In contrast to the usual announcements at airports about security and leaving baggage unattended, those at Kuwait International Airport are truly remarkable. I have been informed that the air conditioning temperature is set to 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit - one cannot forget those backwards Americans!), so as to reduce the airport's electricity bill, and that passengers should turn off all unnecessary household appliances before travelling. How one should engage in this practice having already cleared passport control is not mentioned.
I initially thought that I had misheard - that it was an announcement in Arabic and that I was simply very, very tired. I quickly realised that the voices for the Arabic and English announcements were indeed different. There has been nothing about leaving baggage unattended, arriving at the gate on time or wider security concerns. Clearly Kuwaitis are more concerned about the environment than they are about terrorist attacks. Not that one should complain about this, for it does make a refreshing change from the majority of airports at which one is scowled at, ignored, and reminded that the spectre of terrorism is omnipresent and that by merely leaving one's handbag unobserved for a few seconds, one is helping the terrorists win. I even had a lengthy conversation with the operator of an x-ray scanning machine about the tragedy of Steve Irwin's death a couple of years ago.
Having said this, given the recent history of Kuwait and its neighbours, perhaps a little more focus on security matters would be assuring. Not that anybody sitting around me seems to have noticed the announcements in the way that I have. Perhaps I am just simply very tired and am imagining them. I doubt it though - I don't think that my brain is creative enough to have concocted something of this nature so early in the morning after so little sleep. And there are still the announcements about designated smoking areas to confirm that it is not a dream.
Update: I wasn't the only person who heard it, so I'm not imagining things.
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