Yalla to Failaka

Yalla is arabic for "Go".

David is holding a discarded AK47 rifle cartridge. We found it laying on the floor of this abandoned house.



Here's what Google has to say:
Failaka Island
Failaka Island is one of the most important islands of Kuwait and is one of the most beautiful and most famous islands of Kuwait. Pronounced "Failacha" in the local dialect, it combines the ancient history of Kuwait, dating back to the early Stone Age and the modern history of Kuwait. The home of Kuwait's main archaeological site, Failaka's history goes back to the Bronze Age Dilmun civilization, which was centerd in Bahrain. The Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC in the form of a garrison sent by Nearchus, one of Alexander the Great's admirals. The remains of a temple can be found there today. Coins and seals found there point to Failaka remaining an important trading post with links to Iraq, Persia, the Mediterranean, the Levant, India and Africa. Its fresh water and strategic position favouring the Island's development.
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. Many Kuwaitis fish there and some former residents visit occasionally, but special permits are required.

We visited here one day during our recent Spring break. It was a great adventure, full of mystery (the vacated houses made it look like a ghost town), and yet it was strangely "odd" because it was so quiet. If I had a million dinar, I would buy the island and turn it into a resort because it's got a great location and some natural beauty. There are two smallish resorts there, but there's still lots of room for improvement.

Yet I enjoyed it most because of it's strange aloneness.