Riccardo is in South Dakota!!! Joint Thunder 2007

The flight to South Dakota take us through Garden City in Kansas which took almost 4 hours of flight. Enduring the urge to piss and tolerating the desire to "Do business" and not to mention it was not a slumber flight from Dallas to Garden City. Sorry, there is not washroom on flight or nice cushion seat. Just a bag for you to pee in and stretched red cloth seats for you to seat in. Welcome to the world of CH47 Chinook Helicopter long route navigation. When I thought that 4 hours on a United Airway flight to Toronto was uncomfortable, just add in a couple more vibration, a sensation of lost of gravity and too much gravity that make you air sick and noise pollution that needs an ear plug for the entire flight. Thats my first experience on board a Chinook helicopter flying for 4 hours straight. At less we got more leg room than we want for the flight and professional "Flight Stewards", the FE to ensure our flight although might not be the most comfortable one but always a safe one.

This guys are the pros man, can sleep in flight while I have problem even closing my eyes

Our flight steward "Mani"

Kudos to the pilot for maintaining the formation and making a beautiful synchronized landing, tandem formation at Garden City Regional Airport Kansas. Even the shut down of the engine was beautifully synchronized like some classical orchestra. We sure was a show of talent and skills to the few onlookers at the airport.

Welcome the RSAF Chinook to Garden City, Kansas!!!

We took the typical American Yellow School bus to our hotel for an overnight stay before the next leg of flight tomorrow. Destination, Holiday Inn at Garden City. Ha ha! My first experience taking the Yellow school bus!!! and probably my first experience taking a bus in USA. I really like the color, so bright, visible and thus save.

Go school lor!!

It was more like a nice hotel than to call it an Inn, great welcome food prepared for our arrival, WiFi Internet Service, nice hot shower and comfy slumber bed. Only problem is everytime I step outside the Inn, a subtle smell of cow shit is it the air. Sian man.... its like a rose stuck in a pile of shit. Luckily we are staying for a night only.

Today flight to South Dakota Rapid city is much more bearable than yesterdays. At less right now I am no longer a recruit but a amateur passenger of a Chinook long route navigation flight. Learn not to,

1. Drink too much
2. Take a heavy meal before the flight
3. Milk myself dry of piss before flight
4. Clear my bowel before flight
5. Fart in flight if need to to relieve those gas built up due to altitude change else get airsick.
6. Bring along a travel pillow on flight! Not for the head but for the lower back.

Manage to fall asleep this time round thanks to the travel pillow, can even play my Nintendo DS Lite Advance War Dual Strike without feeling giddy. Could even take a cheeky picture of Ah Bao and "Camel".

Wake up Ah Bao!!! On the left Adrian prove the value of a travel pillow...

The long is just too long for "Camel" to handle. Out comes the PSP

Reached South Dakota and unloaded all our stuff. South Dakota, unlike Dallas or Singapore with all the big shopping malls and skyscraper downtown, its a country side state with rolling hills, lots of open grass land, many trees on top of the hill and small humble little town. What caught my attention is almost everywhere I go, there is always some place to gamble. Not big lavish casino like Las Vegas but small-sized, less than 10 tables Casino scatter all around Rapid City and DeadWood. We have Dinner at the 4 ACES CASINO and went for a few round of Black Jack next. Thank god its not Deadwood cards I get but ACES card. Won 40 dollars for the day, enough to cover back my expenses for the past 2 days. Bets are minimum 2 dollars which is comfortable for me for I play for fun, not to earn money as mention before.

Well getting late already. Just have 2 rounds of Starcraft LAN games with couple of guys awhile ago. Gonna wait up for the free Hotel breakfast early in the morning. Gonna catch some sleep. Will keep this blog posted on more stuff during my tour of duty right here.