So, what was Egypt like?

Hello All,

In a single word, great!

It was an easy 3 hour flight (I was upgraded to business class) and we were met at the airport by the transportation company hired to shuttle everyone to the hotel.

I could not believe how crazy traffic on the highways and streets were!  I saw cars triple parked and cars running 5 wide on the three lane highways.  Whatever money that was spent painting lane dividing   dashed lines was wasted.  All and all, think of New York city with twice the number of people on the streets, 4x and many cars, and 8x the chaos.

We stayed at the JW Marriott which is like an upgraded and much nicer Marriott hotel.  It had a resort fell to it with tennis courts, golf course, nice gym, plenty of restaurants, an indoor pool, outdoor pool, wave pool, and kids water park.  Before everyone starts think that this might constitute "fraud, waste, and abuse" of government funds, it was the only place the embassy would authorize us to stay and we got a very reasonable US government rate.  I must say, the security was very, very good with barriers, working dogs, robust security force, metal detectors at the hotel entrance, and x-ray machines for all the bags being brought in.

The conference itself (for Exercise BRIGHT STAR) went smooth and we made a lot of progress with our Egyptian partners as well as representatives from other nations which are going to take part in the exercise.  We were a little short handed because some of the American planners didn't show up.  I was pressed into service as the working group lead for SOF (Special Operations Forces).

The conference ended Tuesday but we were not flying out until Thursday.  It was important to my command that all 5 of us from Bahrain traveled together and that is the earliest we could get 5 seats on the same flight.  It is a big holiday this weekend and a lot of people are traveling (think along the lines of traveling in the US around Christmas) so we had a free day while awaiting travel.

What did we do with this free time?  Went to the pyramids, of course!

We hired a vehicle, driver, and guide for the day, all for the sum of $25.  It was a great deal and I could not believe how inexpensive it was.  When you consider that a doctor here makes $1000 a month, that sum probably seemed reasonable to the tour company.

The first place we toured was the National Museum.  This is the museum downtown where all the best Egyptian artifacts are displayed.  The place looked like it had not been updated since 1950 but they did have a lot of interesting things on display including a whole floor dedicated to items that belonged to King Tut.   The center piece of the museum had to be the mask of King Tut's mummy.  This is the mask you always see in pictures.  It a work or art made out of solid gold and weights 25 lbs.  It dates back to 1323 BC (3500 years old) and is priceless, needless to say.

After our visit to the museum, we were off to the pyramids.  I can tell you that pictures do not do the Pyramids of Giza justice.  They are really something special.  The guide told us that no, aliens did not build the pyramids but it was a very dedicated effort by tens of thousands of works (I don't think they were union guys!).  Can't imagine how many men it would take to move those 3 ton blocks of granite.

We also went inside the biggest pyramid and climbed up a very steep, 3 1/2 foot tall shaft and into the chamber were the mummy of King Kufu was laid to rest.

The final stop was a short distance away to see the world's largest monolithic statue.  It is 260' long and taller then a 6 story building.  It was really something to see in person.

One other interesting thing I saw in Cairo (a very polluted and dirty city) was the headquarter of former president Mubarak, which is right next to the National Museum.  It was interesting because during the revolution in Jan 2012, it was set on fire.  The current government has prohibited it demolition or even cleaning it up.  It is to serve as a reminder of Mubarak's dictatorship and a symbol of the revolution.

 In a nutshell, I was very happy to see Egypt

Hi Ho, Hi Ho....

It's off to Cairo I go.

Hello everyone,

Jodi update:  Jodi continues to a little better everyday.  She tends to over do it at times which the doctor warned against.  She hasn't had any addition complications since her first week when so fluid was accumulating in the area that the tumor occupied.  So, per my post last week, she is out of the woods for the time being.

As for me, pretty busy week at work.  We have a lot of activity planned for the upcoming 6-12 months which means lots of planning going on now.  Things have quieted down a lot in the region so there was no need to cancel my trip to Cairo.

Don't know how much time I will have for sight seeing but the pyramids are less then 30 minutes from the hotel.  It would be a shame to go to Egypt and not see them as I don't fore see vacationing there, much to the dismay of their tourism board.

Speaking of tourism, I was telling Jodi that there are so many great things to see in the US, we should spend our money keeping OUR countries tourism industry move forward.  Jodi wants to see the QE II in Long Beach, CA, and I would like to see Laguna Seca Raceway in norther CA.  Maybe during a race weekend, what do you say, Honey?  Laguna Seca in the vicinity of San Fran where I would also like to spend a weekend.

Of course, one of our first trips will be a long over due journey to see Jodi's grandmother in KY.   Think we probably owe the kids some sort of fun trip what with as much as I have been gone.  This would hardly be "compensation" but it is always nice to take them someplace where they can enjoy the benefits of just being a kid.

That is about all there is to report from here.  By the time I get back from Egypt, I will be at my 6 month mark of my assignment.

Happy birthday to all the US Navy sailors and former sailors out there!  The USN was founded a month before the USMC and this is their birthday weekend (13 Oct).  So, a thanks goes out to my Uncle Tim who served in the USN as a young man, to my Dad who was in the USN Reserves and to my sister Michele who served on active duty.

Until I see you...
Michael

Out of the woods...sort of

Hello All,

It has been a hectic couple of weeks and I am back in Bahrain.

Even though my emergency leave was not approved, I paid for my own ticket to fly half way around the world to be with my wife during a very difficult time.

Jodi had her surgery on Tues, 25 Sept.  Out of all the things that could have went wrong, none of them did.  I was home for the week until last Sat, when her sister-in-law, Sarah, took over as household assistant.

We were happy to hear that the lab results of the tumor were benign.  Another blessing.

However, there were a couple of disappointments.  The radiologist reading the CAT scan missed a couple of tumors and the surgeon said that some of the cells from the tumor spilled onto the healthy surrounding tissue.

What this all means is that Jodi is not out of the woods yet.  It is probable that she will need to have this procedure done again.

We have both learned a lot over the last few months, most of all to cherish life and each other.

Thanks Sarah for coming down and thanks to her husband who rearranged his work schedule (a few times) to make it happen.

Yesterday is gone, let it go.  Plan for tomorrow but there are no guarantees.  You have today...don't waste it.

Kids, thank your parents for the sacrifices they made and tell them you love them.  Parents, tell your kids you are proud of them and tell them you love them.  Husbands/Wives, tell you partner you love them and mean it from the bottom of your heart.  If someone you love has been called home, tell them too...they can still hear you.

See you next week (I hope!)
Michael