Waterfront of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Hello everyone!  Today, a few of us left base and took a drive along the waterfront of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  It was great weather, as always, and the sites were great to see.  Jeddah has lots of monuments all over the city, some are authentic planes, cars, and boats, while are much more artistic.  There is even a drag strip.  I have posted a few pictures in the album for people to see the area.

We started out on the south end and drove north until we were out of the city.  Along our route, were many monuments, consulates, mosques, and of course, the Red Sea.  Some places, we have to be careful where we point the cameras, so I only took pictures of the obvious tourist areas.  I hope everyone likes the pictures.  Later!

I Received my Russian Visa

I have received my Russian Visa, which I applied for at the Russian Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  Everything has worked out well, and I had all my paperwork in order when I arrived at the Consulate.

When I arrived and applied for my visa, the gentleman that helped me was very professional, and he looked over everything and then informed me to go make a deposit to the Russian Federation Consulate General at Riyadh Bank.  To also informed me the visa would be ready tomorrow, and to bring the receipt showing payment.  That evening, I made the deposit at the bank.

When I returned the next day, I looked over the visa, and found the exit date to be incorrect.  Always look over visa’s incase dates/information is incorrect.  The Consulate set exit date by hotel reservation.  They didn’t realize I would still be in transit out of the country the next day.  After looking over my flight itinerary, the Consulate changed my exit date.

I now have to head down to the travel agency to pay for my flights.  After this is done, everything will be done.  Getting around at the Jeddah airport is the next thing I will have to deal with. 

Driving Blind

Alright, I have acquired my drivers license, and I drove for the first time yesterday during the busy part of the day.  My destination was the Russian Consulate.

Glancing at a map, and armed with a Toyota Echo, I ventured away from the base in hopes of applying for my tourist visa.  Having never seen the consulate before, I was driving blind with directions which made no sense. 

I drove around in the vicinity for over an hour looking for a consulate flying a Russian Federation flag outside, but to no avail.  The window of opportunity to apply for the visa yesterday was dwindling, and I had to find it fast.  Having a very small idea where I was I decided to venture down the road further.  That was a big mistake.

I found myself down a two lane road with four way intersections which don’t have stop signs with everyone honking at each other, wanting to go at the same time.  What a cluster f#%k.  Not being able to turn around, I was forced to continue along that route till I had absolutely no idea what part of town I was in.  Fortunately I turned down a road which somehow ended up taking me to the road I wanted to be on.  Unfortunately, I was about ten clicks further than I wanted to be.

I started heading back to where I was supposed to be along the main drag, when off to the left, I see the Russian Federation flag flying high, deep in some palm trees.  The flags was hidden from the opposite direction, but I now had my destination is site.  Only one problem… I can’t turn to get there from the direction I was traveling.

Having no choice I continued on, and turned around at my earliest convenience.  Now knowing where to go, I found the consulate easily and upon arriving, I checked my time.  The Russian Consulate closed five minutes ago.  Just my luck.  I’ll try tomorrow, and now that I know where the consulate is located, I should have no problem.  I now had to get back to the base.  A new adventure begins.

Attempting To Acquire My Drivers License

I have started the process in acquiring my drivers license, and I have been informed by coworkers that this process is a long one, and can also be very chaotic.  So far, its been quite pleasant, and the drivers license agency was not busy on our first visit.  I can only hope it won’t be busy on our next visit.  We will see…

Last night, Josh and I started an Xbox game, called Black, and it seems to be a very good game.  This video game is a typical shoot em’ up game, which is played in the first person view.   We completed the first two levels and we will continue the game tonight.  Gaming here is always a great way to tick the time away.  That’s it for now, I will talk to everyone later. 

Boundary Bay Brewery & Bristo

I would like to turn everyone’s attention to the Boundary Bay Brewery & Bristo located in Bellingham, Washington.  In my experiences traveling to breweries, and tasting their vast microbrew selections, I would like to add my input about this brewery.  The microbrews are fantastic, and the food in itself always has been superb.

Everyone that enjoys a taste of the suds obviously will have their one acquired taste.  There are three brews which I enjoy every time I visit their establishment, but all are worth tasting to experience what this brewery offers.  Unlike some breweries I have visited, Boundary Bay gives you the original gravity.  For anyone that is unaware, the original gravity is a unit of measure which references the potential fermentable sugar of unfermented beer, before it becomes beer.

• Amber Beer – This beer is a rather rich, hoppy beer with a wonderful color which an Amber Beer should be.  Original Gravity 1.057
• Scotch – What a great tasting beer!!  The taste of hops hangs around, for a great finishing touch.  Original Gravity 1.064
• Imperial Oatmeal Stout – This brew might be an acquired taste, but as so many say, there is a sandwich in every beer, and this one is no different.  I prefer this brew the most, but I never allow the others to feel left out.  Original Gravity 1.070

Boundary Bay & Bristo also have seasonal microbrews and I unfortunately will not make it there anytime soon, but rest assured, this will be one of my first stops after my arrival.

In Washington State, this brewery has to be experienced to understand.  The atmosphere, the brews, the food, the live music, and special events all work together to make this brewery, one of my favorites.  If you are in the area, make sure to stop by.  You won’t be disappointed.

An Evening Dip In The Pool

Hello to all my friends, family, and readers.  Today is Saturday for the rest of the world, but for us, it’s a Monday.  Thursday’s and Friday’s are the weekends here, which to be honest, makes no sense whatsoever.  I am pleased to say however, that the day rolled by smoothly.  I have no complaints.

After dinner, I decided that an evening dip in the pool would be nice.  The swimming pools water is actually the cleanest water around.  The swimming pool filters perform as advertised.  The water pipes in the building however, are old and rusty water flows from the faucets, but the rust color disappears after about 5-10 seconds of letting the water run.  It’s terrible with the laundry.  That’s life here. 

