Sightseeing

Today was a pretty good day to be deployed. My day started with a panic wake up at 0522. I had forgotten to set my alarm for P90X. I contemplated staying in bed, but decided against it and was rewarded with 90 minutes (85 minutes since I was late) of Yoga X. If I sound sarcastic, I don’t mean it. I really did enjoy the Yoga and it got my mind right for the mission I had to run today.

Today, we convoyed out to Camp Julien for some meetings to discuss communication projects and requirements. The meetings were to last 4 hours or so including lunch. Once we arrived at the camp, I decided to opt out of the meetings. As the convoy commander (and due to the fact I am leaving very soon), I decided I should stick with my driver to ensure he had a battle buddy. It turned out to be a great decision. Joined by the other truck commander, driver, and interpreter, we spent the next few hours sightseeing in the Queen’s Palace and at the Russian Officer’s Club. Now, if you are friends or family, I want to tell you that both locations are in areas which are protected, so stop the worrying.

The Queen’s Palace, also known as Tajbeg Palace, was built in the 1920s but has fallen into disrepair after the last 30 years of war and violence.




If you want more information about the palace, just go to Wikipedia and search for Tajbeg Palace.

We spent a good hour and a half exploring and taking pictures in the palace. It was pretty awesome to walk around and imagine what splendor used to exist. The walls are covered in Arabic writings and some English as well along with some drawings. It is also interesting to notice what all is missing…wiring is all gone, handrails are cut off of stairs, marble tiles are missing (some of this might be as souvenirs) from the floors, and much of the roof is gone.

Finally, it was weird to realize that after the Russians invaded, they used the palace as a headquarters, and then after we got here, we used it as a headquarters. It is very strategically located. Here is a picture of the King's Palace from the second or third floor…I can’t remember which it was:


The Russian Officers’ Club has some interesting stories. I have been told that the Russians used to bring prisoners there and torture them for fun. I can’t validate that, but I can say it has been told to me by more than one person. Anyway, here are some pictures of the club.




It was fairly impressive. It seemed like there were a bank of rooms set up for those special activities that might have required a member of the opposite sex. Again, I cannot validate this, but it seemed logical. Here is a picture of an old Russian tank sitting on top of the hill behind the club. I am zoomed in 16X!


All in all it was a good trip. We got to do a little sightseeing, some communication issues got worked (no thanks to me!), and we all made it back safe and sound. Who knows what tomorrow will bring…maybe another adventure!