On the Move

Took this photo today, when I went to grab lunch after doing the various "inventories" associated with moving. They make sure we didn't take any of the supplied furniture (it sucks, not sure anyone would really want it) and generally didn't destroy the place (no cats, no kids...no destruction). Our apartment building is in the distance, pretty much dead center, it is the one that is kind of orange, with taller ones immediately on each side.

Marina Crescent, Kuwait

Making the Cut

A few days back, Elesa talked me into doing the "photo a day" type thing at 365 Project
I've been dutifully taking and posting at least one photo everyday. You can see my daily photo HERE or via the link on the right. I worry a bit about becoming mundane, especially when we're in the midst of another move. On the other hand, it is prompting me to take photos I've thought about taking for a long time, but have been too lazy to actually get out and take.

This morning I took a few photos, the sunrise (just fortuitous), and then two traffic circles I see on my way to work, a mini version of the Kuwaiti Towers and a giant version of a brass tea pot. I've been wanting to get photos of them on a clear morning for at least a year now. The daily photo project, and my impending departure finally made me get off my duff and get the photos. The Towers made the today's cut for my photo. Here are versions of the other two. I'm on the laptop now, no color calibrated monitor and GIMP vice Photoshop. I hope the colors aren't too whacked out


Kuwaiti Sunrise

Tea Pot

Organic...NOT! (at least temporarily)

I noticed this label on a lot of the produce today. I hope no one minds the parsley in the stuffing tomorrow was temporarily not organic...from what I can tell, it is not plastic either. (at least the stuffing will be made with real butter!)

Not Organic Parsley

Christmas Cranberries

Getting ready for a little Christmas dinner tomorrow with friends. Elesa is fighting a nasty cold ... and now the fire alarm is going off, it is telling me I'm apparently burning down the whole building...

Cooking Cranberries - Christmas Eve

Finding Art in Bathroom Explosions

I know what you are probably thinking....but that isn't what we were thinking when we heard a tremendous crash tonight. Our bathroom shower, a big thick glass thing, had....EXPLODED!


The Scene as We Walked In

Not being one to miss an opportunity to get a few cool photos, here is the "art" part.

Shatter Pattern On Door

Broken Bits

More Broken Bits

Fireworks!

Everyone loves fireworks. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of its constitution, Kuwait put on what is reportedly a world record fireworks show. Tonight's extravaganza was over an hour long, a few miles of fireworks along the Gulf Rd. We watched from a friend's apartment.


Traffic Looking for Parking

The Red Ones

Grove Of Palm Trees

Blue Ones (My Favorite)

More Blue Ones (Because this is my blog, and they're my favorite)

White Ones (My Second Favorite)

walking around

with my camera and here is what I saw today.


Minarets - Salmiya, Kuwait

Rocks in Black and White

Sunset in Abstract

Kuwait Towers - Kuwait

Butter, Lost in Translation

Churn the corn milk and get...Butter! I'm not guessing when I say it wouldn't pass my sister's taste test...the sign used to just say "Homemade Butter", but now they've come clean and defined exactly what they are churning here.
"Butter"???

Action Scenes From Car"cass" IX

Here are a couple of my cellphone shots from the scene. At this point the occupants of the vehicle on the right had been removed, and the fire was extinguished.

Bystanders

Smoke and Haze

Car"cass" IX - Ear Witness

I haven't done a "Carcass" series in quite a while...more out of laziness than for lack of subject matter. However, I couldn't pass on the the remains from an accident I witnessed last night.

Last night on my walk, a few minutes after seeing two consecutive cars pass by with ~2 year old girls hopping up and down in the front passenger seats on their moms laps, totally unrestrained...I heard the short squeal of a car sliding and the big boom of a big impact. The accident was not even a couple hundred yards away on the other side of the highway and immediately people were running to the scene. When I came upon it, the two cars were side by side as if they had backed into adjacent parking spots in a parking lot except they were in the middle of the road. The cars' front ends...obliterated. People were frantically trying to open a passenger door, eventually resorting to using a flag pole to pry the passenger door open and get the passenger out as the car began to burn. Bystanders were everywhere yelling and trying to get the fire out and the people out. Eventually some came running with fire extinguishers, most of which were promptly used improperly and ineffectively. I even saw a couple extinguishers being sprayed willy-nilly 20-30 ft away as the person carrying them ran toward the car. But the fire was suppressed and the passenger removed from the car.

In the confusion of the night, the lights, the yelling people everywhere, the smoke from the fire and haze of the fire extinguishers, I walked away. I got back to the apartment 10-15 minutes or so later. I was left with the following in my head and emailed my sister my basic thoughts:

How did they have such a forceful head-on wreck on a one way road in such heavy traffic when neither car was traveling the wrong direction?

The ambulance took at least 30 minutes to get there, weaving thru at least 1/2 mile of stopped dead traffic, I figured all occupants probably died, unless airbags are miracle workers (in general, only Americans and a few select other westerners wear seatbelts here).

This morning I happened to drive down that stretch of Gulf Road and noticed that the vehicles involved have been pulled over about 100 yards down and to the side of the road, but still in the same relative positions to each other. I walked down a little later and took the photos below. I also learned a little in the light of day:

This is about how the cars came to rest relative to one another but out on the road itself.

Carcass IX - Evidence Exhibit A

Looking at it's windshield, I'm still thinking the occupants of the Marquis considered themselves very skill drivers and so weren't wearing their seatbelts and probably did not survive.
Shattered Windshield - Exhibit B

The Marquis' pried open passenger door.

