tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35982580611488691712012-01-29T13:54:27.237+02:00Travel recollections.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-89384836406907622082011-07-22T02:41:00.004+03:002011-07-25T10:05:33.350+03:00

It had been raining off and on all day, so when a loud rumble resonated through the Embassy just before 3:30 in the afternoon, many people wondered if it had been a thunderclap. I assumed that it was not thunder, however, for two reasons. First, I have never observed a thunder storm in Oslo before. And second, the blast was too isolated. Plus, at that particular moment, it was no longer

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-69779078729331197252011-07-21T02:17:00.002+03:002011-07-22T02:31:58.118+03:00

Having been crapped on by a seagull on my way home from work, my afternoon was already off to a strange start. This was my third such mishap since I moved to Norway 21 months ago, and while that might not seem very extraordinary, I think those three times probably equal or exceed my lifetime tally prior to coming here.Thankfully the bombing happened just three blocks from my apartment, so I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-56951259205771755832010-09-21T00:01:00.000+02:002010-09-22T00:20:47.753+02:00

When I checked my mail today, I received a curious package.The package had been delivered to the U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea, and a former colleague of mine had forwarded it to me.Inside the box was something bundled in bubble wrap and a note that read: Send this Cristal Clay to – Mr Chris Fm – Kokoda Trekker guide.This message was a bit cryptic to say the least. I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-13719782212539539762009-12-12T21:36:00.010+02:002009-12-29T20:06:11.840+02:00

A few weeks after I arrived to Oslo, I received a notice that I had a package waiting at the post office. I took the notice to the post office that I pass every day on the way to work. This, however, was not the post office where my package was located. The postal clerk told me which post office I needed to go to, but the name of the post office meant nothing to me. So, he tried to describe the

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-61896032499295487892009-12-05T22:35:00.001+02:002010-01-14T22:57:31.752+02:00

As a city on the water, I assumed that Oslo would have a proper fish market. From what I've seen so far, I assumed wrong. There are some grocery stores and specialty shops with respectable fish and seafood selections, but there is no specific market where fishermen can sell their catch.While there is no fish market, however, the opportunity still exists to buy fish directly from fishermen. At the

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-54223774749658464582009-11-08T01:27:00.002+02:002010-06-30T10:10:32.966+03:00

I arrived to my friend Lisa's house party around 9:00 PM, and pretty much from the start I was telling people that I wouldn't be staying long because I had a flight to catch in the morning. And then all of the sudden, it was 5:00 AM. My flight to Tromsø was at 8:00, and my goal was to be on the train at 6:00 for the 30-minute ride to the airport.Lisa lives close to me, so it took me only 7 or 8

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-3171532277716430142009-10-31T22:24:00.000+02:002010-02-28T23:32:59.413+02:00

Halloween has ancient roots, but when it comes to the modern-day commercial extravaganza, no one does it like America. That said, the Halloween of America is slowly working its way around the world.In the lead-up to Halloween, several stores here in Oslo set up small costume sections. There is also at least one full-time costume shop right in the city center. One of my new friends at the

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-52054586744323150192009-10-30T02:12:00.014+02:002010-03-07T13:06:55.913+02:00

With another Friday night at hand, I had a few shots of Jack and then set out to meet some friends downtown. I hopped on the bus and got off as I had been instructed. The bus dropped me off close to the bar, but being unfamiliar with the area, I had to seek out assistance to actually find the place. I asked several people for help, and after a few dead-ends, I was there - the Queen's Pub.I was

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-12515336107914877162009-10-20T04:22:00.004+02:002009-11-23T14:30:27.377+02:00

When I arrived to Oslo, my sponsor Lisa and one of my office mates, Scott, met me at the airport. As we drove toward my apartment, they gave me a good overview of life in Norway, and they had a few questions about Papua New Guinea for me as well.After probably 45 minutes, we reached my new digs. I live in the neighborhood of Frogner on Gyldenløvesgate. Gyldenløvesgate, I'm told, is the only

