures around the corner – February is paradise in Kuwait, with mild temperatures and sunshine every day.
Now – on! On! We have a busy day and need to get going! Have a great day, Kuwait!
Sunrise, Friday 16 January 2009
The sun is up, the tide is low, the fish are running and it is another beautiful day in Kuwait. Because this is Friday, for our non-Kuwaiti readers, it is a lazy morning. Traffic is light, the weather is chilly, and people are sleeping in this morning. A little later, we will go to church (Friday is our Sunday) and maybe go somewhere where we can sit outside in the sunshine – it is usually warm enough by noon that we can do that.
The sunrise this morning was glorious! Not a cloud in the sky!
At 7:30, the temperature has actually fallen one full degree C. from where it was at 6:30 – no kidding!
It is going to be significantly warmer for the rest of the week:
Sun Will Prevail
This morning, there is an unusual thick band of clouds low on the horizon, not those sulphery yellow-brown clouds of pollution, but a thick band of normal weather clouds. The sun managed to get a peek at the world on its way up, but after that, it’s been a fight to break through.
I want you to see this cloud layer; it stretched from horizon to horizon:
You can see the sun is fighting valiantly to overcome these clouds, and rise above. This is Kuwait. I cannot imagine a day without sunshine (unless, God forbid, it is a dust storm.)
It is only mildly cold this morning, and warming fast:
Sensitive to the Atmosphere (Sunrise 13 Jan 09)
Good morning, Kuwait, and a great morning it is. I could feel the change in humidity, I have this weird sensitivity to atmospheric pressure. I can feel some changes – like in Florida when a thunderstorm is building, I can feel SO depressed, suicidally depressed for no reason, and as soon as the storm starts storming, it’s gone, just like that.
Yesterday, I had an almost-headache, the atmospheric kind. I got up with it and by noon it was gone. Today – not a thread of pressure left. It’s another great day in Kuwait.
It is, theoretically, cold again, but because of the low himidity, it actually feels warmer than yesterday, when the humidity carried the cold into my bones.
And it is going to get colder, and then jump warmer:
I can’t stay home in this weather. Not a cloud in the sky, good sweater day, great driving day, great day to be outside. Have a great day, Kuwait!
Happy Birthday Sunrise
I have a friend who had a birthday yesterday. I kept the secret. Well, I told one other person, but she also kept the secret, doesn’t that count? This sunrise is dedicated to my good friend, may God richly bless you in the year to come, in every way that matters to you.
Our place is very cold this morning, I am all wrapped up. The Qatteri Cat only slept with me the second half of the night, so I should have figured out that it is warmer, but I was surprised to see just how warm it is. These weather readings are, as usual, from Weather Underground: Kuwait:
That’s a huge jump in temperatures, and I am glad I checked so I won’t be all overdressed when I leave the house. That’s the good news. The bad news is, we have some cold nights coming:
Well, bad news if you don’t like the cold. I am enjoying getting to wear some of my winter clothes!
Have a great day, Kuwait.
Dressing for the Weather
Thank God for the sun beating in our place for a goodly part of the day. The cold has seeped in so deeply that I have to wear heavy slippers, and I am still wearing my heavy fleece robe. Here is what it looks like at seven on a Saturday morning:
Beautiful golden sunrise – but make that a beautiful COLD golden sunrise:
Here’s the problem. I get all bundled up to stay warm inside, then when I am outside, the weather is gently toasty and I am overdressed! I strip off a layer of jacket and scarf and I am OK – unless I am sitting in the shade, in which case the jacket comes in handy again. Today we will be moving around a lot, so I may find myself a little overheated. 🙂
Things are not going to get better in the next few days – take a look:
Dress warmly, Kuwait, and get out there and enjoy this fabulous weather!
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