(Green print = Nice Hotel, Red = Bates Motel, Purple=bar/restaurant, )
= Baseops Pick - a Hotel taking top honors, great service and facilities for crew dogs.   

NSTU, Pago-Pago American Samoa - GCA International, Inc tel 684 699 7877 fax 684 699 6655 CONUS POC (tel) 623 935 6520 fax 623 935 6568 (aircraft ground handling company). Rainmaker Hotel (dump) is the only hotel that is survivable. Roaches, rats, mildew and no cable. The air conditioning works almost half the time. Good places to eat are a ten minute walk away and will be obvious as you walk by. DO NOT CREW REST HERE. ~I concur the Rainmaker sucks, But there is hope  the Pago Pago Inn and there is new one on the plan. give Bill (GCA Intl)a call at 623935 6520. GCA Intl and AMC have parted due to a difference of opinion. If you are not flying AMC give us a call. we service everyone but AMC. Al the info is on our web at www.gcainternational.com - commerical services.

~Clarion Tradewinds Hotel was a nice hotel!   Big upgrade in Pago over previous facilities. Hotel is now 3-4 years old. King size beds, working A/C, good cable, clean showers and most importantly; no room lizards like in the old "rainmaker" (now defunct). Hotel restaurant bar/hotel is good but limited selection. Recommend Anna's Hideaway for a good Mex style dinner. Short cab ride, food takes a long time but well worth it.  Clarion Hotel Tradewinds (684) 699-1000 was clean and close! Good place in the middle of a dump island. Wireless in the hotel's coffee shop. The hotel restaurant, Equator, actually had great food - though pricey. Reduce crew rest here, because the hotel is close and quick and the island is 3rd world.

Brisbane, Australia - Holiday Inn 61-7-32382222 was a nice hotel with pubs and restaurants nearby. At Brisbane International our handling agent was Brisbane Jet Base, 61-73860 phone, www.adagold, or 129.9 Mhz. Glen was running the show - fuel, customs, food and drink was outstanding. Glen will broker the exportation of some XXXX Bitter or other hooch from Down Under. The Aussies' seem to like Americans more than we like ourselves, and their a-political outlook is a pleasant change.

Geelong, Australia - Sheraton 4 Points was great! (0011 61 3 5223 1377).  We came down for the Avalon Airshow. Town of Geelong is 20 minutes away. Hotel is brand-new and very nice, across the street from the bay and park. Many restaurants and bars abound. Go to Irish Murphy's for great beers and food with an Irish flavor. If you have a car check out the "Great Ocean Road", for a neat drive down the coast all the way to the 12 apostles.

Perth, Australia - The Crown Plaza Perth will meet the US Per Diem rate if you ask the manager. The taxi ride from the base (RAAF Pearce) is expensive so make sure you get a receipt. The northbridge area has the best nightlife but was mostly dead on the Tuesday night we were there. The hotel can arrange for cheaper transportation back to the base. Expect a 45 minute ride.

RAAF Williamtown, Australia -  Hotel IBIS, Newcastle (61-2-4925-2266 / Fax 61-2-4925-3373) was decent.  Accommodations on base are slim pickings. There is virtually nothing hotel wise available just outside the base. There is an O'club on the base that serves a daily buffet that ran about $20AUS. We stayed at the Ibis hotel in Newcastle which was about a 20 min drive from the base. The drive each day was worth it, though as the hotel and staff were great and went out of their way to accommodate the "Yanks". The hotel is a few block from the train station that will get you into Sydney in a couple of hours for about $7.50AUS round trip. There is plenty to do right around the hotel (with a short walk). The waterfront offers a few more hotels (better positioned but a bit more expensive) such as the Crown Plaza, and Noah's as well as a few pubs including the "Brewery" which is an all nighter type pub with a great view of the harbor.  Try Darby Street (a couple of blocks away) for all of the great restaurants, a great local pub - The Hotel Delany and a really good Irish Pub - M.J. Finnegans.

Sydney, Australia - Ibis Sydney is a short drive from the airport and about $15 taxi ride to the center of Sydney. The Ibis has food / bar in the hotel which is open almost 24 hours. Kings Cross area of Sydney has packed bars any night of the week.  The FBO at Sydney IAP is great and with 30 mins notice can provide alomost any needed service. The are called Universal Aviation and the Operations Coordinator is James Nainggolan. Their VHF is 131.95, phone is 61 2 9693 0877 and email: sydeny.ops@uvglobalnetwork.com.  Hotel Ibis Sydney, Australia (+61)2/95630888 was great.  We stayed at the Ibis in Darling Harbour for a week (coordinates for you google earth types: 33°52'16.53'S 151°11'52.94'E ). The Novotel is right next door, but usually only has a few rooms to give out at the mitary rate. Its about a 20 min ride from the airport (YSSY) and fairly easy to get to (rental car desk at airport provided directions). The area is heavily populated by tourists, so the prices for food and beverage are a little higher than can be found a short walk away (or one stop on the monorail which stops at the Harbourside entrance to the Ibis). You can't be better plugged in to Sydney (at the military rate) than here. Darling Harbour is very picturesque anytime day or night with a great view of the Sydney skyline. The harbour is lined with more pubs, bars and restaurants than can mentioned. We started out at the 'Club 26' bar at the end of the Pyrmont bridge...about a 5 minute walk from the hotel and made for watching the crowds. If you want to venture down to the Opera House, take the monorail to the City Center station and walk straight down Pitt St to Circular Quay (about a 10 min walk). Just to the west of the opera house is the 'Rocks', where there are more pubs than you could ever hit in one TDY. The 'Fortunes of War' is a good place to start here (almost directly across from the opera house on George St) and a block further down is the 'Orient' pub. Try out the Three Wise Monkey's Pub (555 George St Sydney) for a more local crowd and three levels of pubs and dance floors. For a late night, be sure to head to the 'Slip Inn' pub (111 Sussex St, Sydney) for a great crowd and numerous fine beers. On the way back to the hotel, hit the 'Cargo' bar in Darling Harbour nearby the Aquarium. Upscale and trendy...its the place to see the Aussie celebs and 'beautiful people'...i.e. collared shirt and no shorts. Cabs are pretty easy to come by just about any time day or night and are reasonable. We had conferences at the naval facility just to the east of the opera house and cabbed in every day for about $5US.

