How do you pass the time in Afghanistan

[navypuke]

I know there are no days off in a warzone, and you probably work 12-16 hrs days sometimes. But I am sure there are always moments that you have to your self in KAF, Camp Mirage or in a FOB somewhere. I'll be going in late fall and from what I hear about my job from someone over there is its going to be moments of excitement with long periods of boredom and routine.

So what could I do/bring to help keep busy when I'm not sleeping/working/eating. Read novels, bring a handheld system like PSP, do guys take their laptops to KAF? How much room will I actually have in my bags after all my kit is issued will I have to bring some of this stuff. If I was bring novels on a 6.5 month tour I'd probably need at least 12.

So what did the vets of Afghanistan/Camp Mirage do when they had any sort of free time.

 

[Loachman]

You will be issued with two large, brown Pelican cases - almost twice as large as barrack boxes - for unaccompanied baggage. This will be shippped several weeks before you depart so that it should be waiting for you when you arrive. You will take a barrack box, a kit bag, and a rucksack with you when you go. If you remain at KAF, you will have access to all of this during your stay, but not likely/necessarily both Pelican cases elsewhere. If you are at KAF, you can also mail stuff to yourself before you leave or have it mailed as necessary (allowing up to a month in transit) after arrival.

There is quite a bit of room in the Pelican cases for personal stuff. I shipped a fair amount of hobby-related stuff, my tux (for New Year's Eve), and a bunch of luxury items in mine.

Take a laptop. There is free wireless at both Canada Houses and on the boardwalk, and one can pay for in-room "service" - individual experiences vary with that, and I cancelled my "service" towards the end of the third month of frustration and got some money back. There are also computers for personal use at either Canada House, but one gets logged off automatically every thirty minutes. All internet access is slow, and even slower at peak periods.

There are several places to shop for basics, such as the PX (a variety of hot weather boots, clothing, bedding, electronics, snacks, drinks, DVDs, books, magazines, etcetera), a couple of small Canadian outlets, the Dutch and French shops, and the Brit NAAFI, with a German shop about to open soon. Only the PX, French shop, and NAAFI accept Visa, but do not EVER use your credit card in the latter. If you see something that you want, buy it quickly as once stocks are depleted they may not be replenished for quite some time.

There are several other businesses on the boardwalk, and also the KAF market on Saturdays. I wouldn't touch the Western items - watches, electronics, DVDs, etcetera - there, but "local" merchandise can be excellent quality, reasonably priced, and quite unique. The flag guy does excellent work, and usually has orders ready for pickup the following week - just provide the artwork.

Any specific questions?

 

[a78jumper]

I did my time in Camp Julien some years ago. I too took a laptop, useful for watching movies in bed if nothing else. Plus I would type my emails on it and then store to a stick fo transfer when I was on line.

Went to the gym most days.

Read a lot.

 

[40below]

New Canada House (and Mirage when you go through) has a number of bookcases full of new novels, magazines, puzzle books etc., donated by Canadians and the selection is surprisingly good (same with a number of the FOBs). You don't have to take your own reading, but you can swap whatever you took on the plane for something else in transit.

Everybody seems to have a laptop and has been said, wireless is available and there are always the Global Connect welfare trailers at KAF and beyond. You can also think ahead and download books and complete runs of magazines onto your laptop with a torrent client.

 

[catalyst]

I'm curious why you shouldn't use your credit card at the French PX (being that I did....twice...)

The MWR usually has things going on...salsa, dancing, kareoke. PSP sometimes does stuff but they stopped bingo and poker night a while ago.

 

[brihard]

A laptop is an absolute must. Books float around fairly abundantly. You can borrow movies from New Canada House. There are several gyms on KAF. One of the big favourites was buying TV series DVD box sets at the market or the boardwalk for real cheap- many hours of entertainment. Lots of people have movies downloaded on their hard drives too that you can swap.

If you get one of those mysterious bits of completely free time that crop up on occasion, it's nice to simply sit out in the sun with a book or an iPod or whatever you prefer, and just relax with a near-beer. Or pull out a chair and watch the locally employed labourers work.  ;D

 

[Loachman]

I'm curious why you shouldn't use your credit card at the French PX (being that I did....twice...)

If you read my post a little closer, you will see that "the latter" would refer to the NAAFI.

When I made my one and only Visa purchase there, they phoned for authorization and my account showed up on a police list of compromised accounts a couple of days later. It took me over a month to get a new one - when I went home on leave. It turns out that Visa will not mail a replacement to a PO Box, and all (most?) CF postal addresses include a PO Box as part of the address now. One also has to phone from one's home phone number to activate the new card.

The US PX and the French shop use regular, secure, credit card systems.

