13 February 2009 - Flying out of Tel Aviv, Israel

Despite my best intentions, I wasn't able to keep up on my blog during this mission. Instead, I wound up spending my evening hours working. Still, it was a productive mission and one that introduced me to several new countries and cultures and many new people.

There is a bit of irony in this trip: I started my journey a month ago in Bangkok, Thailand (Sin City, if you will) and ended it in Jerusalem, Israel (the Holy City). As always, I had some remarkable experiences – ones that I want to write down and remember for a long time. In the interest of time and of my weary head (it's about 4 a.m. as I write this blog), I'm going to focus on ten highlights of the trip. I've included pictures where possible. These moments are not listed in any specific order:





1. An extremely fast power boat ride down the Mekong River through the heart of Bangkok with Charlie and Cameron. We had just toured the Grand Palace and walked around to see the various vendors gathered outside the gates. Our biggest concern was avoiding the river "spray" and praying that we weren't ingesting any of the water.

2. Extreme Airport Sports in the Chennai, India airport. I was absolutely positive that Charlie, Cameron and I would not make our flight to Sri Lanka from Chennai because of the hour delay leaving Bangkok; I was wrong. Picture the famous OJ Simpson commercial, where he's leaping over the suitcases in the departure area to make his flight – that was us. Thai Airways ushered us from the plane, through customs and immigration. They sent a young Indian man to personally carry our luggage off the plane first. The attendant led us through the throngs of Indians either greeting passengers or bidding farewell to their friends and loved ones, only to repeat the same process, but in reverse this time: baggage check, immigration, security, and finally plane. We weren't the last ones on the plane at 2:00 a.m., but we were close!

3. The blur that was Sri Lanka. I'm saddened to say that I didn't get to see anything at all in Sri Lanka except the airport, the hotel and the office. If anything is particularly memorable it was the reception we received from our staff there. They were warm and friendly and were thankful that we had come; we were thankful for their invitation.

4. Climbing the shaft inside the Great Pyramid. I have wanted to do this since I knew what the Pyramids were. The experience itself was surreal and exhilarating. A colleague of mine (Vikki) and I paid $20 to have the honor of climbing up the long, cramped, steep, smelly, humid and warm tunnel in the Pyramid that eventually led to the tomb. I used the opportunity to get my exercise in. When we reached the tomb, we found it had some of the best acoustics I'd ever heard. The walls of the tomb were made of black granite. The whole experience was fascinating. The outside of the Pyramids were impressive enough, but the inner workings were amazing. I need to find the movie that they showed us in elementary school about the Pyramids. I can't wait to refresh my knowledge.

5. Experiencing the dangers of Cairo traffic - THREE times. Within the first two days of arriving in Cairo, various taxis I drove in had three separate accidents! They didn't think anything of it, but I (with the knowledge that these cars have NO seatbelts) was extremely aware. It's amazing that no one really got hurt, but disturbing at the same time!

6. Smoking a Sheesha at Khan el Khalili, the large public market in Cairo. Our Watch Officer Samantha and I enjoyed a cup of tea and a sheesha after a successful shopping trip in the market. The apple flavor tobacco is the first I can remember that was not completely offensive to me. I'm glad I tried it; will it be a regular activity in my life – I don't think so. The most enjoyable part of the evening was conversing (that's probably too strong a word for it – rather communicating) with several arabs sitting next to us. I think we got quite a few pictures of them and they were fascinated with us. It was quite funny.

7. Climbing into the second largest Pyramid (Khafre). Yes, I went to the Pyramids at Giza twice and yes, it was worth it. Every time I go, I learn something more, see something new, etc. The layout of the tunnels/shafts in the second pyramid were very different from the shafts in the Great Pyramids: different angles, different type of entrance, different type of tomb. No less amazing though. I'm fascinated with the geometry, mathematics and building techniques used to create these wonders of the world.



8. Getting the "rubber glove" treatment when entering Israel from Jordan. Apparently the Israelis don't appreciate the diverse countries I've travelled to within the last 12 months – Yemen, UAE, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Kuwait. I suppose who could blame them. Yet, all of my colleagues (except for me) breezed through security at the Allenby bridge. I, on the other hand, underwent the Spanish Inquisition. Do you know how hard it is to explain "business continuity" to someone off the street? It only took an extra hour or two to get through. No strip search this time, but you can tell I'm anxious for a return visit!

9. Praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City. After wandering around the Christian Quarter and visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Samantha and I spent a few minutes at the Western Wall. For whatever reason, I am often moved by such experiences and this one was no exception. I spent a few moments to take in my life and utter some prayers for those in need. In the end, I tucked a tiny note into the wall with my prayers and recited the Lord's Prayer.

