Just a brief post. I'm doing some of my in-processing. On the ground at the airport around 11:00 Kabul time. In the safe house by noon. First thing I was issued as I got in the SUV was body armor.
I took some pictures and a couple little movies on the road. Hopefully some will work out and I'll get them posted soon. My cell phone gets better reception in my safe house than I get at home...even from the basement. Back to work!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Blogging From Dubai
Let me begin by thanking everyone who wished me good luck and safe travels, or who otherwise commented on my last post. Needless-to-say, I was the proverbial one-legged man in the ass-kicking contest the last week or so before I departed home. Surprisingly, I accomplished all my labor-intensive goals, but fell a little short on the paperwork things I was trying to accomplish. Luckily in the computer age we can continue to do such things wherever we go as long as we have laptops and Internet. Or perhaps that is unlucky.
Today, 21 June 2008, finds me in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Current temperature is 102 degrees with a forecast of dust. Yes, dust. If not for said dust, it would be a bright sunny day and perhaps a tad hotter. The hotel I’m in normally has a clear view of the Persian Gulf a quarter mile away, but today visibility is only about two hundred meters.
We arrived at about 22:15 (10:15 PM for all you civilians, or those who do not travel abroad frequently). By the time we got out of the airport it was almost 01:00 (1:00 AM). They put us up in the Chelsea Hotel in Dubai, a four star hotel with five nightclubs and four restaurants. All of which are hopping 24 hours a day. Luckily the hotel is built well enough that the rooms are soundproofed. In fact, upon entering the hotel lobby one would never guess that there were nightclubs surrounding the lobby unless someone opened a door to one of them.
My main interests upon getting to my room, however, were setting up my Internet connection, calling my wife, taking a shower, and going to sleep. Internet connection had to be first since the connection enabled me to call the wife free. I had called her at the airport, but with international roaming running $2.99 a minute in Dubai, outgoing calls can get a bit expensive fairly quickly. Ten minutes of talking on my cell phone equals 24 hours of Internet service in my hotel room. It’s a no-brainer.
I finally got out of bed at 12:30. I’ve spent the time repacking and getting ready for tomorrow’s flight into Kabul and reviewing the latest intelligence and security notes. We fly out to Kabul around 08:00 Sunday morning, but leave for the airport at 05:00, so it will be an early night to bed tonight. At least tomorrow’s flight is a short one, only an hour and a half. I have about four days of “processing” and briefings before I get to work. Hopefully I’ll get a quick post in tomorrow after getting settled in the safe house.
Today, 21 June 2008, finds me in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Current temperature is 102 degrees with a forecast of dust. Yes, dust. If not for said dust, it would be a bright sunny day and perhaps a tad hotter. The hotel I’m in normally has a clear view of the Persian Gulf a quarter mile away, but today visibility is only about two hundred meters.
We arrived at about 22:15 (10:15 PM for all you civilians, or those who do not travel abroad frequently). By the time we got out of the airport it was almost 01:00 (1:00 AM). They put us up in the Chelsea Hotel in Dubai, a four star hotel with five nightclubs and four restaurants. All of which are hopping 24 hours a day. Luckily the hotel is built well enough that the rooms are soundproofed. In fact, upon entering the hotel lobby one would never guess that there were nightclubs surrounding the lobby unless someone opened a door to one of them.
My main interests upon getting to my room, however, were setting up my Internet connection, calling my wife, taking a shower, and going to sleep. Internet connection had to be first since the connection enabled me to call the wife free. I had called her at the airport, but with international roaming running $2.99 a minute in Dubai, outgoing calls can get a bit expensive fairly quickly. Ten minutes of talking on my cell phone equals 24 hours of Internet service in my hotel room. It’s a no-brainer.
I finally got out of bed at 12:30. I’ve spent the time repacking and getting ready for tomorrow’s flight into Kabul and reviewing the latest intelligence and security notes. We fly out to Kabul around 08:00 Sunday morning, but leave for the airport at 05:00, so it will be an early night to bed tonight. At least tomorrow’s flight is a short one, only an hour and a half. I have about four days of “processing” and briefings before I get to work. Hopefully I’ll get a quick post in tomorrow after getting settled in the safe house.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Eight Days and Counting
It’s been a while since I’ve posted or even visited my favorite blogs. I’m counting down. Having recovered from vaccine after-effects, I was ready to get back to the outdoor tasks I need to finish before departure. There was a problem. The “siding guys” are still working, but slower. With temperatures hitting near 100 degrees by noon, I can’t blame them. Job was originally supposed to be done last week. They might be done Friday. So I’m still hamstrung as far as getting and spreading the last seven tons of mulch.
I’ve done some little things…cleaning ductwork out for the AC, replacing filters, planting new rhododendrons in the back yard. I dug up a tulip tree seedling that sprouted by one of the AC units and potted it for the next year. The year will give me time to figure out exactly where we want to plant it. Yet it seems that though I'm getting things checked off the list, the list stays the same size since new things keep getting added.
I’m progressing in Pashto, but I’m a little slower on the Dari. Actually I’ve put more effort into Pashto since it is spoken more frequently in Kabul. I can now count, exchange greetings, ask directions and other rudimentary transactions in nine different languages (including English). A carry-over from Arabic to the Afghan languages is the script. Pashto and Dari use Arabic script, so my Arabic refresher was not a total waste.
Cell phone all set with my Afghan Wireless SIM card and my laptop has just about everything I need to be functional in my “off hours”.
Wife wonders about Oliver. He’s become pretty attached to me over the past year or so and has become my shadow. He listens to me more than anyone, but plays with the wife the most so I think he’ll be fine. Duncan has been through this before and he’s really Deborah’s dog. It seems I always bond with the “troublesome” dogs, while Deborah bonds with the…well…wimpy ones.
I’m breaking in new combat boots so even though temps have been near 100 degrees I’ve been running around in boots. Technology has even changed Army footwear. Stephen Parrish can attest to the discomfort of new combat boots in “the old days”. The newer boots are not only more comfortable right out of the box, but they are MUCH cooler too. Back to work.
I’ve done some little things…cleaning ductwork out for the AC, replacing filters, planting new rhododendrons in the back yard. I dug up a tulip tree seedling that sprouted by one of the AC units and potted it for the next year. The year will give me time to figure out exactly where we want to plant it. Yet it seems that though I'm getting things checked off the list, the list stays the same size since new things keep getting added.
I’m progressing in Pashto, but I’m a little slower on the Dari. Actually I’ve put more effort into Pashto since it is spoken more frequently in Kabul. I can now count, exchange greetings, ask directions and other rudimentary transactions in nine different languages (including English). A carry-over from Arabic to the Afghan languages is the script. Pashto and Dari use Arabic script, so my Arabic refresher was not a total waste.
Cell phone all set with my Afghan Wireless SIM card and my laptop has just about everything I need to be functional in my “off hours”.
Wife wonders about Oliver. He’s become pretty attached to me over the past year or so and has become my shadow. He listens to me more than anyone, but plays with the wife the most so I think he’ll be fine. Duncan has been through this before and he’s really Deborah’s dog. It seems I always bond with the “troublesome” dogs, while Deborah bonds with the…well…wimpy ones.
I’m breaking in new combat boots so even though temps have been near 100 degrees I’ve been running around in boots. Technology has even changed Army footwear. Stephen Parrish can attest to the discomfort of new combat boots in “the old days”. The newer boots are not only more comfortable right out of the box, but they are MUCH cooler too. Back to work.
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