Spirit of Bob Hope Variety Tour – Bahrain & Kuwait

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26^TH and TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27^TH,  2023 – NASHVILLE TO BAHRAIN:

Today we departed for our annual “Spirit of Bob Hope Variety Tour” to Bahrain and Kuwait.  This year’s participants are Dave Price (emcee and stand up comedian), Michael Hitchcock, Jordan Black, Julia Sweeney, and Colleen Smith (Improv Comedians) and a new special guest Matt Scannell (from the rock group Vertical Horizon).   John Higgins is also with us handling all our production needs.

Travel under the best weather conditions is a challenge these days but add the 3 days of sub-freezing temperatures plus snow and ice into the mix and it quickly becomes a nightmare.  But one that we anticipated.

Dave Price departed JFK on Christmas night after over an hour delay.  I got a notice from Delta that my flight from Nashville to Atlanta had been changed to depart 2 ½ hours later than scheduled the following day.  Obviously, I would have missed my connection.  Dave was on with the Delta/KLM rep and I was on with the Diamond Line trying to find alternative flights that departed earlier.  Only options were through Minneapolis and Detroit – both of which were a huge risk.  Snow was predicted for Nashville again overnight and through the morning hours.

Figured the best alternative was to cancel my Nashville to Atlanta flight and find someone to drive me to Atlanta.  Thank you Cole Wright for being my savior.

Woke up at 5:30 am to no snow but at 7 am it started snowing.  There was at least an inch on the roads by the time Cole picked me up at 8 am.  It was very icy between my house and about 30 minutes outside of Nashville.  Then it cleared up and you couldn’t even tell it had been snowing!

No problem getting to the correct terminal to drop me off.  The lady who checked me in was really nice.  But when I told her I’m flying to Bahrain, her response was “Bahrain?  Bahrain? I didn’t even know we fly there!”   LOL.

I had a little while to go to the lounge and get some work done.  Was monitoring the LAX passengers and JFK passenger and so far everything was “okay”.  Both flights were departing late but we booked really long layovers so all was good.  While we were sitting in the lounge, this really loud alarm went off and a booming voice came on and announced, “We have an emergency…” and then it cut off!  Nothing.  Five minutes later, it came back on again and said, “We have an emergency alert and…”.  Then nothing.  This continued for more than 30 minutes. It finally came on and said, “We have an emergency alert.  Please stand by while we verify”!  Are you kidding me?  So, if it is an active shooter, do we just stand by?  We never found out what it was until we got on our flight.  I received an email from Delta saying because of the freezing temperatures, a water main had burst and they were working hard to repair it.  Our flight was delayed by 30 minutes because they were waiting for water to be loaded.  I know where they could have found some quickly.  LOL  All the LAX passengers arrived about 45 minutes before we were due to board the next flight. The line to get into the lounge was super long and it was still very crowded, so we all just went to the gate.

The pilots and flight crew were really nice.  One of our pilots was a former Navy pilot and the other two were former Air Force pilots.  I gave them coins and chatted with them for a few minutes.  Really enjoyed talking about bases where they served.  We are in one of the newer planes with the little doors that slide and make your seat a “suite”.  Food was good – crab cakes for me – and movies were horrendous.   Is no one making decent movies anymore?

So…I slept….for 4 hours non-stop.  There was no turbulence!  We landed only a few minutes late and went to the KLM Lounge where Dave Price and John Higgins (our production guru) were waiting for us.   Dave had great sweatshirts for everyone which won’t fit in our carry on bags.  HA!  (And, yes, Lindsey, he made one for you )

Our flight to Bahrain with a “stop” in Kuwait boarded on time.  But, as usual, there was a slight delay before taking off.  This is a KLM airplane and it’s a 5 ½ hour flight to Kuwait and then another 40 minute flight to Bahrain.  Matt and I were sitting together on this flight.  The flight attendants were super nice!  The meal was definitely not so great but then no one was really starving either.  Again, the movies were terrible.  I finished my book and then slept for about 2 hours.  As we were landing, the turbulence was terrible!

