Update, Chapter 1: Bahrain/ Djibouti

So, it's been a while since I've put a post together, and since I'm almost home and I have a bit of time I figured I'd update this thing. Where to start...
April was a pretty interesting month. With all the pirate hullaballoo, our boat went into full-speed pirate fighting mode. Then, in the middle of of the swashbuckling I got sent to Bahrain as a stop over to head to another country for a planning exercise. I had about 6 hours from the time they told me I was leaving until my helicopter left for Djibouti, so I rushed and packed up my stuff and hopped in the back of the bird. I only spent about 2 hours in Djibouti, but I'm always game to go somewhere new. The US base in Djibouti is actually used by a number of different US and foreign organizations, but it's very rustic. There's a PX, a chow hall, a gym, an internet station, a coffee shop, and not much else. After my quick stopover I hopped on a Navy jet, but it wasn't what I was expecting. It was basically a Boeing 727, but the whole crew were Navy; even the flight attendants, which was weird to say the least. Also, they charged for snacks and sodas, so that was disappointing, but totally in keeping with what I would expect from a military "commuter" flight.

Bahrain is a very progressive Middle Eastern country. It's a tiny island with little in the way of natural resources, so their biggest claim to fame is banking. This focus has led them to extensive dealings with Western countries and influence, and although the Bahrainis are predominantly Muslim, it's a moderate version of Islam, more or less accepting of outsiders.
I was in Bahrain for about a week or so, and I was supposed to leave to go to the next country for the planning conference, but due to events the State Department disapproved my clearance to enter, so I stayed in Bahrain. While I was in Bahrain, I missed all the excitement with the Maersk Alabama and the SEALs and had to watch the whole thing on TV. Bummer. The up side was that I got to stay in a 4 star hotel. I think I may have gotten the good side of that deal. Anyway, the trip to Bahrain was fairly uneventful, and finally there was an opening to recover me back to my precious boat, so again, on short notice I packed up my stuff and hopped on a flight. This time I went through Dubai (the Vegas of the Middle East! More about that later), and Nairobi, Kenya on my way to Mombassa, Kenya. The trip was a killer, about 30 hours total, but at least I got to fly from Nairobi to Mombassa during the day. We flew by Mount Kilimanjaro and all I could think of was how much Jen wants to go to Africa, and how one day we'll have to climb that big sucker! I was hoping that I could milk my trip for one more night and stay in Mombassa, but sadly they had some CH-46s come and get me and take me back to the boat. The top picture is the view from my hotel room, and the bottom one is me at the base in Djibouti. More to follow...