Day 3: THE BEER BIKE!

We got up early and walked down to Marienplatz (city center) where we knew the famous beer bike would be parked! I have to tell ya that I was so giddy that I could barely contain myself…this kind of excitement was beginning to become normal again and it was nice to be able to live life again! There it was, THE BEER BIKE, in all it’s AMERICAN glory. It was classic to get on this contraption and see the attention this thing brought with the city center being full of folks! I loved the look on the Germans faces that seemed to say, “CRAZY AMERICANS!” All I have to say to that is, “Thank you, and YES I AM A CRAZY AMERICAN AND I’M PROUD OF IT!” I think that now, more than ever I’m more proud to be an American where what I aspire to be, I can achieve it as long as I have enough desire, dedication, and belief!

Anyhow, I have to tell ya that this bike ride was great. We had about 8 folks with us (All Americans from Jersey) and I sat right next to the tour guide (Lenny) who just steered while we pedaled. He gave us some history, I DJ’d the radio from the iPOD nano that was attached, and we learned a bit about Munich while drinking beer! Yup, that’s right! This tour came with beers of which were stored away in the barrel directly in front of Lenny. Now that’s what I call drinking and driving! As if we weren’t already obnoxious enough, there was a bell located just behind Lenny’s head. Every couple of minutes, that bell got rang with AUTHORITY and we all would YELL…..”PROBST!” So, that’s how it all went down for the first couple of hours that Saturday in Munich, riding down the streets of this old city, pedaling, drinking, learning, and yelling, “PROBST!” I could get used to this!!

After the bike ride, we went to the famous Haufbrau House located in the old part of the city. We found a spot outside in the beer garden and continued having big beers in real German mugs!! Ahh, this is one of things that I miss most about life…sitting in good company having drinks and enjoying life! We must’ve sat there in the beer garden for about 5 hours, and actually ended up sitting next to some Italians who just kept ordering 10 beers at a time! By the time it was all said and done, I felt absolutely splendid about myself….that’s D-RUNK for the laid person! We walked back toward Oktoberfest and my hotel, and before I knew it I was passed out by 7pm, happy and sleeping like a baby!

What a great day! Beer bike, beer, and good times!

Day 2:

Somehow after getting sideways at Oktoberfest, I managed to get up early and get my day started, ready to see some things that I’ve never seen! I believe that getting up early, which is always something that I’ve loved to do, is only going to get earlier! My clock just seems to say, “GET UP!” I wish that I had a response that said, “LEAVE ME ALONE I’m SLEEPING!” Oh well, I guess that I should just get used to it! Life is about the times you have while you're awake, not sleeping! Eventually, I met up with my two travels partners and I went to see what we could see in Munich. We decided to go to the English Garden, which is at the center of Munich. I gotta tell ya this park is enormous! We must’ve walked like 3 miles just to get to the end of it and I was beat. It was definitely time for a drink. I think throughout my trip that I was going to look at my watch many times and have it read, “BEER O’CLOCK”, especially while I was in one of the beer capitals of the world! This park was sooo pretay, and I could definitely see myself having a similar lifestyle, slow it down a notch from the pace it’s at currently!

In walking through the English Garden, we happened upon some nude folks just trouncing about in the grass..geesh. Later on I would hear that we were lucky to not have met, ‘TRIPOD”! I tell ya life is full of small miracles, and I was glad that this was one of them!! From the Garden we got lost and eventually found our way down to Marienplatz which was the city center. There we sat out on the Platz and had lunch. Watching the world go by snickering most of the time is one of my favorite past times. Folks in Europe are so different than in the states. I could’ve sat there on the Platz for hours playing, “spot the Americans!” Oh, and once again, my watch read, “BEER O’CLOCK!” I happy accepted the challenge, having a couple of beers with Wursts on the Platz.

Munich

Day 1

So the beginning of my journey took me to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. I was so excited that I could barely contain myself! I was excited on many levels, to be out of country, to be on my own and free to do as I pleased, to not have to work, to go somewhere other than the middle east, to be going somewhere that I’ve never been before; it’s an understatement to say that I was excited! I got on my flight to Munich in Dubai about 8am and arrived just before 1pm, Munich time. I didn’t really know where to go or what to do, just to get some money exchanged into Euro and be on my way. Upon coming out of passport control, I met up with Justin and Katie who would be with me over the next couple of days for the debauchery that would be Oktoberfest! For those unfamiliar, Justin is one of my coworkers from Greenville who is in country with me, and Katie is his girlfriend.