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-83257514724976338132008-08-29T14:51:00.001+03:002008-09-02T15:01:15.416+03:00

Around 9:45 last Friday night, I was driving home from the gym. The drive takes about 15 minutes, and, as is typical at that time of night, the road was practically empty.The middle portion of the trip covers Port Moresby's only highway, the Poreporena, which stretches a few kilometers through town. From the direction that I entered the highway, it runs with a slight incline for a bit. I hit this

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-22532666312618108442008-02-03T15:17:00.002+02:002009-03-02T15:34:16.230+02:00

The Saturday after our first two open water dives, Bill and I reported back to Irene's house for the conclusion of our training. We watched a few more diving videos and did a few more exercises in the pool. Then we each had a final exam. The test, which was mostly multiple choice, was a real cake walk.Our colleague Andrea – based in Canberra, but in Moresby for about a month to cover a staffing

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-72884489982735214202008-01-27T13:45:00.000+02:002008-10-22T13:55:06.699+02:00

After a day of watching instructional diving DVDs and practicing skills in a swimming pool, my colleague Bill and I set out with our instructor Irene (another colleague of ours) for our first open water dive.When diving magazines publish their “best of” lists, Papua New Guinea frequently comes out on top in a number of categories (best underwater photography, healthiest reefs, and so forth). PNG

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-3084767594443426082007-12-07T16:05:00.000+02:002009-01-11T16:25:41.755+02:00

When Friday rolled around, Stewart called to make sure I was still interested in drinking steam at Ozzie's. I was, so Stewart proposed that we meet at 7:00. This seemed way too early to me, so I countered with 9 o'clock.Stewart stuck to 7:00, however, insisting that 9:00 was too late.I didn't much care either way, so I agreed on 7.In the past, I had shown up at the agreed upon time, only to find

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-78189870926889969612007-12-05T13:33:00.000+02:002009-01-04T13:49:35.302+02:00

Ready for a midweek drink, I found myself back at the Beehive's Wednesday happy hour.I was meeting up with Stewart again, and this time, he arrived before I did. He had already ordered the usual table full of drinks when I turned up.Stewart was with four other guys, one of whom was named Naga. This name was easy for me to remember because it reminded me of Naugahyde, the famous fake leather

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-8716290987399965972007-11-28T13:35:00.001+02:002008-07-11T13:54:09.351+03:00

The Wednesday after Cathy punched Maymay's lights out, I returned to the Beehive. I wondered who would be there, and how I would be received.When I walked in the door, there was the standard moment of shock when everyone in the place felt compelled to stop and stare at me. This happens on a regular basis, though, so I didn't much care. Many people recognized me from the week before, so I got a “

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-33184987592555280062007-11-25T14:29:00.000+02:002008-03-03T15:09:58.876+02:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I decided to take a little trip to Rabaul.On the Saturday morning of my flight, I reported to the airport about forty-five minutes early, a perfectly reasonable time to arrive before a domestic flight. When I went to check-in, however, I was told that the plane was overweight. Once the plane was finished fueling and the final weight was known, I might be allowed to

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-38238128173323325182007-11-21T14:33:00.001+02:002008-05-07T14:59:31.384+03:00

At a reception at the Ambassador's house one night, my good friend Stewart was talking up a place called the Beehive. The Beehive had a happy hour on Wednesdays that featured drinks for 2 kinas (or about 75 cents in American money).As we talked about the happy hour, I used the phrase “2-kina night”, and Stewart got a bit embarrassed. He looked around to see if anyone else had heard me.“You can't

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-55203391999000428892007-11-17T13:27:00.000+02:002007-12-21T13:38:07.509+02:00

