End of Month

I have arrived at the end of the month of March. Tonight is the last night in the hotel. I am going to miss .... The breakfast buffet. However, I am looking forward to living in my apartment. I received two more "care packages" from Kim today. Has my favorite pillow and some kitchen utensils, plus dinner ware and other stuff. It is actually cheaper to send stuff from the states than it is to purchase on the local economy. The cost of living here is quite high. Especially when buying imported goods or USA brand names. So tomorrow morning I will have my last big breakfast at the hotel grab my suitcase, check out and that will be that.

Yesterday I changed the layout of my BLOG. Please let me know if you liked the older look better or this newer look. Personally, I think I like the older look better.

Lazy Day part 2

Here are a few more pictues from today..

Hotel from Beach

Chairs and Unbrellas

Start Of jogging trail

A rare site--- "Clouds"

Lazy Saturday part 1

Today I just did not feel like doing much at all after yesterdays hassels, so after breakfast I took a stroll on the beach and around the grounds of the hotel and took some pictures. But mostly I just lazed around the hotel.

This is a picture of the walking / running path that goes for about 1.7 km. on the hotel property. The property is designed with a scolloped look, so you will notice the vacation apartments above. Usually 4 BR and will sleep 8 persons. Rather pricey at about $1000 US / night.

Below you will notice that even the locals like to go fishing on saturday.

The sea bird did not want its picture taken., but I did manage to get a quick snap of it as it flew away.

What A Day!

Today I got up early so I could get things moved and get my laundry done and continue to clean the apartment. Hired a taxi from the hotel in Mangaf to Eqaila or Agaila or Igaila. I have seen three different spellings so far. Got there and fixed the water leak on the washing machine water hookup and then started to do laundry. While that was going I started putting clothes away. Was proceeding good on the first load, got to the second load OK. On the third load while drying the first, I lost power in the apartment and in the laundry room. Must have popped a breaker. I got the Harish involved and he determined the main breaker for the apartment was bad. I don't know if he called an electrician or not. meanwhile I have a partially dry load of jeans, a wet load of polo shirts and an absolutely wet load of whites and no electricity. About that time my manager calls and says he is going to Sultan Center ( a big Grocery store) to get groceries. I needed to get some things as well so I decided to go with him. Picked up some freezer stuff and milk and some meats for lunches and dinner. Got back to the apartment but still no electricity. My co worker lives down the street from me so I borrowed some space in his freezer and fridge. Ramadan the Harish says the power will be on in half an hour, but Joe offers to let me use his dryer at his house. We get to Joe's and finish drying things. While we are waiting Joe tells me of a neighbor that is selling out for a move back to the states. I go over to take a look at things and end up buying a TV and stand, an iron and two space heaters for the winter time. Most houses in Kuwait do not have built in heaters and it does get down to freezing during the winter months. I picked up both for 23 kd, less than half the value because they are very hard to find when you really need one. The TV is a CRT type 20 inch. The person also had a 27 inch with stand for the same price but the stand was really damaged badly and the TV was just too large and bulky. I have really gotten spoiled with the Flat Screen LCD stateside. Got to figure out how and when I will be able to get the stuff from Mangaf to my place.
Finally got back to the hotel at about 7 pm.

Have A GREAT DAY!!

Moving Day - Got my Furniture

Got my furniture delivered today. Spend all morning from 6:30 until 11:30 scrubbing the floors, cleaning the countertops and the bathrooms. Tested out the new vacuum cleaner. It does a good job. The furniture delivery guys showed up at 11:30. They called at 10:45 and said they would be here in 5 minutes. HA! 30 minutes later I get a call and they tell me that the road I live on does not exist. He is Indian or Pakistani so the language barrier is not to bad, but I do have a hard time with it sometimes. I told him the exact address and he then asked if I was in Fintas. I told him I was in Egaila. That was the problem. So anyway he was here in 5 minutes. It took them 2 1/2 hours to get the furniture in and set up. Here are a few photos of it.

