It was one of the few days out of the year that rain fell in the desert. Not the 15 minute south Florida downpour, but of the Pacific Northwest kind; moderate and continual. Enough that little Tigris and Euphrates rivers started forming all over base. And enough to eliminate any solid ground. But the weather was not going to stop us from seeking out a mystery café referred to by some, as the Star Wars Cantina.
Having been enclosed within a few mile radius for the last few months, we were more than ready to take a mini road trip of sorts, with the cantina as the end goal. Neelum, John and I already wet from the walk to the Red Cross office, hopped in our GMC Safari van and set off down the road toward the gas station. All classic road trips begin with a pit stop. Though there was no snack shop, neither was there a gas bill. Fair tradeoff I suppose.
It was by no means the sun in your face, no cloud in the sky iconic road trip. And the rain, though challenging, certainly provided a more memorable experience. The most difficult challenge however, was not the weather; it was the fact that we really had no idea where to start looking for this mystery café. Was it a myth or reality? All we knew was that it was supposedly frequented by truck drivers. I know what you’re thinking…too many unknowns right?
We resolved to head to DFAC 4, on the outskirts of our little microcosm. It wasn’t long before we reached our first tourist attraction! I had spotted a familiar icon of my past. Apparently the gator logo is the official symbol of the ice stops on base. And to use a now cliché phrase, the gator nation is truly everywhere. I snapped a quick picture and ran back to the car.
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| Go GATORS! |
Through puddles, gravel, and lots of rain, we finally arrived to DFAC 4. We needed a lead…and a cup of hot chocolate to warm up. John wasted no time in questioning the staff. By the time we entered, he already had a clue. Apparently the official name for the Star Wars Cantina was the convoy café. The staff warned us that it was nothing special; in fact they said that the food for the café was supplied by DFAC 4. For a moment we thought that perhaps the cantina was best kept to our imagination. But that moment quickly faded, and we asked for directions! It wasn’t as much about the food as it was seeing the cantina existed with our own two eyes.
We grabbed hot chocolate, and John some jerky and we hit the road. You could say that we didn’t have the clearest instructions…the staff told us we probably wouldn’t be able to find it. When we drove off the paved road, which is quite common here, I immediately wished that it was indeed one of those sunny and clear iconic days. The steadiness of the rain produced a major problem: mud. During the last big rain, the van got stuck in the middle of the DFAC parking lot. I wasn’t there, but my colleagues ended up having to be pulled from the muck.
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| No road trip is complete without snacks |
After driving a few minutes in the muddy mess and pouring rain, our hopes of finding the Star Wars Cantina were near extinguished. Had it been up to me we probably would have turned back. But I’m the only one in the group who was bashful. Neelum pulled up next to a bus driver and John didn’t hesitate to ask for directions. It was a miracle that the bus driver was actually familiar with the café. With a new set of directions, we took off and ended up making a wrong turn right off the bat. But good providence brought us back across the bus driver’s path.
I think the driver appreciated our ambition. He gave up on verbal directions and just said to follow him! The only problem was, we had to cross a very large puddle. Neelum was hesitant; John told her, whatever you do, don’t stop! And so Neelum put the pedal to the metal and we came out on the other side. We were one puddle closer to the Star Wars Cantina.
After riding a few minutes, the bus driver pulled over and drew us a map to guide us the rest of the way. Our confidence was high for a few moments, until we started making wrong turns again. Somehow, amongst all the wrong turns, we made a right one and there it was in all its glory…the convoy café…the Star Wars Cantina. Of course lunch hour had passed. We could not enter its doors, but that really didn’t matter to us. I am almost glad it was closed, because what lies inside is completely left up to our imagination, and there would be no disappointments.
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| The infamous Star Wars Cantina! |
We had to capture the moment with a quick picture, and we asked the guard so that all three of us could be included. The guard said that we looked familiar, and then we realized that it was Eddie. Eddie comes to the Red Cross office almost every day for hours on end. We had the key to the Star Wars Cantina at our finger tips the entire time. We laughed pretty hard over such a coincidence.
Having felt quite accomplished, we headed back to civilization, but had one more tourist stop to make. We stopped to snap a photo on David Letterman Loop, and almost sank in the mud. My tennis shoes took a hard hit.
Cold, wet, yet satisfied at our accomplishment, we remembered we were hungry and went to a Turkish café located conveniently on a paved road. The owner had compassion and brought us tea to warm up.
Here is to adventures even in the most confined of spaces!
Barbeques don’t always need an occasion, but in this case, we were having a going away for our volunteer Vasquez and some of our other Red Cross regulars. They fired up the grill and we had chicken marinated in a bbq sauce, hot dogs, and shrimp seasoned with butter and some good old Tony C’s (thank you to my Louisiana family members!) We scrounged potatoes from the DFAC, had chips and queso and assortment of other finger foods; it was a feast! There is something wonderful about cooking a sharing meal together. 