Of course, the lack of a useable credit card for six weeks did save me a couple of hundred dollars - see my earlier comment about "buy it quickly as once stocks are depleted they may not be replenished for quite some time" as those items still weren't by the time that I left. I probably didn't really need them anyway...

 

[Loachman]

You can borrow movies from New Canada House.

And Old Canada House.

One of the big favourites was buying TV series DVD box sets at the market or the boardwalk for real cheap- many hours of entertainment.

Some people (probably the majority) were lucky with those, and some weren't. Complaints that I heard from a few of our guys people that bought them: embedded viruses (we were ordered not to play any of them on a DWAN computer), languages other than than the one expected (Casino Royale in Russian only), parts of movies missing or out-of-sequence, and occasional general poor quality. Exchange policies seemed to vary from merchant to merchant and from one Saturday to another.

 

[catalyst]

If you read my post a little closer, you will see that "the latter" would refer to the NAAFI.

When I made my one and only Visa purchase there, they phoned for authorization and my account showed up on a police list of compromised accounts a couple of days later. It took me over a month to get a new one - when I went home on leave. It turns out that Visa will not mail a replacement to a PO Box, and all (most?) CF postal addresses include a PO Box as part of the address now. One also has to phone from one's home phone number to activate the new card.

The US PX and the French shop use regular, secure, credit card systems.

Of course, the lack of a useable credit card for six weeks did save me a couple of hundred dollars - see my earlier comment about "buy it quickly as once stocks are depleted they may not be replenished for quite some time" as those items still weren't by the time that I left. I probably didn't really need them anyway...

I guess I should have paid a little bit closer attention I was worried there for a second. But I remember something about the NAAFI how they had to do something different with their card processing, makes sense. Still my favorite store on base though. Great candy.  It always amused me how the camp would run out of the same items over and over....everywhere. Usually at once too. Hair conditionner, mens deoderant, mens shaving cream....etc.

 

[navypuke]

Is the internet viable enough to stream webcam video, even may I ask an online game or two? I'll have to pack alot of bootbands I think cause whenever I wear the army stuff, I tend to lose them like nobodies business. Do they have pingpong at canada house, i'd be in heaven if they did. Pooltables? Speaking of pool, do they have a swimmin hole of some sort on that piece of rock.

 

[Strike]

You can webcam, but during peak periods it can be near impossible.  There are also stations at the welfare centre specifically for that purpose.  They do have boot bands available at New Can House.  Pingpong and pool are available at the American MWR and the Canadian Gym also has organized fitness classes which are very popular.

As for a swimming hole, there are a couple, but I would only suggest swimming in them if you want to deal with dysentery and an early trip home.  These would be the poo pond and the little pond by the market.

 

[1feral1]

I know Iraq is not Afghanistan, but on my tour, we never had a day off, often working 14-16 hrs a day, plus 2 hours in the CP for SNCOs and Officers.

However 'down time' was often spent in the gyms, or the welfare room on the internet. Also, I bought a DVD player w/ 7" screen, hooked that up to an old TV in my 'room', and we had a variety of DVDs, plus the local Smufti had cheap pirated box sets of every series you could imagine (The Shield, Tour of Duty, along with sets of Eastwood films etc).

Many others had laptops for movies, and we had wireles INet, so one could have comms with home via Hotmail and MSN etc. With all the 'shyte' going on around us, it was kind of freaky to be on a cam, seeing family and friends.

The INet was very unreliable at the best of times, and was only switched off when we had an incident. This was turned on again once HQ released info to the public etc.

As for hobbies, just no time, and being busy meant the time passed quickly, which was good.

The only real free time we had was 5 days 'decompresing' at Ali Al Salem in Kuwait on the way back to Australia, and that was a waste of time. We were CB'd to the immediate area due to Force Protection. The US LSA MWR and USO were excellent though.

OWDU

 

[Loachman]

NAAFI ... Still my favorite store on base though.

Not mine once my card had been compromised, though, and I never went back.

Great candy.

Yes, but the Dutch shop had most of my favourites anyway, was closer, and hadn't pissed me off.

It always amused me how the camp would run out of the same items over and over....everywhere. Usually at once too. Hair conditionner, mens deoderant, mens shaving cream....etc.

Thai sauce in the messes, blue fluid for the port-o-potties... It depended upon which convoys got burnt in Pakistan, I think.

Is the internet viable enough to stream webcam video,

Like, those sites?

Don't count on it.

Global Connect filters some things out, including You Tube and similar sites. Service at Old Canada House sucked a lot of the time, but was better at New Canada House and the boardwalk.

