Day by the Gulf

Friday
The weekend in Kuwait is Friday and Saturday, and church meets on Friday morning. Laura usually gets a ride with an Indian family, mother, father and adult daughter. Today, it was just the adult daughter, as her parents have returned to India for a visit. Their church meets in a hotel in the area of Salmiya, a pleasant area of the city bordering the Gulf. (A side note here - we may know it as the Persian Gulf, but Laura told us never to refer to it as that out there, where it is known as the Arabian Gulf!)  Salmiya is a popular area with expats, but unfortunately not where Laura’s school chooses to house their single teachers! They have one of the upper floors of the hotel, affording a fine view of the Gulf from their worship area (top right). The church recently moved to this hotel from a different location, and the first week the hotel provided a fine spread of coffee, tea, juice and various baked goods. They thought it was a special welcome from the hotel, but it’s transpired they do it every week! We didn’t take too much, as we were going out for lunch afterwards. It was a good service and message, and then afterwards we got to talk with several of Laura’s friends. After lunch at a nearby restaurant with three of her friends, we went for a walk along the Gulf as far as the Scientific Centre, (bottom Centre) which houses an aquarium and IMAX theatre. We didn’t bother going inside today, but we took a look at some of the historic dhow boats outside, which would have been used in trading, fishing and pearl fishing, which before the discovery of oil was a major part of the economy. We then turned around, and walked the other way, as far as the marina, where we took an hour long cruise along the coast as far as the Kuwait towers and back. On our return, we met up with Laura’s friend Jusef and had a cup of tea in the nearby Marina Mall, before proceeding to the Concert Hall for her choir’s second performance. We were a little later arriving than last night, and the line was already out the door and part way across the parking lot. However, things were really disorganised this evening, with the doors not finally opening until about the time the concert was due to begin! Laura told us later they were really confused, looking out from behind the curtain, expecting to see a full house, and instead seeing hardly anyone there! Eventually, everyone poured in, and there were people standing at the back, and sitting on the steps - I don’t think it would have passed a fire Marshall inspection! Eventually the concert got under way, and it was another thrilling performance, Laura feeling much happier about how things went. Tonight, it was a late dinner, at a very nice Middle Eastern restaurant, still in the company of Jusef.
One year ago: Evening bike ride