Pried Open Passenger Door - Exhibit C

The Marquis' deployed driver side airbag and dashboard broken in half.

Deployed Airbags - Exhibit D

The Marquis' passenger side, In the light of day, I don't think the main impact was head on...not that it explains how it happened though.
Evidence to the Contrary

Epilogue:

The Honda Accord's airbags, both front and side-curtain were also deployed. Except for a small crack where the review mirror is attached, the windshield was intact. In retrospect, none of the panic of the people was focused on the Honda....although they may be a bit bruised up and shook up, I now believe the driver of the Honda was probably not so confident in his skill as a driver and so was wearing a seatbelt...and survived.

Update: Death Race 2011

As I'm sure many are anxious to know how Death Race 2011 ended...
Unsurprisingly, 2011 continued its domination in the 2nd half:

• 2010  - 374
• 2011  - 492

source: Kuwait Times another item of note from the same article:

• "around 70,000 traffic accidents that occurred in Kuwait"

...HOLY COW! I couldn't produce Car"cass" photos that fast if my life depended on it.
I'd tag this as "humor" but in reality, it's sad.

Out and About Kuwait - III

We went out to the camel races on New Year's Eve (daytime) with Carl and some friends. It is interesting and as they drive alongside the racing camels, the whole thing is far more orderly and logical than I would have thought after experiencing the driving and traffic on normal roads here. I put the complete set of photos on Photobucket. Here are a few preview photos.

Readying the "Jockeys", Kuwait

Camels Before the Race, Kuwait

About 3 Km into a 6 Km Race, Kuwait

Car"cass" VII - Death Race 2011

I can't afford the expensive actors so people are poaching my brand. I'm trying to defend it as much as possible, Arabic sub-titles, and the best actor I can afford, a Corvette. I even had a stunt man sans seat-belt go up and over the airbag...
Carcass VII - Death Race 2011

Carcass VII - With Arabic Subtitles

Carcass VII - Starring "Corvette"

Carcass VII - Featuring "Toyota" In a Supporting Role

Carcass VII - Incredible Death Stunts

Afternoon Walk

Took my walk today during the day. I usually go at night, but it was such a nice day and I have a lot of yesterday's turkey and trimmings to walk off. As is normal on nice weekend days this time of year, there were thousands of families chilling and grilling out along the waterfront. Here are a couple of the photos I took.
Kuwait Towers - Kuwait

A little "wayside" mosque I frequently pass by along the water. Crescent Moon - Kuwait

That'll be $8.25...

What a deal! with the exchange rate that is only...$8.25 16 oz Sour Cream

"Car"cass V - Remnants On The Cutting Room Floor

Yes, it was a banner weekend for the "Car"cass brand...

This first remnant may be the remains of something that happened while we were out of town. It was less than 100 yds up the street from Carcass IV, at the intersection with Gulf Rd. Which coincidentally was the same location as Carcass I and the same location as "It Came from the Deep" on 2:48AM's blog. Which goes to show that they probably drive/sail boats and watercraft as bad as they do cars here.

Carcass Va - Kuwait




Bus stops may not be the best place to hang around. It was seeing a truck wipe out a bus stop on the 30 here a couple months ago that was an impetus for my "Car"cass series. Then again, Gulf Rd probably isn't the best place to hang around, as this was just 200 yds or so down toward Marina Mall from the three others.

Carcass Vb - Kuwait

"Car"cass IV - P is for Perpetrator

I can't believe I didn't see or hear this one at the time. I can literally spit on the "victim" out our living room window. A friend pointed it out to me sitting in a parking lot near our apartment Saturday morning and the carcass was still there for the mug shot in the evening. From the intersection where he took the turn, the perp had less than 100 yds to build up to the speed to do this.

Carcass IV, The Perp - Kuwait




The Victim - Kuwait

"Car"cass III - Dawn of the Dead

I saw this wreck on Gulf Rd right after it happened Wednesday night during my evening walk. A black sedan took out this palm tree. The car must have been totally airborne when it hit, none of the little bushes hedging the median were damaged and there are no tire marks on the grass. So I woke up early the next morning and scurried down there right after sunrise...and the car was gone! Only some broken bits remained.

Carcass III - Kuwait

"Car"cass II - The Cremation

I saw this carcass today in a parking lot off Gulf Road near the Kuwait Towers. I'm thinking it was probably there for a couple days, the smell wasn't so bad.


Carcass II - KuwaitPhoto From The "Good Side"




Carcass II - KuwaitThe Not So Good Side




Carcass II - KuwaitWith No Make-Up




Carcass II - KuwaitFace It, You're a Wreck

Iconic Kuwait

When you see images of Kuwait, the Kuwait Towers are almost always included. They are only about 5 miles down the road from us but we took a little time and went up there today. Otherwise we'd probably "get to it someday" and still never have been when it is time to leave for good. It cost 2KD (about $7.20) to take an elevator to the top ball of the tower with two balls. The lower ball houses a restaurant and cafe, the upper ball houses a 2-level viewing platform and a gift and snack shop. The windows weren't very clean, but with the dust the way it is around here, I didn't find that very surprising.


Kuwait Towers - Kuwait City




Kuwait Towers - Kuwait City




Kuwait Towers - Kuwait City




Kuwait Towers - Kuwait City




Water Park @ Kuwait Towers - Kuwait City




You Can See! - Kuwait City