July 20, 2011

OK so the fun started today!

We finally took a truckload of the MaRS tank units to the shop. Boy was this an adventure! First, the truck that shows up has a cover on it which isn't tall enough to allow the tanks to be loaded on. The driver puts in a few calls and gets a new, open bed truck to come out - be he's 30 minutes away. So we sit around and wait. Samir and I start trying to disassemble a broken, rusty pump from one of the systems - just for the hell of it. A few minutes later, the forklift arrives. So, we're all set, except for a truck. Finally, he gets there and we get started. Now, the listed dry weight of one of these tank systems is 490 pounds. With some wrestling (that made me cringe more than once), we got 10 of these things loaded up on the truck.

Four of us piled into Sanji's tiny car and took off for the shop with the trucks following us. I told him to go ahead and pass them because I didn't want to see them shaking around and crashing into each other and breaking in the back of that truck. Once the tanks arrived at the store we pondered our options for actually getting them off the truck, into the store, and then into place. We had to get them off the 1 meter high truck bed, up some steps, across a small unevenly paved plaza, up another step into the shop, then through the shop and between a large support beam and the shark tank over to where they will be set up. Did I mention that they are taller than the doorway into the shop? These tanks aren't attached to the racks except by the plumbing that goes into them from the back and a small lip on the front of the rack.

First things first. We backed the truck into a small passenger unloading area and jumped a curb to back it up as far as we could so that the bed actually extended over the first set of steps we had to conquer. We then used a hydraulic pallet jack to get them off the truck. We hiked it up to the same level as the truck bed and "slid" the racks onto the jack. I say "slid" because, again, it was more like wrestling them. We used some pieces of PVC pipe to kind of roll them along as much as we could. Did I mention they weigh almost 500 pounds? The guys with the pallet jack rolled them over to the front of the store while Samir and I "slid" the next rack to the edge of the truck bed. One by one, we got each rack off the truck. By the time we unloaded all 10, it was noon. Lunch time!! Prayer time!! We had no food and since it was prayer time, there were no restaurants, stores, 7-11's open to get anything. So we kept working.

To get the tanks into the shop we "slid" them to the door, tipped them almost horizontal, and hauled them in. This just about gave me a heart attack for several reasons. First, these things are NOT supposed to be horizontal! I was having visions of the tanks sliding right off the racks, shattering to millions of pieces and me getting horribly maimed. Second, I was the guy on the inside toward whom the tanks were being tipped. This means that a majority of the weight of these things was squarely on my shoulders and back as 4 guys on the back side lifted in over the threshold. Once safely inside the shop we has a great furniture mover/skateboard that we put them on and just wheeled them through the maze of the store, dodging paint buckets, electricians, some unidentifiable chemical, shelves, the shark tank, the shark tank stand and a bewildered janitor. We got 5 of the tanks in when Sanji finally decided it was a good time to go get food. Finally, a break.

Once of the boss men showed up, asked me some questions, then took me upstairs to The Steak House for lunch. I protested, I actually wanted to eat with the other guys but he insisted. This place was apparently named the "Best Restaurant in Saudi Arabia." It is a typical American steakhouse. Full salad bar, burgers, steak, chicken, fries, shakes - just no bacon! Anyway, I couldn't help myself, I've been homesick, missing good ol' American fare (usually I get chicken or beef stir fry with white rice for lunch AND dinner every day). I had the guacamole cheese burger and it was AWESOME!! I didn't even my beef stir fry and white rice for dinner because I was still so full.

By the time we finished lunch and got back down a whole army of guys had showed up and had all the tanks in the shop! Jonathan even made an appearance and sent most of the guys back to the palace or fish station while Sanji, Samir and I stayed behind to put the tanks "sort of" in place. We still have 12 to bring and the shark tank is blocking an area where some tanks will go but we wanted to get and idea of what it will look like. Sanji took an inventory of what we will need to actually plumb these things, connect them together and get them running. We will probably get the shark tank on it's stand tomorrow - couldn't do it today because they painted the stand so it was still sticky which would have made it very hard to slide the tank across it.

Saturday and Sunday the guys and I will start getting these darn tanks up and running so stuff is starting to take off. I should be kept very busy for the next few weeks which will be good.

I'm also trying to get myself kick started to begin planning for school. It seems like I am so far removed from that, it's hard to get into that gear.

Did I mention that one of the marmoset monkeys had babies?! She has 2 but apparently it is very rare that both survive. So far so good. I've tried to get pictures but they are very difficult to see. Hopefully they make it and before I leave they will be out and about.

OK, bed time, it's been a long day!