Tuesday, July 22, 2003

And we're done!

We took the stage tonight in Banja Luka in 35-plus degree weather; two hours and buckets of sweat (not of the flop variety) later, we were done. Since then I've downed more than my share of Ozujsko Pivos, hobnobbed with British officers, offered to do the camp commander's workload for the rest of the week, and generally made an ass of myself. This tour has been an absolute blast, and though there's plenty of loved ones at home who are sorely missed, it's also going to be hard to go back to being a nobody again...
Yak attack! Well, almost...

The British Merlin pilots who rescued us from a five-hour bus ride made our short trip even better by inviting us to sit, two at a time, on the lowered back ramp of the craft while in flight, giving us some specatular aerial views of the countryside. And almost as soon as I took my position there the saucy pilots decided to pull some fancy flying maneouvres. I was doing fine until I made my way back into my seat, or more accurately, was slammed into it while the helicopter started a sudden and rapid climb.

A wave of nausea came pouring over me, but unlike two other unlucky passengers I wasn't able to make a deposit into the barf bag handed to me. The queasiness stayed with me, though, and had to be slept off. I'm definitely not Air Force material...
In the home stretch now... On this, the morning after a show for our first International audience in Sarajevo, we're calling in a favour and getting a ride to the camp at Banja Luca on board a British Merlin Helicopter. Copy and paste this link for info and pictures:

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/merlin/

Our show there is tonight; first thing tomorrow we leave for a one-night hotel stop in Zagreb, Crotia, then fly home.

Today's war story: During the siege of Sarajevo, the Serbs offered well-heeled tourists a chance to "hunt" human prey. About five grand would get you a rifle and a spot overlooking sniper's alley, where you could spend the afternoon taking shots at whatever struck your sick fancy...