We were on the ground for less than an hour and were told to stay on the plane.  Lots of passengers got off in Kuwait and the cleaning crew came on board to clean before the new passengers boarded.  Before we took off, one of the new passengers sitting right across from Michael was extremely rude to the flight attendant.   He was furious that the entertainment did not work on his screen. She tried to explain to him that she had to reset the entire system and it would take about 5 to 10 minutes for it to load.  This was BEFORE we ever took off.  From his accent, I’m guessing he is German.

We finally took off and the flight was so short that they only had time to serve beverages and about 5 minutes later, had to collect the glasses.  The rude passenger did not want to give up his wine but they informed him that he would have too.  Then before we landed, he called the flight attendant and asked for another glass.  She explained that she couldn’t serve him but he was so belligerent, that she brought him a glass and basically told him to “down it”.

And this is where the “fun” began….we were unable to land in Bahrain because of high winds.  The pilot said we were diverting to Mamman.  We didn’t know where that was but quickly learned it is in Saudi Arabia.  Not good.  We landed and were told we would refuel and return to Bahrain to see if we could land.  If we couldn’t land on the second attempt, we would have to go back to Kuwait because Saudi would NOT let us deplane there.  While they were refueling, the female pilot came out and talked with everyone.  She explained what was happening and was so nice to everyone.  We gave her and all the flight attendants autographed photos.  She was very intrigued by our tours for the military. The rude passenger called her over and quizzed her extensively basically asking everything she had just explained.  I went into the galley and asked the flight attendants about the guy and they confirmed that he is from Germany.  Honestly, if he had been as hostile to a flight attendant on a plane in the USA, he would have been removed from the flight.

Another short flight back to Bahrain and prayers were answered….we landed safely this time.  We had to have our Visas issued and paid for it as we went through Immigration but it only took about 2 minutes per person. It took FOREVER for our bags to come out though.  Good news is….everything arrived!  Breezed through Customs and our “MWR hosts” were waiting for us…all super sweet folks.  It was after 2 am by the time we arrived at the Radisson and everyone was dead tired.  I am, of course, up working and it is almost 5 am!

Good night!

Jude

 

Wednesday, December 28, 2022 – FIRST PERFORMANCE IN BAHRAIN:

Asleep by 5:30 am and set alarm for 7:30 am.  I could have easily slept another 4 hours but knew I had to get up and make it to the gym.  Only way to effectively deal with jet lag!

The “gym” is outside the main building by a beautiful pool area.  It’s a really good gym, too.  There was only one man on the stationery bike and one lady came in and got on the treadmill.  I had a nice 45 minute workout and then went to the restaurant for breakfast.  Michael was the only one of our group already up and eating.  I was able to get a delicious egg white omelet and had 3 tiny pieces of fruit.  Got to get back on the never-ending diet after all the ”airplane” food yesterday.

Had a message from Geoff (our POC for the base today) saying one of our Unit visits was not going to work out so everyone could rest another hour and he would pick us up at 1 pm instead of 12 noon. He’s also busy working to move the show from the outdoor venue to an indoor venue.  The building where he would normally hold the event is “condemned”.  All we are allowed to ever say about our visit today is “we are in an undisclosed location visiting the Navy in Bahrain”.  Period!

This group is so easy to travel with.  Even with all the challenges, they all kept their sense of humor and there was no whining!

So, we departed the hotel at 1:00 pm for about a 45 minute drive to the base.  We stopped along the way to take photos at “The Tree of Life”.  There is quite a bit of controversy over this “phenomena” and some wonder if it is just a “tourist trap”.   Basically, it is a “thriving” tree in the middle of the desert with no visible source of a water supply.  There were lots of other people stopping when we were there to take photos as well.

