Day 3-8

Hey guys, long time no update. Sorry about that, but between keeping busy where we are and questionable internet access, I've been unable to get online for very long.

Basically for the first 4 days we were on a base in the Middle East where we spent a solid day and a half and had seriously the time of our lives. They showed us a demonstration in their K-9 unit, showed us around their flight line, and even got to be in a car on the runway going 200 km/hr underneath a plane while it landed. It was absolutely surreal, and seriously awesome. I'm quite certain it was one of the best experiences of my life. We met some really amazing people, and are already in touch with them post-leaving.

The show there went amazingly. We had a great crowd response, including someone who kept yelling for "More cowbell," and by our second set presented us with one signed by all the guys we spent the day with. Afterwards Jon and Aaron went back to a lounge with some of them and proudly can say that they kicked their asses in Halo... which is almost as sweet as watching 'Team America' with them, which we also did. We were really sad to leave, but on tours like this it's like we don't even have time to comprehend everything that's going on.

(mountainous Fujairah)

USO met us the day we left and drove us to Fujairah, where there is a small Navy base. We played at a classy/tacky hotel bar (that description pretty much fits the middle east in respect to their decor. over the top and yet in such bright colors it looks... less over the top). The show was a lot smaller as the base itself is smaller, but it was awesome for that exact reason. Being able to talk to everyone while we're playing is always a cool atmosphere, and they were a lot of fun (no alcohol restrictions will do that to you, I think). After we played a band by the name of 'Sugar Extract' took the stage when the night club opened. 3 skantily-clad women began singing such American hits as 'Single Ladies' and 'Umbrella' and you can bet your ass I have it on video. I just wish I had the means to edit it down (and the time), but once I do I'll post a few.

(Everyone on one of the boats)

The next day there the Navy took us out on their boats for a bit of a joy ride, which was pretty sweet. We had only met the guys briefly the night before at the show so it was fun to go out with them and spend an hour or so with them. We then drove to Dubai, stopping at a street market somewhere along the way and grabbing some goodies (the conversion of $ to Dirhams is 1:3.66, so we make out pretty well). We checked into our hotel, and decided to walk around. That lasted all of ten minutes though, as we had a bit of a 'Lost in Translation' moment, and the heat was pretty horrible. It's such a big city, and though we wanted to see more it just wasn't going to happen when I had a map in front of me and couldn't even identify where our hotel was when we were a block away. We went to the pool, showered and got dressed up a bit more than usual (with 100 degree weather and clothing restrictions usually being long pants and sleeves, I have learned to not really care what I look like when you leave because you start to sweat as soon as you leave buildings out here).

(Dubai not far from our hotel)

(how awesome is this money? it's got a goat on it!)

Ariel (USO volunteer and awesome dancer, as I found out from the Starlight Night Club) and her husband showed us around the Gold Souk, where we ate at this hole-in-the-wall tahli place that I really wouldn't have even wanted to walk past if they hadn't eaten there and told us it was safe. I'm a huge fan of learning about different cultures, but in an area where there is no potable drinking water and the streets are scattered with dogs, cats, and trash, I have learned to be picky. The place was great though, they served 4 small cups of different things (one had bananas, one had potatoes, one had lentils, and one was yellow... that's all I know), and kept giving you pita bread as you ate. It was all you can eat for 12D (about 3 bucks), and though it was spicier than hell, it was fantastic.

After that we went to the Dubai Mall, which is the biggest mall in the world and has an indoor ice rink, aquarium, water show bigger than that of the Bellagio... it's excessive to say the least, and not at all what you expect when you think of the Middle East. It is also located next to the tallest building in the world, so that was definitely a sight. We stayed for a bit then headed back for 3 hours of sleep before heading to the airport.

