Our Tent

Finally, pictures of what we actually do and where we live. As described before, we are just inside the second gate to the UN compound. Usually anyone going into the compound requires ID but we have been fenced off with the visitor registration area so that outside NGOs may walk in, after be checked at the first gate, without needing to get UN ID.

Without having a compass, our door faces slightly south of east and our elevation here in Muzaffarabad is around 700 meters (2300 ft). I have other coordinates if interested but I will not post those.

We have two green tents that are about 16 ft x 14 ft placed end to end. The insides are white and are insulated with some sort of batting. What is interesting, our “locally” found tents retain heat better than the imported UN tents.

The front tent is the Internet café with table running the full length of both sides. The left one contains (from left to right) the printer, five “public” laptops, and our satellite transceiver, wireless router and network switch.
Cafe at Work
Cafe Visitors
Internet Equipment
Network Equipment

On the other side are where I work and we have 3 network connections for those coming in with their own laptops and two phones that provide free service to the U.S. and Canada. The internet access and phones have been such a morale booster and many of the workers are able to do critical parts of their work with these tools. For example, often doctors need meds that are not easily available and they are able to contact team members that are traveling to the area to bring the meds.
CRF Medical Team Activity
CRF Medical Team Activity

At times there is standing room only even with 12 chairs available. Like tonight we had a team of South African pilots contacting home.

The back room is mainly for storage. This is where our supplies, suitcase, and bedding go. We also make fresh coffee back here since we can only get instant at the Canteen. There is also a UPS back here and a generator that we have just in case.
The Very Back
The far back corner of our tent
Front of the back tent
The front of the back tent

Some time after 9:00 pm we encourage the stragglers to finish up so we can stack the chairs and put out our thin mattresses and sleeping bags and get into bed. Once there, I usually finish up writing a blog or chatting with family in my sleeping bag.
Sleeping bags Out

Well, it is that time so I am finishing up. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or just want to say “hi”.

‘Night
In Bed

Camp

Well, I am trying to catch up on so many things to keep you informed. I am sure you are all asking about camp. This is the place to find out.

As you know we are in a UN camp which is very nice. It is located in an old stadium that has been cleaned out. It is located on a hill and there is a main road that goes by the top where the entrance is. Just as you enter the top, there are guards that scan with those metal detecting wands and look through the bags. If a vehicle is coming in, they check under with mirrors.

At the bottom of the hill into the stadium the drive turns left to the main UN camp where there is another gate and some pretty tough looking guards.
Guards
Actually, they are actually quite nice and friendly, looking tough for pictures.

On the left and just inside the gate is our tent.
Pactec Tent
This is where I spend a lot of my time and I will share more in a later post on this.

As we look out the front door, there are rows of UN tents on left side of us. These rows go from the front to back of the compound. The first two rows are offices and then the next three are UN sleeping quarters (we sleep in our tent). Right in front of us across the drive is the security office tent and to the left of that is the “Canteen” or mess hall.

That is it at the back.

A little closer.

As you can see the “Canteen” is important. The UN provides hot meals that are very nice and mainly produced by a Swedish chef (I will not go into one of my more favorite TV shows here). They also have a Pakistani chef who cooks wonderful curries. So much for losing weight.

Another important location that is at the back, left of the “Canteen” and next to the last row of sleeping tents is the shower. It is an interesting garden hose, shower spray attachment arrangement. The water is also hot which is nice. These are in grey plastic tarp tents with plastic floors. The back half is raised and divided into two for the two showers. Hot air is also blown in and makes the shower facility very comfortable on cold days.
Shower

The final important location is the toilets. These are in the opposite corner of where we are located and quite a walk in the middle of the night.

The white boxes are the toilets and the fronts lift up a couple of feet with a little door on the lower part and a blind that can be pulled down over the upper half. The low green tarp is the urinal which are really a couple of 6″ pipes in the ground. Maybe I will dare open the tarp door and we can take a peek. As you can see a real restroom is being constructed behind. Hope that is done soon.

Well, it is bed time. Here is a scene of the moon coming up over the mountains and other the NGO camp that is across the drive and to the right from our front door.

‘Night.

Closer to the Epicenter

Got to the UN camp Friday morning and took a brief tour, had lunch, and then headed to Balakot to see our second communication site.

This was a trip. We went up the narrow roads with many areas that had just enough room for one car. There were many locations where there were tent villages that lined the road. Muzaffarabad had much devastation but Balakot was much worse. To be honest with you, it was not so easy to comprehend the devastation the earthquake made because almost every thing was flat. It looked just like a large demolition site, you could not visualize that it was once a booming city. Here are a before and after picture to show what it looks like (click for larger view):
Balakot before Earthquake
Balakot after Earthquake

For further pictures of my trip and those of a Medical team (CRF) see my GALLERY.