Dhaka, Bangladesh - Paradise Garden Hotel Ltd Pvt. was decent.  One of four embassy approved places that air crew can stay at. There is no fire protection here, no sprinklers or fire extinguishers here. The ability to have any kind of force protection is non existent as there is easy access to the front of the hotel, no gates, and the hotel staff will give out room numbers and names to anyone who asks. Our entire crew got sick when we were there, but that could have been from any place. The internet access is limited and costs 50 Taka per half hour. The nice thing is that you are in the embassy district and in a control zone so your chances of encountering criminal elements are greatly reduced. Shopping here can be great, ask to see the pearl vendor near DIT 2 where all the leather and antique shops are. The American Club is really the only safe place to eat and work out. If you get a chance, spend some time with the street kids at the ABC school run by the American International School Dhaka.

Diego Garcia, BIOT - AMCC is your point of contact for everything here. They have snorkel gear, bicycles, and other sports equipment that will make your stay bearable. There is a shuttle that runs between the airfield and the base, or check out a bike unless you want to hoof it everywhere. Friday night at the clubs is make your own pizza night. The O'club has live music and a patio right on the beach with a local live band that was decent. There is a comissary-type store with convenient hours and a "ship's store" with BX-type stuff and movies for rent. Check out the outdoor theater with 2 shows per night next to the well-equipped gym. The Seamen's Club has really good chow. Burgers and Bytes has short-order junk food as well as computers for surfing if you happen to catch them open. If not, there is also a internet cafe with free computers if you don't mind waiting an hour or so for 30 mins of net time. Get a FREE haircut at the barber shop next to the Q's. Also, get one of the locals hanging outside your Q to put a spitshine on your boots for 4 bones! Best sorkeling is on the lagoon side near the E-club -- beautiful water, coral, and fish. Watch for jellyfish, sharp coral, and the equatorial sun.  Fishing at Diego is incredible. Talk to Vic at the Marina. He can set you up with a trip for 7 bones total--5 for the boat and guide, 2 for the pole. It is best to be at the marina early, I think it opens at 0700. Also, if you are at Diego on the weekend, go to the plantation on the other side of the island. It costs 1 dollar for a pass you have to get from the BIOT police. They have a shuttle bus that runs three times a day. Bring snorkeling gear, the beaches on the Lagoon by the plantation are like no other--pristine, and not crowded.

Anderson AFB, Guam - Outrigger is a very nice hotel with an excellent location - right in the middle of food, entertainment, beach, etc. The only problem with the Outrigger is that checkout can take forever, just plan your alert sequence accordingly. ~Pacific Islands Club (P.I.C.) was fantastic! Excellent crew rest awaits! The PIC is a full resort with snorkeling, swim-thru aquarium, water park, slides, golf, tennis, sailing, etc. Everything you could ask for (which explains why billeting is hesitant to send you there). Each meal is an international buffet, often catering the Japanese vacationers but good food. Noshing at the buffet costs $12-Breakfast, $18-Lunch, and $25-dinner. Military discounts apply, just show your ID at the counter or ask for coupons at the front desk. 24-hour burger bar is ok for a midnight fix. Honor bar is available in your room, but don't buy anything. $5.50 for a can of Pringles? Yeesh! Lots to do if you're into water activities, plenty of fun downtown, and the A/C works VERY well. The PIC is well worth the 30 minute bus ride. You'll never want to leave! ~If you are on-base: The billeting rooms have recently been remodeled. It's a two-room suite with a microwave and refrigerator. If you're stuck on-base with no UDI (typical), you can rent a car at the pax terminal/base ops ($35/day) or ask about the shuttle bus schedule to get around base. Or head to the golf course or the on-base beach (follow the signs on the far side of the runway that say "Beaches"). Oscar's Bar is down at the end of the road across from Turagi Beach. There's typically an Outdoor Rec trailer from which you can rent snorkeling gear for a few bucks. ~On-base is less than spectacular, we had to change rooms due to ants and roaches.  Also, the base is spread out so get a rental car or take the shuttle bus.  The National Rental Car place at the AMC Terminal will pick you up.  FYI, taxi's can't come on base after 9pm so if you get to billeting after then you're screwed since everything else closes (except pizza delivery).  If you are stuck there, take a drive around the island (about 3 hours).  Also, the base beaches are usually deserted.  ~Outrigger/Hilton was a nice place, although the part about checkout taking forever is right on. Ideal location with Hard Rock at the base and across from the Viking and down the street from Club USA, both must do clubs. Get the 5 dollar massage from the older lady at the Viking. Watch out for the maids is you stay on base, our Nav had his clothes stolen and at bus time was calling the maid at home where she had his stuff. Hilton is a bit far down from the action but a nice hotel nonetheless. It's a 10 dollar cab ride to the action, great breakfast buffet downstairs.