When we got there, a very interesting day began. We arrived at the Dubai airport 3 hours before our departure, and at the check-in gate we were told our excess baggage would cost $18,000 to get to Djibouti. This is by far more than we had budgeted for in our contract (an absurd to the nth degree), so we sat and waited for something to be sorted out. Finally something was (not entirely favorable but far less than the previous 18k), and we had to SPRINT through this airport to catch our next flight. It, just like the mall, was massive. And it looked like Disneyworld. And we had to go up an elevator, then down an escalator, then down a ramp to get to the gate. Make sense? Didn't think so.

We arrived in Ethiopia a few hours later, and let me tell you... it's weird. Really REALLY small airport, not really clean, and not a whole lot to do. We made the time pass as best we could, and then got on our Ethiopian Air flight to Djibouti, which was by far our most uncomfortable (Even though it was only an hour.. not looking forward to flying with them for 5 hours to Bahrain). When we finally arrived at the Djibouti airport (roughly the size of your average American home - very slight exaggeration), we were stuck outside, waiting to get into the building to get the relief of some air conditioning. When we finally got there, we walked in to discover that there wasn't any. To add to that, when we got to customs they wouldn't allow us in because we hadn't gotten a visa prior to arriving (we didn't know that hadn't been cleared up already), so we had to wait in line at the police office. Again another door, again more hopes of some ac, again being let down to discover it is just one more phase of stuffy. We had to pay out of pocket for the visas, then gather up all of our equipment from the only baggage claim they have there. The porters told us they would carry our things for $150 and wouldn't let us carry them ourselves. Finally they did and we met up with James, our guide for our visit, and we got everything loaded into a pickup truck and bus.

(this is how Djibouti looks when you drive the streets of it... no joke)

Already it's very easy to see the difference between UAE and Djibouti, and there is no gray area between the lowest of the low and highest of the high in wealth. There is trash strewn about everywhere, and unlike camels being treated as royalty almost in UAE (if you kill a camel you pay less than you would if you killed a human being), there are camels eating trash out of dumpsters on the side of the road. Dogs, cats, goats, you name it; they are the same as rats in NYC when you're here. We arrived at base not too long afterwards and were given a place to stay where we promptly showered and passed out.

(cheetah!)

The next day we met up with James for a few meetings and tours. The first was cancelled, but then we drove out to the cheetah refuge not far from the base. We got to see gazelles, hyenas, ostriches, turtles, and cheetahs that were either saved from poachers or people who thought they would make good pets. It was crazy to be in Africa seeing all these things, knowing that although it's very zoo-like in its appearance it's not far off from being a farm sanctuary somewhere in NY where you can see the goats and cows. After that James wanted to get some coffee, and I was pretty unsure of myself. Pretty much every time I eat from Dubai on I've felt like garbage, so eating somewhere in Djibouti really wasn't my idea of a good time. However, once we cleared a bridge in town it looked as though we crossed over from extreme poverty to Delray Beach, Florida. Exquisite buildings sat tall behind closed gates and flowering vines stretched from top to bottom. We had arrived at the 4-star hotel, the Kensington. It was absolutely stunning. You had to go through a guarded gate and security when you first arrived, but it honestly looked like a whole different world. It was crazy, and that caffeine was so necessary (I'm a coffee fiend; and I haven't gotten my adequate fix since I've been here).

After we returned we grabbed some lunch, had a bit of a break to use some internet, and then got ready for the show. We are doing 2 shows here, so we can (yay!) leave things set up. It went really well, and afterwards we met a bunch of great people, a few of which are from CNY. We also got the hook-up to go on a helicopter ride on Tuesday... so stoked.

Anyways, today we had our first tour get cancelled so I finally have some time to update with some pictures, sorry this is all so long. We depart Djibouti tomorrow for Bahrain. Again, no promises on the internet but I sure as hell hope the Ethiopian airlines flights are cleaner and nicer this time around. I stole a bunch of these pictures from Taryn, Jess' sister acting as manager on this tour, as my batteries are dead and she has a sweet camera :)

EDIT: We went out to visit the ammo shop, and got to do fun things like this: