Today Miss G and I ventured out to one of my favourite bookshops in Kuwait… Jarir Bookstore! It’s located right inside Hawally Park, which is sort of weird, but makes for an interesting visit.
Because we were there on a weekday morning in the middle of winter, the place was absolutely deserted, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t decorated for Kuwait National Day.
The one and only shop that was open in the park other than the bookstore was a tiny pet shop right near the main entrance which I always equate with coloured chicks. Sure enough, there they were right in the window as always – crammed in a dirty cage on display for all to see. Grae really wanted to go inside and get a closer look, and despite the fact that looking through the window was plenty for me, we ventured in. Other than the {nose-burning} awful smell, inside we found a clerk who was fast asleep, a turtle that Grae declared ‘dead’, and a handful of dwarf bunnies, one of which was wearing a baby blue dress. Oh my word. That was enough of that.
I lured Grae back outside with the promise of seeing the rides, so off we went.
It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the rides were sketchy looking to say the least. When I asked Miss G what she thought about this one, she replied, ‘Why are those wires sticking out like that? That’s DANGEROUS!’ Hah – agreed, my love.
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Eventually, we found our way to our final destination. I was sort of surprised to see how run down the outside of the building looked (okay, not that surprised), but luckily the inside was filled with all sorts of great things, just like I remembered it. I ended up being so caught up in checking out the stock that I didn’t take any photos inside, but we did find a ton of good stuff! Some of the highlights include our very favourite book – Press Here by Herve Tullet, a decent selection of Safari TOOBS {which we use in sensory bins and for small world play constantly), tissue paper in all sorts of colours, unfinished wood products (like jewellery boxes and bird houses), and self-laminating pouches (my new favourite – these are amazing!!)
With a giant bag full of great stuff, we were on our way again, but not without stopping to say goodbye to the chicks and rabbits first! {I spy a teeny tiny rabbit in a blue dress – ugh.}
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Jarir! I grew up in Saudi Arabia and loved going to Jarir Bookstore and buy craft supplies. This brought back fond memories of the Middle East and being a Third Culture Kid. Thanks for sharing. :)
I loved going there when I lived in Kuwait a few years ago. I was always looking for stuff for my classroom. Oh, the memories.