Another gorgeous morning and a few new sand toys meant another day spent at Anjafa Beach today. We scoured the beach for treasures, opened a treasure shop, built sand castles, talked to stray kitties, and took about a gazillion photos… It was a good morning and I’m so, so grateful for the lovely weather we’ve been having here in Kuwait. Before long, we’ll be be melting from the heat, so we’re soaking it in while we can.
Tag Archives: things to do with kids in Kuwait
Sabah Al Salem Playground
Finding nice playgrounds to visit in Kuwait is no easy task. While there are a good number of them scattered around the country, most are fairly disastrous. From our experience, they’re often smeared with food, littered with fast food garbage, and on the dangerous side due to broken equipment that seems to take months to be repaired.
Jarir Bookstore {in Hawally Park}
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.
Anjafa Beach
Today we ventured down to Anjafa Beach to check out the fun-looking playground we’d passed by a few days back, but were disappointed to find that while it looked cool from the road, it was basically a hot mess up close. Other than being filthy {something we’ve grown very used to when it comes to playgrounds in Kuwait}, many pieces of equipment were broken {and sharp} and the play area was surrounded by construction holes, wires sticking out of the ground, and stacks of bricks. Not quite what we were hoping for….
Luckily though, the beach area in the same park was quite lovely. Besides a few fishermen way down the way, we pretty much had the entire thing to ourselves and spent the morning finding treasures, dipping our toes in the cool waves, and making footprints and drawings in the untouched sand. It was a really lovely morning. Now if only the weather would stay just like this year round…
Al Kout Mall & Lookout Tower
Al Kout Mall is one of my favourite nearby places to hang out in Kuwait… It has a beautiful water-lined walking path leading up to it, fountains that are choreographed to music, and tons of outdoor seating space. Plus, if you go in the mornings, it’s very quiet, which I love. Miss G and I visited this morning, enjoyed cool drinks outside, and then climbed to the top of the lookout tower. Here’s our morning in photos…
A Walk Along the Gulf…
After giving birth in Canada and returning to Kuwait with a 20 day old baby girl, I was very lucky to find myself in the company of 4 friends / fellow teachers who were also brand new moms {or very soon-to-be}. All living in the same school-provided apartments was a huge blessing as a freshly minted mama {and a stay-at-home one at that} and the ladies and babes that Miss G and I spent our days with very quickly became like a second family. Throughout the year, us mamas took turns hosting brunches, housing baby play dates, and organizing fun outings for us all to enjoy. One of our weekly staples was a walk along the Arabian Gulf with a pitstop at Starbucks before heading back the opposite way again. Comprised of saltwater air, sunshine, a palm-lined path, and a promise of a midpoint coffee, it was always a favourite outing of mine.
Fast forward three years.
Though {sadly} no longer snuggled up in a wrap and accompanied by a posse of adorable baby friends, today Grae and I did our favourite walk once again for the first time since being back in Kuwait. It was a little too hot for comfort, but we parked in the shade of a tree at the sea club like we always do, made our way along the gulf, cooled down with some a/c and a cold drink, and even popped by Al-Kout to watch the dancing fountains before heading back.
Grae’s new fascinations now include magenta trash bins, searching for squirrels in the bushes along the water {sorry kid, not gonna happen!}, the roughness of palm trunks, and echo of the call to prayer. Here’s our morning in photos…
Bright Minds’ Creative Play Area
One of the things I loved most about living in Vancouver with a toddler was how much there was to do. During our 2 years there, I never felt like I was grasping for things to do and see – not even during the dreary winters… On beautiful days we’d visit parks, hang out at the beach, and go for walks, and on rainy days we’d hang out at our favourite indoor spots (community centre play gyms, pools, libraries, and skating rinks, the conservatory, the airport observation area, 6 Pack Beach, Pottery Barn Kids, the Play Palace, UBC, Kokopeli, or Sweet Salt to name a few). On top of all of that, kids’ programs were plentiful and inexpensive, so we enjoyed many rounds of parent and tot swimming and ballet, and we were members at both the Vancouver Aquarium and Science World.
Having had it so good for so long, I was a teensy bit worried that our days in Kuwait would be dull in comparison. The truth is, parks and play areas and kids programs do exist here… it’s just that without talking to the right person, you may never find out about them {and once you do, they can be terribly expensive}. So, I decided to start my research early. We were actually still living in Vancouver when I first learned about Bright Minds Creative Learning Centre. It looked and sounded like the perfect place for us online, so I was excited for our first visit.
The Scientific Center Kuwait
Ever since arriving in Kuwait, Miss G has talked about doing 2 special things when we visit Vancouver next summer… Going to the Kerrisdale Play Palace and visiting Science World. Well imagine her surprise when I told her that Kuwait has its own version of both of those things – so excited! She’s waited for weeks and weeks, and now that we finally have a car, we were able to cross one of the two off of our list this morning.