Finally getting things to work again. It's been AWFUL! I mean, it's 2014, is it too much to ask to have decent internet in the capital city of a country??? But, I digress.
Interesting times here in Kabul. We are no longer based at Kabul International Airport... Don't get me wrong, we haven't moved locations. It's just now called Hamid Karzai International Airport.
The name was changed this week and the letter just came out today. Seems to be mixed emotions around here about it.
Massive amounts of International Air Traffic coming in and out of Kabul and other parts of the country, including Kandahar, Mazar, and Herat.
It's that time of year again.... Time for "The Hajj"
Well, more correct to say, it's over, and the "Hajji's" are coming home. No, that is not a derogatory term for someone of the Muslim Faith. It's actually a celebrated title to mark someone that has been to The Hajj.
The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and mandatory for all Muslims who are able to attend. Anyone who is able must attend the Hajj once in their life. I will try to grab a photo of the Jordanian 767 that's making its rounds to all the places. Large philanthropic organizations in the Muslim community will often charter aircraft and afford mass-transport to those who may not normally be able to attend.
All air traffic for The Hajj lands in Jeddah, approximately 70 kms away. Non-Muslims are forbidden from entering Mecca. Attempting to enter will incur a fine... Being found in Mecca as a Non-Muslim is grounds for deportation.
Keeps the skies over here pretty busy...
There was another interesting little "incident" that kept things kind of exciting today... ATC lost contact with a Drone over Kabul today. They lost it on radar and lost communication with it... All traffic was halted for a while until they could get things squared away. Didn't sound like anything too serious happened, because we departed a short time later. Not sure if the "pilot" was still able to control it or not. I guess the automation stuff isn't quite 100% there yet... Turns out they still need us real people at the controls for a little while longer... :-P
Let's see if the internet is good enough for some pictures...
Not sure if they're still uploading, but appear to be. I'll post it for now, and see where we're at.
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