11 Degrees North

As a matter of fact, it does rain in Djibouti...

2008-11-04T11:27:00.005+03:00

So we are in our third day of rain here at Camp Lemonier... And this is our second go-around. It is evident they didn't plan for rainy days here. We're also finding out our CLUs are NOT completely waterproof. I woke up last week after a rainy night and realized water all over my floor. Luckily I didn't have anything on the floor but my flip-flops. Here's a few pics from around camp after the torrent last night...

Luckily all the CLUs are up off the ground... unfortunately, water still got in... :) We are supposed to have this for another couple days. What fun .... :)

Dinner In Djibouti

2008-10-20T22:23:00.005+03:00

Ok... So a week ago, I went into Djibouti with some co-workers to experience eating an Ethiopian dinner. Can't say it's my favorite, but it was worth the experience. It cost me 5000 Djibouti Franc (which equals about $30). A once in a lifetime experience :)

This is the front of the restaurant. The place is called Restaurant L'etoile (Kokeb). It's a family owned restaurant and it's been around since the late 70's

Just me chillin' waiting for the chow. One does not sit at a regular table, per se, but a basket type stand where they have 4 or 5 sit around and eat from a common area. First they have you wash your hands.They bring out a flat pan, like the size of a large pizza, with a pancake-like bread lined on the bottom. It kind of looks like a pancake, but does not taste like a pancake. It has a very strong vinegar taste that makes you pucker just a little.

They give you a plate of the same pancake-like bread that you use to eat with. You tear up the bread and use it grab the various foods they place in front of you on the main platter.

They come around with several bowls of different foods, beef, pork, lentils, chicken, boiled eggs, cheese, all prepared in differnet sauces and place a portion in front of each guest.

You then take the bread and eat the portions from the main area. There is no silverware. You keep a napkin at the ready to make sure you don't make any major messes. Some of it was quite tasty, some of it, not so much. Again, it was mainly for the experience.

After we ate, a couple performs a number of dances from the various regions of Ethiopia. It was quite entertaining.

After the dancing is done they invite those from the group to come up and dance a little. I was one of the lucky ones. I have video, but I'll have to wait until I have a more reliable connection to upload and share.

So that was my evening in Djibouti. We walked around downtown Djibouti just a bit, but none of my pics turned out very good. I do have some video, but, again, I'll have to wait until I get home with a faster upload to get it out.

We are planning another trip into town next week for pizza. I'll try for some other pics.

Until then..... crd

Military Information - HOA

2008-10-13T19:00:00.002+03:00

Here's a website that gives more information about the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, headquarted at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, Africa.

http://www.hoa.africom.mil

Enjoy!

crd

A few more pics of Camp Lemonier

2008-10-07T21:27:00.002+03:00

Been meaning to go out and get some more pics of the base, but have been working quite a few hours. I plan on going out next Sunday and take some pics around base to get a better feel. Here's a few I took my first few days that I hadn't posted yet.

A pic of the CWU's (Containerized Working Units). They have these all over the base. They're typically double wide containers that are converted to offices. They are nice... almost like a real building.

One of the main drags here in camp facing east. I walk down this road each night back to my CLU. The Bob Hope Galley is just up on the right - where we eat all our meals.
Another main drag on base facing south. Down this "street" is the Navy Exchange, Barber shop, Laundry facilities, and gym.
Here's the base fire house. It's basically a big tent held up with huge metal insides. This is just up the road from my office.

Some pics from Djibouti City - Part 2

2008-10-07T21:12:00.002+03:00

The Port De Djibouti... is a huge hub and one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. After seeing the size of this place, it could rival the port in Long Beach.

Another pic of the Port of Djibouti.

The entrance to the Djibouti International Airport. I look forward to visiting it again... for my return home.

The gate to the Presidential palace... you know... where the President of Djibouti lives. He lives much better than the locals.

Some pics from Djibouti City - Part 1

2008-10-07T20:05:00.007+03:00

We took for a few hours the other day and went into the city of Djibouti. I've included a few pics of our trip...
The Djibouti Palace Kempinski of the well known Kempinski Hotels throughout Europe and parts of Asia. I'd never heard of them before, but there supposed to be quite swanky and for the upper class. For $25 you can come and swim in the pool and use their facilities for the day. The hotel is in one of the nicer parts of town. The rest of the town is in one of many states of decay.
They created this jetty out into the Gulf of Tadjourah, the main inlet and port for Djibouti.
A view of the backside of the Hotel from the jetty.
A look inside the hotel. We sat in here and had a refreshing beverage and some French pastries.
Another shot if the inside.

