Tribes on a plane

Yes, I know. The title for this post is a play on one of the cheesiest airplane movies ever made ("Snakes on a Plane!") but I'm jetlagged and slightly loopy right now. I'm currently in Doha, Qatar after a whirlwind trip (I found out I was going to Juba, South Sudan on Monday) that will have taken me in the space of 4 days from Los Angeles via Washington, DC (visa # 164 from the newly minted embassy looks like a high school honor student's certificate - no joke), Doha, Qatar, and Nairobi, Kenya to Juba, South Sudan. While in Washington (note: less than 36 hours) I managed to wrangle the honor roll certificate...err...I mean visa, get my wallet stolen, and reconnect with old DC pals. I boarded the Qatar Airways flight last night and to say it was a pleasant surprise to be treated like a human being in economy class would be the understatement of the century. Hot towels, 4 inches of extra legroom (!!), good food, nice bathrooms, new plane....ahhhh....the glamorous life! But even more enjoyable than the flight was observing the folks who boarded the flight (the anthropologist strikes again!)!! A motley crew of well-muscled American military folks in their civvies (some FINE looking men...), mercenaries (fine looking men a la The Rock or Vin Diesel with tattoos, tight shirts, 5 o'clock shadows, and buzzed haircuts), various large Arab families well wrapped up in a rainbow assortment of dishdashes (men) and abaya/hijab (women), Indian and Pakistani businessmen displaying lots of bling, Rolexes (Real or fake is the question?), and sporting way too much cologne. Then there were the world weary, looks-like-they-need-a shower- a spa-or-to-get-laid (in that order) fashion-challenged NGO folks, myself included, drinking to dull the senses. All of these various tribes with their coded languages, clothing, and ability to handle long-haul flights were served by the usual Gulf State airline crew (read: size 2 or 4 petite nordic/eastern European or Asian types with enough makeup on to rival a drag queen). You know it's bad when this Irish brunhilde had to get up to help two of them shut an overhead locker. More stories to follow....