I suppose it adds better context if I mention that the reason that mime was upset with me was that I had mimed giving him some money. He was not amused. Still, I think I communicated with him better than most people in Italy. I think he spoke French, judging by how he reacted when I used some. I know, a French mime, imagine that. Anyway, I'm glad that blew over and didn't turn into some kind of extremely quiet diplomatic incident. I think he was just playing it up. He's an entertainer after all. In any case, next port:

The Kingdom of Bahrain

Desert life is quite difficult. I won't say that was my favorite port, but I'm still glad I went. I kept trying to get the trip to the beach or the waterpark, but they were all sold out in the timeframe that I had. I ended up on an Islamic Cultural tour, because I was kind of disappointed with all the places I could easily get to. You don't feel very much like you're in a strange foreign land when you're right across from an Applebees.

I'm glad that I took the tour though. Travel off the base is difficult and dangerous. I suppose the ten-foot concrete walls topped with razorwire should've tipped me off as to the nature of our neighbors. It really pays to have a guide that can get you through all that. Plus I bet I never would've made it to Saudi Arabia if not for that. Everyone said that there was nothing to do here but drink. I think that they just didn't have the right tour guide.

Uniform regs say I'm not allowed to wear a thawb, but I got lucky. If you visit a Mosque, they're required. The Mosque was a beautiful, awe inspiring place. When I was talking to the tour guide, I was amazed to hear all the things that don't have any religious significance. The fact that Abayas for women are black is just a fashion thing, it's slimming, you know? The Ghutra that I bought is really just a hat. The colors and manner of wear suggest different lifestyles and sensibilities, but the same could be said of western hats, it's just that the rules aren't written down anywhere. Allah isn't even a specific God, it's just the literal translation of the word 'God.' The Christian and Jewish Gods are also called 'Allah.' Even the thawb I was wearing was just a matter of convenience. The traditional requirement is that your arms and legs be covered when you enter the mosque. A long robe is the easiest way to accomplish this. Well, it's a long robe on most. Mine was kind of small.

The main reason I took the tour was that we were going to a camel farm and that was well worth it. Everyone else saw all the warning signs that were posted around the enclosure and kept their distance. Spitting and trampling hazards and whatnot, but they only do that kind of stuff when you tick them off. They seemed perfectly docile to me, so I went up and made friends. I've been watching Media Department's photo releases closely because I saw one of their photographers there. Hopefully there will be some nice pictures of me getting to know some camels out there pretty soon.

We finished immersing ourselves in the local culture by going to McDonald's and then almost dying of dehydration in the desert. The McDonald's was orders-of-magnitude better than any stateside one. I think it's because they have to use Halal beef for their patties, so we're getting the best cuts instead of a bunch of neck sinew and leg muscles. During the desert-wandering phase, we were visiting the ruins of an ancient fort. It really gave you an idea of the warlike history of the area. There are records that state that three other cities were built on this site, even though there's no evidence of them. This is because they were all utterly obliterated, with successive cities rebuilt on the ruins. The next five cities are destroyed, destroyed with another destroyed city on top of it, destroyed and buried, destroyed and dismantled to build the next destroyed city, and fallen into a state of advanced disrepair, in that order. It was a really hot, long walk; and climb, the fort was quite tall. I got to see a lot of cool stuff though, so I'll count that as a plus. I'm not sure whether to count the camel bitemarks on my shoe as good or bad, but they're there.

I got to go to Senior Chief's place on the last day. We took the whole department and had a great time. The place is a palace. We were on floor 32 of 40ish. I'm not used to seeing open balconies up that high. I guess the suicide problem isn't as bad there. At least not that kind of suicide...

There was a sauna with a chilled whirlpool downstairs, and a swimming pool outside, BBQ pit and everything. Senior Chief is even getting a big fat cost of living stipend for living there. I no longer feel guilty for calling him at obnoxious hours and throwing work at him. In fact, I plan to do that much more often now. His hotel was a great place to relax, and I actually got to use the internet.

We're back to work now though, and boy are we ever working. I had to study my ass off because I got a day's notice of my Warfare qualification board. I passed though, so good for me. Navigation was really impressed with everything I knew. Mainly it was prior interest and that trip to the bridge I went on. I hope that makes up for how little I know about all the planes and how much I sucked at OPS.

Our office caught on fire the other day. Not a real one just a bunch of smoke and stuff. Its happened a few times in the last few weeks. Every time they told us not to worry about it because it was just smoke from the machinery space above us. So this time I let it slide a little. Good thing I thought to poke my head in there and see all the charred streaks in the paint. It was pretty cool. It's actually been kind of nice now that I look back on it. It was so hot over there we had to abandon the place a few weeks ago and all cram into the office next door. I can't work when it's 115 degrees. I kept telling Engineering that the insulation on the steam piping in there was messed up, but they kept telling me it was fine and there was nothing they could do about it. I'm kinda rubbing their faces in this now. Both because I was right and because now they have to fix it. Funny how having a ship-threatening emergency will get the wheels turning isn't it? So far, "My office caught on fire" has been my go-to excuse for just about everything I want to get out of. I don't imagine it'll hold up for long.