Back in the Kingdom

Hi everyone! Not much time to blog but just wanted to let you know (ok, mainly my mom :) that I arrived safely here in Bahrain. The direct 2-hour flight actually became an 8 hour trip after we left the Destroyer, made a stop on a British supply ship, made an unexpected stop in Kuwait at an Army base and then went to an Amphibious Ship too. The helo ride was fun for the first hour- by the 5th hour I was really ready to put my feet on the ground. Here I am with the 2 guys I traveled with while we were stopped in Kuwait. It was SO dusty; a sand storm was coming through and the sand was getting worse; luckily Navy helos have been instruments and can fly in worse weather than the Army helos- I would not want to have gotten stuck on that base overnght! I had to wear my glasses to keep the sand from getting in my eyes and for once in my life, keep my mouth shut- sand does not taste good!

I am staying at the luxurious Gulf Hotel (it seriously is quite nice!) I am about to go out to meet up with a few people that I know. My old roommate in Jax, Emily's boyfriend Marc, a girl I knew from Jax who's IA out here (and by know, I mean, met one time when she was on our ship for a certification- thank goodness for Facebook!) and the other girl, Malissa, that helps coordinate our logistics. I am very grateful to know a few people to hang out with.

It is also no coincidence that tonight is wine night at a restaurant Camelot just a few minutes cab right from the hotel. Also, given that I have only eaten a few cheez-its, a Coke Light, a bottle of Gatorade and 2 freezy pops (thanks to the generous carepackages that stocked up the free snack area at the Army base in Kuwait) I think a meal might be in order first!

I will post more tomorrow about my travels and after I get to explore Bahrain some. I am going to go to the NEX, go to the market and maybe the mosque. Shops are open late here, so I will go shopping at the mail tomorrow night after dinner.