The Gulf Coast v the south coast – the difference between the seaside in Kuwait and Plymouth

By Claire McCarthy, on Saturday, March 26, 2011

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside: after growing up in Plymouth, the sea has a special allure for Claire McCarthy

One reason for coming to Kuwait was to be by the sea again. I grew up in Plymouth and I missed the sight of the open sea and the crisp, clean smell on a summer morning.

Sadly, this was not to be the case here. There are two smells where I live – oil and what spills into the sea from the waste pipes. I have only been in the sea once, to return covered in oil. My Dad suggested swarfega to get it off and I had a variety of other suggestions from bleach to toothpaste, but in the end washing powder seemed to do the trick!

The main attraction in this part of town is a hotel resort, with its own private beach giving the foreign teachers a place where they can go and feel they are back in the West.

Resorts like this can be found up the Gulf coast, but due to the lack of tourist attractions in Kuwait they are mainly used for conferences and musical performances. It is a nice bit of normality as far as I’m concerned. But after the oil experience I am happy to use the health club and sunbathe on the beach only.

I also shouldn’t forget what foreigners class around here as the most important aspect of Kuwait – it is a dry country. Not only does it rarely rain here, but you cannot buy any form of alcohol (legally). So, when we first arrived it wasn’t long before conversation turned to the subject of alcohol! It reminds me a little of films about 1920s America during prohibition! It would seem the easiest way to deal with wanting a drink is to hop on a plane to the Emirates, Bahrain or Qatar or you will end up paying £100 for a watered down bottle of Scotlands finest!

• Next week Claire gets some retail therapy