So, I'd say right now I'm about 100 miles into Iraqi airspace at around FL290 I think… but I'll have to check that later for validity.
I'm heading home form an Arabian Adventure and I thought I spend the time doing something productive… so I'll nap later. Bt right now. I thought I'd type up a blog entry for posting later. I have to say the most disappointing aspect of the trip was the lack of Kuwaiti culture encountered. Seriously it was like flying to Palm Springs. As we drove down Arabian Gulf road, we passed every dining option that's available in Newnan, GA. Johnny Corino's, Ruby Tuesday, Buffalo's, Chili's, and we had dinner at Applebee's.
Baghdad is right outside the window now….
Back to Kuwait City…. Its shockingly western. Especially for the alleged dislike for the infidels they harbor. I don't see it. Once again I found the local population to be most courteous… except when driving. OH my god, I thought Manhattan was a free for all. These people… Well… Lets say that the Kuwaiti police don't ticket Kuwaiti's, or Brits, or Americans, so Ryan Andretti here did 90 mph everywhere we went. Only the immigrant workers (Pakistanis and Filipinos mostly) seem to get in trouble. And if you hit a jingly… well, no big deal, there's more. Have a car wreck, they just leave the car where it dies.
Many asked why I would spend a weekend in Kuwait? Well, because "I can" really is the best answer. I was feeling the need to get out of the country as it was, and this worked well. Ryan was very gracious host. And I have thing for women in birkahs. That's it baby… pull that eye hole down, show me some cheekbone... that's hot.
Not all the women dress that way, not all the men where the headdress. Many more do here than did in Bahrain. I do stand by the previous opinion that middle eastern women can be freakin gorgeous. To bad you can't really look at them.
And people will ask if I felt safe, hell yes. Mainly because most the people in Kuwait are contractors for the military. And if the jinglies get caught stealing or speeding or jaywalking, they lose an appendage. It seems very effective in crime prevention. Kuwaitis don't seem to need to steal, they're all loaded.
SO, what did we do here? Well… we went sightseeing through downtown Kuwait city. Saw all the major sites… of which there was really one. But I'm ahead of myself. Once we were in country (unofficially) we went to Starbucks at the hotel. Cheesecake and coffee (the place is open 24/7) at 3 am was amusing. Then some sleep. The out around town most the day.
Everything is pretty much Beige. The ground, the buildings, the dresses worn by the locals. We spotted the new cars from Nissan and Toyota, the Jihad. You know how in all the news reports we get here you always see the mini trucks with the people in the back with machine guns and stuff (think Blackhawk Down). Those freakin trucks are everywhere… just waiting to get an AK and become Jihad ready.
New! From Nissan, the Jihad turbo with 4-wheel drive… for when u need the extra power to mow down all the Infidels!
In all seriousness though, I never felt unsafe. The Kuwaitis seemed nice people and the jinglies other than being annoying were over eager to serve. Although, the Kuwaitis do have an overdeveloped sense of self importance sometimes.
Anyway, back to what we did… we went to the one sightseeing spot, the towers on the shore. The symbol of Kuwait and their resitance to the barbarian invaders. They kinda looked tacky up close.
You know I expected Iraq to be a lot less well lit than it is. I suppose I really should take my own advice and totally ignore American news reports from here. Sky News, BBC world, and even AL Jazeera do a better job than Fox and CNN in my opinion.
After tourng the city and catching the Abdul Al Majene Mohammed Aziz Bin AL Saleem Dirka Dirka Suada highway (or something like that, its hard to read Squiggly). And every road was named either a number (and not like 10th street, more like Road No 105) or some unbelievably long Arabic name. I would hate to give directions.
Back the hotel, we had to relinquish the car, apparently they needed it for work. And we kinda chilled on the beach till dark. It was a little cold for swimming, but it was beautiful there. I can see this place becoming a tourist place if tensions calmed and alcohol was allowed. Both are hopefully happening soon. Give it time.
There were surrealistic moments.. like who would have thought I'd be chillingt here in Kuwait at a Starbucks looking out over the marina, or walking the Soukh (marketplace), or walking in the Persian gulf. Or the best, meandering around the ramp of the military side of Kuwait Int'l Airport. I'm very lucky.
And now, some of you have heard me point out some of the, um, faults of Whiskey Oscar Alfa… but I have to say we do good work out on the line. The crews really treat the troops the best we can. And Its sort of surreal at time watching kids… and I mean kids, get of the planes carrying M-16's and side arms all with that serious "I'm a bad ass American War Machine", But u can see some of the hesitation and uncertainty. I really commend them all for the sacrifices they have made. And its good to be part of something bigger than yourself. It's so rewarding bringing them home.
If you ever get the chance, come over. It's a nice place to visit. You're not going to be car bombed. You're not going have Jihad declared on you. Everything in the city is in English, and most of it is American in origin. Now, I'm going to either sleep or watch a movie. I have about 13 hours left of flying. I may write more, I may crash. You know crash probably isn't the right word to be using at the moment.
Dinner is here time to munch. Any questions??
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