Flying North

Tuesday morning we arose at 4:30 to get to the airport by 5:50.  It was snowing, which made us wonder if we would even get to fly today.  One of the Pactec pilots who was going along as a passenger in the Kodiak ended up being the possible pilot for the larger plane which could do the trip in ‘iffy’ weather.  We waited 90 min. past the posted takeoff time before the snow finally lightened and a window appeared.  The report was that Kabul was the only bad weather.  So, we four passengers and two pilots flew thru the clouds and enjoyed an uneventful trip with fantastic scenery.....snowy peaks on all sides, and sunshine!  Finally Faizabad appeared as we circled and banked steeply for a landing in this valley.  We all but tobagganed over the last snowyslope....looking close enough to touch underneath us.  A group was waiting to return on the plane to Kabul, one of which was a Dr.’s wife who had a  bad toothache .... after Kabul she flew to Mazar Sharif to the German Army base where she would see a dentist. It would turn out to be a root canal and temporary crown.  And we think going to the dentist is an ordeal!

Arriving at Chas and Claudia’s house, we greeted a group of ladies being given a lesson on cooking a Korean dish by a Korean friend.. Jon was promoted to manning-the-swings for the children.  It is good to be here!