On Friday, I woke up earlier than one should on a weekend to head off on a boat cruise organized by our wonderful school band. We sailed off to Failaka Island, an island 20km off the coast of Kuwait.
The history of the island dates back to the ancient Sumerians; however, now the island sits mostly uninhabited. There were about two thousand residents on the island before 1990, but when Iraq invaded Kuwait, they made the residents vacate the island. Now, only a few people actually live on the island.
When we got off the boat, I felt we had stepped into the past. Bombed out buildings lined the streets as we passed a mini market and burger place on our left. Unfortunately, no burgers have been served there since the occupation in 1990.
We could have either explored the island or pay ten dollars to sit on the nice beach. We opted for the latter because we were told the ancient Greek ruins were all the on the other side of the island. Kuwait is beginning to get quite hot again. This week it will remain in the 90s all week. It brings me some joy that the temperature will not hit 100 in the next ten days. I’m not sure how long that streak will occur after the ten day forecast, however.
Failaka Island is becoming quite the tourist destination in Kuwait. A hotel sprang up recently, and there have even been talks to build a bridge from the mainland out to the island to create an easily accessible island paradise. I would highly advise that they fix the destroyed sewer system and bombed buildings before building the bridge.
As you can see from the picture below, I had the opportunity to wear my elephant shirt for the first time since I bought it in Sri Lanka! The elephants did a nice job of protecting me from the dangerous rays of the sun.
Kuwaiti Tip of the Day:
Right now, there is a ferry to Failaka Island that leaves from Salmiya. Maybe next time I will bring my bike and explore the island!