Another Saturday came to Port Moresby, and I called the duty driver at about 9:00 AM to request a lift to the store. Ephraim was on duty, and he was completely swamped. It wouldn't be possible for me to get a ride until some time later.Based on past experience, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to get a ride on this particular Saturday, or at least not before 12:00 when stores closed, so I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-45700402518580244492007-11-16T11:14:00.002+02:002008-04-09T11:46:03.388+03:00

As far as the scene in Port Moresby goes, the Gold Club in the Lamana Hotel is probably the most popular joint in town. Interested to check it out, I went over on a Friday evening.I didn't know exactly where the entrance to the club was, so I entered the hotel lobby and inquired at the reception desk. The young lady on duty was more than happy to point me in the right direction, and she sent me

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-6106309601775003082007-11-13T13:17:00.000+02:002007-12-21T13:23:45.258+02:00

Around the time when I was ready to get my hair cut again, my colleague Bill, who had only been in-country for a few weeks, asked me if I could recommend a barber shop. When I told him about Brad's, he was interested in giving it a try.A few days later, we walked over together during lunch break. That day was our third or fourth straight day of non-stop rain thanks to a cyclone in the area.The

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-26642782756180350942007-11-12T11:48:00.000+02:002008-02-11T12:01:11.905+02:00

When it comes to beer, South Pacific is really the only game in Papua New Guinea. Luckily, it is an excellent beer. The SP Brewery is in Port Moresby, and I immediately placed touring it on my list of things to do during my stay in PNG.Tours of the brewery are only given by appointment Monday through Friday, so I booked one for Veterans Day, a Monday holiday.In the weeks before the tour, I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-18272571996478225502007-11-10T12:53:00.000+02:002007-12-21T13:09:47.659+02:00

It was Saturday morning, and, like many other Saturdays, I called the Embassy's duty driver to see about getting a lift into town. Sam was on duty, and when he picked me up at around 10:00 AM, he told me that he had other runs scheduled, starting at 11:30. I told him that I understood this limitation, and we drove off to the few places on my list.We started by going to the local post office where

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-45837033926733208832007-10-28T13:37:00.000+02:002008-01-09T14:13:19.968+02:00

My arrival to Papua New Guinea in mid-September put me at a distinct disadvantage for catching a cultural show, the majority of which occur between July and September. There were a few stragglers, however, and so the last weekend in October, I headed north to Lae to catch the last big show of the year – the Morobe Show of Morobe Province.On this trip to Lae I was only going to see the show, so I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-10393271642941313942007-10-11T12:40:00.000+02:002007-12-21T12:49:39.869+02:00

A few weeks into my stay in Papua New Guinea, the time for my monthly haircut rolled around. Against the advice of my colleagues who recommended the barber shop at the Ela Beach Hotel, I decided to try Brad's barber shop which was around the block from the Embassy.It was drizzling when I made the walk over, but there were still several men, all locals, who were getting haircuts or waiting for a

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-17659330819451517252007-10-08T09:37:00.000+02:002007-11-11T11:12:55.573+02:00

Three weeks into my stay in Papua New Guinea, the Columbus Day holiday presented me with my first good opportunity to leave Port Moresby.I decided to start with Madang on the northern coast of New Guinea island. Madang is the most touristy city in all of PNG, so there were several advantages to my choice. There are several flights a day from Port Moresby, many of them direct, and they are

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-47608804700509320272007-09-30T12:59:00.000+02:002007-10-13T13:35:44.243+02:00

With my five weeks of vacation sadly at an end, Mom and I drove to the airport in Nashville. My sister, Maria, who was home from college for the weekend, had insisted that she would come along for the drop-off. When we roused her at 5:00 in the morning, though, she decided to bid me farewell at the house and go back to bed. Also opting to sleep-in were my high school and middle school-aged

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-42768407359941931532006-10-04T13:13:00.000+02:002006-10-22T14:13:14.219+02:00

With my four-day vacation in Albania drawing to a close, I caught a taxi to Mother Teresa International Airport outside Tirana. When I arrived, it was around 1:30 PM and there were two hours remaining before my flight was scheduled to depart for Istanbul. It’s a good thing that I had disregarded the standard three-hour rule for international travel because in arriving two hours early, I was still

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-2246422826527913752006-05-06T20:22:00.001+03:002010-10-04T21:04:01.514+02:00

Every few weeks, I would meet up with the guys for poker and pizza. Calling it a strategy might be a bit much, so let's just say that my modus operandi was to bet on nearly every hand. My thinking was that if I had any sort of halfway decent hand, I might as well try my luck. Everyone else bet much more conservatively, so my style became something of a running joke. I was dubbed “The

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-31453361632187614972006-04-08T14:06:00.001+03:002008-04-02T14:20:43.560+03:00

The trip that my good friend Geoff and I made up to Tzfat one Saturday was a bit of a bust. We realized that most things would be closed there for Shabbat, as in most other Israeli cities, but we thought that there would still be enough to see to make the trip worthwhile.Tzfat, also called Safed, is a nice little city built on a hill near the Sea of Galilee. It's one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-16969743706820476852006-03-18T12:05:00.000+02:002008-02-11T12:19:21.894+02:00

It was ten minutes after eight on Saturday morning when I was woken by my ringing cell phone. It was my good friend Doni. We had planned to take a trip to the Sea of Galilee, and the departure time was supposed to be eight o'clock. Doh!I told Doni that I had overslept and that I would be over in about ten minutes. Also scheduled to make the trip were my good friends Geoff and Masha, and right

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-54614388782940148092006-03-11T11:31:00.000+02:002008-02-11T11:41:44.168+02:00

When you bring people together from different areas of your life, they don't always hit it off. My trip to Akko in March was a good example of this.For this trip, I invited my good friends Geoff and Masha from Column A, and my good friend Micheline from Column B. Geoff and I worked in the same office, and Masha was his girlfriend at the time. Micheline worked in a different office in the embassy,

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-2311953662507126922006-03-04T11:40:00.000+02:002007-11-15T11:54:13.443+02:00

It was a nice enough Saturday in March when I organized an outing to Mini Israel (See it all small!) in Latrun with my good friends Andy and Yoav.As we started the trip, we weren't five minutes down the road before Yoav started complaining about the music I was playing. Not interested in the whining, I let him select a different CD from my collection.He chose Yo-Yo Ma.Unfortunately, we were

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-89857169469638271432006-02-27T19:07:00.000+02:002006-10-29T13:36:38.574+02:00

Yesterday, I took my jeep for its annual inspection. It failed due to some problem within the tire area. I took the car to the garage adjacent to the inspection center and showed the mechanics the report so that they could fix the problem.They took the tire off and unscrewed all of the metal pieces in the area where the tire is bolted on to the car. Then they replaced a rubber sleeve that covered

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-26272698547681742212006-02-19T12:07:00.000+02:002007-12-21T12:30:55.492+02:00

Having decided to visit Rome for the long President's Day weekend, I boarded my Saturday morning El Al flight. It wasn't a terribly early flight, but I was dead tired from Friday night, and I went to sleep as soon as I took my seat.I was sitting on the aisle, and the overhead storage bins were directly overhead. (Funny how that works.)I mention this because as I was completely sacked out, a

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-67643371241304977872006-02-04T09:29:00.000+02:002007-10-15T09:48:30.064+02:00

For such a small country, Israel's geography is quite varied. You've got your deserts, your coasts, your forests, your foothills, and even some mountains. One of these mountains, Mt. Hermon, is home to Israel's only ski resort.Having only been skiing once before, and more than five years back at that, I was hardly an expert skier. Still, I was determined to give Hermon a go. I knew it would be

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-13317644177469244142006-01-29T18:13:00.000+02:002007-02-26T18:21:44.184+02:00

Ready for another road trip, I pointed the G3, the Green Gas Guzzler, south toward Be’er Sheva.Accompanied only by my CDs, the drive of an hour and a half passed quickly.My main interest in Be’er Sheva was the Israel Air Force Museum, so that is where I started.I arrived just before noon on a January Saturday, and it looked like I had the whole place to myself.Inside the exhibits hall, there were

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-10635378709832463242006-01-16T19:36:00.000+02:002007-06-14T20:16:14.864+03:00

Having decided to visit Istanbul for Martin Luther King Weekend, I contacted my good friend Jacqui, who was serving in Ankara at the time, to get the inside scoop. As it turned out, though, Jacqui had only been in Istanbul briefly during a flight layover, I think, and had no real knowledge of the city.She came through for me just the same, though. She gave me general information on Turkey

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-63261209828456028662006-01-08T15:57:00.000+02:002007-02-23T16:09:38.253+02:00

It was a stormy January Saturday when I set out for Rosh Pina with my good friend Yoav.I enjoy driving in a good downpour, and I wasn’t disappointed on this trip. The storms pummeled us in waves, and in between the sky would clear.Rosh Pina is in the hills of the Galilee region, and as we gained altitude, low-hanging clouds shrouded the road.In a little over 2 hours, we had arrived. The town

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-10050602931116813592006-01-02T18:29:00.000+02:002007-02-01T18:36:10.467+02:00

On a fine January Saturday, I decided to visit Ein Afek Nature Reserve.I hopped in the G3, the Green Gas Guzzler, and in about an hour I was passing through Haifa. Ein Afek is just north of the city, so I was in the vicinity.I ended up turning too soon and found myself at Kibbutz Afek, from which there is no access to the reserve. A friendly kibbutznik tried to help me, but she spoke only

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-38467128131813084372005-12-26T20:40:00.000+02:002008-12-09T01:00:27.433+02:00

It was Christmas, and with the long weekend, I decided to hop up to the Czech Republic for a look-see.My flight took a few hours, and then I caught a bus from the airport into town. Actually, the bus only stopped on the edge of town, and I transferred to the subway for the rest of the way. The temperature was hovering around freezing, and the wind was biting.When I reached my stop on the subway,

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-20911588608790310172004-11-28T21:18:00.003+02:002010-06-07T21:58:17.936+03:00

The last weekend of November, I made a daytrip to Nathiagali with my good friends Nenita, Tangela, and Raja.We took Goldie, the little Honda Civic that could, and I drove. Goldie has no heat (or A/C for that matter), so in the winter, no matter how cold it is or how hard it is raining, I keep the window rolled down. Otherwise the windshield gets totally fogged up.On this particular day, which was

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-80022486238258114772004-11-16T04:52:00.002+02:002009-03-08T05:41:26.413+02:00

For Eid last November, we ended up with a 5-day weekend, Saturday through Wednesday. I decided to use this break to visit my good friend Diana in Muscat, Oman. Over the course of this trip, the local employees, who are normally pretty sharp, didn’t seem to be running at peak performance.The Marine Corp Birthday Ball was on that Saturday night, so I decided not to leave until afterwards. Saturday

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-87152915263776541222004-10-24T12:51:00.000+02:002009-01-12T13:00:42.429+02:00

One fine Islamabad Sunday afternoon, I decided to check out the Marghzar Zoo. Before I went, I mentioned it to one of my friends. She was sure the conditions for the animals would be horrible and refused to go. Her loss.I went alone.I pulled up and parked my car. Almost immediately, I was being harassed by a young man carrying a box and some tickets. He could speak very little English, and I

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-39156059835955529742004-10-16T20:27:00.001+02:002008-09-05T12:42:39.667+03:00

So, I came back from 3 weeks of vacation, spent a week in the office, and then went to a week-long conference in India. I live a rough life.The conference was for entry-level State Department employees, and it was held in Delhi, October 12-15. I went with 6 colleagues from Pakistan (if I recall correctly), and for those official sorts who might be reading this, we all found the conference to be

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-3432284734591331252004-10-02T12:44:00.000+02:002008-09-05T13:58:26.780+03:00

For my last major vacation, over the course of three weeks, I went to the U.S., Cambodia, and Thailand.Here is a full accounting, starting at the beginning. Actually, I need to start a little before the beginning.With two days before my vacation was to begin, it was a Friday, and I had lunch with my good friend, Traci, at the Embassy’s American Club. To be specific I had a big steaming plate of

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-86572175240728504102004-09-06T18:29:00.000+03:002007-02-26T18:54:28.364+02:00

It was another fine Islamabad morning, and even more so since it was a Monday holiday, Labor Day. My good friend Portia and I took the opportunity to visit Rohtas Fort.Rohtas is a few hours down the Grand Trunk Road, in the direction of Lahore. I was driving Goldie, the little Honda Civic that could, and she was barely recovered from the hostile driving in Taxila the day before.The drive to

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-9937728255530917362004-09-05T16:16:00.000+03:002007-02-23T16:35:59.797+02:00

Almost a year to the day after my first visit to Taxila, I went back to finish it up. This time, I went with my good friend Nenita.Taxila is about a 45-minute drive from Islamabad, down the Grand Trunk Road toward Peshawar. We left late in the morning, and, as it was my car, I got to drive. Driving the GT Road rocked like it always does. Most everyone flies down this beat-up road with the

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-60021910283986011002004-08-21T18:48:00.000+03:002007-02-01T20:14:04.623+02:00

The northern areas of Pakistan have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Three of the highest mountain ranges – the Himalaya, the Hindukush, and the Karakoram – run through the area. K2, the second highest mountain in the world, is here.There are 3 cities in the northern areas (Chitral, Skardu, and Gilgit) that are serviced by commercial flights. The flights run daily, but they are

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-63407280839830140542004-06-19T20:14:00.000+03:002007-01-19T20:24:20.435+02:00

There are many parties in Islamabad, but unless they are hosted by Americans or Brits, hardly any Americans ever attend. So, it is not uncommon for me to be at a party as the only American or as one of a handful. Many of the foreign diplomats here have done tours in Washington and other American cities, so they are always keen to share their stories and have me rate their "American accents" (

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-21796977774943788852004-06-01T18:19:00.000+03:002007-01-19T20:04:36.065+02:00

For Memorial Weekend, I took a trip to India.As usual, there was a big party the night before – this time at the Marine House to welcome some new Marines. I didn’t do so much drinking, but I was out late anyway. I got home at 3:00 in the morning. I fell asleep without setting the alarm, and by a stroke of luck, I woke up at 6:30, with just enough time to pack before my 7:00 airport pick-up.As

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-52081144109562668982004-05-03T19:55:00.000+03:002007-01-14T23:23:39.351+02:00

At the start of May, I made another trip to Lahore.On this trip, I went with my good friend Kimberly.We were taking my car, and when I went to pick Kimberly up at her apartment, I could immediately tell that we had different ideas about road trips. The drive was 4 to 5 hours each way, but judging by the volume of snacks she was bringing, you’d have thought we were going to be on the road for

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-84777590174641652082004-04-06T18:06:00.000+02:002007-01-19T18:14:12.249+02:00

Press Account:Earthquake rattles Pakistan capitalA strong earthquake jolted the Pakistan capital, shaking homes and rattling people awake, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.The temblor struck just before 2.30am Tuesday (0730 AEST), as most people were sleeping, and lasted for several seconds.Amir Shahzad Warsi, an official at the government Meteorological Department in the capital,

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-45428078551773689022004-03-22T19:03:00.000+02:002006-10-23T23:17:37.092+02:00

The short version:I spent three weeks in Thailand, Japan, and China.And the long version:To kick things off, I flew from Islamabad to Lahore in route to Bangkok. At the airport, there was the usual pandemonium as I joined the no-holds-barred struggle to shove up to the ticket counter and get a boarding pass.The flight was good, though, and Islamabad looks great from the air at night, especially

