Greetings all,
Moments ago, we returned from a 30+ mile excursion into the foothills above the capital city of Djibouti. Our destination was a tiny village named Hol Hol on a hard to reach stretch of rock strewn road. I'll tell the story from the beginning. I am spent, so there may be some errors- please forgive me!
We departed at 7 am to load our instruments into a cargo vehicle. Our group consisted of 2 army force protection guys (carrying concealed weapons), three army public affairs (PA) specialists, an Air Force PA, two navy drivers, a marine master sergeant who is the provincial security manager (knows the ins and outs of the village systems, elders, local police, etc- he too was carrying a concealed sidearm), and the nine of us from the band. Once out of the gates from the camp, we convoyed through town in our three vehicles- two land rovers and the equipment vehicle- until we hit what appeared to be the town landfill. For the next 25+ miles, we traveled on rock roads unlike any I've ever seen.
As a digression, I've never seen such a rocky place in all of my life- unbelievable! I would imagine a geologist could explain the interesting make-up of the terrain, but it appeared volcanic in some way, shape, or form. Whatever the rocks were made of, my body was abused by them while riding on a bench seat in the back of a 10 year old equally abused land rover. Might someone know a good chiropractor in Alamosa?
Along the way, we passed goat herders, camels, rotting camel carcasses, what appeared to be a pronghorn or two, children and mothers picking through garbage, and a plethora of rock formations, believed to be crude cemeteries. At approximately the 20 mile mark, our equipment vehicle had a blow out. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, were 100 meters from a baking camel carcass, and none of the satellite phones worked... we had to unload our equipment to find the jack, and after an hour and a half, we were back on the road... if you would call it that...
We arrived at a small Seabee post on the edge of the village after 3+ hours of traveling and when I say small Seabee post... it is unreal what conditions these guys are living in! They are refurbishing a local school, slowly but surely, and we borrowed a tent of theirs while we waited for the marine to gain permission from the village elder. Once we were in the clear, we drove down the hill from the post and into the school grounds.
Security is a major issue in these villages not because of threats to Americans, but the chaotic scene that ensues when Americans are around- we have bottled water. It's that simple. Not candy, food, gum- bottled water. The only thing any of the villagers want is bottled water. Basic.
The force protection guys had us set up in the corner of the school yard which had a tall fence. The locals gathered while we set up and two village police with sticks kept the villagers from coming into the school yard. We went ahead and pulled out a one hour straight ahead show, and frankly, it was the best gig of my life. The villagers were entranced with all of us. There were ladies and children near me that just smiled and stared, nonstop throughout the show. There were other women that actually danced throughout- very shocking due to the conservative nature of their customs. It was amazing. More than likely, they had never seen anything like our production and we had never played such a gig. One of our singers, Erika, is an African-American and she became an instant celeb! At the conclusion of the show, they learned her name and chanted Er-I-Ka, Er-I-Ka over and over!
Playing to a remote village, including passing donkeys and camels... check.
We brought out donated school supplies from Shonda's (vocalist) school district in Plano, TX, and left multiple cases of water at the school for later distribution. We packed and hit the road. The pictures and videos I shot can not begin to relate the story and I do not feel as though I'm doing it justice under my current time constraints.
Tomorrow, we head out for a similar gig before playing a big show here on the camp. I'll try and update more as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading!!
J-
Moments ago, we returned from a 30+ mile excursion into the foothills above the capital city of Djibouti. Our destination was a tiny village named Hol Hol on a hard to reach stretch of rock strewn road. I'll tell the story from the beginning. I am spent, so there may be some errors- please forgive me!
We departed at 7 am to load our instruments into a cargo vehicle. Our group consisted of 2 army force protection guys (carrying concealed weapons), three army public affairs (PA) specialists, an Air Force PA, two navy drivers, a marine master sergeant who is the provincial security manager (knows the ins and outs of the village systems, elders, local police, etc- he too was carrying a concealed sidearm), and the nine of us from the band. Once out of the gates from the camp, we convoyed through town in our three vehicles- two land rovers and the equipment vehicle- until we hit what appeared to be the town landfill. For the next 25+ miles, we traveled on rock roads unlike any I've ever seen.
As a digression, I've never seen such a rocky place in all of my life- unbelievable! I would imagine a geologist could explain the interesting make-up of the terrain, but it appeared volcanic in some way, shape, or form. Whatever the rocks were made of, my body was abused by them while riding on a bench seat in the back of a 10 year old equally abused land rover. Might someone know a good chiropractor in Alamosa?
Along the way, we passed goat herders, camels, rotting camel carcasses, what appeared to be a pronghorn or two, children and mothers picking through garbage, and a plethora of rock formations, believed to be crude cemeteries. At approximately the 20 mile mark, our equipment vehicle had a blow out. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, were 100 meters from a baking camel carcass, and none of the satellite phones worked... we had to unload our equipment to find the jack, and after an hour and a half, we were back on the road... if you would call it that...
We arrived at a small Seabee post on the edge of the village after 3+ hours of traveling and when I say small Seabee post... it is unreal what conditions these guys are living in! They are refurbishing a local school, slowly but surely, and we borrowed a tent of theirs while we waited for the marine to gain permission from the village elder. Once we were in the clear, we drove down the hill from the post and into the school grounds.
Security is a major issue in these villages not because of threats to Americans, but the chaotic scene that ensues when Americans are around- we have bottled water. It's that simple. Not candy, food, gum- bottled water. The only thing any of the villagers want is bottled water. Basic.
The force protection guys had us set up in the corner of the school yard which had a tall fence. The locals gathered while we set up and two village police with sticks kept the villagers from coming into the school yard. We went ahead and pulled out a one hour straight ahead show, and frankly, it was the best gig of my life. The villagers were entranced with all of us. There were ladies and children near me that just smiled and stared, nonstop throughout the show. There were other women that actually danced throughout- very shocking due to the conservative nature of their customs. It was amazing. More than likely, they had never seen anything like our production and we had never played such a gig. One of our singers, Erika, is an African-American and she became an instant celeb! At the conclusion of the show, they learned her name and chanted Er-I-Ka, Er-I-Ka over and over!
Playing to a remote village, including passing donkeys and camels... check.
We brought out donated school supplies from Shonda's (vocalist) school district in Plano, TX, and left multiple cases of water at the school for later distribution. We packed and hit the road. The pictures and videos I shot can not begin to relate the story and I do not feel as though I'm doing it justice under my current time constraints.
Tomorrow, we head out for a similar gig before playing a big show here on the camp. I'll try and update more as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading!!
J-
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