Gamberi

After a short ride from Jalalabad airport on a Molson Air Helicopter (my first helicopter ride), arrived in Gamberi RO. The Molson air flight entailed two rows of people facing each other squished in like sardines, everyone wearing IBAs. Fortunately I mananged to get the window so I could take pictures. Turns out that Molson air got it's name when the two Canadians who were awarded the contract to ferry people around Afghanistan got here, the air traffic controllers in Kabul said they needed a code name and the only Canadian thing they could think of was Molson beer. Anyway, short, uneventful flight to Gamberi. Gamberi is a small army compound in the middle of a much larger ANA (Afghan National Army) compound. We as civilians are not allowed outside the gates into the ANA portion without an armed escort. Fortunately I did get to go out once with the master sergeant here, he gave us a nice tour.

The picture below is the mud brown Kabul river on the way to Gamberi.

This is the crappy USACE compound in Jalalabad from the air. I stayed in one of the tin cans near the middle.

Lots of desolate landscape in Afghanistan

An aerial view of Gamberi, not a particulary good one but it is difficult to get good angles with an IBA on.

Entry to the Army part of the Gamberi base.

My room, the accomodations have certainly improved from the last place.

Guard tower from the fence line of the ANA base. Much of the ANA base is only a wire fence. This base has been designed by the corp entirely. It is very nice and neat, the ANA soldiers look motivated and efficient. Let's hope they keep that sort of thing up so we can get the hell out of this country.

Old fashioned redoubt outside the wire that is manned by ANA troops. Supposed to draw fire away from the main base.

Afghan port-a-potty. I guess the locals are more used to going over an open hole, which explain the footprints on toilet seats that I run across occasionally.

ANA guard tower

Being drown in here would especially suck, its part of the waste water treatment plant.

More of the ANA base.

Overlooking our compound, the buildings in front are the corp buildings.

MRAPs are everywhere here, there is lots of construction field work going on.

Storm clouds over the mountain, we got rain on my birthday all day. I was told the first since September.