Middle of August

081107 Although this was a back to work day, I had enough computer items to do that I stayed in the apartment for the quiet. Another big reason to stay here was the cable man was coming today to realign the dish for European reception. Knowing how other foreign cities operate, I gave this realignment about a 40% chance.

Around noon, the phone calls started coming. First from S, saying the cable man was delayed, expect him around 2:00-3:00PM. Around 4:30PM he called to say he was delayed in traffic and would be there ASAP! At 7:15PM I received a knock on the door. Upon opening, there was the cable man, his assistant, and our Duty Driver L and all the paraphernalia. The tool belt, the cable wire cutter, the set of ratchet wrenches, and most of all --- the DISH! At this point I knew I was home free. Tonight I would have Fox News, BBC Worldwide, or possibly even CNN.

My first point of losing faith in these guys came when they went to the dish farm on the roof and left the new dish in the living room. I tried to explain they would need to replace the dish on the roof to which I received the proverbial “No Problem!” Of course about 9:45PM they returned from the roof to tell me they had to put the dish on the patio. Why? Because they didn’t bring enough cable to hang it from the roof above the fourteenth floor, down the side, drill a hole through cinder block walls, to the TV on the fourth floor!

Being the calm collected guy that I am, I explained that this is a brand new building. The cable already reaches to the roof from the living room wall to the CURRENT dish. About an hour later they agreed that the wall connection must go to the roof and they would go back to the roof. Anyway, at 11:45PM they returned and said they would be back tomorrow.


081207 It’s only 10:00PM on Sunday and I’m still waiting with my 150 channels of Arab/Muslim music. I wonder if there really is a world beyond Dubai? When low and behold, there’s the cable guy again! This time he has brought 200 feet of cable to drop it over the side of the building. At 11:58PM after getting the cable on the patio and into the living room he realizes he doesn’t have the correct cable box (modem). “No problem,” I’ll return Monday night.

081307 Meanwhile back in the office we are now set up for twelve days in Bahrain and the Gulf Airways Simulators and Ground Training Program. Not only do I think it is a good program, but it will be a way for all the pilots to get to know each other on both the personal and professional basis. Again for those of you from the aviation community, since we are paying big bucks for this training, I have selected only daylight hours for the simulator and I’m not talking about daylight/VFR inside!

081407 It now looks like John and I will be flying to Kabul next Sunday or Monday for two to three days. We already have meetings set up with the Administrator of the Kabul Airport, US Air Force (wonder why they have priority for takeoffs), and other unnamed individuals. This will be my first venture into the world of Safi as they own the only five star hotel in Kabul. The hotel’s name is Safi-Landmark.

If you put the word Kabul into your internet explorer, you will get a number of choices. If you then click on the Wickipedia line, you get all the information you ever wanted about Kabul. It is actually a very good article. The hotel is attached to the largest mall in Afghanistan and is pictured in the article. Who knows, maybe there is a good rug dealer there.

081507 In case you are wondering, I’ve heard as much from the cable man in the last three days as you have! After a deep breath, I tried a new approach by hiring a new company. They now tell me my appointment is Saturday at 9:00AM. It is pretty gutsy for them in this part of the world giving more than just the day. We’ll see!

The Kabul trip on Sunday still looks good for two to three days. We’ll be flying in on our biggest competition, Ariana Airlines. We’ll give the cockpit a shot and see if they accept a jump seat rider. The Kabul story will be for next week.

081607 For those of you that have the Dubai Explorer book, page 391 would apply. But for those that don’t, this is interesting. The apartment is in Sharjah, the most conservative of all the Emirates. For this topic, conservative simply means--- NO BOOZE of any kind. So let’s just say someone’s booze supply has evaporated in the desert air and more would be required, WHAT WOULD HE DO? There are a couple of “approved underground,” “Holes in the Wall.” The catch is they cannot advertise, which means they have no phones, no addresses, no pictures of the place, and must be hidden behind walls. We (C, J, and I) went to dinner at the informal Kempinski Hotel sports bar and then on to Ras Al Khaimah to find the “Hole in the Wall.” Luckily, they had been here before because there is no way I would have driven in there on my own. It was like a drug deal going bad in the French Connection! T’s amazing how guilty one can feel buying a bottle of wine!

I did get one picture taken and was immediately informed by the armed guards that it was not a good idea! Like always, I was glad to get their advice and took I it with a grin . Maybe they were not as fluent as some; it was just that they spoke with authority holding machine guns in their hands. Also, it appears no women are allowed. No Pinot Grigio for A. Just another rich cultural experience!