20100731
Sightseeing
We did one patrol today: first to the OCCP meeting, then a short foot patrol in the bazaar to give an opportunity for the PAO to take some pictures. From there we went to look at the explosion site, and then to one of the mobile phone masts outside town, again for the photography. It was so hot that my shirt and jacket were soaked when we came back to the safe house. In the afternoon I started doing the personal evaluations of the PO staff, the deadline of which was yesterday. I also collected some feedback about my leadership behaviour from everyone.
20100730
Wedding Explosion
One of our guards had invited us to his brother's wedding. It was in Aibak, so we decided to go. Having been to two wedding parties already, I thought that it would be someone else's turn, and asked the second in command to lead the patrol. I stayed in and tried to take it easy, but today, just like last Friday, unexpected events disturbed my peace. In the morning we got a phone call about an explosion outside the city last night. Two locals had been killed in the blast, so we thought that it would be best to go to the site to take a look. The patrol to the wedding party got the job, as they were already preparing to go. The police and the NDS had already collected the evidence and the locals had cleaned most of the blast debris.
Apart from doing some physical exercise in the morning, I was mostly occupied with administrative duties. Of course, there was some time to relax, too. After all, it was Friday.
The dove's chicks outside the main entrance are growing incredibly quickly.
Did I mention that in every American MRE package there is a cute mini-bottle of Tabasco?
Apart from doing some physical exercise in the morning, I was mostly occupied with administrative duties. Of course, there was some time to relax, too. After all, it was Friday.
The dove's chicks outside the main entrance are growing incredibly quickly.
Did I mention that in every American MRE package there is a cute mini-bottle of Tabasco?
20100729
Leave Transport
The PO's trusty vehicles, Lion and Bunny, were out practically the whole day. They left early to Camp Northern Light to pick up some material and Suomi-food. Then they went to Camp Marmul to pick up the soldiers who were returning from leave. When it was time for them to return to Aibak, one of the tyres couldn't take the weight of all the passengers, luggage and goods, and went flat, just 15 kilometres before Aibak. Changing to the spare tyre takes only about 20 minutes, and Lion and Bunny were soon home again.
I started my day by working out in the gym for almost two hours. Then I finalised a report on our latest patrol and made some plans for the future. The PAO (Public Affairs Officer) arrived here today and brought some interesting news. The Finnish television channel MTV3 is going to make a program about Finnish peace-keepers, called "Rauhanturvaajat". The plan is that they will be filming here in Aibak, too. But that will happen long after I'm gone.
The towel rack in the Main Building's bathroom looks angry.
I started my day by working out in the gym for almost two hours. Then I finalised a report on our latest patrol and made some plans for the future. The PAO (Public Affairs Officer) arrived here today and brought some interesting news. The Finnish television channel MTV3 is going to make a program about Finnish peace-keepers, called "Rauhanturvaajat". The plan is that they will be filming here in Aibak, too. But that will happen long after I'm gone.
The towel rack in the Main Building's bathroom looks angry.
20100728
VIP Visit
This visit was announced to us on a very short notice. I barely had time to plan the program, prepare the briefing and to put together a patrol for the VIPs. The Chief of Operations of the Swedish Armed Forces and the Senior Lawyer of the Swedish Armed Forces with their close protection team paid us a visit. To make things more interesting - for us at least - they arrived with the German CH-53, call sign "NAZGUL". We took it down at the NDS compound with green smoke and fancy hand signs, because they wouldn't answer our link-up calls. Then we drove the general and his party to the land area that is planned for the new PO compound. From there we drove to the OCCP, and then to the PO for some coffee and a briefing. Then it was time to rush back to the NDS compound, where the big chopper was just touching down when we arrived. Another busy day.
On landing, the helicopter almost missed the landing site.
Taking off, it was more precisely on the spot.
On landing, the helicopter almost missed the landing site.
Taking off, it was more precisely on the spot.
20100727
Politricks
I spoke with the guards' commander about the thefts. He took the matter very seriously, and suggested that we should search all the local employees when they leave the safe house. He suggested also that the kitchen assistants and the cleaner should no longer be allowed to come into the guards' and the interpreters' quarters, unless they are invited. I stressed that no-one is suspected and that no-one is accused. I promised him that if the money or the stolen items are recovered anonymously, there would be no reprimands , but if the thief is caught, there will most certainly be serious consequences the person.
