Kuwait Once More

So we find ourselves back in Kuwait.  The land where the flat Arabian Desert meets the azure Persian Gulf.  Yet another Christmas awaits us here.  No Chestnuts Roasting on the Open Fire, or Frosty The Snowman to be heard on the radio as nauseam.  Instead we are greeted at 4:30 each morning by the muezzins first of five daily calls to prayer, broadcast from loudspeakers atop the numerous minarets near our apartment.  Our assignment here is to be brief this time, three months only.  I am hopeful.  I will do my best to appreciate this opportunity;  experience the sights, sounds and cultures that define Kuwait.

This morning as I attempted to access my blog, I found that it has been banned, presumably by the local authorities who monitor such sites.  It is a bit of a bewilderment to me as, to the best of my knowledge, my blog contains no distasteful comment (although I recognize that is subjective).  Through perseverance I have found another avenue to reach my blog using web proxies.

Last week I met with a local camera club for a sunset shoot.  Unfortunately, sunrises and sunsets aren't particularly exciting here in Kuwait since smog, sand and haze detract from the "wow factor" one hopes to achieve through photographing such rituals.  This image taken from my balcony proves the point.

So my ambition is to turn my eye to see Kuwait for the varying opportunities that set it apart from the other places I have visited and photographed.  One member of the camera club has mentioned an outing in the desert to capture star trails.  Exciting to think about, in a Lawrence of Arabia sort of way.

This image is of Kuwait City, taken the day of the sunset outing.

A far cry from the old souks in Kuwait City which recall the beduin past, the modern malls in the outlying areas are lavish places full of designer stores, top notch restaurants and enormous parking garages for the ubiquitous SUVs.  This image is of a smaller mall, Al Kout,  which is close to our apartment.  Capturing images of the old souk will be top on my list.  Stay tuned...well cyber gods willing that is!