My adventure in paradise is about to come to an end. As many of you know, back in June I passed through Denver on my way to Pa. In Denver I went through the physical/mental/dental exams to return to Antarctica. Passed. Yes, I'm leaving this tropical (and equatorial) Pacific isle to return to the harshest continent. At this point, I suspect many of you have decided that, yes, I am indeed certifiably nuts. May be so. A number of you thought I was nuts the first time I went to the South Pole not to mention when I went the second time and stayed a year. Still . . . paradise isn't all it's cracked up to be. The island is about three miles long, maybe one half mile at the widest and about as flat as a pool table. Fifteen months of temperatures never below 74F - and usually in the 80's or higher - never a cool breeze, never a cool morning or evening, never a day with more that about 13 hours of sunlight, just one monotonous, very humid, very hot day after another. Sweating comes easily to me and I've done it very well every day. Someone mentioned that the air conditioning in our quarters had gone down during the hottest part of the day. I can't tell the 'hottest' part of the day - it's all too hot for me. I love scuba diving, hanging out with all the critters, fish, turtles, rays and eels, even the sharks. If not for the diving, I would have been long gone long ago, a sentiment expressed by several people I spoke with on my way out. A half day of diving, even the occasional full day in a week, isn't enough to make up the rest of the time here, particularly those hours between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM, commonly known as work. The food, pay, phone, TV and Internet systems are all poor, but none of those are the main reason I'm leaving. It's the operation. I told someone I didn't want to work for the DoD, Department of the Defense. In fairness, I should amend that; I don't want to work for this DoD contractor. I work, make that worked, for Chugach Management Services, a Native American Alaskan company that provides logistical operations on installations. Did I mention that we pay Alaska about $30-40 a week? For Alaskan companies, the employees, not the employers, are the ones that pay the unemployment. That's money I'll never see. I also pay social security and Medicare or 'caid, whatever. So much for tax-free pay. There are many things that weren't quite what we were led to believe when we signed on. Chugach is a subcontractor to Kwajalein Range Services (KRS) which runs the entire missile test range operation. Consequently, when I was checking out the other day, I had to go to both the Chugach finance office and the KRS finance office. Per the instructions I was given., I went to Chugach first. They were closed. Staff meetings. Meetings are very popular and very frequent. The fourth time I went by, the meeting was over . . . but the person that was supposed to process me out was off for the day. Eventually someone looked over my paper work and signed the checkout sheet, as about ten more people in ten more places had to do before I could be issued orders to leave Kwajalein. I was leaving, orders or not. I bought the ticket, I was getting on the plane. My checkout sheet didn't require me to check out of the tool room, despite the fact that, as a tradesman, I had several hundred dollars of government-owned tools. I could have shipped all that back to the States with my personal belongings. I didn't. I managed to collect all my signatures by afternoon and went to my room to check my airline reservation on-line. The Internet was down. It usually is several times a week - or even a day. The same goes for the TV programs, particularly during movies in the evening. As I sit here writing, the Armed Forces Radio station is constantly off and on. After I got the seating I wanted on the flights, I went to the Adult Recreation Center, ARC, to print out a copy since the public computers there are linked to a printer. DoD regulations prohibit use of government (job) computers for personal business. The ARC is scheduled to open at 5 PM. At 5:30, it still wasn't open. This is all business-as-usual on Kwaj. Imagine trying to complete a job, a project, while encountering the type of obstacles I did checking out. Wrong instructions, wrong material, equipment that doesn't work, frustration at every turn. It once took me two hours seeing three people in three different buildings to get a can of paint. Cooperation, communication, efficiency, coordination, competence are only found in the dictionary. If something is logical, it probably won't happen. The American contract workers have a saying, "It's not logical, it's Kwajical." It's said often and not in jest. Those saying it mean it. It's all Kwajical. I'm putting this together while I wait for my Continental Micronesia flight (and now, in Honolulu waiting for my flight to Pittsburgh). Continental has a monopoly from Kwaj and they use it. This trip, one-way to Pittsburgh, is $1200. A one-way ticket from Kwaj to Honolulu is listed at $800. It's not cheap to travel from Kwaj. The flight from Kwaj leaves at 6 PM and arrives in Honolulu about 2:30 AM local time, long before any of the flights to the mainland. Consequently, on arrival most people get a room even though it's only good until around noon. For about $100. Kwajical. On my way back from my vacation, I went to the terminal for my flight to Kwaj. My very first flight to Kwaj taught me to check flight information before leaving the hotel. That time I got to the airport 2 hours early for the 7 AM flight only to be told it was delayed 5 hours. After confirming my return-from-vacation flight - twice, I went to the airport in the early morning. When I got there, the flight was indeed on time, but not stopping on Kwaj. A missile was being launched. I had to wait two days for the next flight. Kwajical. If you have to be stranded, Honolulu is a pretty good place, although expensive. So I'm movin' on. There are things I'll miss, but there aren't many. Certainly I'll miss the diving. From what I'm told, I'll probably never dive as cheaply. Oh well, I hope I never work as cheaply, either. I'll miss a number of the people I met, particularly some of the Marshallese. They were