In the afternoon we went to see the provincial governor. There was one issue that I had been ordered to take up with him as early as in the beginning June, but have until now not had the proper opportunity to do. It concerned misusing the PRT commander's words in the media. The provincial governor was surprised to learn that our interpreters watch the evening news regurlary, and that they write notes of the news for us. He dismissed the false information that had been on the news as a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation.
The mayor also came to the governor's office to see us. He was unhappy about the ongoing road construction to the university building of Samangan, a project which is funded by us. The road was too narrow and too short(!), and did not follow the master plan for Aibak city. I tried my best to remind him of the fact that he and city engineer had agreed with the construction company about the details of the road before the contract was signed. He refused to listen. I seriously considered getting up and walking out of there, but what good would that have done? Finally, the provincial governor decided that the construction would be stopped and the plans for the road revised. Better no road at all than a narrow road.
P.S.: The provincial governor told a funny story in the meeting. Earlier, when he was the district governor of Andkhvoy, had been visiting a village in which there had been fighting between ISAF and the insurgents. Just then, a jet fighter had accidentally flown overhead. He had had absolutely no communications with the pilot whatsoever, but he had told the people that he had just stopped the plane from dropping bombs on the village, telling the pilot that "there are no insurgents here". The villagers had cheered him as a hero. Now there's a true politician.
In the afternoon we went to see the provincial governor. There was one issue that I had been ordered to take up with him as early as in the beginning June, but have until now not had the proper opportunity to do. It concerned misusing the PRT commander's words in the media. The provincial governor was surprised to learn that our interpreters watch the evening news regurlary, and that they write notes of the news for us. He dismissed the false information that had been on the news as a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation.
The mayor also came to the governor's office to see us. He was unhappy about the ongoing road construction to the university building of Samangan, a project which is funded by us. The road was too narrow and too short(!), and did not follow the master plan for Aibak city. I tried my best to remind him of the fact that he and city engineer had agreed with the construction company about the details of the road before the contract was signed. He refused to listen. I seriously considered getting up and walking out of there, but what good would that have done? Finally, the provincial governor decided that the construction would be stopped and the plans for the road revised. Better no road at all than a narrow road.
P.S.: The provincial governor told a funny story in the meeting. Earlier, when he was the district governor of Andkhvoy, had been visiting a village in which there had been fighting between ISAF and the insurgents. Just then, a jet fighter had accidentally flown overhead. He had had absolutely no communications with the pilot whatsoever, but he had told the people that he had just stopped the plane from dropping bombs on the village, telling the pilot that "there are no insurgents here". The villagers had cheered him as a hero. Now there's a true politician.
20100726
Reports and Thefts
I slept late, resting after yesterdays patrol. While the other patrol members were taking care of vehicle maintenance etc., I spent most of the day in front of the computer, writing reports. Two LIREPs (liaison reports), one PATROLREP (patrol report), and one AAR (after action report) and Lessons Identified combined. The second in command of the patrol helped, of course.
At 1500 one of our interpreters came to see me. He said that 200 dollars had been stolen from his wallet. He had left it in the pocket of his trousers in his room in the mudhouse after lunch. I had no option but to start an investigation. We searched the quarters of all the local employees and asked them questions about what they had been up to after lunch. Nothing was found. This was now the fifth case of theft in about three months time. We will have to take measures.
At 1500 one of our interpreters came to see me. He said that 200 dollars had been stolen from his wallet. He had left it in the pocket of his trousers in his room in the mudhouse after lunch. I had no option but to start an investigation. We searched the quarters of all the local employees and asked them questions about what they had been up to after lunch. Nothing was found. This was now the fifth case of theft in about three months time. We will have to take measures.
