Port briefs: the best of

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Dan In MI
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Port briefs: the best of

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During my two deployments, all personnel would muster on the mess decks (according to pay grade) for a "port brief." These occurred a couple-few days before we pulled into port, and were intended to inform us about laws, local customs, and such. While corresponding with another member via PM, I was inspired to compile a list of one or two items from each port brief that stood out.

Singapore: pharmacies were off-limits (they sell medicines and such made from parts of endangered species). We also got the rundown on how Singaporeans pride themselves on living in a clean country, and the laws against unclean actions.

Bahrain: pharmacies were off-limits (I never conclusively determined why, but I suspect they offered for sale narcotics that are illegal under U.S. law). We were also to negotiate a price with taxi drivers before commencing a trip.

Dubau, UAE: getting into a taxi without a meter was forbidden.

Darwin, NT, Australia: do not get into a drinking contest with the locals. You will lose.

Phuket, Thailand: Tuk-tuks were operated by the Thai Mafia, so treating their drivers well was a must. One was also to be very respectful of the royal family.

If any of y'all have similar instructions or advice you received when traveling abroad, I'd be interested to hear them.
USN 2000-2006
Adaptable and (usually) affable knife enthusiast, unsure of his knife collecting destination but enjoying the journey
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woodwalker
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Re: Port briefs: the best of

Post by woodwalker »

Dan In MI wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 12:59 am During my two deployments, all personnel would muster on the mess decks (according to pay grade) for a "port brief." These occurred a couple-few days before we pulled into port, and were intended to inform us about laws, local customs, and such. While corresponding with another member via PM, I was inspired to compile a list of one or two items from each port brief that stood out.

Singapore: pharmacies were off-limits (they sell medicines and such made from parts of endangered species). We also got the rundown on how Singaporeans pride themselves on living in a clean country, and the laws against unclean actions.

Bahrain: pharmacies were off-limits (I never conclusively determined why, but I suspect they offered for sale narcotics that are illegal under U.S. law). We were also to negotiate a price with taxi drivers before commencing a trip.

Dubau, UAE: getting into a taxi without a meter was forbidden.

Darwin, NT, Australia: do not get into a drinking contest with the locals. You will lose.

Phuket, Thailand: Tuk-tuks were operated by the Thai Mafia, so treating their drivers well was a must. One was also to be very respectful of the royal family.

If any of y'all have similar instructions or advice you received when traveling abroad, I'd be interested to hear them.
Dan: I too was in Bahrain back in 1980. We went downtown where we would buy gold chains (paid for by the gold weight) and bought a nice Nikon EM camera there. I remember the smell of the tea brewing in the air. I was sitting off the dock eating a Kit Kat bar with my legs dangling off the pier when I seen the biggest hammerhead shark in my life right below me! I eased up off the dock right fast! I remember their prayer music blasting through the speakers as well. Not the best port call I had but you brought back memories. :) I was on the USS LaSalle (Great White Ghost of the Arabian Coast)
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Dan In MI
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Re: Port briefs: the best of

Post by Dan In MI »

woodwalker wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:15 am I too was in Bahrain back in 1980.
I liked Bahrain okay. Probably the worst thing about it was that the dollar was really weak against the Bahraini Dinar when I was there. My favorite ports were probably Dubai, Singapore, and Phuket.

Glad you enjoyed the post!
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zzyzzogeton
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Re: Port briefs: the best of

Post by zzyzzogeton »

Some that I remember were:

Don't spit on the sidewalk or street in Singapore - big fine.

Don't put all your money in one pocket in Olongapo, PI. You WILL be pickpocketed.

Remember the color of the train you get on in Yokosuka, Japan. 5 stops on the red line is different from 5 stops on the black, yellow or green lines. 5 stops on the Red Line, you were almost in Tokyo. 5 on the Black Line, you haven't hardly left Yokosuka.

Never go anywhere alone - PI and South Korea

Never drink anything with ice in it in the PI unless you were in one of the clubs or restaurants on base.
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Dan In MI
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Re: Port briefs: the best of

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zzyzzogeton wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:46 am Never drink anything with ice in it in the PI unless you were in one of the clubs or restaurants on base.
The water there must have been really nasty! NAS Lemoore's tap water is visually indistinguishable from JP-5 (the U.S. Navy's preferred jet fuel).
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zzyzzogeton
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Re: Port briefs: the best of

Post by zzyzzogeton »

Dan In MI wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 5:06 am
zzyzzogeton wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:46 am Never drink anything with ice in it in the PI unless you were in one of the clubs or restaurants on base.
The water there must have been really nasty! NAS Lemoore's tap water is visually indistinguishable from JP-5 (the U.S. Navy's preferred jet fuel).
From what I understood, the Olongapo water system filtered the solids out of the water to clear it up, but treatment for suspended bacteria with chlorine was iffy. Sometimes the water was adequately treated and at other times not.

Not a big deal for the locals as after they had their first dose of the runs, their bodies tolerated the nasties OK. For newbies from the states with no resistance built up, one swallow was all you needed to get the latest variety of the runs. From what I was told, sailors and their families stationed at Subic Bay or Cubi Point would usually get sick at some point in their first month there and then they were good to go on drinking the local water. For sailors getting underway in 2 days to 2 weeks, no so good.
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