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Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday 10 Dec. 1977
"I took Bob Daniels' duty in OE Div. today. He stood mine in Hawaii, so I was obligated. I guess it's just as well. He didn't have any watches, so I stayed in the shop all day. HS-8 is flying helo's back and forth between the Army compound and the ship all weekend, so we have to cover it on PLAT. They stop around 17:00."
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Friday 9 Dec. 1977
"We anchored out in Pusan harbor this morning. I got off early and was about the 5th man in the enlisted men's line. So I waited about an hour or more and finally we got to get on the liberty boat. It was an LCU and held about 400 people. So people at the end of the line that I saw when I was waiting got on the same boat I did. It was about a 45 minute trip to the fleet landing and on the way we just missed colliding with a freighter from the starboard side. He must have been doing 15 - 18 knots. Our boat's pilot made a hard port turn, went 360, and the 2nd liberty boat beat us to the beach. When we got there, they just lowered the ramp in front and we walked out just like the Marines did there 25 years ago.
Since there's no Navy facilities here, we went to the US Army's Hialeah Compound where the manufacturers and merchants had a "bazaar". They had all sorts of stuff there. Tennis shoes for $4, jackets for $10, leather goods real cheap, jade & soapstone chess sets, and statues at really good prices, etc. I bought a soapstone chess set for $13, a pair of leather gloves for $3, and a jade statue for $4. I saw beautiful jade chess set for $28. I wish I had the money. Then I ran into a guy I knew from the ship and we walked back towards the landing.
I really don't like Korea. It's not as modern as Japan in most ways, and Pusan is a most depressing looking place. You can't see any trees or shrubs growing around it. It looks barren. You really notice the smells and it smells bad. It's cold here, and I think that one day is enough of Pusan, at least for me. I don't have the money nor the opportunity to explore further, but you can't drink the water and can't eat the food, except in the best restaurants, without getting sick. So I think I'll stay on the boat til we leave."
Since there's no Navy facilities here, we went to the US Army's Hialeah Compound where the manufacturers and merchants had a "bazaar". They had all sorts of stuff there. Tennis shoes for $4, jackets for $10, leather goods real cheap, jade & soapstone chess sets, and statues at really good prices, etc. I bought a soapstone chess set for $13, a pair of leather gloves for $3, and a jade statue for $4. I saw beautiful jade chess set for $28. I wish I had the money. Then I ran into a guy I knew from the ship and we walked back towards the landing.
I really don't like Korea. It's not as modern as Japan in most ways, and Pusan is a most depressing looking place. You can't see any trees or shrubs growing around it. It looks barren. You really notice the smells and it smells bad. It's cold here, and I think that one day is enough of Pusan, at least for me. I don't have the money nor the opportunity to explore further, but you can't drink the water and can't eat the food, except in the best restaurants, without getting sick. So I think I'll stay on the boat til we leave."
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