20100725
Patrol 5
At 0215, we rolled out for a long-range patrol with the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces). The patrol was planned and carried out on a very short notice - not only because that's the Afghan way - but also because three Bangladeshi construction workers had been kidnapped two days earlier by the Taliban in Darah-ye Suf-e Pa'in district. We gathered at the OCCP at 0230, and as usual, the ANA (Afghan National Army), was late. After a quick meeting, we set off as a small part of a big convoy of vehicles, about 40 cars. The road is very good for about 20 kilometres, but after that it soon deteriorates into what roads usually are like down here - worse than anything at all one could find in Finland. Believe it or not - there are no roads as bad as the Afghan roads in Finland. The weather was bone dry, so the vehicles raised up a lot of dust, which at times erased all visibiliy. The vehicles had to keep their distances and the road conditions kept the driving speed down. It's only about 85 kilometres to Dara-i-Suf village, but the drive takes about 6 or 7 hours.
In the planning and co-ordination meeting at the OCCP at 0230 in the morning.
Once we got there, the convoy drove into two villages. The Afghans searched houses and confiscated some illegal weapons and ammunition. They even found more than 1000 vaccination syringes, which seemed a little strange. They also gathered the elders and other villagers to the main mosque, and warned the people of serious consequences if they were to collaborate with the Taliban. Each stop didn't take more than an hour, and by the time we got to the second village, it was brunctime. Green bag and tuna, straight out of the can. In the second village there was some evidence about the Taliban having been there: some clothes that are typically used by the Taliban were found in a madrassa.
Some children brought out what they said were Taliban clothes.
Three RPG's (Rocket-propelled grenades), a .22 cal rifle and a load of 0,5 ml syringes were confiscated.
When the convoy had spent about 5 minutes in the third village, unexpected things started happening. A man on horseback gallopped up the hill on the other side of the village and fired an RPG rocket. The ANP took off after him. Soon 8 more men appeared on the hill in two groups of four, and gunfire could be heard. The Talibans tried to escape, but were soon pinned down by the police. The firefight lasted for more than 4 hours, and there were casualties on both side. We were well out of harm's way: we measured with the laser range-finder that it was between 1.3 to 2.1 kilometres to the nearest clashes. When the casualties had been evacuated, we disengaged the Taliban. I watched with binoculars as they regrouped on the hillside and withdrew in the opposite direction. The convoy then drove to Dara-i-Suf for the night.
A view of the battlefield. The Taliban regrouped by the tree at the highest point.
This boot belongs to an unfortunate ANP soldier, who was shot in the leg.
The three Bangladeshi hostages had managed to escape during the firefight, so in that respect the operation had already been a success. We got a nice room at the local police station, and could sleep indoors. The toilet facilities were not so nice.
The following day there for a funeral ceremony for the KIA (killed in action). It was for Muslims only. It was followed by the opening ceremonies of a Girls' School, which was located in the next village. Incidentally, the school was funded by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. After the opening ceremony, we were invited to lunch in a private house, with all the sub-commanders of the patrol, and most of the local elders. After lunch the locals gave me a chapan, which came as a complete surprise. (It is, i believe, customary to give away chapans to men of importance. When the provincial governor took office, he was given up to 15 chapans per day. For about two weeks.) After the lunch meeting, the commander of the convoy said that the convoy was now returning to Aibak. That, too, was completely unexpected, as we had prepared for a longer patrol. But the Afghans were in command, and we were just along for the ride.
This mini-truck belonged to the Bangladeshi construction workers and was burned by the Taliban.
The drive back was just as strenuous as the drive there had been. The roads were covered with a thick layer of soft, powdery dust, which blew up in the windscreen of the cars so thick that you had to use the windscreen wipers. The air filters of the engines as well as the air-conditioning system really come into use here.
Near Aibak all the troops of the convoy lined up for a few words of gratitude from the provincial governor.
P.S.: As you may or may not have noticed, the spelling of some names of places has changed slightly. There are still no explicit rules available for the transcription of Dari into English available to us, but to co-ordinate the spelling of names on the map, an SOP (standard operating procedure) was issued with the one spelling suggestion that should be used for the province and district names - at least within ISAF.
In the planning and co-ordination meeting at the OCCP at 0230 in the morning.
Once we got there, the convoy drove into two villages. The Afghans searched houses and confiscated some illegal weapons and ammunition. They even found more than 1000 vaccination syringes, which seemed a little strange. They also gathered the elders and other villagers to the main mosque, and warned the people of serious consequences if they were to collaborate with the Taliban. Each stop didn't take more than an hour, and by the time we got to the second village, it was brunctime. Green bag and tuna, straight out of the can. In the second village there was some evidence about the Taliban having been there: some clothes that are typically used by the Taliban were found in a madrassa.
