FEBRUARY 16^TH – KOREA WITH DIAMOND RIO:
Got up at 6 am after 3 hours of sleep.  No time to work out this morning.  Went downstairs for a banana smoothie and then met the gang in the lobby to go get our ID cards.  The ID card section was nice enough to open up for us since they are normally closed for a half day. Got ID cards and ration cards very quickly and then went to the base exchange to return our phones.  It was a very lengthy process.  But you can rent a phone for a month for $30 and buy a calling card with 130 minutes for $10.  It’s great. 
Then, the day fell apart. The bus showed up from Kunsan right on time but without any of the sandwiches or food they had promised.  Since no one had eaten, we had to go to subway and get food to go.  This made our departure more than 30 minutes late.  The bus didn’t even have water or any beverages on it to drink.  It’s a 3 ½ hour ride, so that was unacceptable.  All this made our departure more than 30 minutes late and we have a show tonight.  So, I was NOT in a good mood.  Plus it was depressing to know that the Air Force is always the most organized and they were the ones who dropped the ball on this.
The bus driver is the worst I have ever had in Korea.  All the drivers push on the gas pedal and then immediately take their foot off which causes constant “lurching”.  This guy puts the pedal all the way to the floor at every opportunity.  Then, when a car a quarter of a mile in front of him puts on their brake lights, he slams on the brakes.  We literally had to strap in and pray for our lives.  And my family worries about my safety when I’m in Iraq.  They should worry more when I’m on a bus in Korea.
We ran really late with our sound check.  The spotlight operators don’t understand English and with 4 spots, by the time the cues are called and the information is translated, the “solo” has passed.  So, we couldn’t use them.  We finally finished about a half hour late and rushed to lodging to change clothes.   The “DV” suites for the artists leave a LOT to be desired as they all have to SHARE a bathroom.  Definitely not an ideal situation when we have so little time to prepare for the show. 
We met the winners of the Stars and Stripes contest just prior to the performance, managed to get in a tv interview with AFN, AND met the Command – the Wolf Pack.   The Wolf (Brian Bishop) is totally awesome as are all his men/women – Falcon, Viper, Wolf II, Deputy Wolf, Phoenix…. 
The Loring Club was packed and the guys put on an awesome show.  About 15 minutes before the show ended, Falcon got a message that the Fire Department was shutting down the generator used to power our stage.  The generator belongs to our production company and evidently a hose had sprang a leak and diesel fuel was spewing out onto the sidewalk.  Falcon managed to keep the generator on until the guys finished the show.  Now the production company has to get it repaired before our show tomorrow at Camp Walker.
The guys signed autographs for everyone in line and took photos with them.  Then we had a really quick dinner and everyone went to bed.   Definitely not the “party” crowd.  We have a base tour tomorrow and Jimmy gets his F-16 ride.   I met the pilot who set this up for him tonight and he is a sweetheart.   However, he won’t be the one flying Jimmy.  Jimmy’s pilot looks like he is about 12 years old!  They gave Jimmy a list of what he could and could not eat.  Bananas and Granola bars were high on the list because they taste the same coming back up as they did going down!  J
So much happened today that I am sure I left out a lot.  Will think of it and include in tomorrow’s report.
Jude

FEBRUARY 17^TH – DIAMOND RIO IN KOREA
Went to all the trouble of packing 2 separate bags at home so that I could store one suitcase and only take clothes for 2 days to Kunsan and Camp Walker.  Got up and stored the bag yesterday morning and then a few hours later, we loaded the bus for Kunsan.   SOMEONE went to the trouble of finding my bag that was supposed to be in storage and loading it on the bus!  I could not believe they rolled my suitcase in when we got to lodging at Kunsan.  Now I have a huge, heavy suitcase – no elevator – and a room on the 2^nd floor.  Very nice!  Glad I spent all that time packing appropriately.
Managed to get a full 4 hours sleep  (woo-hoo!) and went to the gym at 5:30 am.  Jimmy was already in there working out and pumped up about his incentive ride today.  He is even more obsessive about exercise than I am!  Hopefully the weather will warm up and we’ll get in a run (or jog in my case) together.  I’ve warned him how “slow” I am compared to his speed.
