Today we flew to the southern border of the Colombian AO (area of operation) to conduct another round of Operational Readiness Checks. The flight was by helicopter again, but it was a much longer flight. Just over a half an hour one way. I wish I could have taken pictures of the Egyptian landscape while I was up there, but photography was prohibited. The sand and mountains are really very beautiful from above.
The first Colombian outpost we visited had a cat. You know me, animals are the highlight of any trip I take. The cat was very handsome. He was sleeping on the sandtable map of the outpost and was so out of proportion that he looked like Godzilla.
But I was there to observe the Colombian's CLS skills, not play with the cat. There wasn't much to observe, though, as they barely provided any medical attention to their casualties. Once the casualties were moved under cover, the cat was really upset that his human friends were faking pain. The guys were such good actors that they had the cat completely fooled. It was funny.
The second outpost we visited had much much much better CLS skills. You'd think the guy providing the care was actually a medic and not just a guy who knows a little bit about first aide. I was really impressed. Of course, the language barrier made it hard for me to convey that to him. And my interpreter kept ditching me to go sit in the TOC.
The Colombians were a little more standoffish than the Fijians, but I think it was entirely because I don't speak any Spanish. Their hospitality was generous, though. They made fried chicken and rice for is for lunch and it was off the hook! Yum yum!
The sun in Egypt doesn't play around, as I found out today. My face is so sunburned. I have an awesome sunglasses tan line that makes me look like a super hero.
Next time I go out to Colbatt, I need to bring a better terp, tons of sunscreen and treats for that kitty!!
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