So I may have challenges to overcome at work, but I learned of one perk that makes me happy. We have a remote ATM at a small army base in Kure. Once a month an associate must go up to refill it and balance it. Now I volunteered to take it because of one thing. You have to get there by BOAT!
My first trip out was very exciting. I got on a small navy boat with two sailors and rode out through the Seto Inland Sea. It was freezing cold and my layers were not enough! I stood in the back on the way out enjoying the scenery.
All of a sudden a submarine surfaces almost beside us! I raced to get out my camera, but as only able to catch these last couple of shots. How cool is that!? A sub just whooshes up next to our boat!
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| Submarine! |
The American part of Kure is tiny. It has the world's smallest commissary. There are no barracks or family housing. I'm pretty sure the entire base would fit in a Walmart. And I mean a 90's Walmart. No groceries. On the way back I decided to wrap up in a blanket in the front. I was hoping to get some good pictures.
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| FREEZING! |
On the way out we passed the Japanese shipyard. I've never been to Norfolk so I was pretty impressed with the boat display. I've never seen so many battleships. They were stacked together like sardines!
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| Huge submarines! |
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| 1 ship, 2 ship, 3 ship and 4 |
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| Big ships, little ships, more more more |
The boat ride was very scary. The water had gotten very bad and Iwakuni advised our boat pilot to wait thirty minutes or so to see if conditions would improve. We got the go-ahead after lunch, but we probably should have waited. The waves were so big they came over the boat and we were trying to stay on the crests to avoid falling in between the swells. At one point we lost radio communication with Iwakuni and tried communicating with Morse code. I just hung on to handles inside and tried to stay on my feet. I got soaked! It was soooo cold!
Finally our boat pilot didn't think our boat was going to make it so he called in (with Morse code) a larger boat to pick us up. It met us on the way back, but they decided to just stay with us rather than try to get us off our boat.
It was scary! Next time I will wear more layers and take better pictures!
What an exciting trip! The stories you will tell to your children.
ReplyDeleteSee what adventures you can have by stepping forward and saying "yes!" to new opportunities?! I wanted to see a picture of the acorn cap you were in. Compared to the battleships, you must have been tiny!
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