Back in Kuwait, start screaming!

Jack_Crow

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
417
Location
West Palm Beach FLA (for a while anyway)
Hi all,

My R and R in the UK has ended. Im back in my alternate realiaty.

Remember that star trek episode that featured a 'mirror universe'. That's what the mid east is. A reflection.

The first world is clean, and healthy. This is something else.

Ive come home.

It's a strange set of emotions. Not all of them are linear. Some take unepsected tracks in unhappy directions. I keep saying 5 more months.

Then I go back to the real world for keeps.
Until next time.

Just got on the ground at Kuwait International. Waiting for a call back from the company rep at Camp Doah.

Enjoying a burger king turky susage and egg sandwhich. Also a whopper of a head cold.

One of two useful things I got in the UK. Reminds me that all good things come to an end.

The other was a filling when some wonderful English Toffie yanked out an old one. Fortunatly the DDS cleared up some underlying problems in the tooth and it diden't need major repairs.

London was amazing. Wales wonderful. Even Oxford had some nice points. Dublin would be fine if I drank more. Paris, that's another story. The French im happy to report, have a clue. Amazing technology, and very security aware.

BA was two plus hours late geting us off the ground at heathrow. Seems a series of 'start trucks' diden't get the engines turning on our 777. In the mean time, what happens when 250 people are in a plane all breathing, sweating, and not having any fun for 2 hours?

Anyhow, BA put us off the plane, towed it someplace that had a working start truck, got it runing, then towed it back and put us on board.

Got to see sunrise from 35k feet, that was nice.

The bozo in front of my had his seat two stops byond the rear travel limits limits. His skull was nearly in my lap. I was sorely tempted to count all the hairs around his bald spot. I was thinking of getting out my sharpie pen and write something rude.

Anyhow, we thump down here and I get through customs with zero effort. Visit the phone kiosk, and get a local sim card for the GSM phone I purchased in London, so now I can make local calls in Kuwait.

The exchange rate from KD to dollars is steep. 1KD is worth 3 USD. So my 20KD phone service is going to be expensive. Yeech.

Found this free wireless internet connection and making use of it.

Hope all is well
Jack Crow in Kuwait
 

FlyUSArmy

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 27, 2004
Messages
19
Location
Southern California
Hey - if you want to get away from the civilized real world, you need to come 100 miles further north. To where there are no cell phones (well really no phones at all in the local economy at least, only in the US Government presence).

I got away to Kuwait City once and thought it was great - a huge improvement. Had lunch at Ruby Tuesdays right on the gulf and thought I was back in America execpt for the lack of alcohol. Picked up a nice $35 Rolex. And Camp Doha - that the plushest base around, the exhange reminded me of Walmart.

Not that I'll be looking at real estate or ever planning to vacation in Iraq or Kuwait. lol

Good luck with your remaining time.

Morgan in Iraq
 

Unicorn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 19, 2000
Messages
1,339
Location
Near Seattle, WA
Welcome back. Didn't you just miss the smell of burning trash, tires, batteries, and trash just left out? Sorta makes you appreciate the EPA in the US.
Will you be going to Doha? I don't think I know any of them, but the military guys guarding the place are from my brigade.
I don't get to go home until November, but at least I'll only have a couple months then we all go home for good, or as you said, "'til next time." I never got to go to go to Doha. I heard stories from a buddy that was there for 6 months in the mid nineties. I was in Wolverine for about two days total (flew in there when we first arrived, then back out again a couple weeks later), and Arifjan for like 3 weeks. That place was wierd. Lots of people crammed into a tiny spot. We were in the wharehouses. Around 1300 people when we left sleeping there, and there was still lots of room for more. That's more people than at the post I'm guarding now! With the TCN's added in, the day population here might be a little higher though.
 

PhotonWrangler

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
14,432
Location
In a handbasket
[ QUOTE ]
Jack_Crow said:

The bozo in front of my had his seat two stops byond the rear travel limits limits. His skull was nearly in my lap. I was sorely tempted to count all the hairs around his bald spot. I was thinking of getting out my sharpie pen and write something rude.


[/ QUOTE ]

A couple of good, rip-roaring sneezes should've taken care of that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 

mattheww50

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Messages
1,048
Location
SW Pennsylvania
My Condolences. I lived in Kuwait for a year (and I still have a Kuwait Driver's license and a Civil ID). What you neglected to mention is that overseas call rates from Kuwait are among the highest in the world. We are talking about dollars per minute. It is a place where absolutely nothing works very well, and everything is designed to make life for the foreigner miserable. My office was in Ahmadi at Kuwait Oil, although the company office was next to the Airport. No amount of money would be enough to get me to go back there to live again.

I used to go down to Dubai one weekend a month for a sanity break. There is nothing sane about life in Kuwait.
 

LifeNRA

Flashaholic*
Joined
Jan 29, 2004
Messages
1,453
Hey Jack watch your back. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif
 

UncleFester

Flashaholic*,
Joined
Apr 28, 2004
Messages
1,271
Location
Desert Hlls,AZ
Hey Jack-N-A-Wrack
Don't worry so much about your back. Worry about keeping your head screwed on. Please come home in one piece!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/knight.gif
 

chmsam

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
2,241
Location
3rd Stone
How about this -

Remember you have friends here.
Keep your eyes open and trust your gut.
Come home safe.

That, and looking after your friends, is enough duty for anyone.

Oh, and Thank You.

-(a different) Craig
 

BentHeadTX

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 29, 2002
Messages
3,892
Location
A very strange dark place
Hey Jack,
I will be coming your way in a month, my home away from home will be in Balad. Yes, the same Balad as the Predator Squadron and freebee flashlights! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Oh wait, I am a medic so cancel the free flashlights /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif I think the 15 lights and rechagable batteries should get me through however. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
Maybe a flashaholic get together in Iraq? Me, you and Brian can fire up the big cannons and.... attract mortar fire. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif Better cancel that idea. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Watch your back, keep the body armor on, the camelback full and a bunker nearby. If you swing through Balad, slide over to the hospital and find the CT Scan building. I will be the guy with a WX1S Luxeon V LED, a nFlex board, some wire, a heat sink and a soldering iron in his hand. Already have the labels made: "Aim away from face" and "Do not point at aircraft".
Stay safe, watch your back and keep the updates coming.
 
Top