Some children brought out what they said were Taliban clothes.
Three RPG's (Rocket-propelled grenades), a .22 cal rifle and a load of 0,5 ml syringes were confiscated.
When the convoy had spent about 5 minutes in the third village, unexpected things started happening. A man on horseback gallopped up the hill on the other side of the village and fired an RPG rocket. The ANP took off after him. Soon 8 more men appeared on the hill in two groups of four, and gunfire could be heard. The Talibans tried to escape, but were soon pinned down by the police. The firefight lasted for more than 4 hours, and there were casualties on both side. We were well out of harm's way: we measured with the laser range-finder that it was between 1.3 to 2.1 kilometres to the nearest clashes. When the casualties had been evacuated, we disengaged the Taliban. I watched with binoculars as they regrouped on the hillside and withdrew in the opposite direction. The convoy then drove to Dara-i-Suf for the night.
A view of the battlefield. The Taliban regrouped by the tree at the highest point.
This boot belongs to an unfortunate ANP soldier, who was shot in the leg.
The three Bangladeshi hostages had managed to escape during the firefight, so in that respect the operation had already been a success. We got a nice room at the local police station, and could sleep indoors. The toilet facilities were not so nice.
The following day there for a funeral ceremony for the KIA (killed in action). It was for Muslims only. It was followed by the opening ceremonies of a Girls' School, which was located in the next village. Incidentally, the school was funded by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. After the opening ceremony, we were invited to lunch in a private house, with all the sub-commanders of the patrol, and most of the local elders. After lunch the locals gave me a chapan, which came as a complete surprise. (It is, i believe, customary to give away chapans to men of importance. When the provincial governor took office, he was given up to 15 chapans per day. For about two weeks.) After the lunch meeting, the commander of the convoy said that the convoy was now returning to Aibak. That, too, was completely unexpected, as we had prepared for a longer patrol. But the Afghans were in command, and we were just along for the ride.
This mini-truck belonged to the Bangladeshi construction workers and was burned by the Taliban.
The drive back was just as strenuous as the drive there had been. The roads were covered with a thick layer of soft, powdery dust, which blew up in the windscreen of the cars so thick that you had to use the windscreen wipers. The air filters of the engines as well as the air-conditioning system really come into use here.
Near Aibak all the troops of the convoy lined up for a few words of gratitude from the provincial governor.
P.S.: As you may or may not have noticed, the spelling of some names of places has changed slightly. There are still no explicit rules available for the transcription of Dari into English available to us, but to co-ordinate the spelling of names on the map, an SOP (standard operating procedure) was issued with the one spelling suggestion that should be used for the province and district names - at least within ISAF.
20100723
Chicks
Three chicks had turned up in the dove's nest today. They were really tiny and were constantly being fed by the dove. We would have had a normal Friday, if it hadn't been for a few phone calls and a visit, which turned the day from a maintenance day to a preparation day. At dusk there was a man at our gate, who wanted to volunteer to become the Arbaki commander in his village, if there was to be any Arbaki in Samangan. He was presently the head of a village clinic. I thanked him for showing interest and told him to go talk with the ANP.
20100722
Provincial Development Council
I forced myself to get up early to get some exercise, first on the treadmill and then on the cross-trainer. I forgot all about the food trucks, until P from the OCCP mentoring team came into the gym to remind me. Everyone helps along to get the food and water out of the truck and into the storage facilities quickly and smoothly. The meeting that wasn't yesterday, was today 1000. But before we got that far, I had had to answer five phone calls, write three emails, meet one building contractor at the gate, have two texts translated, and watch Isaf get soaked. (She was lying in the ditch, cooling herself down, when a flood wave came. The locals build dams in the ditches if they need some more water for washing clothes etc., and a dam was opened up further up the ditch.) This morning reminded me vaguely of some of the days last year, when I was second in command. Those were busy days, and this morning was busy.
