Monday, May 10, 2010

Our tenth anniversary

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Our anniversary fell in the middle of the week.  We went for dinner but decided to continue our celebration by spending the day at Failaka Island.  I looked up on line to find information about the island and the ferry to get over there.   Check out this site.   Seems like a really neat place to visit for the day……doesn't it??http://www.failakaheritagevillage.com

DSCN0033                                 Here we go………

I also found out some of the history …….this is what I read…”The Island of Failaka is one of the most beautiful and most famous islands of Kuwait. It combines the ancient history of Kuwait, dating back to the early Stone Age and the modern history of Kuwait.”   and it continues….”Failaka Island is located in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. Springtime on Failaka Island is regarded as particularly special by Kuwaitis. Failaka has quite a different ecosystem to mainland Kuwait, and its budding flowers and changing temperatures are much appreciated. Although the island's infrastructure remains poor, Failaka is beginning to develop a local tourist industry; it provides fishing, boating, swimming, sailing and water sportsDSCN0069      We rented this little dune buggy to see the sights

The few remaining local residents are mostly those Failakawans who lived with their families on the island prior to the Iraqi Invasion of 1990. Most Failakawans have their own boats and some are involved in tourism, but many are reticent about letting tourism detract from the quiet island life.” 

(We think we know what Gilligan felt landing on a deserted island.)  Not much going on here….but good to see there is a gas station with an ATM…..just in case……DSCN0061 

The more we saw, the stranger it got….and these signs just say it all

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“When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 Iraqi forces expelled the civilian population and mined the beaches. After Iraq was expelled from Kuwait in 1991, the Kuwaiti government resettled the island's population on on the mainland and compensated islanders for their property. The island has been cleared of mines, and it has been used for military exercises. “

OHHHHHHH  !!

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not exactly as advertised huh?!! How cool though..places you never in your wildest dreams would have visited! I love hearing about all your adventures and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Love you