Mood:
happyAugust 28, 2006 We have returned to our “home” at Camp Fallujah after a very eventful R&R. We flew from Camp Fallujah to Al Taquaddum (TQ), Iraq in a CH53 Helicopter. We arrived very late in the evening and were to spend the night. Usually, in TQ, they give us our own tent and allow us to stay together. But this time, they did not have available tents for us to have our own due to some AC problems. So we spent our first night away from Camp Fallujah apart. We had hoped to fly directly from TQ to Kuwait and had not packed a pillow or sleeping bag because it was just extra luggage we would have to carry aboard our commercial flight and on our cruise. They told us to come back at 6AM to sign up for the next flight - Chris said he would sign us up and let me sleep. To sign us up, he had to have my ID. This proved to be a very bad mistake…. The next day – the Ugandans who provide security – asked for my ID. I explained to them that my husband had it. Not only would they not let me through the check point, but they would not let me return to my tent. They went in the terminal to look for Chris or to try to verify my identity – but Chris was not in there. They told me that they would need to detain me and turn me over to the ATFP (Anti Terrorism Task Force). As I was about to really freak out, a guy I know from Camp Fallujah who works for NCIS walked by. I pleaded for his help. I asked him to please vouch for me. He was able to show them his badge and escort me back to the tents to find Chris and get my security badge. Thank goodness I have been at Camp Fallujah for a while and know so many people! When we got to Kuwait, we decided to stay in a hotel instead of on base so that we could stay together. We had a day that we could spend shopping, which was a good thing since we had nothing to wear for our cruise (our wardrobe consists of jeans and cargo pants). Our flight to Rome was very uneventful, except we nearly missed our connecting flight in London. I was extremely happy to arrive in Rome and check in to our hotel which had a marvelous marble bath tub! We did all the touristy things of Rome – there is so much history there. We had planned on renting scooters – but realized that it would be very dangerous to rent scooters there! The traffic is just as bad as New York – if not worse. Each day we were there, we went sight seeing and shopping. I was very impressed with the smooth check in process on the day of our cruise departure. We had a wonderful stateroom – complete with fresh flowers, fresh fruit, a bottle of Champaign (that we never drank) and a private balcony. They brought us a fresh fruit bowl every day as well as canapés (which we called stinky snacks – lol). Evidently, the rooms we got made us privy to a few extras. On the cruise ship, we enjoyed lots of spa treatments, acupuncture, art auctions and just lounging on our private balcony. The first port of call was Naples and it is an awesome place. We would both like to return there someday! We did an exclusive tour which included a scenic drive up the Almalfi coast, Sorrento, and Pompei. It was a great day and Chris started to show some real talent for photography that day. The next port of call was Santorini, Greece which was one of the most beautiful places I have ever scene. We took a tour that took us by boat to a volcanic island where we hiked up the volcano. After our hike, we took the boat to a Hot Springs. They anchored the boat and we swam about 500 yards to get to the hot springs which was great. The mud there is said to be really good for your skin. Many of the women were rubbing it on their faces – but I thought it looked like poopie! Chris put some on my arms – but I quickly rinsed it off my arms! Our bathing suits got stained a nasty rust color from the minerals – but it was worth it! Next stop was Mykonis Greece – once again – the Greek Islands are of the most beautiful places I have seen. Here, we rented a scooter and explored the island on the scooter before going to a beach. Messina was the next port of call. Chris was ill and I felt a little puney myself, so we ended up staying on the boat for that port of call. The French Riviera was the next port of call. Here, I discovered that my chest is NOT the smallest in the world. i Š As a matter of fact, the trip to the French Riviera made me grateful for what the Lord endowed me with ;) Yes, there were women sunbathing topless… And – NO – I did not sunbathe topless – but Chris did –lol. After a little exploration and some time on the beach, we returned to the boat. Chris was still feeling really bad – so he decided to go to the ships doctor….. I went to the internet café to check my email and chat with my friends. Upon returning to our room, I discovered that my trip to the internet café was to be the last trip out of my room for the duration of our trip. We were quarantined! Chris was diagnosed with symptoms of Norwalk disease. We were to remain in our stateroom for the duration of our trip – no going ashore in Florence/Pisa! I was so bummed – what were we to do for the remaining two days? So the last couple days – I just relaxed on our balcony and laid around in bed…. When we made it back to Iraq – we got stuck at Al Taquaddum (TQ) for almost a week. It was miserably hot and the ACs in the tents did not work well and the canvas cots were very uncomfortable – not to mention the waiting for 10 hours a day to try to fly space A back to Camp Fallujah. Needless to say, we were ecstatic to get a flight back home on a Black Hawk Helicopter. I love the day flights – and it was awesome to have a “window” seat on a Black Hawk. I saw a part of Iraq that I had never seen before! It was pretty awesome to see the farms below! Of course, as luck would have it, when I returned home, I found out that a couple of my friends had gone back to the states early i Œ I was so disappointed that I did not get to say good bye. I am starting to worry that if I go away without Chris, that I will come back and find out that he is gone too! I also found out that one of our friends that works off base was in an IED accident while we were gone. Everyone is OK – but 5 of them suffered from concussions. I am glad he is OK. That is the second person that I know and am friends with that got a concussion from an IED – the other one is a girl that lives in my trailer park. Everything is back to status quo here at Camp Fallujah. We are awaiting contracts from our company to sign on for another year. We are still hoping to be back in the states for a month before the end of the year. And of course I am already thinking about our next R&R. I am thinking about either a New Zealand/Australia Cruise or South Africa Safari & Beach trip. We plan on doing both trips – but just are not sure which we will do next. I have updated the website with a few pictures from our R&R, so take a look at it when you get the chance. Love to All Hugs ~~
Posted by sandyandchris
at 9:02 PM