We had a very full day.  First stop after breakfast was a tour of “Coyote Hill” where the guys learned a little about the history or Kunsan and Korea and then found out just how prepared we are to defend ourselves.  It’s really important for them to know about Korea to better enjoy their tour here.  We didn’t get to witness the fake “ambush” this time because it was so darn cold.  The wind was strong and it just cut right through us. 
Next stop was a tour of an F-16 followed by a ride in a flight simulator.  Very full, very fun day for the guys but it’s also a “treat” for the airmen.  They love showing off their planes and equipment and it’s especially nice for them to get to chat “one on one” with the celebrities.  
The bus was late picking us up and had not picked up our equipment from the stage.  Upon boarding the bus with the kamakazi bus driver, I learned that there was nothing to drink –not even water – on the bus.  Had to get off and go buy water for everyone.  We finally left much later than I anticipated and began our “stop and go” process of making our way on the 2 hour bus ride to Camp Walker.  After a little over an hour into the drive, I noticed orange construction cones angling out into our left-hand lane of traffic.  The driver was going about 90 and didn’t make any effort to switch lanes until he was right up on the cones.  Then it was too late.  He ran over about a dozen cones before he could stop.  When he was able to slow down, we could hear the cones stuck under the bus.  He had to pull over and take a broom (that was already  in the bus…go figure..maybe he uses it often!) to remove them from under the bus.  All my boys were “spooked” after that.  Then he tells us that it is a 4 hour drive to Camp Walker and not 2 hours!  Since he also admitted that he had no idea who to get to Camp Walker, I made some calls and found out that the drive really was 4 hours.  Not good since we had a 7 pm show.  And, we certainly couldn’t encourage this guy to drive any faster!
As we finally neared our destination, we went through a massive “toll” area.  There were about 12 lanes of toll booths and we were over towards the left-hand side.  The bus driver started conversing in Korean with the person in the toll booth and I hear him say “Camp Walker” and thought, “Oh No!”. The person in the toll booth lost patience with him and angrily pointed him towards the right-hand side of the road.  Not only was he blocking traffic for people trying to get through the toll booth but he was evidently asking directions from someone who had no idea how to tell him to get to Camp Walker.   Instead of easing out into our lane and gradually making his way over to the right hand shoulder, he pulled out and make a sharp right turn directly into the path of incoming traffic.   Horns were blowing and brakes were screaming.  It was pretty unbelievable.   I got our rep at Camp Walker on the phone with him and he hung up and said they were coming to get us in about 15-20 minutes.  Since we were already almost 2 hours late, that was not an option.  Called the rep back and he put a policeman on the phone with the driver and talked to him FOREVER giving him directions.  Driver hung up and pulled into traffic.  We hadn’t gone a mile, when I realized he still had no idea where we were going.   I had our escort from Kunsan tell him to pull over and get a taxi to lead us to the base.  He managed that with only “one” mishap.  Camp Walker has several gates and he forgot to tell him which gate to take us too.  But, no problem for the driver.  He just got out while we were stopped at a red light and went and had another chat with the taxi driver!   Our bus driver also forgot how to shift gears….he could not get the bus into gear and we almost lost our taxi escort! 
When we finally arrived at the base 2 hours late, Jimmy admitted that the F-16 ride was NOTHING compared to the bus ride.  At the time, the experience was NOT funny and trust me, I was not laughing.  Afterwards, the guys were laughing about it and saying it would be the best “road tale” they would have to talk about when they got back to the U.S.  Once they knew we would never have to see that driver again, everyone was in a much better mood. J
Jimmy really loved his F-16 ride because they did tactical maneuvers.  Their “wingman” (another F-16 which flew only a few feet off their wing) would get in front of them and do loops, dives, etc., to try and lose them.  Then they reversed positions and Jimmy’s jet got “chased”.    He really had a great experience.   The pilots had told me the night before that they had a pretty high rate of having to “eject”, so I was just praying that didn’t happen.  Of course, the other guys in the band reminded me that Jimmy has jumped out of airplanes before!
