…So once we arrived at the base, we drive through a main entrance gate that is guarded 24/7 and drive a short ways up a steep incline where the main cluster of buildings are. We unloaded our luggage, and made our way to the gym. Yes, there is a gym there, including a snack stand, a swimming pool, and cafeteria. This is a well set up operation. Its nothing fancy, but it is definitely not dumpy either.
Once we found our seats in the gym, Ed and Beth Loef gave the main orientation. the biggest issue was safety. We were told to stay on the base, don’t pet the wild horses (a teenager from a previous group found out what it felt like to be bit by a wild horse), don’t pet the spiders, don’t make the monkey mad, and DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! The key word here to remember here is….parasites…. ew.
Following the Orientation we took our luggage up to the dorms. They have dorms for the ladies and dorms for the men. I can’t speak to the Ladies dorms, but the guys dorms were actually just fine. Tile floors, drywalled, metal bunk beds, and decent bathroom and showers. I showered almost everyday and always had hot water. I heard a few people weren’t so lucky, but I guess its all about timing– just like everything else in life….. Thankfully I never saw any creepy crawlies in the dorm room, although somebody was stung by a scorpion a few years ago, and Tony claimed he had felt a lizard scurry across his blanket in the middle of the night….
Speaking of the cafeteria, the food was a pretty fair mixture of American and national foods, and if you are really picky, they sell all sorts of american snacks at the snack shop, and the best part is that all proceeds go to help the local national Master’s Commission students. My stomach gave me no problems the whole week except the day we left, and I had some major….ah….problems for the whole trip back. So here’s my advice– When Dr. VJ hands out the Anti-biotics for “traveler’s diarrhea” ….Take it!!!!