hard workers, smart, and generally a pleasure to work with. I gave several of them things I decided not to take home. Most of my work clothes, most in such condition that they were only good for work, some things I bought that I have duplicates of at home. A rod and reel. A fold-up canvas chair. Nothing of any great value. In each instance, they were so appreciative, you'd have thought I gave them gold. Barring any unforeseen delays - 3 of my previous flights to or from Kwaj have been delayed - I'll be in Pa. Aug 1, unpack and then start the process in reverse all over again. On Aug. 16 I fly to Denver for several days of processing and training. If all goes according to schedule, we fly to New Zealand and then McMurdo Station on Aug. 24. The weather may affect those plans. Bein' stranded in New Zealand, on the company tab, would beat being stranded in Hono. A small number of people go in this time of year. It's called Winfly, Winter Fly, to Mctown, McMurdo as it's called. My first contract is just until early Oct. when the main body of people start arriving. There are usually about 1,200 people there during the summer which lasts until late Feb./ early Mar. Some time in Oct., I'll start a project to replace heat tapes on the water and sewer lines for the entire station with the exception of some areas that were recently built or rebuilt. My contracts run until mid Oct. 2010. This is my last blog from Kwaj, aka Paradise. Once I'm on the Ice again, I'll try to set up a new and hopefully better addressed site. I'll let you know when I do. See Ya

Meck, Eniwetak and Ebeye

Over the past few weeks, I've had opportunities to visit three more islands, each different from the others and, for the most part, different from Kwaj . . . . Right after my last post, I went to Meck Island, about an hour north by catamaran, traveling at about 14 knots per hour. That ought to work out to about 15 miles. When this missile range was busier, missiles were launched from Meck. Back then people were living there, but these days it's mostly just a commuter job. About 10 people stay each night through the week and a few people stay over the weekend, probably just fire fighters and the power plant operators. The fire house is new, very modern with a day room, kitchen and individual bedrooms, but most of the other buildings have seen better days. The old fire house and the old dining hall don't look safe to enter. There is no new dining hall. The commuters pack a lunch. I'm not sure what the folks that stay over do for breakfast and dinner . . . . and I don't want to find out . . . . The following week, I took a day off and headed to the only nature preserve in the atoll, Eniwetak. (En-ah-wee-talk) Normally people are not allowed on the island. One of the Environmental engineers, Mike Malone, was doing his monthly surveys. Also, it was Earth Day and about eight or ten high school students, the science teacher, and one parent went along. Me? I just got lucky when I asked if I could go . . . . Not all the Marshallese recognize the fact that the island is a preserve. It's a favorite place to harvest spider conch. I'm not sure how they get the critters out of the shells, but the shells are left on the beach. One of the things we did was clean up a bit. That way the green turtles - which we didn't see - would have a better place to lay their eggs. . . . . The island has the biggest stand of pisonias trees in the whole atoll. Black noddy terns favor the trees for nesting. One of Mike's duties is to survey the noddys. At first there weren't many to be seen, but as we got into the interior, noddys were everywhere . . . . After that, we 'had' to go snorkeling to get an idea of how many spider conch and giant clams are in the area. Mike may set up a clam and conch survey and I volunteered to help with the diving part . . . . The trip to Meck was related to my work, going through buildings to determine what it would take to get them up to standards. The Eniwetak trip was related to Mike's work - I'll take his work any day. . . . Last Monday, I took a trip I've wanted to make since I got here. . . . . Ebeye (E-buy) is only a 25-minute trip by LCM but it's a world apart form Kwaj . . . . Ebeye is home to all of our Marshallese co-workers with the exception of the very few that live on Kwaj. There are hundreds of Marshallese working on Kwaj. The guys I work with tell me they get up anywhere from 4:30 to 5 AM to catch one of the boats. I think the LCMs are 'limited' to 150 people per trip. When I rode, there were maybe 50 people on board; I can't imagine how crowded it must be with 150. If workers get here too early, they have to wait at the DSC, Dock Security Checkpoint, because they aren't supposed to be on Kwaj more than an hour before work. And if they get here late, well, it's the same as any job anywhere . . . . Talden, one of the fellows I work with, volunteered to show me the island and was waiting when I got off the boat. . . . The dock is on the edge of the commercial area. There was a fish market, grocery store, hardware store, bank and another store that reminded me of Woolworth's or any of what we used to call five-and-dimes, complete with a lunch counter. There was also a lot with used boats and vehicles for sale. The only car I saw on the island was there, a very small one of a brand I didn't recognize - Chinese possibly? - priced at about $9,000. That's quite a bit when you figure the workers in our shop, some of whom are good electricians, make about $5 or $6/hr. Most of the vehicles on the island are small pick-ups with crew cabs. These are taxis that continuously race around the island. All traffic is a loop in one direction only - probably a good thing. . . . . I've heard the Marshallese will take the cab to go just a block or two. It can't be because of distance - the entire island is only .14 square miles in area. A census 2 or 3 years ago put the population at 12,000 making it one of the most crowded places on Earth. Some people were moved from other islands when the US government was testing atomic bombs. Others were moved when the missile range was set up, but a lot moved to Ebeye on their own. An older Marshallese man was asked why so many people would leave their home islands to