Our reps from Stars and Stripes told a “horror” story about their trip as well.  They were traveling down a two-lane road and a car came barreling down the road towards him and didn’t make any effort to move.  Evidently the driver must have been drunk.  They swerved to avoid a head-on collision and the driver in the wrong lane never slowed down.   Thank goodness we didn’t meet him because our bus driver would never have been able to swerve without turning the bus over!
Mr. Hwang with MWR and Mr. Yi, one of our drivers from MWR, met us at Camp Walker and all my buddies from past tours were still working there.  Everything was set up and waiting for us and Planet Sound had done an excellent job getting in our “absence”.  It didn’t take the Diamond Rio crew long at all to get everything dialed in and we did a quick sound check.  There were no interviews but we had the Stars and Stripes contest winners come backstage for the “meet and greet”.   Two young girls won the contest and it was the 21^st birthday for one of them so this was REALLY a special treat for her.    The Fitness Center was PACKED TO CAPACITY…THANK YOU VERY MUCH!   All our prior advertising really paid off.  It is the largest crowd I have ever seen in that venue.  And, boy were they Diamond Rio fans.  The show was really great.  The guys signed autographs for everyone afterwards.  Then, a 2-Star General that has been at Camp Walker for several years hosted us at a dinner at his home.   I met him in the Narita airport many years ago and have stayed in touch with him and seen him on each of our tours.  He is a huge supporter of country music and always tries to make the visit special not only for us, but for the men and women stationed at Camp Walker and ALSO for the locals.  Our military is allowed to bring their families with them to this Camp and they interact with the local community.   He has a really sweet wife and two great boys.  He invited about 20 people from the base to join us for dinner and it was really nice.  However, everyone was so tired, that we didn’t stay a long time.  We have an early call time tomorrow – bags out at at 8:00 am, to be put on the bus and transported to Seoul.  We go eat breakfast and then hop on a bullet train to Seoul.

FEBRUARY 18^TH – DIAMOND RIO IN KOREA
I got 6 hours of sleep because there was no where open for me to get on email and the gym didn’t open until 8 am when we have to put bags out.  Feel so much better.
Today we take the bullet train to Seoul, check back in to the Dragon Hill Lodge where we will be the remainder of the tour, and then take a 1 ½ hour bus ride to Camp Casey for our show tonight.
The guys LOVED the bullet train.  We were at a speed of 301 km per hour at times (about 180 mph).  A man came through with a cart selling beverages and snacks but he was going so fast that no one could stop him before he had breezed by!  Fortunately he came back through about 45 minutes later. 
Checked in and was finally able to unpack everything…only to realize that the internet in my room didn’t work.  Had to pack everything back up and change rooms!
Since we had 2 vehicles today, we sent the sound crew to Camp Casey at 1 pm and the artists didn’t have to depart until 3 pm.  I took 3 of the guys over to Itaewon to introduce them to the tailor and have them measured.  I also was showing one of the guys where to buy the copy watches, bags, etc., etc.   I couldn’t find the shop and it looked like a lot of construction taking place where the watch shop once was.  I went in the bag shop and asked about it and he said that it burned down!  But, he had all the guy’s stuff in his shop! 
Camp Casey is always very organized and I saw lots of my old friends there.  Even thought the gym wasn’t completely packed, there was a large, enthusiastic crowd there.  The Commander told us that 2500 of the soldiers were out in the field that night.  That’s half the population of the Camp!   Guys gave them a really great show and then signed autographs for everyone afterwards.  The Stars and Stripes contest winners were brought backstage prior to the show and got to spend quite a bit of time chatting since we were not rushed tonight.
Had dinner at the Warrior Club after the show and then headed back to Seoul for the night.  Tomorrow is “golf day” for Jimmy, Danny, Scott and me…going to FREEZE!!!!