The PDC meeting was rather entertaining, actually. The provincial governor got angry with the chief of the agricultural department. In the last meeting, the PGOV sent the chief away, but this time the governor settled for insults. "Everyone in your department are drunk by 5 pm every day", the governor said, and continued: "I know that your department is corrupt. I will find evidence and prove that you are taking bribes, and then I will have you all replaced". There were about 25 people in the room, heads of departments and provincial officials. Have I mentioned how important it is for Afghans to save face?
After the meeting we delivered a letter to the NDS. The air was cool (since when have I started calling 37 degrees "cool") and humid after the night's rain. The dove had swithed position - she was now facing towards the door. There are vast numbers of various versions of bugs and critters everywhere, even though all greenness is starting to disappear from the desert.
The afternoon saw me writing a number of papers, and reading an even larger number of them. The OCCP mentoring team returned from Marmal and brough a generator mechaninc with them. At 1700 it was time for the earlier Thursday briefing, and then the barbeque on the sundeck. Had we had the same weather as yesterday, there would definitely not have been any barbecue, but this evening was nicer than we've had it in a long while.
The dove in its old position, towards the main gate. It doesn't have a name yet.
These guys in MOT E's second vehicle most likely have names, but I don't know them.
The PDC meeting was rather entertaining, actually. The provincial governor got angry with the chief of the agricultural department. In the last meeting, the PGOV sent the chief away, but this time the governor settled for insults. "Everyone in your department are drunk by 5 pm every day", the governor said, and continued: "I know that your department is corrupt. I will find evidence and prove that you are taking bribes, and then I will have you all replaced". There were about 25 people in the room, heads of departments and provincial officials. Have I mentioned how important it is for Afghans to save face?
After the meeting we delivered a letter to the NDS. The air was cool (since when have I started calling 37 degrees "cool") and humid after the night's rain. The dove had swithed position - she was now facing towards the door. There are vast numbers of various versions of bugs and critters everywhere, even though all greenness is starting to disappear from the desert.
The afternoon saw me writing a number of papers, and reading an even larger number of them. The OCCP mentoring team returned from Marmal and brough a generator mechaninc with them. At 1700 it was time for the earlier Thursday briefing, and then the barbeque on the sundeck. Had we had the same weather as yesterday, there would definitely not have been any barbecue, but this evening was nicer than we've had it in a long while.
The dove in its old position, towards the main gate. It doesn't have a name yet.
These guys in MOT E's second vehicle most likely have names, but I don't know them.
20100721
Sandstorm 2
There was supposed to be a meeting in the morning, but there wasn't. The development advisor came to attend that meeting. Unless there hadn't been a second meeting sceduled, the trip would have been for nothing more than a tasty lunch at PO Aybak. We didn't go to that second meeting either, but instead we went for some good, old road recce in the afternoon. This time we didn't go far. We drove around the narrow and extremely narrow streets in the immediate surroundings of the safe house, and managed to find a couple of new routes, as well as a collapsed bridge. A sandstorm came in from the north-west. The air was so full of dust that you could see no more than 300 metres. Later in the evening, after the storm had passed, it started to rain.
Outside the wall of the new prison compound with the sandstorm blowing in from behind me.
Outside the wall of the new prison compound with the sandstorm blowing in from behind me.
20100720
Laptop Failure
The network card on my laptop broke down yesterday. Just like that. I turned on my computer as usual, but the network connection wasn't there. The operating system just didn't find the network card anymore. We have since then tried everything with the CIS-officer: booting, reinstalling the driver, different network cable, different port on the router - to no avail. I will ask our ADP-officer to give it one final try when he returns from leave (he is quite skilled with computers), but I have no high hopes for it to suddenly start working again. This is something of a setback for the blog. I will have to write my posts from one of the three internet computers in common usage. The circumstances in the areas where these common network computers are located will probably discourage me from writing very long posts. Inserting pictures into the blog will certainly be much more complicated in the future. As I see it at the moment, I will probably not be posting every day anymore. We'll have to wait and see how this turns out.
On a more positive note, I will probably spend less time surfing on the internet, which means that there will be more time left over for reading books, sleeping or physical exercise.