live on Ebeye. His reply was, "Why did so may ribelles (Americans) go to San Francisco in 1849?" He knew American history. Most people come in hopes of working on Kwaj. . . . . Kids are everywhere. School is supposed to be mandatory up to eighth grade. Some kids were too young, some according to Talden, were on break and some just weren't going to school. I didn't see many air conditioners, so I might not want to be in school either . . . . After eighth grade, students must pass entrance exams or pay if one of the private high schools will take them. It appeared that most of the kids went to the private elementary/middle schools. Talden told me it cost him about $130 each month for his two children in school. There are Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Adventist and Jehovah Witness congregations on Ebeye and several of these operate schools. . . . . Talden pointed out the king's house, but he did this twice, so the king may have more than one house or there may be more than one 'king'. . . . The queen had a separate house next to the second king's place. . . . . I know there is an elected government on Ebeye and for the entire Republic of Marshall Islands also, but the royalty still have power . . . . None of the royalty's houses were much more than what you might find in an older suburb in the States, but they were at least a step or two above the majority of the dwellings on the island. . . . . Marshallese live in extended families. To a Marshallese, their mother and her sisters are all held in the same regard and all equally referred to as 'mama'. Likewise a father and his brothers, grandfather and his brothers, grandmother, etc. Cousins are the same as brothers and sisters . . . . Talden's household wasn't large from what I'm told. He showed me the small house he shares with his parents, wife, four children, sister and niece. The family built the one-story house, sturdy and very clean if sparsely furnished. It's not far from the dock. There is electricity and plumbing, but most houses still have gutters and downspouts to collect rainfall. Workers on Kwaj carry plastic jugs and other containers to fill with drinking water to take back to Ebeye . . . . Many of the Marshallese have cell phones, refrigerators/freezers and TVs. They watch the same Armed Forces Network programming we get here on Kwaj . . . . The infrastructure on Ebeye is not in good shape. Last year the power plant needed repairs. For a while, half the island would have electricity for 6 hours and then it would go to the other half of the island for 6 hours. That went weeks until several older portable generators were taken from Kwaj and strategically placed around the island until the parts arrived to repair the power plant . . . . I'd like to think it was the goodness of the Americans that caused that to happen. The issue that was most talked about was the fact that without electricity, the sewage lift stations weren't operating. Disease on Ebeye would impact Kwaj greatly . . . . The land fill/dump is on the north end of the island. Every time I've been in a boat passing by, it's been burning - and, as expected, it stinks. With the winds predominately out of the north and east, you would think the dump would be on the south end, but then, that would put it just north of Kwaj . . . . The power plant and a 'park' with a couple deteriorating concrete benches and tables on the beach are on the south end. . . . . Some of the guys on Ebeye got permission from the local government to cover part of the dump with sand so they would have a place to play softball. It's a pretty crude field, but it turns out some good ball players. The champs of the Kwaj softball league, the Sundowners, were almost all Marshallese. I watched them beat out a team of young American, former high school/college jocks. Not only were the Marshallese better, they had a lot more fun. The Americans were taking themselves way too seriously. It was a best of three series. When the islanders won the first two games, there were some bruised American egos for a couple days . . . . While the big stores are near the dock on Ebeye, there are little shops scattered all over. I suppose they are like the neighborhood stores I remember as a kid, but I can't imagine how they all stay in business. From what I could see, people walked up to a large open window where someone inside dispensed goods, mostly food and incidentals. The good thing about these little stores, Talden said, was that since the people lived in them, they could be accessed 24 hours a day . . . . take that, 7-11! . . . . The most modern facility on the island was the hospital, named for a favorite aunt of the king (not sure which king). It opened a few years ago. A visit costs $5, Talden said. . . . . I don't know how much the hospital is used, the guys frequently come in and say they are using Marshallese medicine to treat different things. Why not, natural methods are becoming more common in the States as well. . . . Things like the police station, government offices, telephone facility, post office, water plant and other municipal shops are scattered everywhere. I guess things were built wherever there was room at the time there was money and material. A new school is being built right up through the remains of the old hospital. From the looks of things, it will be a while before the school is open. . . . . He didn't point them out, but Talden said there were two or three bars on the island, one near the dock with a big dance floor. It was still morning when I left and I don't know if the bars were open but I do know the only beer on Ebeye is Budweiser Light at $2.50/can. No wonder there are Marshallese in the Pacific View bar on Kwaj until the last boat goes each night . . . . There were several other Americans on the boat with me, but I didn't see many on the island. At one point, a half-day tour of Ebeye was part of the orientation for new Kwajalein employees, but not any more. Some people have made the statement that Ebeye is just another "dirty little third world country" that they don't need to see. I don't know if I will go back, but I wanted to see it at least once. It certainly gives me a better understanding of the folks that I work along side every day.

