So this update is well overdue, but better late than never. Before Audrey and I went on our amazing trip to Thailand and Fiji, I had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in Okinawa Japan and enjoying the local environment there. Not only did I get to experience the local Japanese culture, I also had the enjoyment of meeting up with a few old friends that I had not seen in quite a while. The on base hotel was full for the first 10 days we were in town, so of course we roughed it and stayed at a four star hotel with a great view and a fantastic happy hour special on the 10th floor (which ironically was the floor that my room was on, while most of the squadorn was spread out onto other floors). First things first, it's time for a Habu Viper shot. A little history about this particular shot to understand it's true meaning. The Habu Viper is a pit viper that grows about 6-7 ft in length and is native to Okinawa. It's extrememly poisenous and for a while the only way to survive a bite from one was immediate amputation; now there's an anti-venom but it needs to be taken immediately after the bite. The details of how exactly this shot is made varied from who we talked to...but the jist of it was they take this snake, alive and drown it in a jar of alcohol (not sure the ype, probably saki or something). The snake is then preserved in this jar by the alcohol and the whole mixture is left to ferment for a while. Legend would have it that those who drink a Habu Viper shot, absorb the power of the snake and its venom. So, seeing as how we are a bunch of Viper pilots...it only seemed logical. The shot wasn't that bad, I've definitely had worse, but I would not reccommend it to those with weak stomachs. The trip overall was blast, I was able to fight against F-15's and F-22's throughout multiple exercises and dogfights. We had time to eplore some of the local dive sites, complete with some secluded caves, as well as some historical bunkers left over from WWII. Of course, I grew out a TDY mustache, which Audrey did not appreciate after not seeing me for two weeks...it lasted not even 5 mintues once I arrived back into Korea as I was forced to shave at the airport if I wanted a ride back. I was definitely sad to leave when our time was up, but looking forward to our vacation upon m
y arrival back in Korea.
So this update is well overdue, but better late than never. Before Audrey and I went on our amazing trip to Thailand and Fiji, I had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in Okinawa Japan and enjoying the local environment there. Not only did I get to experience the local Japanese culture, I also had the enjoyment of meeting up with a few old friends that I had not seen in quite a while. The on base hotel was full for the first 10 days we were in town, so of course we roughed it and stayed at a four star hotel with a great view and a fantastic happy hour special on the 10th floor (which ironically was the floor that my room was on, while most of the squadorn was spread out onto other floors). First things first, it's time for a Habu Viper shot. A little history about this particular shot to understand it's true meaning. The Habu Viper is a pit viper that grows about 6-7 ft in length and is native to Okinawa. It's extrememly poisenous and for a while the only way to survive a bite from one was immediate amputation; now there's an anti-venom but it needs to be taken immediately after the bite. The details of how exactly this shot is made varied from who we talked to...but the jist of it was they take this snake, alive and drown it in a jar of alcohol (not sure the ype, probably saki or something). The snake is then preserved in this jar by the alcohol and the whole mixture is left to ferment for a while. Legend would have it that those who drink a Habu Viper shot, absorb the power of the snake and its venom. So, seeing as how we are a bunch of Viper pilots...it only seemed logical. The shot wasn't that bad, I've definitely had worse, but I would not reccommend it to those with weak stomachs. The trip overall was blast, I was able to fight against F-15's and F-22's throughout multiple exercises and dogfights. We had time to eplore some of the local dive sites, complete with some secluded caves, as well as some historical bunkers left over from WWII. Of course, I grew out a TDY mustache, which Audrey did not appreciate after not seeing me for two weeks...it lasted not even 5 mintues once I arrived back into Korea as I was forced to shave at the airport if I wanted a ride back. I was definitely sad to leave when our time was up, but looking forward to our vacation upon m
y arrival back in Korea. 
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