Me, Jusitn, and Katie each exchanged money, and got to on the subway that would take us into Munich. We parted ways in Marienplatz which was the city center and also my stop! I got off the subway and made my way upstairs to the city center. I can’t tell you the feeling that I had once I popped my head above ground, much like a gopher peeking to see if the coast was clear and there wasn’t any danger! I came out into the city center and I had such a feeling of exhilaration…ugh I feel as though I haven’t seen other people in forever….100 days to be exact! The city center was magnificent! It was filled with bike tours, people sitting on the square enjoying lunch and a drink, street performers showing off their skills, shops filled with knick knacks and the like. Yup, it’s safe to say that the next couple of days would be quite the experience, and one that I wouldn’t forget! I got to my hotel, and took a shower almost immediately. It wasn’t before too long that I was ready to go and I made my way down to the café across the street. There I sat with a beer and people watched, two of my favorite things to do! Ahhh, this is what life is supposed to be all about; not work, not being anxious at odd times because of incoming rounds that make their way on base. Life is supposed to be what you make it and I haven’t had any sort of chance in 100 days to have any affect on what I wanted my day to be about! This was truly a nice change and welcome indeed!

. That first night in Munich, we met up around 6ish, had dinner, and made our way to the tents to see what all this hooplah was about? well this place I no joke, 14 tents, a fair, and roughly 100,000 folks, a true party!

Dubai…

Well, it was 23rd of September, and I was all set to fly out of the country and relax! Me and my co-worker/ friend, Justin, were so anxious to get out of what had become our norm for what seemed like forever that we could barely contain ourselves! I can’t tell you the feeling of relief that I had felt for about a day….ugh what sweet relief! I can only imagine what it will feel like when it comes time to go home for good!

We boarded our flight to dubai, and without a hitch we were there in no time! I must say that I had mixed reservations about that flight and really it was if we were on a commercial jetliner! We picked up our luggage at the cargo section of the Dubai airport, and proceeded to the hotel. What a different world I felt like I was in. It almost feels as though we somehow are flown to a different world, that first day in country, and now we are returning to the world we left some 100 days ago? Dubai is HAWT…the kind of hot that I remember feeling in Kuwait, a lot of humidity! I am so used to a different kind of heat, one that is dusty and about 80% less humidity. I really don’t know how the native folks get around, and don’t even sweat….a true mystery for someone who can sweat at the drop of a hat.

We boarded our van and off to our hotel we went. In looking at the landscape and the city, I felt like I was in one of those spy movies, like Spy Game…..the set up is that similar! I was constantly looking for the city that we all associate with Dubai, but because of the way the desert is and having sand in the air all the time, it reacts much the same way as smog in that you don’t have much visibility past 10 miles or so in the sky if that. We got to our room and wow, what a feeling to have a room by yourself, complete with your own bathroom! i changed and sat down immediately! Ugh, I compressed even more, part of me relaxing and the other filled excitement for a trip that I would never forget filled with places and things that I had yet see or experience!

Not too much later, I took a shower without flip flops on! WOW….no squeaking, no worrying about how much time you were taking…..ALL MINE! I can’t tell you how lucky I feel that in my normal life, I have my own bathroom, that is located right next to my bedroom some 5 feet away! I don’t have to shower with flip flops on and I can take as long as I want! I remember that some of my wishes while in country were showering without flops on, walking on a paved street, and having that first beer…..i had now, completed all three and I can’t tell you how good it feels!! Man, I was beginning to feel like the man I was three month earlier!

Later that evening, I had what would be my first pedicure as I find the need to really take care of my feet with being couped up in my boots all day, some pretty nasty things can happen. Fortunately, I take really good care of them and this was my way of continuing that! Kind of nice to take care of yourself in this way! After going to get my feet done, Justin and I went to dinner at a Lebonese place, which was very similar to my buddy Joe’s type of food, Egyptian. There were various types of Shawarma, and meat kabobs, with hummus and pastry. Not too long after dinner, we went back to the hotel, had a couple of more drink,s and went back to our rooms in order to be up early to take flights to Europe!


Up next, MUNICH and OKTOBERFEST!!!