Yesterday I didn't post anything, because my computer had no network connection. I thought that is was just another bad connection, since we've had quite a few of those. But today, as I still had no network connection on my laptop, and it turned out that the network card is out of order, I felt oblidged to write a post. Yesterday I visited the OCCP in the morning with the OCCP mentoring team. In the afternoon we had a meeting with the chief of NDS. The report got be quite long, almost four pages, and it took me until 2230 to write.
Today I skipped breakfast, and went to the gym instead. I exercised for two hours, first on the excercise bike and then on the cross-trainer. After lunch we went to look at the place were our garbage is dumped and burned, and should be buried, too. The place was a disaster, just like it was the last time we were there. The garbage was still not properly burned, it was spread all over the area by animals and the wind, and none of it had been buried. Last time I gave the garbage man a second and final warning: If he did not bury the garbage, I would have to change to a different contractor for garbage disposal. This seems to leave me with little choice. I will either terminate his contract in accordance with the warning I issued to him the last time, or, I will have to show him how to bury garbage and what we mean by a tidy garbage disposal. The case might very well be, that the Afghans' view of a garbage-free environment differs very much from that of ours.
From the place-where-shit-burns, we went to see the chief of police. He had just returned from MeS, where he had met the regional police commander, general Patang - after having visited the wedding of the provincial governor's son. The commander had bloodshot eyes and he seemed even more tired and uninterested than usual. The weather felt much cooler today - in fact it was only 38 degrees.
On a more positive note, I will probably spend less time surfing on the internet, which means that there will be more time left over for reading books, sleeping or physical exercise.
Yesterday I didn't post anything, because my computer had no network connection. I thought that is was just another bad connection, since we've had quite a few of those. But today, as I still had no network connection on my laptop, and it turned out that the network card is out of order, I felt oblidged to write a post. Yesterday I visited the OCCP in the morning with the OCCP mentoring team. In the afternoon we had a meeting with the chief of NDS. The report got be quite long, almost four pages, and it took me until 2230 to write.
Today I skipped breakfast, and went to the gym instead. I exercised for two hours, first on the excercise bike and then on the cross-trainer. After lunch we went to look at the place were our garbage is dumped and burned, and should be buried, too. The place was a disaster, just like it was the last time we were there. The garbage was still not properly burned, it was spread all over the area by animals and the wind, and none of it had been buried. Last time I gave the garbage man a second and final warning: If he did not bury the garbage, I would have to change to a different contractor for garbage disposal. This seems to leave me with little choice. I will either terminate his contract in accordance with the warning I issued to him the last time, or, I will have to show him how to bury garbage and what we mean by a tidy garbage disposal. The case might very well be, that the Afghans' view of a garbage-free environment differs very much from that of ours.
From the place-where-shit-burns, we went to see the chief of police. He had just returned from MeS, where he had met the regional police commander, general Patang - after having visited the wedding of the provincial governor's son. The commander had bloodshot eyes and he seemed even more tired and uninterested than usual. The weather felt much cooler today - in fact it was only 38 degrees.
20100718
And Back Again
In the morning I forced myself out of bed at 0600 to go for a run. It was simply too hot for running, so I walked one lap, ran two, and then walked a fourth one. After a quick shower and breakfast it was time to sit down to listen to briefings and to watch slide shows. Of course, at some point it was my turn to show and tell what the situation in Samangan and Provincial Office Aybak were looking like. I took notes, which I will have to type out later - otherwise no-one at the PO will be able to understand what was said at the conference. By special permission by the chief of staff, I was excused from the last two meetings of the afternoon, and we could start our return journey a little earlier than expected. We took a shortcut from CNL to the ring road by driving along the riverbank. There is hardly any water in the river now, so the wadi was easy to cross. On the ring road there was unusually heavy traffic, and the drive took longer than expected. On two occasions, our lane was blocked by broken down vehicles. The air conditioning in Lion ran at full power all the way, but my shirt and jacket were soaking wet when we arrived in Aybak.
20100717
There
An email arrived yesterday afternoon, the contents of which demanded that we meet with the mayor. We scheduled a meeting for 0900 and went over. The chiefs of the electrical company and the radio and tv-station also happened to be visiting the mayor, so I took the opportunity to meet them, too. The issue at hand was quickly resolved - in fact it was such a concise meeting, that I decided to omit the otherwise obligatory writing of a report. I could convey the message from the mayor to the person who sent the email later this afternoon, when I would meet him in person.
