Made it to Afghanistan!!! The “tactical landing” was no big thing after all. They made it sound like a rollercoaster landing. But, hey, when you’re packed like a sardine wrapped in body armor into the center row of seats on a C17 you don’t feel a thing. Well almost nothing. Sitting without being able to shift your weight for three and a half hours does make you feel as if your ass is completely broken, never to heal again. All in all not a ride I would look forward to. To put it another way, in the military we don’t travel coach, we travel steerage!
I arrived Saturday and was pretty wiped out by the late afternoon. Oh I forgot to mention. We fly in the wee hours without any sleep the night before. It’s just the Military’s attempt to add ambience to the experience. Thanks Uncle Sam!
When I walked out from the plane the first thing that caught my attention were the mountains. They are stunning! I can’t wait until the security here improves so that I can come back and climb them!!! Bagram sits in a bowl at about 5,000 feet surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Dust the consistency of talc covers everything and creates a haze during the day. Mornings are still clear though.
The base is an odd place. It is very industrial, very temporary and poorly slapped together. It has the character of urban planning gone horribly wrong. I work on one side of the runway, reasonably close to dining facilities and the post exchange (shops). I live on the other side. Just outside the base are ruins of Afghan mud compounds. I am guessing they were destroyed during the Soviet occupation as well as the fighting that followed. Small red inverted triangle’s are on most fence lines both on and off base to alert us to mine fields. They are clearing them very slowly. I doubt they will finish before we depart this place, whenever that happens. I’ll post some photo’s on my facebook page when I have the chance.
I arrived Saturday and was pretty wiped out by the late afternoon. Oh I forgot to mention. We fly in the wee hours without any sleep the night before. It’s just the Military’s attempt to add ambience to the experience. Thanks Uncle Sam!
When I walked out from the plane the first thing that caught my attention were the mountains. They are stunning! I can’t wait until the security here improves so that I can come back and climb them!!! Bagram sits in a bowl at about 5,000 feet surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Dust the consistency of talc covers everything and creates a haze during the day. Mornings are still clear though.
The base is an odd place. It is very industrial, very temporary and poorly slapped together. It has the character of urban planning gone horribly wrong. I work on one side of the runway, reasonably close to dining facilities and the post exchange (shops). I live on the other side. Just outside the base are ruins of Afghan mud compounds. I am guessing they were destroyed during the Soviet occupation as well as the fighting that followed. Small red inverted triangle’s are on most fence lines both on and off base to alert us to mine fields. They are clearing them very slowly. I doubt they will finish before we depart this place, whenever that happens. I’ll post some photo’s on my facebook page when I have the chance.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment