Dudes

While the world is enthralled with the search for Malaysia's Flight MH370, now missing for over two weeks, we keep plugging away in Kenya, checking the reported progress and theories as regularly as everyone else, internet permitting.  There have been plenty of headaches this tour, with struggling to secure aircraft for training sorties from our maintenance department, struggling with the drill ship to release boat decks for SAR training, or to free up crews to man their helideck for night landing recurrencies, but it's all par for the course.  I did manage to complete another Commander upgrade late last night (damn it was dark), so I'm quite pleased with what I've accomplished this tour, despite the headaches.

U.S. Army Special Forces dudes linger around our hotel and walk the beach, and we all wonder if they should maybe strive to look less conspicuous, as they stand out like sore thumbs in their tan cargo pants, black polo shirts, standard Oakley shooter glasses and g-shock watches, all with scruffy long hair and unshaved, like right out of the movies.  Our ex-Brit Special Forces security instructor, brought in to teach us how to survive in areas like Mombasa, spent years in Northern Ireland undercover, and he was most definitely the "grey man", trained to NOT stand out.  But those flashy American boys did manage to find some bomb makers in Somalia, tracked them into Mombasa, and the local newspaper's were full of the big arrest; terrorists caught red handed with bombs in the car, near the airport, target unspecified.  Good job guys!  While I was in Italy the Pentagon announced they were heavily boosting their presence in East Africa to combat growing terrorist cells, and it's readily apparent with the steady stream of heavy lift military aircraft through Mombasa, plus the non-descript white King-Airs that always seem to accompany breaking news.  One of our guys actually made the snide comment "great idea guys, kick the hornet's nest".  I was not impressed with his passive attitude.  Kick away boys.  Stomp up and down on that hornet's nest!

I haven't posted much lately due to very, very sporadic or non-existent internet.  It's extremely frustrating and depressing to realize how dependant I am on being connected, but there wasn't much I could do about it.  There was plenty of excitement in Mombasa, lots to write about; prepping for our return to Mtwara, Tanzania, the packing, the ruffled feathers and short tempers, being whisked through the impossibly crowded airport, bypassing sweaty, angry tourists pushing and shoving their way through check-in and passport control and security check after security check, the ferry flight itself, seven thousand feet dodging build ups and taking some rather awesome photos of each other's aircraft, arriving back in Mtwara to zero internet once again, for even our kick-ass company system was down, our hangar moldy and musty, the toilets out of service, rain and mud and mosquitoes.  I wanted to write about the hawk in the helicopter's exhaust one morning, the circle of Kenyan Airways employees exercising on the beach in front of our hotel, the beautiful full moon rising over the Indian Ocean as we sat on couches on the beach at Coco's, drinking refreshing Dawas and telling stories of life back home, the Mombasa roads closing for the Presidential Cavalcade, and our driver tucking into the line of cars bearing fluttering flags, somehow accepting us as I'm seated in the front seat with my uniform shirt, Captain bars and Ray-Bans, all of us laughing and waving at the crowds as we pass Presidential well wishers for thee quickest drive from the airport ever.  Soon I'll be back home again with fast and reliable internet, but very little to write about, but not really caring, it's been a long tour.