Why I can't Drive

Before I was hired, I was told I absolutely needed an international drivers license to be able to drive in Kuwait. Cool, I went right out and got one. So, I arrive in country and guess what? Because I am coming into Kuwait with a work visa the rules are "ALL DIFFERENT". I will need to get a residents card first, then a Kuwaiti drivers license. But Before I can do that I have to have "ANOTHER PHYSICAL, Chest x-ray for TB and blood work done by the Kuwaiti's. I have to have my US drivers license translated into Arabic, and who knows what other obstacles I will have to endure. OH! and by the way, The drivers in Kuwait have all attended the "Demolition Derby School for Driving". When you get on the main roads which are posted (I think) at 120kph most people are doing 150 to 180 kph. Really freaking scary sometimes.
Anyway I will be ride sharing for about 2 months or so. The technician that came in about 6 weeks ahead of me is still ride sharing but it looks like he "MAY" be getting his resident card soon.

Quest Part 3...catching up on blog

Went out shopping again a finally bought some furniture, a bedroom suite and some appliances for the kitchen, as well as a washer and dryer. That was on Saturday and scheduled a delivery for Thursday 27 March. Received a call on Sunday 23 March from a very limited English language speaker and he wanted to know where to put the appliances he was delivering 4 days to early, and could I meet him there. I explained to him that I was not going to be able to meet him and I had set up delivery for Thursday. He muttered something in Arabic and hung up.
Later, after work, I called the appliance store to find out what the heck was going on. The person called me back 15 minutes later to say that the driver had installed the refrigerator , washer and dryer. That all was OK. They had the "Harish"(house sitter) let them in. I asked what they did with the satellite receiver and was told that I was suppose to pick that up in the store when I purchased it. She explained that it had a code 115 on it, not a 170. Code 170 is deliver, 115 is store pick up.
Who the heck new that!!

Kuwait a minute... I told the sales person I wanted EVERYTHING delivered on the 27th, and that would have included the satellite receiver .. So now I have to bum a ride back down to the appliance store to pick up my receiver. Will probably do that today after work. Did I ever mention that I am not allowed to drive yet? I will explain in a new post.

The Quest for Furniture continued..

Went out looking for furniture and appliances. Saw so much stuff my head is spinning. I did find a "deal?" on a bedroom suite that was 399KD with a Chest of drawers for another 49KD. Includes everything except the mattress, but I can buy one there, a pillow top queen size for 120KD or a regular one for 79KD. It does include delivery and setup in the price. Also looked at a Gas stove for approx 100KD, a refrigerator, a toaster oven and a washer and dryer. I looked at some living room furniture, carpets and other stuff. The couches I saw were OK, some were like sitting on a park bench, very hard and not comfortable at all. The area rugs ranged in price from 10KD to over 100KD but that may be last on any list I might have.

The Quest for Furniture

Today I am planning to look for or buy some furniture and appliances for my apartment. Was told it may take several weeks to get it delivered, so definitely I will buy something. Starting with the most important pieces first, I will buy a bedroom suite w/wardrobe, then a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Once I figure out where I will put a dining table, then I will get one of the appropriate size. Kim says we would only need a very small table that would seat just her and I. We will see whats available. After that I will look for some living room stuff. Since I am not planning on having guest over anytime in the near future, I can wait on that. They have something called Friday market here. My guess is it is like a large Flea Market where there are vendors selling nearly everything some new and some used. I will take a look there for some deals, but have been warned that he furniture there may not be the best of quality. I shall see..



Kuwait a Minute

No More House Hunting!!

Today I put a lease contract on a villa in the Egaila area. It is one of the units I looked at last weekend. I like the area and it is just down the street from one of my co workers.
Still it is more than I wanted to pay, and the kitchen is "REALLY SMALL" Not even big enough for a decent sized refrigerator. I was also wondering where I might be putting a dining table since there is not a dining area in the "REALLY SMALL" kitchen. Possibly I may use the first bedroom as a dining room and also Have my refrigerator in there. I'll have to Draw a floor plan and post it later after I move in. I guess I am stuck in the hotel until 1 April unless I can make other arrangements. Anyway here are a few pictures of the new place. Enjoy!!

