Aquarium cleaning and update

Just thought I’d update things on the aquarium front, well… nothing much actually, the guys are doing fine. I cleaned the motor and pump tubes thoroughly this time as well as the decorative pieces inside. I just realized its been more than a year since I cleaned the motor and pump assembly but there wasn’t too much sludge inside the mechanism.

As always I added  a few drops of the ‘Blue Stuff’ to clean the remaining water in the tank and then filled it up with tap water. By the way here’s my favorite guy of the bunch. I just love it when extends his dorsal fin like that, kinda like a pre-historic water monster.

Click on the image to enlarge

Here’s a summary of what I did, its similar to the last time so check the link [link]

‘Soft-roading’

I was passing by Gulf street on my way to a meeting when I  saw a few people driving their SUVs on what seemed to be a small offroad track near Belajat street.

Paintball coupons

I got this with today’s newspaper. A coupon for 50 paintballs at the paintball park near Kuwait Towers. I’ve never been there although most of my friends have. Guess I’m not brave enough to endure being shot with a hard round object and knowing my friends, I’d surely be hit repeatedly in my ‘man parts’

Paintball Kuwait

Phone: 22431101

http://www.paintball-kuwait.comlink]

Sunrise at Doha

I made some new friends last week through my photography group and we decided to check out the photo opportunities at Doha this weekend. Its not easy getting up at 5AM on a weekend with such lovely weather but I jumped out of bed and took a cold shower to jolt myself awake.

We headed out to the prime location near Doha port where all the abandoned ships were. Its right infront of the port gates and near the Doha Power Plant. Little did we know that photography was prohibited there. But the surprising thing was this location was frequented by a lot of photographers in the past, including the guy who won the Canon photography contest this year. Take a look at this [link] Anyway.. usual story; Police man comes running up to us, checks our cameras, asks us to delete the photos and then leave the premises. Mother#@%^*!!! Can you believe my luck?? I think I’ll get the record for most warnings given to a photographer.

Our next option was to check out the birds and sea life at the seashore behind Entertainment City so we drove there and spent an hour or so shooting. Atleast the whole morning wasnt wasted.

ps. Too bad you missed it Purple, next time we’ll push you in front of the cops

Al Ain and Jebel Hafeet

A drive to Al Ain and Jebel Hafeet was something I was looking forward on this trip. Al Ain is surprisingly green and my friend informed that among all the Emirates, Al Ain had the most natural greenery and lush oasis.

Al Ain has got many historical monuments and archeological sites dating back to the Bronze Age and the forts are a site to behold.

Jebel Hafeet is one of the highest moutains in the UAE and rises more than 1200 meters above sea level. It has been called the world’s best driving road and I must agree. The roads are well maintained and there a series of fast corners and hairpin curves. We were travelling in an SUV so were not to attack the corners but next time I hope I can drive a coupe or small car so as to appreciate the corners.:)

Where do we go now ?

original photo uploaded by Mathai

“Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
Sweet child o’ mine“

“Sweet Child of mine” by Gun’N’ Roses

There are rumors that we may get up to 9 days off for Eid and I’m cursing myself for not having planned anything. There are only a few things I can think of at such short notice;

1. Dubai

I missed a few things during my last trip like the road trip to Jebel Hafeet, Hatta trip, visit hotel Atlantis and a romantic cruise thru the Dubai creek. I found tickets on Jazeera and Kuwait airways for less than 60 KD roundtrip and there are some good deals on accomodation at Agoda.

2. Salalah, Oman

I’ve heard some good things about this place and its on my wish list for Gulf sightseeing. You can contact Oman Air to book your tickets and make hotel reservations. Call  22412284/85

My other options are within Kuwait

3. A couple of days at a chalet in Khairan

4. Entertainment city

5. Failaka Island

6. Kubbar Island

7. Wafra or Abdali farms

Any other ideas ? what are you guys doing for the holidays ?

Mutla revisited

I revisited Mutla this weekend as some friends from work had read my previous post about this region and were intrigued by the landscape and wanted to see it for themselves. Luckily for us there wasn’t much dust on Friday morning but the skies werent as cooperative as last time and hence the photos are not as good as before.

Its a shame not many expats know about this place and the look on my friend’s faces was a clear indicator that the Mutla ridge is an impressive sight for a newcomer to Kuwait.

Heres the place on the map and the [Wikimapia link]

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In and around Cochin

After my visit to Bombay I stayed in Cochin city for a few days before my return to Kuwait. Although I’m from the state of Kerala I’ve never really stayed in other districts besides Trivandrum for a long duration of time. I had about 3 days to explore Cochin but finally just spent a day doing some actual sight seeing. My brother and I went out to see Fort Cochin and its surrounding areas. First thing.. theres no Fort in “Fort Cochin” , I asked around but no one had a clue about the name ! ( maybe some of my readers can shed some light on it)

Things of Interest in Fort Cochin;

1. Chinese fishing nets [link]

These are land based nets that work on a lever and counter-weight system, very ingenious !

2. Anchor from a Dredger used by the British Navy

3. Fresh sea food

Off to Bombay

I’m headed off to Bombay tonight…
See you guys when I get back (hopefully with some excellent photos and adventure posts)

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Desert Safari

A must-do in Dubai is the Desert Safari and Dune bashing. We booked our trip via Atlanta Tours and Travels. Contact Manoj on +971506864798.

Our driver came and picked us up in a black Landcruiser and introduced himself as Haitham from Atlanta tours. We took the route towards Hatta and the Omani border. Along the way we could see hundreds of SUVs and ATVs on both sides of the road. We stopped at a roadside rest stop to freshen up and for Haitham to prepare the car for dunebashing. He first deflated the tires from 31 Psi to 10 Psi so that that tires get more surface area and don’t get bogged down in the sand.

He then headed over to the dunes and immediately began showing off his skills as he deftly climbed one dune and slid down another. It was amazing to see him spin the wheel lock to lock as he navigated over the soft sand dunes. Turns out hes been doing this for the past 17 years ! Talk about experience ! I would recommend having your seatbelt fastened if you dont wanna be thrown around a lot. After 30 mins of wheel spinning action, we headed over the camp site for the next series of activities;

Camel riding,
dressing up in Arab clothes,
Sheesha or hubbly bubbly,
music and dance,
BBQ and dinner,
belly dancing,
Tanura and horse dancing.

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