Monstrosity of an Aircraft to Kabul
Oh my gosh! I can’t even begin to explain how BIG the C17 is on the inside let alone the looks of it from the outside! HUGE doesn’t even begin to describe it! Electrical wires everywhere, pallets with stuff piled high — wrapped in cellophane, then strapped down to the palate, loaded and locked into place as to ensure a safe flight for the passengers! I loved every minute of the 34 min flight to my next location — Kabul. Yes, when the air force gentleman comes on the speaker (don’t know his rank, sorry) to alert us that the red lights inside the cabin indicate that we are entering a combat zone (really now!) and there will be no movement throughout the cabin (who is getting up anyhow — everyone is sleeping b/c we are exhausted from the journey that began the night before at 11:00 pm) and we’ll be on the ground shortly — ah yes, the red lights turn to green which is a great sign – I think I continued breathing at that point (didn’t realize I was holding my breath).
Arrive without a hitch to Kabul and thought that is where we would be staying for the night — nope, always remember that plans change at a moments notice. We have a quick meet and greet, are given our safety brief for travel and what to be on the lookout for while in the convoy, and we are off — yes, with our safety gear in place! (Thank goodness it’s about 30 degrees cooler here than in Kuwait!). We arrive to Camp Eggers after driving the streets of Kabul (streets of Kabul at a later post) and begin the in-processing! A place to sleep is important but hello, can we get a shower and a hot meal… Ah, someone read my mind b/c after only receiving our sleeping quarters brief all that was explained was “this is what will be happening tomorrow”, now let me show you where the chow hall is located and we’ll eat dinner!
I’ll be back — the camera is calling b/c you won’t believe the pics that I’ll post soon. Just keep in mind, our showers are located “across the plaza” and we were just glad to survive knowing that they truly weren’t gas chambers….
Sand Through My Toes 