R&R #1 AUGUST 2010: A NIGHT OUT ON THE VBC!! (Part 2)

CANDLEBOX

After a quick visit to the boys at Camp Slayer we headed back over to Camp Liberty, to the stage, to catch the Candlebox concert. Now, these guys have been around since the early 90's, quite possibly the late 80's. My mind is a blur from those times! Anyway, these guys put on a great show, very lively and lot's of crowd participation. Have a look at them in action.

It is always, greatly appreciated when artists come to entertain the troops, it is a great gesture that these men and women can talk about when they get home to their families and friends.

Next stop.....

BAGHDAD-BOWL-A-RAMA-DAN!

More than likely, in the time it took me to type that header in, I now have a Jihad put out on my head! Probably not the smartest thing to write on here but as far as I can tell no devoute Muslims are reading my blog, safe to say not much of anyone is, LOL! Here are a few pictures of me opening up a can-o-whoopass on Lori!

Surprisingly, they did a great job on the bowling alley, as nice as any in the states and definitly a well needed place to take a break and have some fun!


Who's turn is it????????
Well, well, well, such a sexy bowling babe in the Middle East!
Yeah, they are blue.....

Check the scores!!

R&R #1 AUGUST 2010: FINALLY! I GET TO RIDE ON A CHINOOK!!!!

I know, I know! I have been terrible about posting on the blog for a few months now. In my defense, this base is extremely small, there is really nothing to see and it can be quite boring. Fortunatly I went on my first R&R this past mont and was able to get some really cool pictures to share. One of the downsides to being at a small base, aside from the lack of interesting things to do, is the travel necessary to get to, and from, Baghdad. BIAP (Baghdad International AirPort) is the main hub we, as contractors fly into to come to work. So, every 4 months we make the trek to Baghdad to get out and enjoy life a little before making the equally difficult trek BACK to our designated site. It is all very tiring and typically long and drawnout. On the upside I got my first Helo ride when I came to Camp Echo on a UH-60 Blackhawk and this time I got to ride in CHINOOK! Cool as hell! Here are some pictures headed to and from Baghdad.

Leaving Camp Echo at 05:00

My Ride....

Nice pic of the "Eye in the Sky"

Incredible piece of machinery!

It was great how they left the door open

Most guys seemed pretty bored, I was like a little kid!

Missions are always flown in pairs, makes for a great photo op! I don't know why I posted this picture off to the left, just a mistake, sorry.

Oops, I did it again! LOL!

OK, that was the trip to Baghdad and now some from Baghdad back to Echo. This was an EARLY morning mission, had I been a more skilled photographer I could have had some great night shots of Baghdad from the air. For now you'll have to check these out, not bad if i do say so myself.

I want that job!!

It's so cool, even this guy is taking pictures.

A beautiful sunrise out the window.

R&R #1 AUGUST 2010: A NIGHT OUT ON THE VBC!! (Part 1)

Typically when you are travelling from a small site to the BTC for R&R, you are sent out up to 5 days early to assure you don't miss your flight out of Dubai. It can often be very difficult to get a helo from a small site and many people need to change their tickets due to missed flights. I was very fortunate to make it out of Echo my first day! I even beat two of the guys who started manifesting 6 days before me! Needless to say, they were not too happy with me when I saw them at the BTC.

Since I arrived early, and even prior to my leaving, Lori and I planned a big night out on the VBC. After all there are now shops, restaurants, Hooka bars, and even a Bowling alley to occupy your spare time. So, Lori took a holiday and we set out for a night on the town....Baghdad style!

First stop, Camp Victory over near Lost Lake, a new mini-mall of shops and restaurants. They have Turkish, Chinese, Iraqi and a few other food choices available. We both opted for the Chinese, and easy, safe pick. The food is good, not great, limited menu and the dining experience is interesting, to say the least.

Ready for the big night!
Lori, posing by a scary looking fake palm tree.

No comment.....

This fountain added so much ambience to the night as the water barely dribbled over the edges of the fake rock!

(That was sarcasm)

Believe it or not, there was a 45 min wait to be seated for dinner.

Isn't she sexy when she eats!

Not so much!

Feeling satisfied after a good meal, time for some Greenbeans!!

Our first two years on the project we were both at Station 2 on South Victory, walking distance to Greenbeans and my favorite destination to enjoy a Cafe Mocha and a good book!

Not a bad set up for a coffee shop in Iraq!

After our trip to Greenbeans we swung by Camp Slayer to see some former co-workers, Captain Nelson and Firefighter Matychak, both long time employees on the project.

Always a good photo op with these guys and since there are four of us.....
....perfect to do a YMCA picture!! Sammy couldn't hold a straight face!

OK, good start to the night, I am going to break this post up into a few seperate threads, I have a lot of pictures. Stay tuned for the "Candlebox" concert on Liberty Stage and see Jim kick Lori's petite butt in bowling! :)