The fountain out in front of the hotel.
The pool behind the hotel filled with druken guests. Oh, the trill of it all.
We drove around the outskirts of Djibouti around where the base is located and notice a few camels that were just out for a stroll. You might have to look real close. I tried to get a closer shot, but they took off as we rolled closer. Notice the trash along the side of the road. Unfortunately, this is what a lot of the surrounding area looks like. It's quite sad.
This is actually on our way back from town, but this is at the front gate to Camp Lemonier... I had to stop taking pictures at this point. Beyond this point is several checkpoints one must cross to actually get on the base. No pics allowed :(

Hallelujah!! They found my luggage!!

2008-09-30T00:11:00.002+03:00

I was told from the people here, even before I got here, that if I checked a bag, I might not see it for a week or so. Well, they were right. I checked a bag in at LAX when I left and I didn't see it until tonight.... a week after I arrived here. It wasn't too critical. I packed stuff I could do without, some shirts, a few dvds, a towel (I already bought one here), stuff like that. But it's nice to have it all back. Now my trip can continue.

Just wanted to share my joy!

later....crd

Church at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, Africa

2008-09-28T18:43:00.003+03:00

Attended my first church service here in Djibouti. They hold LDS services at 1430 (2:30pm) at the camp chapel. There was probably a dozen or so in attendance. It was good to feel the Spirit that was there. We're going to meet up next Sat night to watch the first session of Conf. It's about a 9 hour diff from Salt Lake so it will be 1800 (6pm) here when the morning session starts. I look forward to it.

Until next time...

crd

More Djibouti Pics

2008-09-28T18:39:00.001+03:00

Here's where I lay my head after a long day at the office. Most buildings at camp are "containerized" structures. They put us up in CLUs or Containerized Living Units. It's a standard size shipping containter that has been converted into two rooms. They put bunks along the wall sepearted by half walls, add a desk on the end and throw in a couple wall lockers to put your stuff in. I'm lucky for the moment as no one else bunks with me. I get the whole CLU to myself.

Here's a look inside the CLU. It's small, but I call it home... at least for the next 6 weeks. :) Where do I shower, do you ask? They have 25 of these CLUs stacked side-by-side and the middle one is converted into a latrine/shower facility. You have to wear shower shoes/flip flops when you're in there as to not catch any nasties on your feet. Good times!!

This is the neighborhood. All the CLUs are stacked side-by-side broken up by blocks, A-Block, B-Block, C-Block, etc. I live in the F-Block, the farthest from the camp. I get to walk about a mile every day to my office and then back at the end of the day. I should be able the shed a few pounds by the time I come home.

Djibouti Pics

2008-09-28T17:02:00.002+03:00

After a week of Djibouti, here are some pics. They have flights, both fixed wing and helicopter, out of here almost hourly for the different operations they have throughout the area. This is in front of the Air Ops office adjacent to the office I work in.
This is the "office" I work in. It's a converted storage container (or connex) that has a few tables in it where we sit and do whatever it is we do :)
My company, Harris, is contracted through NuVisions, who is contracted by SPAWAR (www.spawar.navy.mil) who handles all the infrastructure and system implementations for the Navy. I am here to cover for one of our engineers who works in Japan who deploys with the Marines to the Philippines. He'll be back 1 Nov, but I will be here to take care of a network migration project for the Joint Forces classified network.
This inside of our office. It's about 6 feet wide and about 40 feet long. It can ge cozy if you have too many people inside.

3 days down - 45 more to go

2008-09-25T23:42:00.000+03:00

"What did I sign up for??" The question I asked myself when I stepped off the plane at the Djibouti International Airport... Actually, that wasn't the first time I had asked that. It crossed my mind when I landed in at the Addis Abada International Airport in Ethiopia; and then was stuck there for approx 8 hours waiting for my flight to arrive. Good times!!

Stepping off the plane in Djibouti was an experience in mild suffocation. Djibouti is located 11 degress North of the Equator and opens into the Gulf of Adan at the end of the Red Sea. The humidity hovers right around 60-70%. Even at night, when there is no sun, it feels like your walking through a sauna. Can you say 'fabulous'??. Luckily every office you walk into has A/C.

Have I convinced you to come to Djibouti?? Well, as I adjust to the heat and the time change, it gets a little better. I have my own room with AC, my meals are paid for ( I get to eat in the Navy chow hall every day), and I get a bunch of exercise because I have to walk a mile from my room to my office every morning and evening. I'm sure I'll lose a little weight while I'm here.

The work is challenging, but I'm able to bring my experience to the table and I'm being pushed to learn some new things. This will be good overall.

Stay tuned for some pics and further snippets of my journey.

Until then.... crd