~Royal Orchid hotel was a dump! Just got back from several trips though Guam. On the first way though got put up at the Hyatt, downtown. Nice place! Right on the beach and centrally located for all the food and shopping. Second stay got sent to the Royal Orchid..... A dump! The first thing that you notice is the smell. A cross between mold and mothballs; radiates though the entire place, and bad enough that some did not get good crew rest. Second, the place is in need of a remodel. Torn carpet and walls that have pealing paint or patched paint. Finally, the refrigerator in the room was broken and the ice-machine on the floor did not work. During checkout ops called to extend our stay and we then called billeting for another hotel. They threatened to send us to on-base lodging and we figured that it was better than the Orchid... Ended up at the Marriot across the street... Very nice! Plan on walking or taking a cab to get something to eat or for entertainment. Also don't plan on a vehicle from trans unless it is mission essential.

Hong Kong - New World Renaisance hotel was a Palace! (852-236-94111) Great hotel on the river over looking Hong Kong. It's less than 1/4 mile from great shopping, a park and the river boat to Hong Kong proper. The best bar area is Lan Kwai Fong. It's owned by US, Brit and Aussie Ex-patriots. A lot of fun, good prices and plenty of eye candy. Best days are the weekend.

Atsugi Japan- BOQ was very nice.  Limited parking depending on the airwing schedule. BOQ is very clean, three computers available in the lobby, walking distance to the flight line. Flight plan filing is done at Japanese base ops. Great Japanese take-out restaurant just outside the main gate. Go through the security area and it's on the same side of the street across the intersection.

Iwakuni MCAS, Japan - If you can avoid Iwakuni, do it. TA is slow, trans sucks, and the Q's are usually uncomfortable. There is an OK snack bar in the terminal, hours are anybody's best guess. The nearest city is Hiroshima so you can see the "Peace park", once is enough. The Sagura theater is FREE and shows first run movies. The new Eagles Nest is pretty nice, you can drink and play slots. The NEX is worth the cursory "shelf-check", highly encouraged because the cable sucks. Standard Navy hijinks with Officers and enlisted. They will usually stick you in the VOQ, not main billeting. Put off begging for better quarters as long as possible because it's useless to try. Oh, no DSN in the rooms. For AC's get ready for the walk to billeting to call the TTF or TACC. If you order your crew bus through a local, you wont get what you want. They have major contract problems. Talk to a Navy guy, ask for Chief Dougherty, he will help you. Iwakuni is one of those places you don't want to break at. ~Chicken Shack (or San Zouku, which means The Robbers Den): This is one place that everyone talks about here. There is a lot on the menu besides chicken, but the chicken is probably the best value there. The atmosphere is the neat thing about this place. There are several areas to eat; you can eat indoors at the low Japanese tables, or at tables outside on the hillside, with a stream, waterfalls, paper lanterns, etc.  There is at least one aircrew taxi now...  ~Kintai Inn (Main Billeting) was Super!  I read your gouge concerning Iwakuni before I left on a trip there.  Needless to see, your review paints a pretty dim picture.  I have to say though, the rooms were awesome!  All the rooms we had were the regular VOQ rooms and they were like suites.  A huge TV in the living room.  A TV in the bedroom.  A lot of channels on the tube (the most I have ever seen at an oversees location).  A big kitchen. The best part, new computers in every room with internet access for FREE!!!!!  These were definitely the best rooms I have ever seen on a Navy/Marine base and rivaled many of the top AF facilities.  The only edge  going to the free computers in the room.    The Eagle's Nest was good.  Great hours and great food a cheap prices.  The only problem we had was trying to store weapons and classified.  You would think no AMC crews had ever come through there before. Trans was great.  NEX was great.  I only wish we had more time off so we could get up to Hiroshma to see the sites.   

