Not much new to report....

So the tension has definitely picked up here. It's a pretty busy time for this contract business I'm tasked with and I seem to be having alot more collateral duties than should be attributed to my billet. We're going to have to take a look at some things and re-delegate duties back to the folks who should be doing them. I haven't had a day off since the Sunday before last and I have to work this Sunday as well so it looks like 20 days without a day off..... I know I didn't sign up for that nonsense. No pictures to post really since I haven't had much time away from my office.

The good news is I think I'll be going to Egypt for a week at the end of May. It should be a good trip with 30-35 of us going for some R&R,,, we'll see if that happens or not and if I can get a reservation on Monday. Still haven't made it to "town" outside of the prison gate here to shop for anything off of the base,,, thank goodness for Amazon and Wal-Mart.

Mousha Island - It was a rough day at sea....

Sunday was a good day. Not much of consequence was going on so I made it out to Mousha Island with the group from the Wardroom. There ended up being a dozen of us that went and the weather was ideal for spending the day on the beach of a small island off the African Coast of Djibouti. I didn't realize however how close we were to Yemen.

The day was good and relaxing and got to watch the dolphins on the way to and from the island. The sunset was nice even though the air is polluted and generally full of haze here.

Had to nap today after taking some Camp photos

So after a week in Europe and over 20 hours of traveling with no sleep,,, it finally caught up with me. I managed to sleep in today and after walking around Camp taking some pictures I had to go rack out and get a nap. I'd like to say I feel refreshed but I don't, but a little better rested now. Luckily I found out last night that my 1:00 meeting today had been cancelled.... you know I don't like working on Sundays.

Not too much of note going on and things should start picking up for me tomorrow morning. I've got about a month before LCDR Raines leaves so I'm hoping to get some good turnover training before that point.

Went to a brothel today.....

So now that I have your attention, I spent the day in Pompeii and went to the brothel that was operating there 2000 years ago,,, looks like it was a happening place back then. CDR Shepherd and I headed out early this morning and catch a bus from the airport then a train out to Pompeii. I have to admit that it was not the most ideal day for sightseeing since it was pouring down rain at times and cool. No complaints however since I had the opportunity to go see some great ruins from 79 A.D. while being away on official travel. The fact that I was fortunate enough to have a lag in the schedule before my return flight is definitely appreciated.

I can't say that Naples was my favorite part of Italy, I prefer Rome and Northern Italy, but it was great to have the opportunity to come and visit. I also got to catch up with Cara and get a couple of great meals out with some authentic Italian food. The main lesson learned here is that I never want to drive in this area and will rely on the taxi or public transit.

So now I'm getting the laundry done and need to start packing. Looking forward to heading back home to my CLU where it's warm and all of my people are around Camp..... but I will miss having the nice apartment with good Internet and an attached bath.

Another night of poor land navigation skills....

So Cara and I headed out again tonight with a car and a GPS and a slight idea of where we were headed. Needless to say, we didn't end up where we were supposed to be going. I have to say that the road system here confuses me and I would rely on public transit if I lived here all the time.

While being lost we happened to come across a restaurant that looked like it might be interesting out in the middle of nowhere. We stopped and as expected with us not speaking Italian there was that little language barrier. Most of the menu I could figure out and with the creative pointing at the menu and stumbling around we managed to get dinner ordered.

Being lost and ending up in this place was a good thing for sure. From our starter to dessert, the entire meal was delicious. Everything was homemade and very fresh. When our pasta dishes arrived it was obvious just by looking at them they had been made in the kitchen from scratch. The surprise was that our meat course came out and we thought that we had ordered chicken dishes but it was beef..... it didn't matter since they were both delicious. The largest stumbling block was trying to order some gelato,,,, evidently there was more than one kind available and eventually she just brought me a dish and it was great... I think it was vanilla with black cherry.

It was a good day other than weather.... it was a bit rainy, overcast and cool. It's probably at least 30 degrees cooler here than back in Africa. Earlier today I finished class and completed my exam so that frees up some time before I have to pack up and fly out again. Tomorrow's plan is travel to Pompeii then return to Naples, do laundry and pack. Look for pictures of Pompeii in the next day or two.

Still in Naples

Managed to get out into town last night thanks to ENS Cara Davis. She just got her car on Tuesday so we went out and relied on GPS to direct us...... I have no idea where we were and I didn't do so well in land navigation class so I was worthless in the back seat. We were all over the place down old bumpy narrow streets and whatnot.

We ended up at a small family restaurant and had some "authentic" Italian food and wine. It was a good night. I'm finishing up class today and getting ready to take a test in a few minutes. I think the Plan of the Day for Thursday is for a cultural awareness training day down to Pompeii then back to the airport on Friday to head back to Camp Lemonnier.

The Djibouti place....

So I thought I'd bring things back into perspective to those who would suggest I'm on an extended vacation. Please find attached photos of my Djibouti place, the temporary one. I'll probably be in this for a week or two once I return from Naples. I'm sharing with LT Taylor. I'll get some pictures of the base highlights and CLUville where I live once I return.

Arrived in Naples

After a day of delays, cancellations, an overnight in Paris,,,,, I have arrived in Naples. We're a day late and missed a class but here we are. The deployment continues and I thought I'd post some pictures of the views from out my door.

First thing after checking in and changing clothes was a trip to get some pizza. I've posted some photos of the current living conditions.... go back and check the Djibouti pictures and notice these are a little nicer..... Still liking this deployment.

Still in Paris,,,, heading to Rome today???

Ok,,, we made it to the airport this morning after the shuttle bus fiasco..... There is no order or manners here and it was like a stampeded of cattle at the hotel getting onto the bus. It turns out we were on the wrong bus, as was everyone else, and we went to Roissy instead of CDG Airport and the driver wanted to kick everyone off. Luckily the other driver of the bus in front of us took control and we were driven to the right airport.

So now we're waiting for the flight to Rome and should get to Naples tonight...... maybe I'll get to two of my three days of classes. This airport situation in Europe isn't necessarily what we're accustomed to in the States for sure.

Stay tuned for the latest travel updates!

So now we're routed to Rome... all of Paris that we saw is reflected in the above photos basically since we didn't get out of the airport other than to go to the hotel for the night. We go two rooms for three of us which we made work,,, to military guys in one room and our female civilian contractor in the other. The obvious choice for room assignments.