Time flies

Last time I posted was Christmas and now here it is, Easter. Time flies, whether you're havin' fun or not . . . Reasons for not posting for such a long time might be that I was too busy to write or, there was nothing going on and nothing to write about. . . and that's it - nothin' hap'nin out here . . . Back around the holidays, I was working on a job that required a lot of kneeling, mostly on concrete. The result was prepatellar bursitis, better known as water on the knee. It doesn't hurt much, but it swelled quite a bit. They drained 45ccs, then 28 ccs, shot it up, drained it again and shot it up again. They, they being the doctors here on Kwaj, also restricted my activities - no diving, no gym, no golf, for a while, no bicycling. No strenuous activities. I wasn't even to walk any more than necessary. Of course, it was necessary that I keep working . . . just 'light duty' - translation, don't kneel or squat, but keep working. For one two-week stretch I even worked at a desk, but nothing changed . . . Weekends were the worst. It wasn't too bad in January when there was football to watch. And I went back to Roi-Namur for Dennis Calhoun's wedding. Dennis was at Pole the same winter I was. Then after the Superbowl, things started to go downhill. . . I spent one weekend reviewing the 2008 changes to the National Electrical Code. Now, THAT is bored. Another weekend I completed the test to renew my journeyman electrician's license on line. You know you're bored when you look back and those are highlights. . . I even began going to the bi-weekly bingo nights . . . WOW - I've played bingo in two countries and an international territory!! . . . After the third draining, second steroid shot and the two weeks on the desk, one doctor wanted to totally immobilize my knee for a couple weeks. I asked how? He answered that I would be hospitalized. I ask if he planned on inducing a coma. I also asked for a second opinion which resulted in a trip to Honolulu for an MRI and an exam by an orthopedic surgeon. Two days in Hono, as they call it here, sure beat two weeks in a hospital bed. . . so a few weeks ago I flew over, arriving about 4 AM. MRI at 8:30. Doc at 1:30. His opinion was, in a nutshell, time heals all wounds. He said give it more time to go down. However, his restrictions only extended to using the elliptical machine in the gym and no bicycling, but I explained that I could ride without using my right leg, just kick the pedal far enough to allow my left leg to do the work. . . MAN! Without the restrictions, I felt like a weight had been lifted, even if my knee hadn't improved. . . That was a Wednesday. There are only three flights a week from Hono to Kwaj and the next one wasn't until Friday. I was stuck on Hawaii - oh darn. . . My hotel wasn't far from Waikiki, so Thursday morning I wandered over and walked almost the length of the beach. There weren't a lot of people out because it was overcast. There weren't a lot of fish in the water, from what I could see, but I guess that's because it's a usually a very busy beach AND I'm spoiled from being over here and seeing dozens and dozens of fish all the time . . . From there I strolled along until I got to the entrance to the Diamond Head State Memorial, which is to say, the crater of Diamond Head. This is my kind of park, not too touristy, a whole $1.00 entrance fee and not overly crowded. At least not at first. At this point I was glad it was overcast. Even without the sun, it was getting hot. For those of you that haven't been to Honolulu for a medical exam, the trail at Diamond Head is a .8 mile walk uphill. The trail isn't particularly steep - or wide. It includes three sets of steps, definitely not wide, a barely lit tunnel, and a circular staircase. Much of this was left from the military's artillery observation post . . . You have to realize that, on Kwajalein, I wear shoes when I'm working, golfing or working out at the gym. The rest of the time, it's flipflops which is all I wore on the plane, to the MRI and the exam - and everywhere else. I had a pair of boatshoes with me, but I didn't even considered wearing them. It occurred to me that flipflops might not have been the wisest choice to walk at trail, especially since I'd already been walking a couple hours. No matter, I trudged on, noticing the folks in hiking boots, tennis shoes, a couple oriental women in low heels - and all the other folk in flipflops. Anyway, it was about 1/2 hour to the top. On the stairs, the staircase and around the top it was a little crowded, but with a little patience we all did okay. I looked around, took a couple photos, and then