going home...SoCal baby!!!
- Thread starter thrstrmech
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Alfatango1
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Now there are some great motorcycle roads!
thrstrmech
Well-known member
10 hour time difference between SoCal and Saudi Arabia...ok, so got my boarding pass this morning (have to get it now or else it will be sold from underneath you) flight's out at 2:00am Monday...ugh! be back home before midnight, woohoo!
thrstrmech
Well-known member
ok yet another update...so I caught my 1st flight heading out of the country, 1st stop everything going well until check-in for the 2nd flight out, only to be told the flight is delayed by 3 hours...hence, here comes the snowball affect, I'd miss the next 2 flights home, ugh! so the airline gets flights straightened out, ok I can breath now, so headed for passport control to get my visa stamped with an exit stamp out of the country, here comes everything to a dead stop, I had overstayed the length of my visa by 8 days, yeap, you guessed it, big fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals or about $2700 US bucks...was turned back to immigration and had to get my luggage back from the airline and find out where I needed to go next to get all this taken care of. No joy there. after many phone calls and a flight back to where I've been for the past year, now I have to wait 2 weeks before returning home cause of Haaj and the Saudi government has closed up shop for several days and at the rate which they get things done at, that's why the 2 week wait. On top of that initially my boss tells me that I'll have to pay the fine and the next 2 weeks will be unpaid, but that I could stay in the villa for free...ok, wait for it, wait for it...after I made some calls to the US Embassy and Consulate and Lawyer and the field rep we've been working for, my boss sends several emails and made phones calls to me over the issue, so to bring this to an end, the company is paying for everything and getting me home in 2 weeks after the government gets back to work and also getting paid for those 2 weeks as well, I'll be doing tool inventories and odd jobs 'til I leave.
FYI... to all, if you're contracted by a US company and working overseas, they are responsible for getting you to and from the country you're in and return you home. I never had issues like this with L3 Vertex while working in Kuwait...management was all over our passports and visa ensuring we never came close to overstaying the length of the visa, unlike now, there was no one keeping up with anything, but getting the job done at all cost!
FYI... to all, if you're contracted by a US company and working overseas, they are responsible for getting you to and from the country you're in and return you home. I never had issues like this with L3 Vertex while working in Kuwait...management was all over our passports and visa ensuring we never came close to overstaying the length of the visa, unlike now, there was no one keeping up with anything, but getting the job done at all cost!
thrstrmech
Well-known member
oh, guys I served in the Navy/Army and got out in April of 2009, been a contractor on government contracts in the middle east off and on since late 2008 while in the inactive reserves and after leaving active duty service.
thank you, proud of my service through the 1st gulf war, operation southern watch, OIF/OEF III '04-'05
thank you, proud of my service through the 1st gulf war, operation southern watch, OIF/OEF III '04-'05
thrstrmech
Well-known member
finally made it home Tuesday night after all the crap that went down in Saudi...took almost a month to get the visa stamped with the final exit and GE paid 500 Riyals to clear it up, still fault the company I was working for and the people that were in charge!
Spent last night in the garage with my 15 yr old son installing the new windscreen and mirrors, took off the chin fairing to prep for replacing the center piece from silver to black. Tomorrow new turn signals and bearing for the idler pulley get installed. Tail back was also removed and shelved for now. Decided not to install the gold hand grips, though they're nice, just doesn't go with the yellow plastics, so bag 'em up and also shelved for now. Battery held it's charge, no issues on starting up, not bad after sitting around for 6 months. Right side air scoop installed, need to get 2 stainless steel hose clamps to install the heat shield, Home Depot here I come. She also needs a bath and polish...will post pics when she's done.
Spent last night in the garage with my 15 yr old son installing the new windscreen and mirrors, took off the chin fairing to prep for replacing the center piece from silver to black. Tomorrow new turn signals and bearing for the idler pulley get installed. Tail back was also removed and shelved for now. Decided not to install the gold hand grips, though they're nice, just doesn't go with the yellow plastics, so bag 'em up and also shelved for now. Battery held it's charge, no issues on starting up, not bad after sitting around for 6 months. Right side air scoop installed, need to get 2 stainless steel hose clamps to install the heat shield, Home Depot here I come. She also needs a bath and polish...will post pics when she's done.
