Hi everyone,
It is 1am in Bahrain right now and we're flying Military out to Djibouti in 5 hrs. As the base at Djibouti is primitive - we're staying in tents and probably not going off base - I'm not sure when I'll be able to check in so I thought I'd make a quick post and then download some more pics and info later.
Today we got to see the city. Manama is the capitol of Bahrain. It appears to also be the only city, so that works well!
So for now, here are a few fun (at least I think so) pics of today's excursion:
We went to a mall/market. There sure are a lot of guys named "Al" here:
We see many many people in all kinds of garb, from western jeans and blouses to very traditional. Here are some hooded women coming into Al's mall:
And some men just hanging:
Here is a local tobacco seller, a very friendly guy:
And finally, I got a kick out of some cabbies in traditional Arab clothing:
Before I sign off, I have to mention that first the show tonite was awesome. The band was again on target and the crowd just loved it. You may have heard some news about a submarine colliding with a tanker in the Persian Gulf. That sub crew just returned here and was at the show.
Meanwhile one of the women here (maybe 20 years old) came up to me and told me her husband was on duty in Iraq and she was video taping the show on her cell phone for him. She asked if it would be possible for Thom to dedicate a song to him. I was able to get word to him and when he did, it got VERY emotional there for everyone. Jerked a couple of tears for me, for sure. Later that night she must have tearfully thanked me 10 times for that little favor. I sure hope he makes it home.
That's it for now. Thank you again for being here. It means a lot.
I'll check in from Djibouti as soon as I can.
Jerry
4 comments:
Wow - any songs bubbling to the surface in all of this? I bet you'll be writing all the way home.
I'm also guessing that of the crew, you will probably be the most comfortable in tents. Of course, that begs the question: When camping in the desert do you use an innie or an outtie??
Can't wait to hear the first report from Djibouti. We're lovin' being able to follow your travels here - keep it coming!
Awesome. Glad to hear your shows are going so well. One of the great reasons you are along is to fulfill that request. It had to be you!
Would love to see your tent!
God's blessings.
Steve
Hey Bro...... tell Thom and Bob I'm so jelous I can hardly read your blogs. Sounds great !! you're doing a great job with the blog too. Very entertaining. Things are good here looks like winter finally showed up. Bummer about the Aircraft Carrier. Fuck I wish i was there !!! If you get a chance to try some "Ghot" ( I think that;s how you spell it ) try it. It's like a chewing tobacco that the men sit around and chew. If you see some guys doing it ask them if you can try it. they'll get a kick out of it and so will you. My cousin is married to a man from Yemen, he told me about it. ok Bye you bastard !!
Hahahahaahah the "Al" thing made me laugh so hard. Yeah it might seem that we have a lot of people called "Al" here and they have shops and malls LOL
Al in arabic literally means "the" but in case of names it means "of", sorta like the "Mc" and "O'" of western names.
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