Second Day.. Same as the First

Drove in to Ali Al Salem. Made contact via phone with the realtor that had showed me around last Friday - Saturday, and asked to re look at the apartments he had showed me. We set up an appointment but then he called me back and said the properties were no longer available. He will locate others in the same area and get in touch with me today / tomorrow and see what develops.
Well today is my 30th anniversary!..but I am not celebrating because my wife is not here in Kuwait with me. We will have a celebration when she gets to Kuwait.
The dust in the air really blocks the views of the landscape. Granted its desert, but there must be something to look at. Oh well, one day it will clear up. more pictures then...

First Day at work!..

Just got back from first day at Ali Al Salem Air Base. A long and tedious drive from Mangaf, the dust is quite thick again today, so that made the sight seeing impossible. I did see some camel herds and some sheep herds with their tenders near the side of the highway but that was about as far as I could see. So not too much to write about.. TTYL

Happy Birthday to My Beautiful Kimmie!

Today is Kimmie's birthday. Happy Birthday Sweetheart. This picture is of the sunrise over the Arabian Gulf this morning. The picture captures the essence of it but it was actually more beautiful in person.

I have been somewhat negligent about writing in the BLOG but I have been sick. Felling better now, Stopped by a local pharmacy and picked up some medications for cough , runny nose and got some anti-biotic as well. I sure hope this gets cleared up soon. During my house hunt yesterday I looked at 4 different villa's. Each about the same and about the same price. KD 350. A bit more than what I want to pay but all in good neighborhoods?? Each are 3 BR 2 Bath. All are located in Eqaila. One of my co workers lives around the block so I trust the neighborhood. He seems to like it. I saw an empty unit just house down the street from him but do not know anything about it, I would really like a 2 BR unit, but they do seem hard to come by. Maybe that they are snapped up before they go on the market. I will keep checking around. I have a number to call today for some places in Mangaf. I will let everyone wake up before I call. It is only 8 am right now.

Sick as a DOG....

Today I did nothing. I have a cold and can't stop coughing. I did manage to eat breakfast, but the food just did not taste good. Slept on an off most of the day because I did not sleep last night. Went to the Pizza Express next to Starbucks and got a pizza for dinner. It was hot and spicy but felt really good on my throat. Also got a lemon drink like a lemon smoothie and the combination of cold and the tartness of the drink felt really good.
Found out my base pass is completed, so starting Sunday morning I will be working, Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday are the weekends here. Hope I feel better tomorrow..

House Hunt...#1

Called and set up an appointment with a realtor, A polish lady that has been here nearly 30 years and knows the country. She showed me a 2 BR apartment in an area call Mahboula which she states is a favorite area for Americans. I did see a bunch of American restaurants and a local pharmacy. The apartment was nice but, I have a few unanswered questions about it and I think the asking rent is high, She said KD 300, The unit I looked at in the Mangaf area was 3 br and brand new and they were asking KD 320. I told her I would have to think about it and gave her my cell number so she could contact me if anything else came up on the radar screen. I wanted to take some pictures but I am nervous to do that as the locals get all freaky if you point a camera at them or even if they think you are, so you have to be very discreet(sneaky). Will try to search more tomorrow

First Day

I need to meet up with my boss sometime today. He gave me the day off to get my body clock adjusted, so maybe I will hear from him later today. From what I understand the air base is a 45 minute drive from here. He lives not very far from this hotel and I want to go house hunting ASAP. I was told there may be a 3 BR apartment in his complex, but that may be a bit large for my needs and too expensive for my budget. Joe was saying he thought it would lease for 350 to 400 KWD a month or about 1300 to 1500 USD. I think if I can find a smaller and cheaper place it would suit me better. Since I will not be able to drive using the International drivers license I was told to get. I will be using mostly taxi's or relying on my manager to take me here and there. Kuwait has changed the rules so that people entering on work visa's are not allowed to lease auto's, and I guess you are not allowed to drive until you get a Kuwait driver license. You cannot get one of those until you get permanent residency status. All of this takes months.

Shopping and House Hunting...