10. The rubber glove treatment again? Leaving Israel is harder than getting in. The interrogation this evening lasted a good hour and involved every aspect of my job. Whey did I choose the flights I chose (I didn't; Amex did). What is it that I do exactly and can they see a copy of the Emergency Response plan for the "Israel" office. No, I don't have one; that's their responsibility. How many entities make up the World Bank Group? Who's on my team? Where are they? Actually, who am I? In the end they determined there was no need for a full body cavity search this time. I did, however, have the honor of unpacking and repacking my bags. Maybe I'll actually get to sleep on the plane!?

I always consider it a great blessing that I've seen the places I've seen, but meeting my colleagues from around the world and getting to know them and their concerns is truly the greatest gift. Traveling is a privilege and one that I cherish, but now it's time to come home and see my family.

Flying out of Dubai, Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Dubai was a quick stop, but a fun one nonetheless. My colleague has family there and so we were able to catch up with his sister and another friend at a beach bar near where the new Palm island is – the Atlantis Resort that just spent $6 million dollars on fireworks for its opening a week or so ago.

The bar was packed for a Tuesday night, but we enjoyed a few beers and dinner and then headed back to the hotel for some rest before leaving on our flight. Hopefully I’ll have more of an opportunity to visit the Gulf States in the future…even if our organization doesn’t really have much to do there!

Stay tuned for more pictures!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 – Flying out of Kabul

Kabul is a fascinating place. This ends my second trip into the country this year and progress is apparent everywhere you look, but the security situation had deteriorated significantly during the last few months – obviously a good reason to send me, right?

When you fly into a hostile environment a lot of things change about how you think and perceive. The normal maneuvering of the aircraft for final approach to the runway seem a little more like “swooping” to avoid any incoming ground fire – I’m convinced that what we experienced was little more than navigating around the Hindu Kush, but the thought cross my mind that we may be trying to avoid something.

Your senses come alive in a new, adrenaline pounding way. You are acutely aware of your surroundings – the people around you, the terrain, the buildings, the cars. You wind up practicing what-if scenarios in your mind and you clearly identify locations where you can take cover if you suddenly need to.

While in Kabul, we travelled by armored Landcruiser everywhere – even down the street from the office. On arrival we are issued handheld radios and cell phones, asked to keep them on at all times and to notify the control room if we have issues or concerns. We have explicit instructions about what to do in an emergency; whom to call, what actions to take, etc.

There is such a proliferation of weapons on the streets that seeing AK-47s and M-5s (not to mention side-arms) loses its significance. Following my last trip, it made me want to know how to use one if I absolutely had to. All of that considered, I am happy to report that no incidents occurred while we were on the ground. If they had occurred, we would have been as ready as we could have been.

This trip had us around and about the city more than the last trip. We visited a UN Guest house that looked like an abandoned castle, only to find out that 50 guests were staying there – let me tell you, it looked and felt like Stephen King’s The Shining! The dining room was dark with dim lights, but the tables were all set. We crept into the bunker under one of the buildings and discovered confidential UN documents mildewing…God help the people who’d be headed to that bunker. We half expected to find bodies down there.

The pool was emptied, yet the bar had several bottles of alcohol – unopened, but extremely dusty – it was right out of an old western movie. We were waiting to see the tumbleweeds roll past us.



We also visited the American Embassy – er…fortress – and met with some officials there. The US has quite a presence there and it was clear they were going to protect it at all costs. We did feel like targets, however, waiting for our Landcruiser to pick us up out front. There’s something about standing close to American forces in a hostile environment that makes you feel like an even bigger target (or perhaps just collateral damage).

On our last afternoon, two of our colleagues took us to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant not a block from our office – we drove of course. The meal was fantastic. I can now add Kabul to the list of cities I’ve visited this year, where Lebanese food was not only available, but exceptional.

Our accommodations are tightly controlled as well. We stayed in one of our Guest Houses within walking distance to the office – not more than 100 meters. It allowed us to get out and smell the fresh air. Our cook was fantastic and we had made-to-order meals most days. The rooms themselves were welcoming and comfortable. Apparently I was staying in the “Presidential Suite,” which meant that our president slept there when he was in Kabul on mission a few months ago. The Guest House atmosphere is probably the nicest part of the trip. Most visiting missions stay in our guest houses – you could liken the atmosphere to that of camp or a college dorm. Common bathrooms, common kitchen, common gathering room – and, since there’s very little in the way of entertainment, you wind up telling stories and getting to know one another a little bit more than you might normally. Of course hostile environments tend to draw people together as well.

The mission went well and was extremely productive. All in all, not a bad trip. The best part being that it was short!




(Pictures in this post are from my most recent trip and from my earlier trip in February 2008)

Saturday, November 22, 2008 – Flying out of Delhi

I knew this trip would be a whirlwind and it was. India was a fascinating place and I hope I have the opportunity to spend some more time there soon. Unfortunately, my first impressions left me yearning for oxygen; the capital was sooooo polluted and I could feel it in my lungs. However, I’m counting my blessings because the temperatures were fantastic – mid 70s with a light breeze. I could not have asked for me, especially considering how warm it is during the rest of the year.