Not sure what is happening tomorrow.  With regards to work, there is nothing happening at the moment.  It’s possible I will be heading out for my drivers license.  I heard this process is a nightmare.  Later everyone!

Environmental Extremists against snowmobiles

I have a hard time understanding why environmentalist groups work so hard at coming up with reasons and lies about why snowmobiles should be banned from public lands.  These parks are designed for everyone’s enjoyment.  Snowmobilers are respectful in sharing these lands with other sport enthusiasts.  We all want to enjoy the land we share.   

Some are decent environmentalists that worry about certain aspects, which, is perfectly understandable, but these radical extremists do not understand the world today.  These radical extremists, green extremists, leftist wackos or whatever you want to call them have no understanding about economics, and contemporary world problems we face today.  Timber production, mining, fishing, and grazing are others they target, and they do not care about the devastation they cause in communities.

What these people stand behind, as I can only understand it, is it seems they don’t believe in humanity, and would be happier if humanity didn’t exist.  I see these people as anarchists that do not believe in the American way of life.

The definition of a National Park is an area of scenic beauty, historical importance, or the like, owned and maintained by a national government, for the use of the people.  This topic of debate can go on and on, with emission testing, wildlife research, etc.  I am going to discuss the following topics.

Snowmobiles are just part of their ultimate goal.  These people are also targeting heli-skiing companies.  Heli-skiers, snowmobilers, Search and Rescue, and medivac helicopters all work together on missions.  I don’t know about you, but I want these resources to continue to be available.  

There are quite a few cross-country skiers complaining that snowmobiles can be heard for miles.  These parks are designed for everyone’s use.  If you don’t like hearing a snowmobile while you are enjoying the park, then don’t go to the snow parks that allow snowmobiles.  There are plenty of areas that snowmobiles are already not allowed.  When I am riding my snowmobile and I approach a cross-country skier, I slow down and give the skier the full right of way, and ensure I do my part to give these people the peace and serenity of the surroundings they want, and deserve.

I also do my part for dogsledders as well.  Especially since the dogs can be easily spooked, I always do everything in my power to ensure safe passage for both parties.  Coming from a family that raised and bred Siberian Huskies, I understand the dog musher’s needs and show my respect to their sport.  It’s a great sport which brings us races like the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and the Yukon Quest.  I bet most environmentalists don’t realize the Iron Dog is a snowmobile race which helps “break trail” for the upcoming Iditarod Sled Dog Race. 

Everyone should work together to ensure we all can enjoy these great places during the winter.  The green extremists need to shut up and let people who care about the peoples needs deal with this problem.  If this would happen, then this topic could end much faster with a resolution which everyone would be happy with.  The green extremists will never be happy.  We all can work together.  Communities, economics, and the people who enjoy different winter recreations would all benefit from this.

Toby and I Join Forces For Blogs

Yesterday morning, I received an invitation by Toby Barnett to appear as a guest blogger on Active Rain.  For me to be featured on someone else’s webpage is a great honor.  I went to work on the blog within minutes of receiving the invitation.

Toby and I teamed up to write about the winter parks that Washington State has to offer.  Toby took the subject of Washington’s Ski Resorts, while I wrote about Washington’s Snowmobile Parks.  After Toby and I finished researching, we went to work or our writings.

The researching was vital to the factual information that would be given, and of course, we added our own knowledge and experiences to the writings.  What turned out, were two writings that will benefit anyone that is seeking information to the subjects.

 “Being a long-time snow rider, Mike Redwine offered a unique insight to the world of snow machining and the various regions of Washington” – Toby Barnett

Toby and I are teaming up once more, for additional writings of winter sports that Washington State offers in the Cascade Mountains.  Keep an eye out for these upcoming writings in the very near future.

A peaceful day

Today is the beginning of my weekend, and things are very quiet.  Thursdays and Fridays are always quiet, and unless there is a mission that’s called out, we are only on standby.  Weekends for us here is when everyone hangs around together, drinks coffee or tea, and converse about anything that sparks interest.  Wait a minute, that’s every day!

A coworker has purchased a new notebook, for internet purposes so he can keep in contact with his family and friends.  Since he has never owned a computer before, I helped him get the computer charged, booted and registered.  I am sure he will have lots of questions regarding the operation of the computer, and I am more than happy to assist.

Mork is going on vacation today, and plans on attending a Liverpool football game, dressed in red, and cheer his team on.  He’s stated he will be waving at the camera for us to see, as he drinks his beer.  He also says he will be liquefying his assets.  What a dork!  HAHA.  It’s going to be quiet around here with him gone.  That’s about it for me today.  Have fun everyone!

Dell Inc admits their mistake

Someone at Dell Inc finally opened their eyes, and realized a mistake has been made in the replacement of my disc drive.  They have shipped the correct disc drive to my father, so he can forward it to me.

The problem now is the shipping payment.  The mistake was theirs, and I paid for the shipping of the incorrect drive to Saudi Arabia.  Now I have two drives here that need to be returned and one to ship from the states to me.  The price for all the shipping now, has increased to $440.00.  I asked Dell Inc to pay for half and they have stated to me they will, since the mistake was theirs, but no one at Dell Inc will actually perform the reimbursement. 

It has now been over two months, and I am fed up with everything!  Besides Dell Inc loosing me as a customer, at least three others I know, with their knowledge over this fiasco, has stated they will not buy another Dell Inc product again. 

It isn’t exactly a lot of money, it’s the principle, and I will no longer purchase anything from this company again.  Once I return to the United States, I am selling this notebook, and upgrading to a better notebook, from a different company.  Later Dell!!!