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Soda Soda Everywhere but not a Drop to Drink

March 25, 2008 11:52 AM

Producer Ely Brown blogs from her Middle East trip with Vice President Dick Cheney and ABC News Correspondent Martha Raddatz. See some behind the scenes pictures from the trip here.

It’s the final morning of Martha Raddatz’s trip with the Vice President.  The sun is rising in Istanbul.  As predicted in my last blog from Saudi Arabia, the last few days have been back to a rather packed schedule.

We flew from Riyadh to Israel Saturday evening.  After posting my last blog, the cameraman traveling with me peer pressured me into doing some exploring of Riyadh, if only to get some lunch.  The US embassy that assists us at each stop along these trips, had provided us with habayas, the black robes women wear in public.  I put one on - -a simple black flowing robe that reached to the floor -- and “disappeared” as an embassy staffer put it.  We found a driver to take us around Riyadh and show us some of the local neighborhoods.  While some of the folks who were traveling with the Vice President had gone to Kingdom Towers – the tallest building in Riyadh with a reportedly excellent restaurant on top – ABC cameraman Hank Disselkamp, an AFP photographer, and I opted for a lower-end option:  McDonald’s.  It’s embarrassing to admit, but I actually do like to try out McDonald’s or Burger King’s or Pizza Huts around the world.  I like to see how they are the same, how they are different from the ones back home. 

In this case, the first indication of not being in Washington, DC was that we entered in through the “family section” entrance.  This is where the women can enter, almost always in the company of their families.  The “singles” entrance was strictly men.  Once inside, it was pretty much like any McDonald’s. It did offer a grilled chicken wrap that seemed to be geared more towards the local diet, but otherwise, it was Big Macs, fries and sodas. 

After getting our orders we went upstairs to the seating area.  With the exception of a small corner for little kids to play in, the entire area was made up of tables with curtains all around them.  Each family would take a table and draw the curtain around them, keeping the eyes of strangers away.  We ate our meal in our private little nook, duly noting that it all tasted pretty much just like we expected it to. 

We left Saudi Arabia Saturday afternoon.  The first time the press saw the Vice President all day was when he boarded the plane for the flight to the next stop – Israel.  I had been looking forward to this stop for the whole trip.  Not only because I had never been there, but also because I had given up soda for Lent and I would be able to break that fast in Jerusalem, which seemed somewhat appropriate.

These trips are utterly exhausting and usually I survive them by chugging caffeine around the clock.  I had been tempted many times to break my Lenten promise – especially when we’d be at filling centers and I would hear the sounds of dozens of soda cans being popped up. That crisp release of air drove me nuts. 

My plan had been to break it at the stroke of midnight, diet cola from the hotel mini bar in hand.  But that moment passed, and then the next morning we were rushing to do a Good Morning America Sunday debrief, and then we were off to join the Vice President’s motorcade, and I just hadn’t gotten a chance to enjoy a refreshing soda.  As we were going through the security process, I was getting dozens of emails about the GMA debrief not getting where it needed to be.  Video feeds hadn’t been ordered, there was confusion about a sound bite that was in the piece.  Typical stuff, but frustrating.  Juggling my blackberry, cell phone and laptop I blurted out to Martha that all I wanted in the world at that moment was a soda.  Unbeknownst to me, Martha ran off to find me one.

Twenty minutes later, the debrief was where it needed to be, I had made it through the incredibly thorough security process to get into the motorcade and was waiting in a holding area to depart.  A hotel waiter appeared and presented me with a bottled soda.  I was thrilled.  I reached for it – and the Israeli security folks came and took it away from me.  They swabbed it for explosive residue and ran it through a metal detector.   Only then, was I finally allowed to drink up.

March 25, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (3)

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Posted by: Debbie | Apr 4, 2008 12:28:56 AM

Posted by: Debbie | Apr 4, 2008 12:29:01 AM

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