it was all downhill! . . . Once out of the crater, I decided my feet could use a rest and hopped on a bus back to Waikiki. Waikiki is full of high-end retail stores and the pedestrians are definitely interesting, both the 'locals' and the visitors. It was about 3 PM and I figured I'd get a bite to eat. The first place I came to that really had outside seating was Planet Hollywood. About an hour later after a burger and a couple beers, I headed back to my hotel. . . . I got back to Kwaj on a Saturday - that international date line thing, if you're wondering why I left Hono on Friday morning and didn't arrive until Saturday . . . I went diving on Sunday. A (not so) funny thing happened. Most of the fluid on my knee disappeared. I had an appointment with the Kwaj doctor the following Tuesday. He said it wasn't impossible that the increased pressure at depths could have pushed the fluid out. He advised me to keep diving. Wish he'd said that back in January . . . Anyway, since then I have been doing all the diving I can as well as some golfing. Since I can't use the elliptical machine, I began walking around the airfield as often as possible. My knee? It goes up, it goes down, it never goes completely away. . . I suspect I'll wait a while longer. Both the Kwaj and Hono doctors said the bursar's sack could be removed, but the Kwaj doc says that if I walked for an extended period, like my jaunt around Waikiki and Diamond Head, my knee would be inflamed. Since I like to take 'jaunts', I hope it goes away on it's own. . . Until then, I'm gonna keep diving . . . It's just a sacrifice I'll have to make . . . Things have been a bit more interesting since my Hono trip. The Friday after my return, I took a trip to Legan, a small island about two hours up the atoll. Two hours in the LCM I rode anyway. The grounds crew was headed up there, so I went with them. After the crew loaded a couple riding mowers, a telescoping forklift and a man basket full of weedwackers, coolers and box lunches, we headed out. The 8 or 10 grounds men and the 3 man boat crew were all Marshallese. I was the only American - no problem, except I didn't understand much of the conversation, but then, I couldn't hear much over the engines. Didn't both some of the Marshallese. They were asleep on the benches in no time. Like wise, in no time, almost before we were out of the Marina, the boat's engineer had a hand line off the stern fishing. . . There are some buildings and equipment for the missile range on Legan. Two technicians are helicoptered in daily. That's about all I know about the place. . . After we arrived, I had a few hours work changing some light fixtures and air conditioner disconnects. The ground crew mowed and wacked, trimming the helicopter pad and paths and generally keeping the jungle from growing over the facilities. . . Apparently the reason for the forklift and man basket was to enable the two technicians to work on one of their antennas. So for a couple hours while they were working, I just wandered around. About half the Marshallese had fishing rods with them, but I don't think they caught many. . . About 4 PM we finally got loaded back on the LCM. This time I found I could put in earplugs, stretch out on a bench and check my eyelids while we chugged back home. . . Last weekend was the Spring Break Music Festival - the kids are out of school. I don't know about the music, but there were competitions for chili, bbq and home brew. I missed the bbq, the chili was okay and the beers were very good, well most of them. Somehow I forgot to take my camera; that's my story and I'm stickin' to it . . . This weekend I attended another wedding, this time here on Kwaj. Must be something in the water out here, that's more weddings than I've ever attended in that short a period of time. . . Mike works in the construction shop. Like Antarctica, if you aren't a plumber, electrician, metal worker, or air condition worker, you're in 'construction' -carpenters, masons, drywall hangers and finishers, carpet and tilemen . . . Anyway, Mike's been here about 1 1/2 years. Jane has been teaching art at the elementary school for about 10 years. It was a nice sunset ceremony at the Yacht Club on Saturday evening, followed by dinner and dancing - a good time was had by all . . . and here it is Monday morning, Easter afternoon for you folks in the States. Tomorrow I'm headed out again to yet another island. Maybe I'll have something to write about a little sooner next time. For you folks around Johnstown, I ought to be in town at the end of June, early July so I may see you then. For the rest of you, I'll see you whenever . . .