~I read the gouge before I left, so I decided to call ahead for rooms. Since it's a Marine base I told them we had 3 O-4's and 3 E-7's (Not a lie, just a guess) under my name for reservations and they put us all together. (They did ask for rank when I made the reservations, so I assume it makes some difference, but they didn't care at check-in) Nice size rooms with HI speed internet access (PC included) in some rooms. For dinner, we went off-base to a Sushi bar. Great food and service, the name escapes me, but it's out the gate, down to the '4 corners' and to the right. It's about 50yds (if that) on the right. Ask at the desk, they were very helpful. Don't expect lights or signs or anything else, just a traditional Japanese banner over the front of the door, but it's nice. (We walked past it the first time.) They have English menus and the prices are reasonable. (I went crazy buying Sake and Kirin for the crew plus loads of sushi for about $45) Enjoy

Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan - O'club has excellent brunch starting at 1000 on Sunday. You get free pizza on Tuesday, and free "Chicago style dogs" (Really mini weeners, about half normal size hot dogs) on Wed. Of course Friday night still rocks with all the regular chicks there hanging out. 14$ for a 30 day temp membership is well worth it. ~When in Kadena with a short layover, try eating at The Four Seasons Steak House. Excellent lunch specials and good local beers too. Cooked right in front of you at a reasonable price to boot. Open daily from 1130-2300. One block from there is the Tiger Embroidery shop. They make flight patches of all sorts which can be mailed worldwide. Command post sells the old MAC purses, $10 ea, the inserts cost $2 ea. ~Okay, I have figured out all the places you do not want to stay at Kadena. The Sunabe is family style living, 8 to a room, enough said. Morimar near Tori Station isn't bad, but it is 3 bedrooms and a community living area, great for parties. Airway Inn near Naha is a 30 minute ride and as tiny as a room can get. The bathroom would be outdone by a airline bathroom. Rooms are hot and air kicks off when you pull your key out of wall. Not suitable for crew rest at all. Sunrise is borderline acceptable, across the street from Tigers and a 10 minute walk to the USO. the rooms were great compared to the above places we stayed at later on. Kadena is notorious for having bad, and I mean bad, ATOC/Pax terminal support. I don't think I got a load on time and in correct order at all in a month of flying in and out of there. Command post will routinely not answer their radios, and no one meets you in parking despite a 2 hour out cal, 30 minute call and on the ground call. Customs is the same.

Misawa AB, Japan - The sign at the Misawa Inn says "best in PACAF" but it should also say "Slowest in PACAF." We faxed ahead to get billeting and when we showed up they tried to put us off-base (after they lost our reservations) but there was nothing to be had so they put us up in the TLF's which at Misawa are spread all over the base and the one we stayed at was in one of the base housing areas. If you are here more than a day or two you'll want on-base. The TLF's are three-bedroom houses (scheduled for demolition) with full kitchen but on the whole not to bad. FYI, you can't dial DSN from the TLF's so call 226-9899 to get a phone patch. Food-wise there are a few places right out the main gate but if you are stuck on-base the Cafe Moketeki (located inside the community center) is open 24 hours and has a good selection of food and full coffee bar. If you get off-base, park at the BX and walk, it's not far. Once out the gate, veer right down the alley where you'll find the famous Stagger Inn. Good pizzas and beer, there's a "mug club" which means cheaper beer and a mug you eventually keep. Also there is the Cheese Roll and Noodles which is farther down from the Stagger and is supposedly good. Trans was good to us but the vehicles were a little different. It looked like a standard small Japanese pickup truck but the shifting was different. It was a stick-shift with the shifter on the steering column instead of on the floor. Lastly, if you break here, call Outdoor Rec for information on local skiing.

Yokota AB, Japan - This place rocks. First of all, if you stay on base the per diem is about $40. However, if they let you stay in Tachikawa, the perdiem is about $125. Not a bad deal. On top of this, the Tachikawa Palace Hotel (042-527-1111) is a fully western hotel located near a major train station that has two department stores/malls adjacent to it. These places are filled with awesome restaurants and shops (great Asian food as well as food for the typical uncultured American). The service is incredible at this place and bathrooms feature, check this out, a bidet. I was expecting a tiny room but it surprised me with its spaciousness.  ~We deploy here often and here is the scoop. Communist Gyoza, AKA Gyoza Heaven, is located near the train station at Tachikawa, get a Tachikawa map from the Yujo Rec Center, take the train and look for the shake and 3 fries symbol for Tachikawa station. Called the Communist due to strict no doggie bag rules, great gyozas, like dumplings. Next place just outside Fussa gate and to the right 4 blocks is a place we call Bruce Lee's Chinese, because he has a bunch of Bruce Lee posters. Great chinese. Yujo Rec Center has a bunch of tours,like climb Fuji and other awesome trips, book early. Outback, next to O'club has good food and beer, especially if you are staying in building 120,across the street. E'club has great pizza delivery.

Gwang-Ju AB, Korea - Hidden Valley Inn was a total dump.  Kunsan is great compared to this place. If you're going there your scheduler screwed you over. We were forced to divert in there to pick up cargo. The controllers' English is horrible. Gwang-Ju is a ROK base with a 30-person USAF presence keeping the lights on. The base commander happens to be a Captain. If you can stay off-base it's great (big city 1.2 million people) but on base you're screwed. Make sure you read the Giant Report and do a thorough airfield study. Although the base has F-5's and scheduled airline service, the taxiing is sporty to say the least. There are construction cones and equipment all over the place. One of our crews almost taxied into a ROK airman on a bicycle and during engine start they were playing soccer 20 yards away and accidentally kicked the ball in front of us a number of times. The cadre at Gwang-Ju will put you up in self-service contingency dorms complete with bottled water since it is not potable. The room is free so you get what you pay for. ;-) Food-wise your only choice is the Food Court across the street from billeting open 7-7 every day. There is a small shopette, Anthony's Pizza and American Grill. For cheap booze, check out Yoda's, the only bar on base. You can get loaded for $5 easy. For mission planning head to the Command Post but for filing just use the ROK 1801 and drop it off at the ROK base ops.

