kuwait a minute... (photos & now VIDEO)

in the middle (east).

one of the most fascinating and remote destinations on the whole trip is with out a doubt kuwait.  we travelled almost 19 hours from new zealand through dubai to get there and then spent less than a day before heading another 9 hours to paris.  i have never been so simultaneously exhausted and exhilarated in my whole life.  as soon as we arrived in the middle east - the energy shifted for me.  it exists in such stark juxtaposition to the nature of our trip and the essence of our culture.  to be in the region that engenders so much passion and misunderstanding throughout the rest of the world was so unique and illuminating.  we all felt it immediately.  it took a while to get into the country - even with guides and handlers.  after so much time on planes it required a specific kind of patience in the hour and a half we stood at the processing desk waiting for all of our visas to clear.  eventually they did - and we were escorted by military liaisons and local police via passenger bus (with curtains that we were not allowed to open due to forced protection) to a hotel where we had less than an hour to get ready for our trip to camp arifjan - the biggest and central u.s. military base in the theater of the middle eastern operations.  once there we were greeted by the general and introduced to the rules and our surroundings.  although photos were limited on the base while outside - it is an absolutely massive place.  fences behind which hundreds of tanks sit idle.  huge transport vehicles and humvees everywhere.  and desert as far as the eye can see.  it was apparent immediately how genuinely excited the troops were to have us.  as trivial as what we do can seem in the face of the sacrifices they and their families are making - it was deeply humbling to hear how important our work can be to them.  one soldier told me that she would ration her episodes of heroes so she could make the experience last longer during her active tour in iraq.  the idea of their need to escape from the relentless intensity of their responsibilities and the associated pressure actually put the contribution of our work in a new kind of perspective.  i felt so grateful to share time with them and to share the movie with them.  they were excited and responsive and it was an all around incredible part of the journey.  after we introduced the screening at arifjan - we split into groups and boarded two military blackhawk helicopters for a 30 minute flight to camp lsa which is the base from which all troops leave to enter active duty in all parts of the middle eastern war.  it is also the base through which they pass at the end of their tours and before and after departure for r&r trips.  in other words - it is the gateway to the entire war - and as such had a much deeper and more resonant energy for all of us.  there we sat and signed with troops who were literally waiting to be called on to c130 planes that would take them to the frontlines in iraq and afghanistan.  as military flights do not run on a specific schedule like commercial airlines - the troops have to congregate in this huge hall and wait there for anywhere from an hour to an entire day or more before they are deployed.  while we were there - a group of soldiers were called to their planes and left immediately for points unknown to us.  that was sobering to say the least.  from there it was back on to the blackhawks and arifjan where we boarded the bus to return to kuwait city - and the airport for our trip to europe.  a couple words about blackhawks... HOLY SHIT!  i don't even know how to describe the experience.  first of all - we flew with the doors open.  150 miles per hour.  our pilots were the officers that fly the three and four star generals all throughout the middle eastern theater.  so essentially they are the best of the best.  soaring over the open desert above bedouin camps and camels and burning oil valves and just desert and desert and desert.  it was arguably one of the most incredible experiences i have ever had in my life.  absolutely staggering and hard to wrap my mind around on so many levels.  pictures could not begin to do it justice.  but they will have to suffice.  it was definitely good to head out of there - but the part of the trip i think we were all most curious and excited about most certainly didn't disappoint.  now on to the city of lights... in stark contrast - but no less vivid.  more to come...

our military escort leads the way.




















the somehow ominous road out of town...




















the war room overseeing the entire middle eastern operation... literally.