Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the Suicide cliffs of Okinawa. At the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. They jumped off the cliffs at the souther end of the main island. If you have seen theoriginal color footage taken at the time. I am sure you were moved with mothers holding their babies jumping to th...
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There were quite a few penguins up in town in the last couple of days. They just come right up to people seemingly because they are just curious. They are definately strange. The antics you see the penguins do on TV are for real. The music and the anthropomorphic dialog are not. The statements regarding the penguin's moral and ethical constitution are also added in the editing phase of film production. (just so you know).

There are also Weddell seals everywhere. Someone said they are in fat city this time of year because they don't have to worry much about a couple of holes in the ice to fight over. There are cracks and plenty of holes near the pressure ridges.

Last night I was on the 20 meter amateur radio band working a very large pile up across the Pacific and I made contact with a expedition coordinator in Patriot Hills Antarctica. Patriot Hills is quite a ways from here certainly, and I knew that the Polar first helicopter team was to be moving through the camp at this location about now. I discovered through my contact on ham radio the news of the team actually making it to the pole. I had heard about it before the world. The news is out now. K2ARB at patriot hills (KC4/K2ARB) and I had quite a chit-chat about staying warm and the goings-on on continent. I was hoping I could have talked with the pilots on the team but they had already moved on. That was great ham radio. The folks listening had a great listen I am sure.

Bonnie has hurt her ankle. That is not a good thing.

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