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-16961364876979034012004-02-16T21:18:00.000+02:002006-11-08T22:52:01.307+02:00

It was February when I returned to Lahore. My purpose this time was to enjoy Basant, the spring festival. I went with my good friend Dennis like before. He was about to leave Pakistan for good so he didn’t want to take his car on this trip. He didn't want anything to happen to it before he could sell it. Dennis also didn’t trust my car to make the trip (which it would have – no problem), so we

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-84529131639393743532004-01-28T13:15:00.000+02:002006-10-29T13:36:04.905+02:00

The last week in January, the circus came to town. Actually it was something much better – a troupe of Chinese acrobats.Two of my friends had an extra ticket to the show and invited me to come along at the last moment. The show started at 7:00, and we got to the arena at about 6:40.At the arena, ticketholders for the different sections had to enter at different doors. All the doors were packed

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-59725390054343138132003-11-29T09:19:00.000+02:002006-10-22T11:41:46.116+02:00

At the end of November, I went to Lahore (jokingly referred to as the Paris of Pakistan). I went with my good friend Dennis, and we had a high time.The Motorway between Islamabad and Lahore is very nice. The arid terrain is reminiscent of the Southwest U.S. Unlike the U.S. Interstate system, however, the Pakistani Motorway has very little traffic and no billboards. The speed limit on the Motorway

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-84387685995998668962003-11-20T08:58:00.000+02:002006-10-29T13:37:22.923+02:00

The Arizona Grill is a steakhouse/TexMex restaurant in Islamabad. As far as the dining scene goes, it is probably in the top ten - not that the culinary bar is set very high. For a few months in the summer, it was floating on and off of the health unit's list of restaurants of concern. But, if you can look past a little abdominal discomfort and nausea, the Arizona Grill can grill a mean steak.

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-35849587192409410322003-09-01T21:00:00.000+03:002006-10-29T12:22:03.652+02:00

There’s nothing like spending a hot Labor Day in Taxila, Pakistan.Taxila is a town about 40 minutes west of Islamabad, and it has several sites of archaeological interest and a nice museum. I went with my good friends Mel, Kaki, and Dennis.We found the place easily enough and parked in the visitor’s lot. I popped in to get a map, and the tourist information guy told me that the museum wasn’t open

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-16073439577184921612003-08-30T19:00:00.000+03:002006-10-22T22:01:56.237+02:00

On a fine Saturday morning, I went with some colleagues to the Khyber Pass.The Khyber Pass is a slice through the mountains where Pakistan and Afghanistan meet. Throughout history, several armies from Alexander the Great's to the British Army have come through the Pass. About 5 hours from Islamabad by car, a daytrip to the Khyber Pass isn’t advised. We opted for a daytrip nonetheless.Besides me,

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-63034352737200347702003-06-22T23:10:00.000+03:002006-10-22T22:02:46.637+02:00

A month into my assignment in Pakistan, I finally went on an outing. The destination was Murree, which is about an hour from Islamabad. Murree is in the hills at about 6,000 feet, and it was once a British hill station. During colonization the British officers had summer homes in Murree to escape the heat of Islamabad. Actually, they were escaping the heat of Rawalpindi since Islamabad didn't

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3598258061148869171.post-44925184345262064152003-05-18T22:46:00.000+03:002006-10-21T23:08:53.977+02:00

I got here on Friday, and the airport was a little crazy. My sponsor, Becky, was waiting there for me, though, and it was good to finally meet her in person.Yesterday Becky and I went to the shopping areas, and it looks like jewelry and furniture are big favorites here. Oh, and carpets, carpets, carpets. Becky also introduced me to her tailor.Some things here aren't quite so cheap as I was led to

Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02615290862914985979noreply@blogger.com0