Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr - R&R

Turns out that waiting over 6 months before your first real R&R is a bit much. While we took two 1-week breaks, one never really relaxes since on day 3 you already have to start planning the cab ride back to the airport. So today we are enroute to a 3-week R&R that (yes, once again) involves both sets of parents. Seems like a pretty good time to get out of the Middle East, and let me tell you, I'm packing for it too. See, I've pretty much traveled almost exclusively in the Middle East for the past year, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the EyeZee...that all I ever take with me is a bug-out bag (military-style backpack that will fit a Ford Explorer if you try hard enough) filled with some luna bars and a whole lot of scarves to cover up. This time, na-ah, I think I packed every tank top and summer dress this side of the Euphrates.

So, caught a Helo out to BIAP this afternoon, and I have to tell you - it must be 150 degrees in the propwash of the Black Hawk - no kidding. It's so hot your jewelry will catch your skin on fire, and the velocity of the wind through the open door makes your face move about 4 inches to the left. Still better than waiting for the Rhino and getting in at 0300 for an early morning show-time.

Anyway, heloed in, now we're at a camp at Baghdad airport where we spend the night. Took the van to the DFAC (dining facility) but were refused entry because two colleagues were wearing open-toed shoes, and I was kicked out at the second "check point" for wearing a t-shirt with no sleeves - or as they put it "no armpits!" Totally ticked-off and horrendously hungry we took another 15-min ride back to camp and decided it wasn't worth going back, instead opting for a Subway, the only real "dining" option here. Looks like its MREs for breakfast, hope I get one with M&Ms in it.

Tomorrow we take mil air to Amman, then straight to the international airport and hopefully we'll make our flight to Istanbul where we spend the night in the totally overpriced, though fabulously convenient Airport Hotel, situated in the international terminal. And Thursday onto Zagreb where we splurged and booked ourselves into the Regent Esplanade, a classic built in 1925.

Next update - Istanbul...stay tuned.