Kunsan, Korea - Front Motel - I wouldn't want anyone to even think about staying here, so I won't give you the number. First of all, don't RON at Kunsan unless you absolutely have to. If you're faced with having to RON here, then lie, cheat, steal, just do whatever you can to get out of there. As of Aug 01, most of the visitor's quarters on base are occupied with permanent party, so you will be off base. Most of the hotels are in the city of Kunsan, which is about 10 miles from base. We stayed at the Front Motel, which SUCKED! I should've clued into the red lights illuminating the hallways. The clue light for me came on when I entered the hot, small room and saw a condom machine at the head of the bed and pubes in the sink. Thank God I had a small can of Lysol, which I used to disinfect the bed and bathroom. For those of you who like hair dryers, there's a coin operated hair dryer on the dresser. My room didn't have a coin-operated vibrating bed, but I'm sure I could get one if I asked. Problem was, NOBODY speaks English here. I hope this will be the low point of all my billeting experiences.

Personally I've seen better TA and servicing at civilian FBO's back in the States. EVERYTHING is geared towards the fighters so expect to do everything yourself, hands down the WORST transient support I've ever seen for a heavy. When you arrive you can try to call command post or AMCC but they never answered our radio calls (this was the case the whole week, even after we talked to them on the phone). Try to get the frequency for the SOF in the tower and they can make things happen. If you get to land on the first approach you're lucky since they will usually break you out for the fighters. Heavy aircraft will shutdown the runway if you land on 36 because you have to back taxi to park. Basically the only taxiway for heavies is Bravo due to taxi restrictions on the parallel. Security Forces and Customs met us at the plane and then everyone left before we could ask for a lift to Base Ops. Our crew chiefs asked TA about fleet servicing and they replied, "What's fleet service?" In order to check NOTAMs at Base Ops you normally have to kick one of the people off their computer. Overall the biggest hassle was Trans. Make sure you call ahead for a U-drive if you can. They were more than happy to drive us around but that wasn't the hassle. If you are lucky to get a U-drive, someone has to take a 45-question driving test and then they have to take you off- base for a short orientation (not cool at 1 am). If you land late and need food your only option is the Community Center (open 24 hours and booze is available). There is also the local AAFES (Taco Bell, Robin Hood, etc) fast-food place called the "Jet Stream” which closes at 10 pm. There is a curfew off base (midnight) so grab booze and food before you leave the base; the BX is next to the "Jet Stream". Billeting is scarce so make sure you call ahead for reservations since you will most likely be off-base. We were put up at the Kunsan Tourist hotel, which is in downtown Kunsan. We were  impressed that they had a bellhop and rooms were decent however the restaurant upstairs is not that great. If you need Won you can get it at the front desk and not get screwed on the exchanged rate. There are a number of restaurants and bars with walking distance of the hotel but good luck finding an English menu. There is an area not to far from the base called "A-town" which caters to Americans. It is nothing more than a few streets with restaurants and bars. At the entrance, there is a guy who will change dollars into Won; it’s the first place on the right when you get to the top of the hill. For awesome Korean food, across from the guy who does Won-exchange is a place called “Cherry Boys.” Ten bucks will get you some of the best bulgogi (Korean barbeque with rice) you’ve ever had and a beer.   

~Kunsan was a dump! Thanks for making those of us who spent a YEAR in the Wolf Pack busting our butts on those "fighters" you obviously despise feel so worthy. It was never designed for MAC, why the attitude? Yes, Osan is a paradise in comparison. Something constructive - there are TWO billet structures at the Kun. Sounds like you were in the one by the theater. Yeek! Ask for space across the "golf course". Still not terrific, but at least the walls won't shake in the wind. Oh, and A-Town is GREAT if you don't wimp out too early... (enlisted)  ~What IS "fleet service"? Emptying your trash and toilet? Um, no sir, dumpster is right over there. Ops OIC desk is second door on the right...

Osan, Korea - The only good thing about the Garden Hotel is that it's right downtown next to all the good shopping.  However, the room felt like a musty prison cell.  I slept on top of the comforter and didn't take a shower in the morning cause I didn't trust the water.  There are great bars and good entertainment all over the place.  There is a military 2 A.M. curfew, however, and it's enforced very seriously.  No cover charges anywhere and every bar has dancers on stage... although they all looked very bored with their jobs.  The Asia Hotel (031-664-2367) is definitely one of the better hotels at Osan. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Rooms are good, pretty roomy with small kitchenettes that have a sink, microwave, and full refrigerator. TV/VCR combo in all rooms. If you have a LAN card with your laptop computer, they have some rooms with free broadband internet access. They've also got two computers in the lobby for guests to surf, check e-mail, etc. It's close to the main gate and within easy stumbling distance of the bars. If you need to do laundry, the staff will give you a laundry sack & do your laundry for you. You can check out their website, it's www.shinbiro.com/~songtan 

