Running For My Life

Hey everybody; welcome back. Before we get going too far I should mention that know one has been trying to kill me in the last two weeks (at least not specifically me). The title refers to run that the Heath Unit at the embassy set up today. They called it "The Run For Life". For me it felt more like I was going to die than felling alive. The event had a 3K, 5K, and 10K. I went for the 5K. I figured I couldn't do the 3K and have any respect for myself later but I knew better than to try the 10K. As Dirty Harry said, "A man has to know his limitations" and I know mine. As an aside congratulations to my niece Lauren who ran a 10K in about 52 minutes; well done. I'm not going to say what my time was but if you related to 10K (and assumed I kept the same pace which there is no way that would happen) Lauren would have made me look bad. Perhaps I should try training for the next one. But at least I did it and I can say I go the t-shirt.

Besides the run there has not been too much going on in lovely Pakistan. There were actually a couple embassy parties, one at the American Club and one at the Brit Club, but they have been postponed. I think they just don't want me to go see the Brit Club. Some of the folks here don't want to go to these events, but I figure it's not I have anything better to do on a Saturday night. Hopefully the events will get rescheduled and I will report on them in the future.

Without other social events I have been working on my JPME and I watched a few movies. I went to one of the local markets a few weeks ago and bought Wanted, Underworld 3 and Watchmen. Of course since Watchmen is still in theaters you can probably guess these are not sanctioned copies. The fact that I bought them each for 70 rupees (about $0.90) would probably be another good clue to how authentic they are. I stuck Underworld 3 in and it didn't play at all. Watchmen was better in that it played. I got all the way through the opening credits and the first scene the character Rorschach walks into a room where there has obviously been a crime and then everyone starts speaking German. Wanted worked and the actors spoke English, but all the writing in opening prelude and on all the computer screens in the movie were in Cyrillic. I guess they got that one from Russia or something. One thing you have to keep in mind when you watch bootleg videos is you get what you pay for.

Changing gears, we all know that a lot of terrorist organizations use narcotics trafficking to help fund their operations. A lot of work has been done in Afghanistan to stop the farming of poppies for opium. A good measure of the work that goes on in my office with the Pakistan Navy is centered on counternarcotics and interdicting smuggling. The reason I mention this is that I find it very amusing that marijuana grows wild all over the city including in the diplomatic enclave. There is actually a flower bed on the embassy grounds that has a pot and poppy plant growing within a foot of each other. And when I say it grows wild I mean along side the roads like a weed one might say. And we aren't talking little scrub like plants. There are some at the 7-8 foot size. Just in case you don't believe me take a look at this.

Me and the Captain wading through the pot. This is going in our next counternarcotics powerpoint brief.

A close up of a smaller plant just in case you don't believe me.

The people at the embassy who are supposed to know say that it is all really low grade and you would have to smoke an entire field's worth to get anything, but it makes you wonder if they are just saying that. All I know is if the city ever catches on fire the population could be feeling really relaxed.

I have commented pretty much since I came here that the people here drive like maniacs. I'm sure that you may be sick of hearing, so I decided to show you. The clip below was taken during my morning commute.

One thing you see as you drive around here are what are called "jingle trucks". The folks paint their delivery trucks and taxi trucks very elaborately. I have been told that the paint job is to get your attention, like advertising, and the images and text on the trucks are good luck charms. Considering what you just saw I think you can understand while they think they need luck on their side when driving.

The back of a Jingle Truck.

I know I have been kind of all over the place with this post, but like I mentioned there really hasn't been too much going on. Politics here would only make me mad if I talked about them so I'll stick what fun things I can come up with and this is pretty much it for now. So until next time, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail or post a comment here. And most of all be good. If you can't be good, be good at it.