Chris' Deployment Journal

A shot of some storefronts. Few of the downtown buildings are more than three stories high. The 'Sunny' sign to the left is cutoff but that brand is a major electronic and AC brand in the Middle East. Note also the shiney windows on the Sunny building, which are tinted to keep out the blazing sun. Most of the city's businesses are clumped together in areas so that you have what we call the tire district, the lumber district, etc. Even in the market place there is an alley of booksellers, a street of blacksmiths (yes, blacksmiths, complete with anvil and hammers), an area of carts filled with women's underwear (which made us ponder having to take cover behind a cart full of cheap bras), etc. One district in the city is a street full of almost nothing but electronic and appliance stores and our base is smack dab in the middle of 'the wedding district' as it's surrounded by three different wedding halls/parks.