TA was helpful but did a horrible job parking us, we didn’t know what they were trying to do and didn’t use the hand signals properly. When you arrive, you don’t just have Customs meet you at the airplane, you also have to go to Korean Immigration before they let you go. Also, you must “out-process” through them or risk having ATC prohibit you from taking off (actually happened to someone). FYI, you can have one crewmember take everyone’s immigration/customs cards along with their ID’s to in and out-process them. If you are staying off base, Trans cannot take you to the hotel. After getting your Non-A slip, a shuttle bus from your hotel will pick you up. During the week, there is a curfew at midnight so if you arrive late, plan accordingly. We stayed at the Victoria Hotel and were very impressed with the friendly staff. They didn’t have any beer in the fridge in the lobby so they actually went out and brought us free beer at 1 in the morning despite it being –10 C outside. The front desk staff is more than happy to have food delivered for you. Command Post can get you a phone patch (661-7000); it wasn’t listed on the card in our rooms. Making calls is a big pain in the butt. The hotel is located smack-dab in the middle of all the shopping. Make sure you head to “Royal Bag” for flight gear and luggage tags. “Mr. Bo’s GQ” is around the corner and will custom make an A-2 flight jacket with all the trimmings (including a liner) for $140. A complete mess dress will set you back $260 (you have to provide the insignia). “Best Gortex Shop” will sell you a 3-in-1 Columbia or North Face Jacket knock-off for $60. Most of the places will ship to you and will make you pay the 4% credit card fee is you use plastic. Food- wise, Burger King is across the street from the Victoria and McDonald’s is up the street. The front desk has a little book of the places that deliver. Victoria Hotel was nice.  Rooms are clean and well maintained. The A/C works this is very useful during Monsoon season. Centrally located to all shopping, night life and four blocks to the base front gate. Hotel has free drinks in a refrig in the lobby, water soda and beer for the guests. The owner walked to freedom with his Mother across the border from the Evil North when he was a child. Reliable Hotel shuttle van to the base. ~Prince hotel is a four star hotel only a few blocks from the main gate. Osan Tourist Hotel is a DUMP! Dirty, dank and very little to no hot water. Not a nice thing after a long flight. The bright side, close to the gate, shopping and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. FREE high speed internet in the lounge! Pizza Club, Great pizza near the gate. -135's take note, palletized cargo on these jets coming here is not ATOC's specialty! Transient support is fair to partly cloudy........nuff said.

~Turumi hotel was a palace!  Lodging on base is nice, internet access available for $1.25 per half hour in the business center. Oriental House, one of the on-base food delivery options, is really bad. Eat on the economy or on the base -- just don't eat at the Oriental House!

~ Five Star hotel was nice 031 665-8354. Outstanding service. The owner; "GI" Joe provides aircrew with anything you may need. From free "Hite" beer to computers in each room. His staff goes out of their way to please. They will drive you anywhere in the area to include pick ups at the bars at curfew time. The rooms are standard for Korea. Ask for the Five Star in your three hour out call.

~Hotel Capital 611-7811 was decent. If billeting is full, don't expect them to hook you up with contract quarters. There is a book they will let you look at to find one your like. Also, there are usually a couple hotel owners loitering around the lobby to drum business. We opted for the Hotel Capital since the bus was right there. The owner is all about service: free cooked to order breakfast, free shuttle bus, free booze up in the bar, free drop-off laundry, decent cable TV, and T1 internet connections in your room. For coffee fiends, head to The Coffee Tree which is about halfway down the main drag down a side street on the left. The best non-Korean restaurant we found is called The Puffin. Go out the main gate and turn left. Turn right at the Fusion restaurant and go down the hill. It's a block down on the left. For good Korean food, turn right out the gate and about one block down is Han Yang. For those fortunate enough to break here, Seoul is quite easy to get to. First head to the BX and pick up a travel book for Seoul (e.g. Lonely Planet) and then head to the KEU Restaurant across the street from billeting. Buses leave every hour or so to Yongsan Army Base and costs $4.5 but you can get stuck in traffic. A cheaper and faster way is to head to Songtan Train Station (get a lift from your hotel or walk). For $1.5 you can go one way to Yongsan train station and transfer to the Seoul subway system (which is quite nice). There are three types of trains so catch the one that says "rapid service". Rechargable debit cards (T Money cards) are available but cost $2.5 and you put $10 on it. The upside is not having to buy tickets everywhere you go. The last train leaves for Songtan around 21:45 so plan accordingly.

~Asia Hotel was a palace!  I've stayed in some real nice places before, but for some reason when a room comes with a 60 inch TV and a computer with internet access, I could care less about anything else. They even had pretty good DVD's. Hotel manger drove us around and even offered to settle a dispute with a vendor. Breakfast was not bad considering 2 old ladies making it with god knows what in the kitchen. Pretty close to base, 10 min walk to the train station.

Ganci Airbase - Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Tent city set up after 911.  Good services: BX, gym, rec centers (x3) with a 2-beer limit via beer ration card, movies, barber,  library.  No Burger King, Pizza, etc. Chow hall is a mix of UGR's (bulk MRE's) and some fresh food.  Possibly expect MRE's for inflights or stock up on pretzels and coke at the BX.  If staying long, morale trips into downtown available.  Email/internet work good.  Tents have proper bunks with mattresses.  Check NOTAMS well.  Local control is a bit dicey at times but if you coordinate with the USAF/USMC controllers listed in NOTAMS you'll help yourself out.  Runway is in horrible condition, a real teeth-rattler on takeoff.  Local weather identifier UAFM is always doom and gloom.  Try French identifier EQBA for more accurate forecasts.  