Next stop was an “undisclosed” Naval Base to tour some aircraft which I also can’t describe.  The Units that gave us the tours were awesome and promised to be at the show tonight.  MWR had a beautiful outdoor stage set up in a “big top” but unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating.  It is much too windy and “chilly” for the people living here to attend an outdoor concert.  The highs were in the 50’s at night but most people here are accustomed to it being in at least the 60’s up to 120 degrees!  Geoff moved the venue to the “galley” (dining facility).

We stopped at the venue so John could begin loading in and were going to just “look” around for a minute and then head over to the Green Room.  Once we arrived, there were several things that needed to be altered with the stage and lighting so we ended up staying longer than anticipated.  Since we were supposed to eat dinner there very soon anyway, we just stayed and ate while everything was being rearranged.

After dinner, everyone did a quick sound check and then we walked over to the Green Room (which is across the street) to go over show details.  I had them sign another 150 photos while we were there.  The show was scheduled to start at 8:00 so at around 7:45 pm, we all walked back over to the venue.  As usual, the front two rows were empty and everyone was sitting farther back.  Geoff asked everyone to move to the front.  When no one budged, he advised them that if they sat in the back, they would be a target for the comedians.  That got a few of them to move up, but not very many.  I had him tell the audience that the show was ready to being but that we were not going to start the show until the front rows were filled.  Slowly everyone moved up and the show began.

It was a terrific audience.  Dave’s set was very well received and set the stage perfectly for the Improv group.  There is always a lot of audience participation required for Improv and the folks in the audience loved it.  The Base Commander and his Master Chief who we met during load in today were also there for the entire show.  Matt did a spectacular job as well and also had a lot of audience engagement.  Loved hearing the guys and girls in the audience singing along and laughing.

The group took photos for about 45 minutes after the show ended.  Several people stuck around to talk to the group individually and ask advice regarding a career in comedy or music.

We were back at the hotel at around 11:30 pm.  John advised that the DI he brought for the guitar is not working and there is no spare with us.  We were able to borrow one from tonight’s base to use at tomorrow night’s performance.  I’m going to contact the Kuwait POC to see if we can borrow one from the production company there for the last 3 shows or if they can locate somewhere that we can purchase one after we arrive there on Friday.

Going to bed now.  After 1 am and we are leaving here at 10 am tomorrow.

Jude

 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29^TH – PERFORMANCE AT NSA (NAVAL AIR STATION), BAHRAIN:

I can’t remember the last time I was as tired as I was last night!  And 4 hours of sleep definitely did not take care of the situation.

We left for NSA Bahrain — yes, I can tell you the name of the base and post photos from here!   Our first stop was a tour of the USS Gladiator which is a mine countermeasures ship. We had a terrific tour that lasted over an hour.  It is really great when the group is interested and asks lots of questions.  After that we had a quick lunch in “The Galley”.  The salad bar was stellar and that’s all I ate for lunch.

Next on the agenda was a visit with the Harbor Patrol Unit. Again, a great visit and saw some really “cool” boats.  So many different “moving parts” to our presence in Bahrain!

After that visit, we met with leadership.    Had a nice visit with the Captain and two of his staff members.  The Captain gave everyone a coin which was much appreciated.

We walked over to the venue and dealt with a few changes and then it was time to sound check. Everyone (except me) actually had a couple of hours to rest.

The show started at 5:45 pm instead of 5:30 pm and we had another great audience.  Once again, the interaction with the audience members with the Improv comedians and Matt was a high point of the performances.  Geoff (our POC yesterday) brought his family tonight (wife and children).  His son got to spend some time quizzing Mike about a career in the movie industry.

The group took photos with everyone after the show and we were back in the hotel by 9 pm.  We were all going to order room service.  However the elevators were broken and the hotel said it would take about 10 minutes for them to re-set.  Everyone decided to go into the Italian restaurant and just eat there.  The waitress was quick and took our orders immediately.  But then she came back and said there was a large party in the restaurant and it was going to take longer than normal to get our food.  We had her ask the chef “how long” and she said at least 30 minutes.  I did not want to commit that much time when I still have so much to do before being in the lobby by 6 am!

