On To Kuwait

So we flew into Kuwait City around, I don't know, 8:30 or Nine last night. Two hour flight from Amman. The frickin' visas, which you buy at the airport, took three hours due to the "efficiency" of their system. One of our troop, an American female but of Iraqi birth, had her passport held up for "security reasons." I stayed behind to help as best I could (which was basically just standing there being worthless). The others went on ahead to the hotel. But, as luck would have it she got the visa and we actually caught up to them before they left the airport. That was because the hotel sent a minivan to pick up 20 people with luggage. These buttheads do this every time. No matter how hard you try to convey to them how many there are of us they just say "certainly, sir. No problem," and send the dinky van. (Knowledgeable travelers will correctly guess the geographical origin of most hotel management personnel in the Middle East)

So after valiantly trying to cram 30 large suitcases and 20 people into a van built for eight, we sent the bulk on their way.(They coughed up another minibus which helped) Mark Schroeder of U. of Toledo and I stayed back with the luggage that couldn't be crammed aboard. I was figuring a two hour turn-around before the van made it back to pick us up. But, as luck would have it, the hotel folks magically produced a new leather-seated Volvo for us. In a matter of minutes we were at the hotel being treated like royalty. We were amazed that, even though the others only had about a ten minute head start on us, they were completely checked in and gone to their rooms. Ah, but not so. It seems their bus broke down on the way. And the Last Shall be First!

So by midnight we were safely ensconced. This morning made up for it as we had a little leisure pool time by the Gulf Coast.

How sweet it is.