~As of Apr 04, beer was cut off by the Wing CC. You could still go downtown, but you were not allowed to drink. You can still purchase near-beer on base (two bucks a bottle), but don't even think of bringing near-beer from the BX's (four bucks a six pack) in Afganistan to Ganci.

Kuala Lumpor, Malaysia - The Ritz Carlton is the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in.  We got arrangements to stay there made through a guy named Vince at the American Embassy.  They treat guests like Kings.  When we came back to our rooms after spending some time in downtown KL, our beds were turned down with a cookie and bottled water on the bedstand and slippers placed at the foot of the bed.  Any place that's got a phone next to the crapper is awesome.  In KL, visit China Town... it's a 2 dollar (10 ringit) taxi ride.  The Ritz has a decent bar next to the lobby.  IMPORTANT: if you are parked at the military ramp at the airport, then make sure you hit the bathroom before going back to the airport.  They don't have nice porcelain, they've got squatters.  Squatting's tough to do in a flight suit.  Check out the world's tallest building in KL... ~Park Plaza International (6-03-2711-8866) was very nice, a couple of average restaurants in the lobby and the pool/gym are small but other than that it's a palace... very nice rooms, huge bathrooms, etc. Also it is a five minute walk from the Petronas Towers (tall twin towers) and the huge mall that is attached. Chili's in the mall has happy hour from 3-9 and great margaritas. Also try Delaney's Irish Bar (in the Park Royal Hotel)... happy hour from 6-8 with great beer and excellent food. China Town is fun and taxis are the way to travel. Also check out the Bangsar district which has many popular bars and clubs and is very popular with Australians and other tourists.

Bucholz AAF, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands - Not much on the Atoll, you blink and you miss it...there are two buildings for aircrew to stay in-one at the billeting office and you can stay above Macy's (that is where you want to stay, seemed reasonably nice, brand new) Not much for a room, just the essentials (bed, tv with 2 channels AFRTS, and a bathroom), not many places to go eat, a cafe next Macy's or the Pacific Cafe, yumm Best bet is to go the miniBX and get some steaks or burgers and some beers and go to the beach and have cookout and take a swim, its beautiful, not much for an RON stop, but its quiet and calm. ~Accomodations are suitable over Macy's. Rent a bike for $5 per day - the only means of seeing the atoll. If you have any time on deck at all, go to the small boat marina and rent a mask and snorkel for $8 a day. Head to the north end of the Atoll and put in at the steps - ask anyone. You will discover some of the greatest snorkeling of your LIFE! If you have any more time, go out 1/2 day with some of the locals fishing. We caught a 50 lb Wahoo, ate it grilled and sashimi style at the outdoor saltwater pool. Enjoy...

Chuuk (Truk Islands), Micronesia - Field is 6000' with a small ramp and only served by NDB/DME approach. Getting a clearance to get out of there can be a pain if there are other inbounds since there is no radar and everything is done over HF. Served daily by Continental Airlines. There is a small USAF Civil Action Team (CAT) that maintains a compound above the airfield on a nearby hill. The only resort is the Blue Lagoon which is a nice place on the water. There's a couple restaurants and a bar there. The place is world famous with scuba divers because Truk was a major Japanese Naval Supply base in WWII and there are something like 50 ships sunk there due to a 1944 US raid. If you get to spend the night the locals will take you our snorkeling or diving on the wrecks for a reasonable fee. This is not a place you would normally plan to go to but if you do wind up there with a day off it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a beautiful tropical island and see some incredible military history.

Christchurch, New Zealand - Chateau at the Park was a great hotel  [03-348-8999] .  Don't do the hotel bar on weekends unless you like the geriatric scene. (Cheap beer, though).  ~Copthorne Commodore Hotel was very hospitable and clean hotel close to airport and downtown. Excellent bar and restaurant. Golf across the street at Russley CC. The Patterson Family goes out of the way to accommodate DOD travelers. Check out the free bus pass at front desk. Acceptable gym. Good pool/hottub.

Singapore - Diplomatic clearances are a hot topic with Singapore. You will overfly Malaysia on the way in and out. Make sure you you have it all in one sock, at least DIP-wise, before you even think of taking off for or from Singapore. If you are going into Changi In'tl, contact Changi Ops at least 30 minutes out with ETA and fuel request. Take a close look at the Foreign Clearance Guide for entrance requirements. Changi Int'l provided us with excellent ground service. The operations center will provide transpo to the terminal for your baseops boogie and chow. The dispatch center was most helpful in flight planning. NOTE: the Singapore 1801 is a little different and you HAVE to use it. Find some copies beforehand or wait until you arrive. The SID for Changi is only found on the Jepp plates so find a way to get that, ideally before engine start! The food court is upstairs with excellent fried rice which they cook right in front of you. There are also the standard int'l airport shops for souvenirs, etc.

