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.
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