KUWAIT
I travelled to Kuwait In 1989 and 1990 from Iraq (where I was working at that time) once a month in order to extend my visa.
Iraq extended a working visa once a year, max 5 times. Previously, I was working in Iraq from 1979 till 1985 on military projects and the project of special interest to the Iraqi Government (Saddam’s bunker, HQ of Baath Party etc), my visa was extended 6th and 7th time (1979-1985). During my 7th year in Iraq, I moved to Jordan.
When I came back in 1989, I couldn’t get a working visa so, I had to go to Kuwait once a month and stay in Iraq practically as a tourist.
Since, Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990 and the situation with USA was pretty tense, I couldn’t go to Kuwait any more, I had to leave the country.
Going to Kuwait was not so simple.
I couldn’t go there as a tourist but on a business trip only. Luckily, my company was doing works there too. Our business partner from Kuwait would send me a letter of invitation for a business trip. The same letter would wait for me at the Kuwait border as a proof of the nature of my trip. It functioned pretty well.
Since air transport didn’t exist due to war operations, I was going there by car. My driver Zoran would take me to the border and I would catch a taxi on the other side of the border to Kuwait City. I would stay in Kuwait 1, 2 or 3 days. Zoran would wait for me.
I remember the border as always pretty hot, humid and – dusty.
KUVAJT
U Kuvajt sam 1989 I 1990 odlazio iz Iraka (gde sam radio) jednom mesecno (do povratka kuci u avgustu - septembru 1990) da bih produzavao boravisnu dozvolu.
Iracani produzavaju boravisne dozvole svake godine I to makimalno 5 puta. Obzirom da sam ja radio na vojnim projektima od velikog znacaja za Irak (vojne baze, Sadamov bunker, sediste Sadamove Baath partije itd) meni je izdavana specijalna dozvola za 6 pa I 7 godinu boravka u periodu 1979-1985. Sedme godine sam napustio Irak I otisao za Jordan. Kada sam se 1989 vratio u Iraq, nisam mogao da dobijem boravisnu dozvolu vec sam dozvolu produzavo svakih mesec dana odlaskom za Kuwait. Prakticno, radio sam u statusu turiste.
Kako je 2 avgusta 1990 izvrsena invazija na Kuwait, tamo vise nisam mogao da odlazim pa sam sticajem okolnosti morao da napustim Irak.
Ni odlazak za Kuwait nije bio bas jednostavan.
Tamo se nije moglo uci kao turista vec iskljucivo poslovno. Na srecu, moja firma je imala gradilista I u Kuwaitu pa bi mi nas poslovni partner iz Kuwaita izdavao pismo, pozivnicu za sluzbeni put. To pismo bi me cekalo na granici. Funkcionisalo je odlicno.
Avio letova nije bilo. Za Kuwait sam odlazio kolima. Put od oko 700km uglavnom vodi kroz pustinju. Moj vozac Zoran bi me dovezao do granice, Ja bih presao peske I sa granice, taksijem isao u Kuwait. Tamo bih ostajao dan, dva ili tri. Zoran bi ostao I cekao me na granici.
Tamo je uvek bilo dosta vruce, vlazno I – prasnjavo.
Road to Kuwait
I was going there by car. My driver Zoran would take me to the border and I would catch a taxi on the other side of the border to Kuwait City. I would stay in Kuwait 1, 2 or 3 days. Zoran would wait for me.
Put za Kuvajt
Avio letova nije bilo zbog ratnih operacija, za Kuwait sam odlazio kolima. Put od oko 700km uglavnom vodi kroz pustinju. Moj vozac Zoran bi me dovezao do granice, Ja bih presao peske I sa granice, taksijem isao u Kuwait. Tamo bih ostajao dan, dva ili tri. Zoran bi ostao I cekao me na granici.
At that time, Kuwait was considered as the richest country in the world. It was full of building sites. Something like “Dubai” of that time.
U to verme, Kuwait je vazio za najbogatiju zemlju na svetu. Dosta se gradilo. Bio je to “Dubai” tog vremena.
Kuwait Towers
One of the landmarks was a set of 187m high Water Tanks, called Kuwait Towers with restaurants and cafes in the highest levels. It was built in 1971-1976 by Union Engineering, Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Tornjevi Kuvajta
Jedna od znamenitosti je bio set tornjeva za vodu, visokih 187m, sa restoranima I kafeima na vrhu, Tornjevi su izgradjeni 1971-1976 godine. Izvodjac radova je bio Union inzenjering iz Beograda, Jugoslavija.