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All Systems “go”

Posted by Charlie in 2002 VCR Far East Tour

Well, we received our ‘orders’ about 30 minutes ago: Be downstairs, with bags, ready to leave at 1:45pm. So it looks like we are off. I am not sure WHEN I will be able to communicate properly in the next couple of days, the Internet being what it is in Diego Garcia, so please bear with me. I am hoping to get online and let you know what is going on. Until later… Cm

August 6th – PART 2

How can I put this? We left the hotel at 2pm, boarded 2 buses (and a baggage van), went through the most rigorous security imaginable, stood in a sweaty room with 40 other tired looking people, until the sour faced woman behind the desk called each of our names. Then there followed a list of rules, regulations and Do’s and Don’ts, after which we weighed our bags, and then took them up a flight of stairs to yet another security screening. Then we watched them get loaded onto a pallet to be put on the plane.

We were then informed that the flight took off at 8pm, but we were NOT allowed to leave the base in the interim. So we sat around outside the building for over 3 hours. Eventually, we ordered some pizza (when we discovered] that there is no food on the 5+ hour flight!), which came just as the woman came out of the building and called our names. So we then rushed to get our stuff together, bolt what we could of our food, and dash indoors – only to discover that the reason she was calling us in was to tell us the “plane had broken, and would not be flying today”.

Poor Jeff Thornton was distraught. Mainly because he has already paid us, but has not yet himself been paid for the gig, until we do it! Frankly, the window of opportunity is receding into the distance. We have been brought back to the hotel we checked out of 5 hours ago, and there is a ‘meeting’ in the bar in 35 minutes, which will, hopefully, shed a little light on all this. But, we all have other commitments next week, and I cannot see how we can fly out of here tomorrow, do a gig, and get straight back on a plane to catch our connections here in Singapore and Seoul. Sadly, it doesn’t compute. Jeff is going to try to persuade us to get on a flight tomorrow at Noon (which means the flight will ACTUALLY leave at around 5pm), which would get us into Diego Garcia at 8pm their time. The gig is supposed to be at 7. And we’re scheduled to leave again at Midnight! Can’t see it happening…

Ho Hum… all will become crystal clear!