Jude

FEBRUARY 19^TH – DIAMOND RIO IN KOREA:
Wow…what an incredible day.  Got up at 6 and ran 5 miles on the treadmill which is agony for me because I would rather be outside “going somewhere” when I run.  Took some of my boys over to the tailor for their first fitting and some to order things.  We took taxi’s over and our taxi driver says, “Everyone say I look like Jackie Chan”.  And he did.  J  I engaged him in a conversation about country music and asked him if he knew any country songs.  He said that he knew the one about the movie with the 7 brides and we did a bit of “pantomime” to figure out that it was “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”.  The he says, you know, country music, “Dun-da-da- dun-da-da-dun-da-da-dun”…..Yee-Haw!  It was GREAT.  I happened to have a Diamond Rio cd with me and left it with him. 
We came back to the Dragon Hill Lodge and I got the group together that was going shopping and sent them off with some friends of mine from the General’s office.  Then, Marty, Danny, Scott and I got on the bus to go pick up the General and drive to the golf course.  The weather was such a pleasant surprise – much warmer than we anticipated.   The General gave us a “briefing” on the ride up which helped tremendously with the proper “protocol” in interacting with the Koreans that we would be golfing with.  The 4 “locals” that we met were 3 men and 1 woman.   One of the men is the Chairman of a very prestigious corporation, one was “Mr. Louis Vitton” and one was “Mr. Fresh Cosmetics”.  The lady was a beautiful Asian who grew up in Boston and moved to Korea when she married her husband.  We had lunch in the clubhouse (even though none of us were hungry!) and then went onto the course.  I stayed with the General’s group and Scott was in that group as well.  The golf course is phenomenal – costs $350,000 U.S. to be a member!  Even though the grass was brown and the ground was frozen, it was still beautiful.  Scott was so nervous that his heart was about to jump out of his chest.  But he did GREAT.   It was just a fun day with no pressure.   The General had warned us that under no circumstances was anyone supposed to show “anger” on the golf course.  Boy, we could never let Vince Gill play over here!    The weather was so nice that we eventually had to remove our jackets.  Such a nice surprise.  This is the first time since I’ve been coming over here (since the late 80’s) that any of our entourage has been allowed to play golf on a Korean course with the local Koreans.  Add that one to the list of “firsts”!!!
After the golf game, the rest of my group drove up from Seoul and met us for dinner at the golf course.  It was a traditional Korean meal and quite a challenge to figure out what some of the items were.  But, it was excellent food.  I was on the opposite end of the table from the Korean hosts and the General.  They were only drinking beer but I noticed that they were all getting pretty “loose”.  Evidently some shoju was added to the beer.  Diamond Rio sang a couple of songs acoustically and I gave out some coins and cds to the Chairman so he could take care of the “staff” at the clubhouse.   One of the things the General had told us about Korean Protocol was to NEVER blow your nose at the table (which is gross and I don’t know why anyone would do that anywhere – not just Korea!) and to always cover your mouth if you use a toothpick.   One of the Diamond Rio guys started to blow his nose and a couple of us almost knocked him out of his chair to stop him.  Then, he stuck a toothpick in his mouth.  I was a little on “edge” just trying to make sure we didn’t embarrass anyone, but evidently the “shoju” kept the other end of the table from noticing.
We split into two groups with several of the guys going back to the hotel and the rest of us going to the Chairman’s home!  That was really an unexpected treat.  Of course, we drove for about 45 minutes and I was wondering if we were still in South Korea by the time we finally arrived.  And, what a home it was.   He gave us a tour of the entire place and kept talking about his father’s home.   His house was incredible and I can’t imagine what his father’s home must be like.  He brought out the wine and cigars and I managed to drink a couple of glasses of wine and smoke one Cuban cigar.  But, this time, the cigar didn’t make me high, thank goodness.  He also had some cigars that were signed by Castro.  In the room where we were smoking (and, yes, we tried to insist that we go outside to smoke but he wouldn’t hear of it!), there was a ceiling to floor aquarium with some of the most exotic fish I have ever seen.  He brought out some “snacks” and the cheese that he served was 35 years old. 
We left his home and got back to the Dragon Hill Lodge at close to midnight.  It was such a wonderful treat for all of us!  They are all coming to our concert at Yongsan on Tuesday night so we’ll try to return a little of the hospitality!
Jude