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USS Blog Boy's Deployment Diary--Chapter Seven

Not applicable
Francisco is nearing the end of his deployment, but this is the first of two reports from exotic locales on his way home.  (To read previous chapers, click on Francisco's name above.) Hong Kong One of the best rewards of serving in the Navy is the ability to travel all over the world. Since joining the Navy I have been to Hawaii, Guam, Malaysia, Dubai, Bahrain, Australia, Hong Kong, India, and finally Singapore.  As I write this post we are headed into another country, but last week, we sailed into Hong Kong. To put this into perspective to some of our readers, a vast majority of our crew hadn't seen land since June 1.  So as you could imagine, everybody was anxious to step on land. On the first day we pulled in, I had to work--in Navy terms this means standing duty. For obvious security reasons, we cannot leave the ship unmanned. On the second day, a friend and I headed to our hotel room, unpacked, and headed to Disneyland Hong Kong. hongkong-disney.JPGThe park itself was much smaller than the one in Anaheim, and they are still adding more attractions. However, the park was immaculate, the workers were friendly, and the rides of course reminded me of my childhood. It rained off and on throughout the afternoon, but not even the rain could prevent us from having fun. We picked up a few gifts for our families back home, and we took the train back to our hotel. For dinner we headed to a very expensive Chinese restaurant where baby pigeon was the daily special. I decided to pass on the baby pigeon, and instead, I opted for the usual fried rice with Mongolian beef.  We headed back to the ship to take one of our friends back; she had to work the next day.hongkong-street.JPG The next few days we spent sightseeing, hongkong-bus.JPGshopping, and eating. One day, we were walking near the mall when two tall yellow golden arches caught my eye. I had been craving McDonalds since we left back in April. I raced into McDonalds and had myself a nice meal. Later on in the day, I was craving a nice cup of coffee so we headed to Starbucks.  The rest of the time, we spent touring the city, and we headed to Chinatown to buy gifts. That evening, we headed to a salsa club.hongkong-night.JPG Our stop in Hong Kong was a memorable experience. As I was headed to the ship, I couldn't help but notice an airplane flying overhead. While it wasn't a Canyon Blue plane, it was an American carrier (United), and it reminded me of home. We are so close yet so far away...  
7 Comments
Mary9
Explorer A
I remember those quick trips to McDonalds. It was always interesting to see the little difference in service that you got from country to country.
Carl1
Explorer A
Thank you for your service. I appreciate what you and your colleagues do to protect our freedoms. Your comments about Disneyland Hong King were interesting. I've been to Disnyeland in Anaheim dozens of times and I just took my family to WDW in Orlando and then on a Disney cruise. And of course we got great fares on Southwest. Nothing quite compares to the original Disneyland in my never to be humble opinion. Be safe and come home soon!
Giles
Explorer C
Great pictures! The skyline image brings back a lot of memories.
Randy_Scarbroug
Explorer C
Thank you Francisco for your diary. My son is on the Nimitz and have great pride in you all and our Navy. Be safe and Godspeed on your journey home.
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
For those of us civilians in the States, it is easy to grow numb to news stories about "the war" or "military presence overseas". We can go about our daily lives reasonably unaware of the hundreds of thousands of men and women in American uniforms who have volunteered to serve their country. If we don't have a direct relative or close friend in a branch of the military, it may be hard to realize that each of those "nameless" and "faceless" people also happen to be a Dad, a Mom, a brother, a sister, a son or a daughter. But, when you DO know someone who is in harm's way, you gain a greater appreciation of what they face and the sacrifices they make for US. So, in addition to it being a fantastic ongoing travelogue with great stories and wonderful pictures that entertain you, I hope that the biggest impact that Francisco's Deployment Diary Blog has on each of the readers is to make his and his colleagues lives more real to you. Please pray for the safe return of each of these men and women, and for peace and comfort for their families, who are as anxiously awaiting their uniformed loved ones' homecoming as Francisco's folks are his. And, when you see these heroes traveling in airports, please join me in saying a sincere "thank you" to them! Kim External Blog Boy who is proud to be a friend of USS Blog Boy 🙂
Lawrence
Explorer C
Uh, where exactly would "Chinatown" be when you're in Hong Kong??
doncie
Explorer A
Francisco... Thank you so much for your service and tour of duty for our country. I feel like I've gone on a cruise when I read your stories and see your wonderful pictures. I appreciate your sharing them with us and educating us all. I have learned so much from your tours. Keep us up to date with your next stop. Be safe. God Bless. Prayers, Donna