I recently discovered an interesting blog by Nathan Metzger: NotSoBoringLife.com. While browsing Nathan's site, I came upon his Not-So-Boring Challenge and decided to participate.
Here's the gist of the challenge:
NotSoBoringLife is a brand new blog and trying to make a name for itself. Obviously stellar content is the best way to achieve popularity but coming in a close second are links to your blog. The Not-So-Boring Challenge attempts to handle both these important aspects in one simple challenge. Post an original story on your blog about a hobby or adventure you’ve participated in. Include a link to NotSoBoringLife.com and this Not-So-Boring Challenge post.
I've taken up the challenge for four reasons. First, it gives me an excuse to write about something not related to this blog's niche. Second, it allows me to share a bit about my offline life with my readers. Third, I'll get a link back from Nathan's blog. And last but not least, I'll get Nathan's opinion on whether I'm boring… or not so boring. 
So, on with the show…
Bonnie's Adventure in Mongolia
In a previous life I worked as a Public Affairs Officer for the Army (as a civilian employee) in Okinawa, Japan. In 1993, one of the activities I participated in was a humanitarian assistance mission to provide much-needed medical supplies to Mongolia.
I reported to Kadena Air Base before dawn to catch my ride on the Air Force C-5A Galaxy cargo plane. Have you ever seen a C-5… up close? Those suckers are huge!
My first challenge was getting into the damn plane. The cargo bay was closed. There was no gantry. No mobile stairway. There was a ladder attached to the side of the plane. It went up two stories to the crew's hatch (just behind the cockpit). I had to climb up it. Alone. With 40 pounds of camera gear slung over my back. Did I mention I hate climbing ladders?
As the only woman on this mission, I was determined to be "one of the guys" and didn't ask for help. I somehow managed to get into the plane without losing my gear, falling off the ladder, or making a total fool of myself.
The flight to Mongolia from Okinawa took five hours. At one point the pilot announced we were flying over the Great Wall of China. There were no windows in the crew's quarters. I took his word for it, though, and thought, "Wow! This is so cool!"
We had a somewhat rough landing at the country's biggest airport, in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. For some reason, the pilot and several crewmembers were in a big hurry to get off the plane. When I finally managed to climb slowly and carefully down the ladder (with all my gear), I saw why.
They were standing around one of the massive wheel assemblies. One guy was spraying it with a fire extinguisher!
"Don't worry!" said Captain Flyboy when he saw me staring at them in shock. "Everything's under control. The runway's not quite long enough and we had to hit the brakes pretty hard. There's no serious damage."
While I wondered about his definition of "serious," I looked around to see if any fire engines were approaching. Nope. I guessed that was a good sign.
Later I wondered if there were any fire engines to respond. There certainly weren't any facilities where a C-5 could be repaired. Heck, this "largest airport in Mongolia" didn't even have a forklift to unload the plane! Good thing we brought one with us. But with only one (there hadn't been room to bring more), it took nine hours to get all the cargo off the plane.
As I was filming part of the operation, I noticed a couple of young Mongolian guys staring at me. Blondes were pretty rare in this part of the world. I smiled. Then I was educated. "They've never seen a video camera before," explained the Mongolian liaison officer. Oh.
Then I watched a Mongolian pilot walk around the C-5, staring up at the huge jet engines in awe. In the distance I saw what had been the largest plane to land here before us. A small twin-engine prop job from Russia. The C-5's engine was nearly as big as that entire plane.
While the Air Force crew and about 50 Mongolian men and women of all ages were still unloading the plane, I accompanied the mission commander to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia. In a cute little ceremony, he signed over the medical supplies to Mongolia's First Vice Minister of Health. Smile! Shake hands! Click, click!
Then there was the banquet. Oh… the horror!
Have you ever gone to a Mongolian Barbecue restaurant? Trust me… that is NOT Mongolian food. I'm not sure exactly what I ate. I'm sure I asked, but I must've blocked it from my memory. It was something you'd see contestants struggle to keep down on "Fear Factor." It was scary and gross. And not to eat it would've been a serious insult to our hosts. Heck, if I'd gagged and spit it out, I might've caused an international incident! I managed. I survived. Barely.
Then it was time to go. I struggled back up the ladder and buckled myself in as tightly as I could. I kept my fingers crossed during takeoff. Yeah! We made it!
Nineteen hours after the mission had begun, we landed back in Okinawa.
I was very tired and happy to be back in the modern world. But I was glad I'd gone. The Mongolians are very friendly people. I always enjoy experiencing other cultures. It makes me realize how much we Americans take for granted. And I knew the cargo we'd delivered would literally save lives.
Overall, it had been a great (long) day.
It certainly wasn't boring!
Business 2.0 is my favorite magazine. I was shocked to see the following notice on the issue that arrived this week:
