Mangaf is looking significantly different with many houses under construction in what seems like a second boom after the roads. The blocks are outlined, the streets are numbered and water is now available for those who complete the tedious paperwork for connection to the mains. I jog here in the evenings and the level of traffic has increased – uncomfortably so in some parts – but it’s a sign of more and more people moving in. The mix is of many nationalities, from the east and the west. Even the Kuwaitis who have bought here are from all the backgrounds that make up Kuwait.
Another year or so for the final tidying up and this town will be a wonderful place to live.
You can’t miss the fence around the pipeline area, which is a real eyesore. The only positive thing I can think of is how beautiful the desert will look, inside, during the spring. No cars will damage the seasonal growth. I hope we can at least access it on foot. It would be a real shame not to use – at least the adjacent area – as a walkway for the nicer days of the year. My children and I have had many walks here, and I hope we can continue to do so next winter/spring.
I arrived this morning from a business trip. When I read on 248am and Nicole B blogs about a spill near the North Pier, I headed straight to the beach and saw the action there. There were two security cars. Having just arrived from 12 hour flight, the last thing I wanted to do is argue about taking photos. I chickened out – so please click the links in this post for more information.
With the terrible weather and the extra heat associated with road-surfacing, there has been a lot of activity at night recently. I took these shots outside our house a couple of nights ago. They started working around midnight and finished just before 4am.
The company is hard at work throughout the town. I would imagine it’s better to get the bulk of the work out of the way before the summer heat – and of course Ramadan!
I haven’t had a chance to speak to the project team, but I’m sure you’ve all seen the high activity this past week. The above video is of our ‘road’ shot earlier today.
This was in today’s Al Qabas (daily paper). It’s not as bad as they say: it hasn’t been a year! In fact they’ve made a lot of progress in their first few months. However I have noticed a significant slow down recently.
If anyone has information, please post a comment. I will try to talk to the project manager later this week.
UPDATE 28/3/2010
There are some signs of activity around the area. I haven’t had a chance to visit the project manager – I’m traveling. It’s not as bad as is in the paper!