The Indians I work with are a warm and friendly bunch. The hospitality they showed me while I was there was incomparable and I sincerely appreciate their patience with me. The mission was a successful one and I was able to wrap things up within the three days I was on the ground – of course that meant not seeing many sights while I was in town. I was able to venture out on my last afternoon there. On the advice of my friend and colleague, I went down to the Red Fort in Old Delhi. It was very impressive, though it was clear a lot of work was needed to keep it up. I spent the afternoon experiencing the true Delhi experience, complete with dodging pick-pocketers and navigating the Delhi Metro system.

For dinner I headed back to Connaught Place, a large round-about (or series of round-abouts actually). I did a little shopping, decided not to buy anything and then enjoyed a quick meal before heading back to the hotel to pack for my next adventure.

I’m scheduling a trip back to India in the first quarter of next year to visit multiple cities and I can only hope that I’ll have a chance to explore a bit more. Now it’s off to Kabul – I’ll be touching down shortly and everything will change.

More Photos...

For those of you who would like to see additional pictures of my trip(s), take a look at these websites:

Nairobi: http://picasaweb.google.com/cturnbull/NairobiSeptember2008#
Kathmandu: http://picasaweb.google.com/cturnbull/KathmanduSeptember072008#
Pokhara: http://picasaweb.google.com/cturnbull/PokharaSeptember042008#
Hanoi: http://picasaweb.google.com/cturnbull/HanoiVietnamAugust292008#

9/20/08 - Flying out of Khartoum, Sudan

Well, it has certainly been a whirlwind trip of the world. I'm about five hours away from landing in Dulles, and I wanted to describe Khartoum in a few paragraphs.

Sudan is a fascinating country. It is, for the most part, closed to western influence. For instance, you must take a LOT of cash with you to pay for everything. I'm not kidding – a credit card is not accepted anywhere. This made it very painful for Chris and me. We had just enough cash to pay for our hotel accommodations in Khartoum, leaving us with about $50 per person to cover food for two and a half days. The upshot is that we didn't eat much. Food, drinks and just about everything was extremely expensive. Let's just say I lost some weight while I was there.

Being that we were visiting not only during a weekend, but also during Ramadhan, our adventures in the city were limited – so we took a tour of Khartoum with our colleague Ali. It turned out to be a tour of some very interesting sites in the capital. We went by the hotels, diplomatic missions and UN missions, then we headed to the bridge that the rebels nearly overtook a few months ago when they attempted an invasion of Khartoum – bullet holes everywhere and the military school was looking pretty rough.

The training itself went well and I feel like the staff appreciated what we were able to bring to them. On the other hand, Chris, Frank, and I were so worn out from unnatural sleeping patterns and lack of nutrition that we were running on empty almost the entire time.

One of the nicest parts of the trip was our brief, six-hour stop-over in Frankfurt. We visited with Chris's mother and aunt and were treated to a traditional German breakfast – very filling in the aftermath of our "fast" in Sudan! Again, no pictures at all of Khartoum -- I was in the mood to make it home instead of staying in Sudan for an unknown period of time:-)

9/17/08 - Flying out of Juba, Sudan

Well, Juba was an 'interesting' experience. Juba, Sudan is on the fringe of civilization – at least in as far as I know civilization – and it represents the "wild west" for the Bank. It is the capital of Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS). Only 15,000 people live there; of them, 5,000 are from non-governmental organizations – about 87 different agencies.

There's not much to see in Juba. The roads are mostly dirt. The airport is little more than a paved landing strip. The terminal building was about three times the size of our house. The UN runs the show here and expats spend a lot of time in their compounds. Our staff live on the compound, but there wasn't any room in the compound for us, so we stayed at the Summer Palace, a prefab hotel built and operated by the Chinese. It cost $150/night (cash only) and the accommodations included a bed, a table, a chair, a stool and a fan. The bathroom (yes, I was excited there actually was a bathroom) consisted of a toilet, a mirror and a showerhead that hung over the sink area. I am not complaining though…I had a mosquito net over my bed and the water in the bathroom could be warmed, so I could have a "hot" shower. The food was an overdose of carbs, but then again, I didn't get sick, so I'm happy. We had our choice for breakfast – toast with jelly, crepes (without filling), spring rolls, toast (without jelly), and some sort of Chinese bread thing…lunch was sometimes available, but I think I really went on a diet when I visited Juba. Dinner was our most promising meal most days and we did find some interesting places (both local and expat hang-outs) to enjoy some food and a nice cold beer.

Unfortunately, I have very few pictures of Juba, as it is generally an arrestible offense to take pictures in Sudan. Well, onto Khartoum for a few days…it should be interesting – more metropolitan than Juba. The most disrupting thing about this trip is that Sudan is a cash-based economy. You need currency to pay for everything. At this moment, I am extremely poor…not sure I'll make it out of the country. I have less than $50 to my name right now and not an ATM to be found!