The Friday Bazaar, Moving a B-Hut and Seriously, What Else Can We Build Out of CONEXes.

On Friday, M.M. and I rode the shuttle bus to the Friday Bazaar held at the BAF front gate.  The vendors sold everything from the ever popular iPod accessories, to semi-precious gemstones, to traditional garments all displayed in small booths or on large pieces of canvas laid on the ground.  I had been looking for a traditional style scarf to wear around my face during the walk to the DFAC in the evenings, as it has been getting colder lately.  I found one rather quickly, then spent the remainder of my time wandering aimlessly through the booths.  As I have experienced elsewhere, the vendors' command of English varied greatly between stalls.  Also, they were very receptive to haggling, as they knew their customers would walk away and buy from "the other guy" if they didn't drop their price.

On the way back from the Friday Bazaar, a small convoy drove by, apparently relocating a small housing unit.  These small buildings are called "B-Huts" and house up to 24 personnel.  B-huts are filled to overflowing with bunkbeds, wall lockers, foot lockers, and other assorted gear.  They are so cramped that some people are said to prefer a GP-Medium tent over the B-huts.  I believe that the crowding in housing has led to a lot of our almost endemic viral conjuntivitis that was burning through the living quarters like a runaway wildfire.  We have the tide mostly stemmed now, but for a few days we were seeing up to 10 patients a day with pinkeye.  There were only a few cases last week, and the number is expected to decline even further as our public service campaign against it takes further hold.

As M.M. and I walked from the Bazaar to the PX, we came upon a housing situation that is becoming more and more common in foreign theaters of operation.  I noticed it a few times in Iraq, but here in Afghanistan, housing units made from CONEXes are all over.  We have several on our compound alone.  Not only are ours used for housing, but several departments use them for offices.