After lunch we took off for Camp Northern Lights, where the commander's conference is to be held tonight and tomorrow. It's the first conference with the new commander, but it must be something in the way of the fifth or sixth time for myself. I hope that my lack of enthusiasm doesn't show too clearly. With us we took the commander of MOT E, who got some acute pains in the leg. Our medics thought that it would be best to let the doctor have a look.
In CNL it was extremely hot, as expected, but it still felt hotter than one could expect. The initial briefings of the conference lasted until 2115. It was dark but still very hot outside, when I went to have a non-alcoholic beer in the Swedish mess, the Glowing Scorpion bar. Our accommodation tent, called Lebanon, was considerably cooler than the air outside, but it was still far too hot to sleep comfortably, as it turned out.
After lunch we took off for Camp Northern Lights, where the commander's conference is to be held tonight and tomorrow. It's the first conference with the new commander, but it must be something in the way of the fifth or sixth time for myself. I hope that my lack of enthusiasm doesn't show too clearly. With us we took the commander of MOT E, who got some acute pains in the leg. Our medics thought that it would be best to let the doctor have a look.
In CNL it was extremely hot, as expected, but it still felt hotter than one could expect. The initial briefings of the conference lasted until 2115. It was dark but still very hot outside, when I went to have a non-alcoholic beer in the Swedish mess, the Glowing Scorpion bar. Our accommodation tent, called Lebanon, was considerably cooler than the air outside, but it was still far too hot to sleep comfortably, as it turned out.
20100716
Orders and Plans
I slept until brunchtime, which is 1030. That's 12 hours' sleep without disturbances. Good, because I'm sure that I'll be needing the rest in the future. Today I spent most of my time reading reports and orders, and planning things that need to be planned, such as the leave schedule of the next Finnish rotation. Not very exciting, but at least I got to stay indoors where the temperature is bearable.
At 1730 in the afternoon the hottest hours of the day had already passed.
A dove had made its nest in a peculiar place just outside the entrance to the main building. It didn't move at all even if you stood right next to the nest. We couldn't help wondering if the poor bird has to hatch its eggs in order to warm them like the birds do in Finland - or to cool them down to prevent them from cooking!
At 1730 in the afternoon the hottest hours of the day had already passed.
A dove had made its nest in a peculiar place just outside the entrance to the main building. It didn't move at all even if you stood right next to the nest. We couldn't help wondering if the poor bird has to hatch its eggs in order to warm them like the birds do in Finland - or to cool them down to prevent them from cooking!
20100715
Sleepyhead
The plane landed on the airstrip in Camp Marmal about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, which means pretty early. Still, it was much hotter than in Finland, which hadn't been exactly cool. About a dozen helicopters were coming in to land as we walked to the bus that would take us to the Finnish NSE (national support element), where our equipment was stored. After about an hour of packing and another one of waiting everything was ready, and we left for Aybak with MOT E. Everything was as usual on the way, but the desert was hotter and dryer than I ever remember having seen it. Everything was khaki and the sky was white-hot with the sun.
In Aybak everything was normal. After unpacking my bags and salmon soup for lunch I tried to read reports from the past two weeks, but soon found out that I was simply too tired. I realized that I hadn't gotten practically any sleep on the plane. An afternoon nap that was intended to last an hour was extended to three. Then I continued reading repots and writing a couple of emails. We served dinner in the welfare kitchen on the second floor, because it was too hot on the roof for a barbecue. Only the meat was grilled there, and the rest of the food was in an air-conditioned area. A shower, and I was ready for bed.
In Aybak everything was normal. After unpacking my bags and salmon soup for lunch I tried to read reports from the past two weeks, but soon found out that I was simply too tired. I realized that I hadn't gotten practically any sleep on the plane. An afternoon nap that was intended to last an hour was extended to three. Then I continued reading repots and writing a couple of emails. We served dinner in the welfare kitchen on the second floor, because it was too hot on the roof for a barbecue. Only the meat was grilled there, and the rest of the food was in an air-conditioned area. A shower, and I was ready for bed.
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