Hong Kong

This is one of the main reasons that I jumped at the chance to join the Navy. To travel the world and see places I would not normally see. We just finished a long needed liberty port visit to the great island of Hong Kong. We were anchored in the harbor and had a great view of the city. The view was even better at night if that is possible. This is the Wall Street of China only its an entire island. We took a water taxi to the pier in the heart of the city and from there went to our 5 star hotel on the Kowloon side. In order to get there we had to take another ferry. We stayed at the Royal Plaza Hotel. It also happened to be attached to a shopping mall. We hit the mall for lunch (I had a traditional chinese noodle/meatball soup). Then downtown for shopping. We hit the Opal Mine because I had some special shopping to do. Then we hit a Irish Pub for some beers and enjoyed the rest of the evening wandering downtown. We headed back a bit early because we were all exhausted. We got breakfast the next morning by room service. Then we hit the Bird Market and the Flower Market. Off to Ladies Market and did more shopping. I got a great painting of Hong Kong harbor. We had to get back to the ship because we had to attend a reception on the USS ESSEX in dress blues. Then out on the town again to the club district. We hit a few bars, including the "ice bar" where they serve vodka shots in a freezer that you take pictures in. It was pretty cool. It was one of the best ports that we have hit in quite some time. Again a great time with great people.

My Job

We were in the Philippines last week on liberty. It is not the best liberty port I have ever been to, but it does its job. We get a massage and get good food. We go out and enjoy the SMBA compound. I have never quite figured out why the Navy left the Philippines. We still spend as much time there as any other place. In fact in many ways the place has never changed. The whole infrastructure is still there as well as the fences. Its still a different world from the rest of the area. But the thing I noticed more than anything happened on my way back to the ship on the first night. I looked at the old girl USS DENVER and I realized that I have a very unique job. I actually travel around on a warship. Who does that really? I mean there are of course the merchant sailors and such, but I get to travel the world on an amphibious platform dock. My ship lands marines on beaches, acts a lily pad for marine helicopters, and does everything in reverse when we leave. It is one of the most unique things I have ever seen. Just like when I went to Diego Garcia and it took a while for me to really come to terms with the fact that I lived on a tropical island paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean and get paid for it, this is much the same. I get to do some pretty awesome stuff. I live and work on a warship in the United States Navy. Totally cool. I know there are people with more awesome jobs than me. But I enjoy mine just the same.