I ordered room service and it only took about 30 minutes for it to arrive and it was really good.  Now I’m trying to finish this road report and grab at least 3 hours of sleep!

Jude

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30^TH – TRAVEL TO KUWAIT; PERFORMANCE AT CAMP BUEHRING:

Up at 4 am and departed hotel at 6 am.  There was absolutely no traffic so we got there much earlier than expected.  There was a special check-in counter for something called Gulf Air Falcon Gold flyers.  We were able to use that as well as the Falcon Gold Security Line and Lounge.  So, we had even more time to kill.

I walked around the shops and picked up so “gifts” and then went up to the Lounge.  WOW!  Never been in such a luxurious airline lounge! There were at least 10 different “food” stations with all kinds of meals available.  There was a “Lounge” area with Chaise Lounges and individual video monitors.  I really wanted to in there and sleep for an hour but was afraid I would be able to wake up for the flight.  There was also a Recreation Area with foosball games, and lots of other “fun” activities for kids and adults.  Sure was a nice way to pass the almost 2 hours we had to kill before our flight.

Airplane was also very nice.  It was only a one hour flight and I slept the entire flight.  We landed on time and were supposed to be met by someone from the Embassy to escort us through Immigration.  He was a “no show” but having been to Kuwait a total of 108 times in the past, I knew my way around.  But, the Immigration process had changed and was located in a different area.  We managed to get our Visa, pick up bags and clear Customs.  Tameca (our host) was waiting for us outside Customs.

It was a short drive of about 30 minutes from the airport to the hotel.  Tameca had the van stocked with snacks and beverages. The Radisson had our rooms waiting for us so we had about 2 hours to “rest” before departing for tonight’s show at Camp Buehring.  I unpacked and worked. It is such Deja vu to be back in Kuwait after such a long time.  Last time I was here was 2014.  Hard to believe it was that long ago, too.

The drive to Camp Buehring was around 1 hour and 45 minutes.  I remembered the landscape but a lot has also changed including a new highway that is being built.  Immediately remembered the theatre where we’re performing.  We dropped our bags and went to the base exchange while John was setting up the production.

Camp Buehring is smaller than the other two camps where we’re performing this week. But, it is also one of my favorites.  There is definitely a strong “bond” between everyone serving here.

After sound check, we went to the DFAC for dinner.  Lt. Colonel Christopher Nohle (base commander) came by to say hello while we were at the DFAC having dinner.   What a great leader he is! He has served in lots of locations where I’ve taken entertainment so I have a feeling we may have met at some point.  He also had a photo of Lindsey from her visit this past July with Tenille Arts.    We stopped by the local Starbucks and they had Matcha Green Tea so I was happy.

One thing I also remember about this camp is the fact that there is NO indoor plumbing.  We had to hike to the port-a-potties close to the stage.  Fortunately, there was a metal container with real, flushing toilets in it.  But, the one light would come on when the door was opened but went off the second you walking into a stall.  I remember holding a flashlight between my teeth so I could unzip my jeans when we were here years ago. That hasn’t changed.  We asked “why” the Camp had not been upgraded based on the fact that it seemed we would have men and women at this location indefinitely.  The answer was that at any minute the Kuwaiti Government could come in and give only a couple of days’ notice for us to vacate!

The theatre was full and everyone was excited about the show.  Dave kicked it off and the Improv Comedians followed.  Then Matt finished up with a 30 minute set.  Audience participation was terrific tonight.  The Improv kits seemed to go better than ever.  There were several times, though, that I choked up just watching how much fun the people who attended were having – especially when Matt had them singing along with him!

The base commander gave the group certificates of appreciation and they went out front to take photos with everyone.

We were back at the hotel by around 10:30 pm and I think everyone went straight to bed.  It’s almost 2 am and I’m headed to bed as well.  Lobby call isn’t until 2 pm tomorrow.

All the best,

Jude