Wow. I totally forgot about my blog. It's been crazy, hectic, and all around mad! I've been living my life like there's no tomorrow. Since my last entry, I've done things and been places that I never have before. I'm living the dream, and it's pure awesome in a can. :D
Last November, I visited the Middle East with my photography partner, Parc Cruz, for the first time in my life. We were asked to hold a workshop there. From Manila, it was a straight shot to Abu Dhabi, where the stopover was around 4 hours long, then we continued to our final destination, Kuwait. When we got there, I had no idea what the place was like, and who to meet. After running around the airport like headless chickens for a few minutes, two guys finally came up to us and introduced themselves as members of PINDOT, the photography group who invited us there. They were Filipinos based in Kuwait, and wanted to show us what Kuwait was all about. So we went to McDonald's for breakfast. Go figure. Ha!
But honestly, it's a trip that I'll never forget. I absolutely LOVED Kuwait and the hospitality of our hosts there. From day one, they made sure that all our needs were met, and that we were comfortable and happy. Our accommodations were really nice, and the weather was perfect! It was the start of Winter in Kuwait, so the temperature was hovering at around 19-21deg in the daytime and around 8-10deg at night. It was wonderful!
Kuwait is in the middle of the desert, but along the Persian Gulf. Prior to visiting, the only idea I had of Kuwait was what I saw on TV during the gulf war of 1990. Destruction, chaos, suffering. That's all I knew. But my visit changed my entire view of the country. The place was definitely NOT what I thought it would be like. The roads were beautiful, lights were bright everywhere, shops were open, malls were plentiful, and the city was just really great. Progressive. I rather enjoyed the fact that we didn't really come across any form of racism (except for that one national who thought we looked like criminals. LOL!) or bigotry during our stay. Our hosts were especially nice to us. In fact, I felt like they had been my friends for years, when in fact, that was the first time I had met them. Cheers!
The workshop itself was s success, with around 20 participants. There were Filipinos, Kuwait nationals, Arabs, and a mix of different ethnicities. The workshop was a collaboration between digital artist Parc Cruz, International Designer/Stylist Rocky Gathercole, and I.
The rest of our stay was spent going around the city, seeing the sights, trying the food, and just experiencing Kuwait. On our last night there, the temperature dropped to around 8deg and we spent the evening smoking Hookahs at the bayside. Wind chill factor! It got REALLY cold, and we were out there shivering our asses off, smoking hookahs. FUN! Hahaha!
Before I forget, let me tell you abnout the CARS! I'm a petrol head myself, and the cars I saw on the road over there made my jaw drop! Everyday cars were Dodge Chargers,
Chevy Camaros, and other muscle cars. The regular joes were driving around in drop-top Beemers and Mercs. We would occasionally come across some flying Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but the most exotic car I saw over there was a Rolls Royce Phantom. *eyes bulge* The funny thing about the cars though, is the way people over there drive them. It seems that cars in Kuwait have 2 speeds - wide-open-throttle and stop. Tires were screeching all over the place, you could smell burning brakes, and the roads were covered in tire burns... and that was in traffic!
When I left for Manila, our hosts from PINDOT even made it a point to not just drop me off at the airport, but even to stay there with me until I got on the plane. Talk about hospitality! They even gave me some trinkets and stuff as remembrances of my awesome stay in that awesome country.
Once again, I would like to send out my heartfelt thanks to PINDOT for the great trip. I will never forget it as long as I live!