Today I went shopping and a little sight seeing and house hunting. I did manage to pick up a cell phone.. a prepaid bare bones Nokia unit and a prepaid SIM card with 10 KD loaded on it for 33.5 KD. That will get me about 222 minutes of talk time for about 36.80 US. The cost per minutes is about .045 kd/min .165 US. I can live with that. Stateside calling is about $3.32 /minute so 10KD would last about 10 minutes. I won't be calling stateside unless its an absolute emergency. I have noticed everything is expensive here. I looked at a 3 bedroom apartment and was quoted 320 KD. Its a nice place but is completely unfurnished with exception to the kitchen sink and cabinets. I would have to buy any appliances. Good thing is that electricity is part of the rent. Some places may even include cable, satellite or DSL but thats not always so. I do not need a 3 BR and will try to find a 2 BR. 1 BR apartments are very rare. So the hunt begins.
I visited a large shopping area where I got the cell phone and browsed about there just observing the prices of everything. The mall area has a food court with a McDonald's, a Texas Chicken, and several other fast food joints with prices that are not way out of line. For example a BIG MAC meal is about $5.50 or 1.5 KD a bit more expensive than home prices.
We also went to a market / store that carries just about everything. Food, groceries, appliances, clothing and just about anything you could want. I wanted to get a case of water but was unsure how much it would cost. The sign said one price but we were wondering if that was per bottle or for the entire case. Bottled water at the hotel is very high, about $7.50 per liter.
Tomorrow I will try to make contact with a realtor about apartments and see what I can find.

First Impressions..

Kuwait is FLAT, lots of sand, construction projects everywhere you look. Very Modern though. I am staying in the Kuwait Hilton. What a beautiful place. Its very mall like inside, with high end shops and restaurants. Located on the coast, there is a very nice view from my window of the shore line, swimming pools and cabanas. There appears to be a terraced garden below my window, but I cannot see it clearly. Every one is so friendly, polite and always smiling and eager to assist. Today I ate the complimentary breakfast that comes with the price of the room. A very wide assortment of culinary delights from around the world so I tried a little bit of this and that. I had a starter plate of fruits and cheese, with coffee and a glass of tomato juice. Then I tried a few different cheeses, the ones I have never heard of and some samples of smoked meats. Very Good! Lastly I ordered a Spanish omelet. Excellent!, but so large I could not finish it. The coffee was HOT, but it had an instant coffee taste. Almost like "Tasters Choice". But it may just be the way they brew it.

The Flight..

The flight was packed and long, but not a long as I thought. We were scheduled to leave JFK at originally 9:15 pm EST and arrive in Kuwait at 5:10 pm Kuwait time. So by all calculations that would be 13 hours? Kuwait is 8 hours ahead of EST, factor in the daylight savings that would make it 7 hours. So we were supposed to leave at 4:15 am Kuwait time, and arrive at 5:10 pm, thats nearly 13 hours. We actually took off shortly after midnight EST or 7 am Kuwait time and arrived at 5:23 pm Kuwait time or just over 10 hours. Must have been one heck of a tail wind. My new manager here hired a person to walk me through immigration and customs. I was impressed at the ease of doing things if you know who to talk to. One thing I remember from previous travels is that if you take your hand off your suitcase, someone will pick it up and want to carry it for you. Of course a fee (tip) is involved. I am not familiar with the currency yet so I have no clue what an appropriate tip would be. The current exchange rate today is 1 KWD will cost 3.68 USD so if you were to tip a porter, probably no more than 1 KWD would be more than adequate, using the $1 a bag theory.

Travel day

Kim is really sick today. A touch of flu or a serious cold. A good thing I stayed home. I took her to the urgent care center, where they gave her a bunch of prescriptions and a shot.

After that, I went back and re-arranged my suitcases so I only have 2 bags instead of 3. Saved $150 that way for the extra bag fee. Supposed to leave today at 5:59 pm. So far it looks like it will be on time.
We left the house at 4 pm for the airport. Sat around and drank some coffee with the girls and then again said my goodbyes. Got through security in time to run to the gate as they had announced last call. Flight was away at 5:59 pm. Go Figure!!

