End of trip 1

Just come to the end of my first 6 week rotation, and about to board the coach for Doha airport, for my 01:50 flight home. In the picture Myself and Jatenda (front) and Richard from Honeywell Bracknell and a Mohamed, who joined us this week from Honeywell Kuwait. It has been a busy week, and I finally got to do a couple of hours testing with the system integrator. Now looking forward to a rest.

Update: sitting in the Oryx lounge of Doha airport with colleague Ray East, having a drink and a bit to eat. It costs 150 Riyals (30 quid). You can sit in here until your flight (about 4 hours), eat and drink all you want, or watch tv. At least you can put your feet up and chill for a few hours. See you in a couple of weeks.

End of week 5

Now at the end of my fifth week working on the Shell Pearl GTL project in Qatar. A very hot week, one day the air temperature exceeded 50 deg C, and a coleague today told me that where he was working, the outside thermometrer read 58 deg C. Just been to the gym, and spent an hour and a half at the pool. Tomorrow I start week six, integrating one of our sub-systems. My Doha to Heathrow flight home is at 01:50 Thursday morning. Hopefully I will be home
by 09:00 Thursday, to start my two week or so break, before flying back to Qatar on 7th August 2010. The picture shows Palm Drive, my home for now. Very quiet because of the heat. I live right at the bottom, about two minute walk from the sign. The dining hall is about two minute walk behind me in the opposite direction. So I have a good brisk stroll twice a day, to breakfast and dinner. Lunch is eaten on the Shell site.

Another week goes by

Not very much to report this week. Still waiting for work to really kick in. Weather is getting hotter and I'm told it also gets very humid over July and August. We had one morning this week, when there was so much moisture in the air that visibility was down to about 20 metres - very uncomfortable. Went to another safety induction with a few colleagues, in the picture. It took a ten minute coach ride across the site, that is how big this site is! I could not believe it!. I had only seen a fraction of it so far. Friday morning, spent a couple of hours in the gym, and an hour at the pool, temperature 46C, with low humidity - lovely to walk in after being in an air conditioned room. Just had a light lunch, after all that exercise. Have a system integration kick-off meeting on Sunday, so should get involved in some system integrating next week some time. Just a couple of facts; there are around 50,000 people working on this site. Shell have spent in the region of £34 billion so far on this project, and there is probable another couple of years before it is completed. There are about 150 Honeywell people here from all over the world.

Another day off

Great day so far. Went to the gym at 8:00 for a couple of hours. Very quiet at that time of the day. Had a great work out on an exercise bike. Then I wandered across to the swimming pool. Again very quiet at this time, and very hot; the sun was almost over head by that time. So, I had a good swim, the water was perfect, warm enough to jump straight in without being shocked by the cold, unlike in UK swimming pools! The water is usually, actually warm to touch in the JK Camp swimming pool. So, then I laid by the pool for half an hour or so, sun bathing and listening to my iTouch, then had another swim, before taking a shower and going off for lunch. Just a light lunch, some white fish potatoes and brocoli, washed down with two large glasses of fruit-juice. The week has been quiet, still not very busy at work. Quite relaxing at the moment, which makes a change. The week after next, I should get involved in some system integration. Just been for a walk around the outside of our camp. It is amazing, which ever direction you look, all you. can see is Shell GTL accomodation camps. I guess that's why it is called the Shell GTL Vill age. I just walked past an open-air cinema, outside of one of the camps. Walked back quite quickly, as the sun is so intense, you can actually feel it burning you, as if somebody put a hot knife against your arm. I've never felt heat like this before, so safer indoors at the moment. Tomorrow I start week four of my tour of duty. It is actually going by quite quickly, and days like this make it seem more like a holiday in the Sun.