A Room with a View

From the window seat of row 37 on our very own DC-10, I felt as though I was flying over an American city. There were street lights by the thousands, covering every inch of improved road that the ancient city of Cairo offered; for the lack of a better description, it looked like a child's failed attempt at connecting the dots. The lights went on in all directions as far as I could see. The city was huge; then the lights stopped, and darkness ensued, only yielding when we reached the other side of the Sinai Peninsula, where the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh is located. Once we approached our final destination, the cloudless sky of the region offered a beautiful view of the city. I easily could have mistaken night for day with the intense light breaking through the darkness.

Wheels touched down in Egypt at 2030 hours local last night. 20 some hours on a plane was rough, but aside from the lengthy flight, the trip was excellent. After going through customs we boarded charter buses for movement to the Camp. The ride was exciting, my first glimpse at a whole new culture. As expected, everything was sand colored, including the buildings. I saw some obelisks, but wasn't impressed; they were mere dwarfs to our Washington Monument. The one's here are for astetic tourism purposes, I'm sure the the real obelisks will rebute this once I make my way into the Valley of the Kings. I also got my first glimpse at a Mosque; by far the most detailed and extravagent buildings here.

Making our way down the brightly lit local route, I noticed quite a few things that I was briefed on while in Washington that I for some reason still found quite interesting: 1) Egyptians use the street lights to see the road while driving, making headlights obsolete for them; 2) They drive more recklessly than the French; 3) All street curbs are painted in striped colors, each color with a distinct meaning (black and white means no parking, I think) 4) There IS grass in egypt, it's all just stuck in the island median beds of the highway. The palm trees also were a fun effect. While I was surprised to see all of the street signs in both english and arabic, my surprise quickly faded as we drove past the Hilton, Marriot, and Days Inn, followed by TGI Friday's and McDonalds and numerous night clubs and casinos. Whoever told me that Sharm el-Sheikh is the Las Vegas of the Middle East wasn't joking. It's comparable to our Cancun, but for Europeans and Russians. It would be nice to visit this place on holiday, I'm sure we will not be using the Resorts during our year stay here.

We entered our Camp and began to get settled in. We were assigned our rooms, issued orange boonie caps to replace our orange berets and claimed our bags from the drop point. I was wide awake because of my nap on the plane, so I unpacked my gear and explored the Camp. I found the Force Exchange, Post Office, the NCO Club, the Dining Facility, the Chapel, the Emergency Room, the Fire Station, the Phone Center (where I was fortunate enough to talk to my 2 favorite girls in the entire world) and the Gym. I plan on spending a majority of my time in the latter building. I kept busy until 0515 hours, then took a refreshing shower, changed and made it outside by 0530. Through the rear exit of our building I went, making it just out the door when I was struck. The darkness of the night before had concealed my surroundings to my unaware eyes. There in front of me, for as far as I could see was the great Red Sea, with a view that anyone would pay to see. The view was literally breathtaking. I've included a picture, but I don't think it does the justice. Absolutely stunning. No, it's not red, but as far as the color jokes go and as far as I'm concerned, it should be called the Blue Sea. I will not mind waking up to this view for the next year.

After enjoying the sunrise over the horizon of the Red Sea, I went to the Dining Facility to see how the food was. I was thoroughly pleased with the selection... a major upgrade from the food at Fort Lewis. People always ask what the food is like so I'll tell you what I ate today. Breakfast: One egg scrambled with portebello mushrooms, 2 slices of bacon, a bowl of Raisin Bran with skim milk, and some Passionfruit and a Banana, and a glass of OJ. Lunch: Gourmet flatbread pizza, barbeque wings, salad with raspberry vinegarette dressing and a glass of unsweetened iced tea. Dinner: Grilled chicken, salad with ranch dressing, and some cooked carrots and a glass of unsweetened iced tea. I'm eating healthy, and skipping the burgers and fries :) Between meals I continued to improve my living area, and set up my electronics, then fell asleep laying in the sun on the back porch of my building... it was amazing.

Ok, enough from me for today, I'm going to the gym... I love that it's open 24/7. Check back later this week. Feel free to email me with questions if you want me to answer them!

Note: Picture will be uploaded asap! Had some trouble today.