You can get into the US Freedomtel net on the boardwalk as well, as no login is required, and it is unfiltered. It works fairly well at about 0300-0400ish.

even may I ask an online game or two?

Apparently the paid "service" does, at least for some people some of the time.

I'll have to pack alot of bootbands I think cause whenever I wear the army stuff, I tend to lose them like nobodies business.

Lots of places to get those, including the PX, New Canada House, and the Sea Can Store.

As for a swimming hole, there are a couple, but I would only suggest swimming in them if you want to deal with dysentery.

Dysentry would probably be one of the least of one's concerns.

If one had a powerful radioactive isotope on one's person and dove into the Poo Pond, however, one could perhaps emerge as some sort of superhero with amazing but unpopular powers.

The INet was very unreliable at the best of times, and was only switched off when we had an incident. This was turned on again once HQ released info to the public etc.

Same for Global Connect, the free service provided for us, including the telephones. The paid "service" and Freedomtel were unaffected. The Heron guys have their own satellite internet, provided by their company. Anybody else could do that if they got enough people to kick in. They could save money and get far better service.

The only real free time we had was 5 days 'decompresing' at Ali Al Salem in Kuwait on the way back to Australia, and that was a waste of time. We were CB'd to the immediate area due to Force Protection.

Too bad. Cyprus was maaahvellous, albeit a bit drunk in the evenings. It was also rather expensive for some. A list of room damage expenses (mainly furniture items, and 85 Euros for barfing on the carpet) was included in our info package, and a couple of our guys found new, previously unlisted ones.

 

[navypuke]

Is all the decommpression leave take in Cyprus, cause I know a guy who said he went to Spain or Portugal for his decompression leave.

 

[MikeL]

Is all the decommpression leave take in Cyprus, cause I know a guy who said he went to Spain or Portugal for his decompression leave.

All of us in the Battle Group went to Cyprus. I had a few buddies who were with RC(S) an they went to Guam for their decompression.    Haven't heard of anyone going to Spain/Portugal though.

 

[Loachman]

There are exceptions, but very few of which I am personally aware.

And it's not "leave". There are some briefings to attend. For the electives, I highly recommend the most excellent OSI one - very entertaining as well as informative. You have two free afternoons and one full free day, as well as all evenings free. There are quite a few organized activities with which to fill the afternoons should one so desire.

For the evenings, try Stavros' restaurant (I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but he's the owner) at least once, and I'd suggest trying it the first night in case you have as good a time as we had and want to go back. Leave the hotel and turn left, walk to the next road on the right, and turn up that (uphill and away from the water). There's one restaurant on the right of that road, and then his a little further up on the left. There should be a Canadian flag flying out in front, along with an EU one. It's within easy staggering distance. Say "hello" from Marko.

 

[Loachman]

I had a few buddies who were with RC(S) an they went to Guam for their decompression.

By C17? Maybe that explains C17s picking up Kittyhawks in New Zealand...

 

[MikeL]

For the time off in Cyprus depends on they run it when you go through. When I was there the first full day there was all your briefings an that went to probably around 3-4; after that the rest of our time there was free to do whatever you wanted.

By C17? Maybe that explains C17s picking up Kittyhawks in New Zealand...

I'm not sure what they flew in; next time buddie is on MSN I'll ask. 

 

[Loachman]

For the time off in Cyprus depends on they run it when you go through. When I was there the first full day there was all your briefings an that went to probably around 3-4; after that the rest of our time there was free to do whatever you wanted.

Ack. It may depend upon arrival time. We got in fairly late, so we had an abbrreviated version of the arrival brief, dinner, and early bed for most of us. The remainder of the briefings over two mornings seemed to be the standard, though. I pity the poor drunk trying to stay awake for a whole day of those - we had a couple who were having a hard enough time with the half-day briefs (and a shortened half-day at that).

 

[X-mo-1979]

What we did on our time off.

-Watched movies.Note bring a harddrive and a laptop.I lucked out and some awesome guy had spares!Need the harddrive as out at the fob's we didn't have many DVD's etc.

-Masturbation in blue rockets.It was the most privacy you got.

-Shooting the shit and smoking in our "rest area"I.E hole in dirt avec cement walls

-Every FOB has a gym.Picked a work out we could do depending on the operation tasking I.E QRF stay in uniform lift heavy stuff.D&S running etc longer workouts depending on your D&S tasks.

-SLEEP.Anytime we could.As tomorrow may turn into one of those shit show days which quickly turns into 48 hrs without rest.

-Killing jackels with 12 gauges that were roaming in packs around the camp at night.

Time off was awesome when we got it.It was never the same with the week.Some weeks were sleep work sleep work.Other weeks you wanted to pull your hair out,and other weeks you were glad you were finally getting some down time.