Ketchup…

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and so I thought that I’d Ketchup everyone up on what I’ve been up to and why I haven’t written in a while. As most everyone knows I’ve been reassigned back to bagram and with that I’m now doing the cost for Task Order 004. The ENTIRE project.! Basically, I’m doing the forecasting and accruals all by myself! When I say that it is a lot of work that barely begins to say just how busy I am. The whole process takes two weeks and it is very tedious, and detailed. I’m glad that I can’t drink cause it wouldn’t allow me to focus like I would need to for this whole process! I find myself putting in a 20 hour day almost once a week! So as you can tell, when my day is finally over, the absolute last thing that I want to do is put in some more time on the computer. Anyhow, my timeline over the past couple of weeks is I was up in Bagram for 5 weeks before I returned to the south to collect my belongings at Camp Leatherneck to send up to Bagram while I go on my first R & R in Europe. I took a flight out of Bagram (BAF) on Friday morning the 18th headed for Kandahar (KAF). What would normally seem like an easy thing to do, it’s really a big time waiting game, as I was up at 2am to take a shower and at the passenger (PAX) terminal at 3am. So I sat there for about 3 hours in order to catch a flight. The initial plan was to try to get to Camp Leatherneck on Friday for a quick turn around, but to no avail. I ended up catching the late flight out of KAF Saturday night at about 11:30 or so, with a flight on MilAir at about 2am. Once I finally got into bed, it was 3:30am Sunday morning. I got up 5 hours later at about 8am, took a shower and began my errands for the day. I quickly learned that I had been booked on the helicopter that I don’t like to fly on Monday, so I inquired about MilAir flights that same day (Sunday). I got a flight on the MilAir flight at 4pm and was back in KAF by 5 or so. Knowing that I didn’t put in any work that day and with deadlines such as they are, I worked that night until midnight. Monday, now all non-work stress behind me, I was back in the office that morning at my usual time of 7am to get all this work done before I could truly relax and begin my much awaited R&R, a mere 98days after arriving in country. Hard to believe that I’ve already worked the equivalent of half a year’s normal work load…some 1,090 hours or so, and all in 98 days. Truth is I’ve probably worked more than that but we’ll let that slide. Its hard to imagine that life again, and yet here I am going on R&R for 2.5 weeks, and I find myself wondering how am I going to not work during that period. Work has become so normal, and a part of every waking moment. Somehow I think that I can manage! I finished all my work Tuesday, and was free and clear of it all in an instant, able to relax and begin thinking about the adventure I was about to embark on! All was right in the world again!!

Well that’s it, there’s my story for the last couple of weeks. Next time, MUNICH for OKTOBERFEST!

Lung Dart Anyone????

It’s been a while since, I posted an entry about one of my observances so I thought that I would give ya another one, although not as comical as copy cat Toyotas. I’ve noticed since I’ve been here how much the military smokes. You can see them everywhere there is a smoke pit, about 4 to 5 folks smoking, like it’s their last. I can no doubt attribute this habit to the inherent danger that awaits those that travel outside the wire to patrol and perhaps curtail all the wrong doing of the Taliban. I can sympathize with that fact; however, I just can’t see the point in smoking even still? I, myself, have never been able to handle a cigarette, or even chewing tobacco for that matter….it makes me gag! I can still remember the first time I ever tried “dip” or chewing tobacco. I was playing legion baseball in the summer for Greer and after what is still the fastest buzz set in, I disappeared behind the equipment shed where I must have vomited 4 times followed by a 2 inning nap. This all transpired during the game! Ahhhh memories!!

Anyhow it amazes me how all these military personnel smoke what seems to be about 2 packs of cigarettes a day and still get up each and every morning to do their PT, running miles upon miles, often times vomiting when they get to their finish line. I guess they too should perhaps give up the habit as I did many years ago. One difference would be that I was never able to start!! A habit such as this may seem trivial or even uneccessary or unhealthy, but I can see where the social aspect that surrounds it would be a must when thrust into an environment such as this. I guess that I can only wonder as I pass by on my way to the gym or work….i don’t know that I’ll ever truly understand?


I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying some cooler weather, I know I have been!


T – minus 18 days til Dubai!!

The Growth….

Some of you have made comments about the growth on my face that has taken it over in hopes to one day reach the top of my head where most normal folks have hair. Let me reassure everyone that the picture I posted on facebook a couple of days ago was a picked out version of what my beard really looks like. No I will not be buying a pick to stick on my beard so if I feel the need, I can pick it out. This picture was merely a joke to see how big I could get the beard to stick out….I’m guessing with the response, that I succeeded masterfully in shocking a few folks….ha!

Anyway, nothing new to report other than a bit under 4 weeks until I fly to Dubai for my first R&R…It can’t get here soon enough as I’ve been working really long hours lately trying to track down all the meal counts for the ENTIRE theatre of Afghanistan since we began keeping count last November!! Lucky me?!?! An ardous, yet needed task…..


Anyhow, I hope that everyone is doing well!!