http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East , Iraq en-us Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:25:12 +0000 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:25:12 +0000 Before you read ahead forget everything you know about Iraq. The ancient Mesopotamian ruins of Ur and Nineveh where civilization began and writing and law codes were invented the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon the purported location of the Garden of Eden and capital city Baghdad are all scratched off my Iraq travel itinerary. I am going to the lsquoNew Iraqrsquo a relatively safe http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/North/Arbil/blog-447539.html I'm not sure if I'll have access to this site when I get to my final destination but if I do and am able to blog I will be publishing the blogs as private so you'll need to sign in with a password to see them. I have to send out an invite for people to access my private blogs. I've actually sent them out a long time ago Jan 13 and the system shows them as waiting but I'm not exactly sure ho http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/blog-429692.html 61409 0340 local time I have to start somewhere. Iraq seems like as good a place as any. I'm originally from Florida. Jacksonville to be specific. I've lived there all my life on the gun ridden northside. Around the same time I came to Iraq as a civilian I moved all my stuff to the beach. Well my girlfriend actaully moved everything since we were living together. My girlfriend who is now my w http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/South/Umm-Qasr/blog-408267.html OK so this blog isnrsquot exactly coming from Baghdad but it was somewhere in the sky over Iraq that it fully hit me that there really was no escape from my latest motherhood challenge flying by myself with the Baby and the Big Boy to London. Whining bored toddler crying baby in a very cramped space...with seven hours to go.Wersquod been living in The Sandpit for 6 months and I was just http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/blog-400000.html Here is a photo of Jordan http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/blog-341256.html Hey Burks and I are waiting to fly out of this god forsaken country to embark on our trip to europe. We should be in Frankfurt sometime tomorrow. This really sucks tho. I think the waiting is the worse part of all of this. After a year of this a cold beer is going to look like so beautiful to me. Especially German beer In leu of making this blog as boring as my time sitting here waiting watching http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/blog-333736.html Today I was invited to a barbeque at the rug shop. Persian and Turkish rugs are one of the hot items that the Iraqis peddle. I have learned that most of the so called ldquoIraqisrdquo are Turks that pretend to be Iraqi to sell their wares at Iraqi gift shops. There are various grades of rug but the best are handmade. The Iraqi Doctor that I have talked about previously is friends with the http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-318630.html Finally made it back to Al Asad after waiting in the PAX Terminal for 5 days. I am glad to be back to my CHU. It is the same dusty landscape but friends and fresh linens make it tolerable. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-318628.html Well here I am again stuck in a Military PAX PAX is the abbreviation for passenger person or people terminal. Why you may ask A Sandstorm of course. The sand moved in late yesterday and has really messed up my travel plans. I hope to get on a plane chopper or fast camel back to Al Asad. One benefit that I have come to realize from being stuck so much in the PAX Terminal is that I hav http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-318627.html The second day of the conference was well attended and quite informative. I was able to learn a great deal of the way in which we operate in Iraq. As I cannot discuss it further I thought I might share a little more about the sites in Baghdad. Inside the Aw Faw palace there is a chairthrone that belonged to Saddam Hussein. The chair was given to Saddam by Yasser Arafat. If you look closely a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-318626.html Today was the first day of the conference. We got up early to get breakfast before the conference started. Breakfast was the usual fare eggs and bacon. The conference was held in the Aw Faw palace on Camp Victory. I cannot talk about the conference but I can tell you about the palace.The city of Faw lies on the Aw Faw peninsula in the far southeast of the Basra Provence. Water canals from t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/East/Baghdad/blog-313972.html We arrived at our layover destination about 0200 and had to catch a bus to the helicopter terminal to get our connecting flight. Our helo did not leave until sunrise so we slept in the terminal on the benches for a few hours. As the sun rose we took a bus to the flight line. There were helos everywhere as far as the eyes could see. Our bird was named the ldquoHillbilly Deluxerdquo which http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/East/Baghdad/blog-313971.html Today I left for a conference in Baghdad. I was there about a month ago but another opportunity came up for me to attend a Commanderrsquos conference. I sure do hate to travel but I enjoy seeing new things. We left for the military passenger terminal at 2300 on the 29th and departed very early the next morning. I flew on a Sherpa. A Sherpa is an Army aircraft that is used primarily to trans http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-313969.html Happy 30th Birthday. Just another day in Iraq. I did not even sleep in. I did want to plan a good birthday party so on my day off we will celebrate. I have received lots of great gifts for my birthday. My coworkers sent me two birthdayrsquos in a box. It had all of the items that I would need for a party candles streamers balloons plates hats blowers etc. They also sent some funn http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-313066.html Today we finally received the Yeti. If I havenrsquot told you the story of the Yeti yet let me elaborate. In the 24hour plane ride to Kuwait Mark and I did every activity that one can do on an Airplane. We watched movies listened to music read magazines talked with other soldiers went to the bathroom walked around etc. We kept looking at Sky Mall magazine and laughing at all of the r http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-313061.html Independence Day in Kuwait. Not my first choice. I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow so I checked into the temporary billeting in Kuwait to get some much needed rest. I slept almost 8 hours catching up for the last 4 days. The base in Kuwait is much safer so it is a more relaxed environment. I put on my PT uniform and got out to explore what Independence Day activities that were being offe http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-310447.html Tried to get out all last night. I am still sitting at the airport. My back hurts from sitting on the concrete all night. July 3 Still stuck. I made friends at the Airport. In the movie Fight Club Brad Pitt talks about single serving friends these are becoming several serving friends. We are all stuck together in a perpetual sleep and eat cycle. The only flight I can get is to Kuwait la http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-310445.html Today I was supposed to fly back to Al Asad. When I emerged from my tent I was greeted with a sandstorm. I went to the military passenger terminal and learned that my confirmed flight had been cancelled and now I would need to try to get a standby flight when I weather cleared. I chose to hope on the bus system and explore Baghdad sandy or not. I rode over to Camp Slayer to see Saddamrsquos http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-310440.html The reason I traveled to Baghdad was for the Medical Service Corp inservice. It was designed to be for all Medical Service Corp to network and share ideas. The conference was a good experience. I met lots of my counterparts who operate at various bases in theater. I even ran into a LT who I attended officer basic course with three years ago. She taps me on the back and says do you remember m http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-310435.html Today I left for my trip to Baghdad. The way you travel in theater is quite different than you will travel in the way you would travel in the US. It is a long everchanging process. You cannot make travel reservations more than 4 days before your intended trip but not less than 3 days before you plan to leave. Then in order to catch your flight you have to arrive at the airport three hours be http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iraq/West/Al-Asad-Airbase/blog-310431.html