Got to NY-JFK. An adventure in itself. Walked about a mile it seemed to get from the plane to the terminal, then had to walk about another mile to get to the sky train that take you to Terminal 4 where Kuwait Airways is located. Time now to start freaking out. The place is packed wall to wall with people trying to get tickets, boarding passes checking luggage. Mine was checked through in Norfolk, so I did not have that hassle. To make all matters worse the computer system is down. The agents are having to issue all boarding passes by hand. So after waiting in a line for over an hour, I get to the counter and they cannot find me in the system. I presented my paperwork that said I was confirmed. so after another hour at the counter I finally got a boarding pass and was on the way to the gate area. No more problems there except I was past due on taking my meds and was getting a little shaky from lack of food and drink.
Finally they started to load the plane. I get seat 31 g, good its an isle seat. I get settled in call Kim on the cell. Attendant comes bye tells me to end my call so I do. 20 minutes later, they announce the ATC center system is down, and the flight is again delayed. so I call Kim back and we chat some more. I am now hoping I do not get someone sitting next to me. The configuration is 3 row X 3 seats ABC EFG IJK, Don't know what happened to seats D or H. I told Kim I know what the people in steerage felt like on the titanic.

Tearful Goodbyes

March 8 Today I leave every one behind and head out to Kuwait. Going through baggage claim I had one of my bags torn apart by TSA. I was watching and the rude bastards told me to move on. I told them that was my bag but they only said to "MOVE ON". What a bunch of Ass's. I hope everything was put back OK.
Got checked in, went to outside the gate area to wait and get a bite to eat. I was told that the flight had been delayed til 4 something. Went to one of the gate arrival departure screens and it said the flight was on time at 2:30pm. So I said my good byes to everyone and proceeded to the gate.
I was crying, they were crying and what made it even worse was that Alyssa had had surgery the day before and was not feeling well, so she and her mother stayed at home rather that drag her to the airport, so I didn't get to give my little sweetheart a hug and kiss.
I really got torn up leaving Ashleigh. She gave me a hug and wouldn't let go. Kim was also a wreck. She has a cold and was not feeling well. To make matters worse, the flight to JFK was delayed for weather, so instead of leaving out at 2:30 pm right now it looks like 3:57 pm. I will still have enough time to make my connection in NY, to Heathrow, London. Right Now it looks like I will have an hour or so lay-over in England then fly out again to Kuwait.

Anyway, after arriving at the gate, the information board at the gate said the flight was delayed til 4 pm. Well I wasn't going to leave the security area so I sat down, and waited, and waited, and waited until finally at 7:30 pm they decided to cancel the flight. The flight crew timed out.
OK, lets walk back to the ticket counter and wait some more. Got my reservation changed and picked up my luggage. Will do the same thing again tomorrow. Hopefully I will make it out of Norfolk.
Stay Tuned !

Time is at hand

Today is the 6th of March. I leave the states on the 8th and begin "Mikes Big Adventure" in Kuwait. A little history first. I worked for Boeing for 19 years before being layed off December 2006. With nearly 40 years in Electronics and aerospace, I wasn't satisfied with working in call center suppport, which was the only employment I could find, and I was not making ends meet either.

I kept looking for employment though and in September 2007 I found out about the contract in Kuwait and applied. I went through the interview process and was made an offer I could not refuse. In theory, had everything gone as scheduled, I should have already been in Kuwait several months. But I had a medical snag which delayed my hire date by nearly two months.

So now I am only days away from getting on the plane. Its been a long time since I have traveled outside the US. I spent a year in Thailand in 1968- 1969 and then traveled around Europe in the early 1970's with the US Air Force. This time I will not be sitting in the cargo area of a C130.

Chatting with my brother tonight, he asked if I was nervous. Honestly, I am not nervous about relocating, but more nervous about leaving my children and grandchildren here, as well as my motorcycle. The Motorcycle pictured above is not my current bike, but that was me on my 1964 Harley "PanHead" taken about 1972. I currently ride a 2006 VT750C Honda.

My wife Kimberly will be relocating later after I get settled, possibly as early as April. Now she may not stay the entire time that I am there, that will be determined later if she can deal with the weather /climate and heat in the summer. She has said she wants to spend the summers stateside to be with the grand kids while school is out. So again we will see.