~Traders was a nice hotel. Contrary to popular belief, chewing gum is allowed in Singapore now. Most crews are put up at Trader's and get access to the Trader's Club which means free breakfast and free snacks in the evening. Taxis are dirt cheap. If you have one day to see everything here's a suggested itinerary (note, take a cab everywhere): Head to the gondola terminal to take the gondola to Sentosa island. Check out the island and then go back to the terminal. Proceed to Suntec City for some shopping or Nelson Circus to try the Hawker booths for food. From there head to Little India or Chinatown. The Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are definitely worth a visit. There's a 30 minute gap between when the Zoo closes and when the Safari opens. Other possibilities for your trip include crossing the border into Malaysia but be careful bringing back counterfeit DVDs as there was a crew chief that ended up in jail overnight for transporting adult DVD's across the border.

Paya Lebar, Singapore is the military base in Singapore. They have peculiar airfield hours and if this gets overlooked, you'll find yourself at Changi Int'l. There is an AMC rep located in the cargo shacks with a DSN line and a computer with internet access. There is also a decent base operations with weather, etc. TAKE HEED: check with Paya Lebar's dispatch to verify your departure routing and flight plan route. Chances are they have preferred routing for your destination and it won't match your CFP. Better to find this out sooner than later. Check the walls for their local SIDs. You won't take off to the South regardless of the winds. One other piece of advice...stock up on chow before your departure. There are very limited resources for food at Paya Lebar, i.e. a shack with with kettles of oriental noodle-fish-chicken-spice concoctions. If your into that sort of thing at 0500, great! If not, it will be a long flight unless you stock up beforehand. If you RON, there is a posssibility that they will put you up on the base, but not likely. We were "forced" to go downtown to a 5-star hotel, Traders, which treated us like kings! The opportunities for food, shopping, and entertainment are too numerous to mention. The hotel concierge was more than helpful with maps, directions, recommendations, etc. Denny's, Stuart Anderson's Black Angus, numerous sports bars, and plenty of oriental chow is all with walking distance and the cabs are cheap, too. After a few days with no ETIC they booted us from Traders and we were forced to endure a night at Sentosa Island's Shangri-La (65) 738-2222 FAX (65) 831-4314 ths@shangri-la.com  www.shangri-la.com , which is another luxury resort complete with private beach, pool, spa, and a 3-hour happy hour! Once again treated like royalty. Golf is available but a little pricey. Enjoy! ~If you drop in for a quick turn, ask the TA guy for orders of the Fried Rice. It is excellent, and you can get hot or mild. About $5.00 an order.  Paya Lebar - Loads and Booms read your foreign clearance guides carefully. Customs is not pleasant if your paperwork is not in order.

Bangkok, Thailand - The DAO will hook you up with transportation and accommodations.  Le Royal Meridien (662) 656-0444 was fantastic and has excellent service and great rooms, gym, hot tub/sauna and pool on the top floor.  Free breakfast to boot.  The Meridien is right downtown, next to Planet Hollywood (the PH  might be out of business now), and walking distance from Hard Rock Cafe. There's a good Thai place right across the street and a Starbucks.  Phantip Plaza is the place for bootleg software and VCDs.  You can't miss out on NaNa Plaza (2 train stations away)for the frog/fish/snake/dart "SHOWS" bar fines are 500 baht, beers are just under $2.  Raja's Tailors is right by NaNa and is a great place to get the interview suit custom made at a great price.  For jewelery there's Venus, Gems, and James.  Eddy the bus driver gives a good tour of the city and if you have time the Royal Palace is worth a look. Take care (food, tips) of Eddy and he'll take care of you. Basically, Bangkok is a great place to get drunk and see hundreds of naked women..... ~The Royal Crowne was awesome it's downtown on Sillim Drive near the embassies. There was a metric ass-ton of European College students staying there and we ended up partying with them. The bar is nice and has a 4 member girl band playing every night. There is a business office to check email in and great service allover. They treat you like royalty. Ask the bell-hop for help getting a taxi to the go-go's or a tour of the city. The Crowne is next to a big 5 story mall and there is a ton of shopping both there and on the street. Tons of old artifacts, suits, you name it. Everyone takes greenbacks, and the food rocks. Can't wait to go back. The rate was $100 but you have to check on per-diem. NAS Whidbey Travel gave us the wrong rate and we got screwed on the card 2 months later. I have nothing but good to say about it and the Montien in Pattaya. Make sure you hit the Croc farms for belts, shoes, and purses for the old lady!  ~Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit was a palace!  Superb rooms, handy to Cowboy Street and elevated train. 

Pattaya (Utaphao), Thailand - Dan Generette is the local rep for military flights into and out of Utaphao airfield. He is an outstanding rep (prior USAF with 20+ years) and will hook you up with transportation and accomodations. He'll probably ask if you have any preferences for the latter. If so, ask for the Royal Gardens or the Montien - call (66 38)428-155-6 for Montien. Excellent service and good food at the Montien. But the Royal Gardens offers equivalent service with a more convenient location (from a liberty perspective) and much better acomodations. The gym at the Montien doesn't even compare to the one at Royal Garden's. Both offer good in-house massage services, but again the Royal Garden has the edge in this category. That is, if you don't want to go out for a massage at one of the many places in Pattaya proper. ~Royal Garden Marriot was a Palace! You have not lived until you stay at the Royal Garden. It has the best breakfast buffet ever, excellent service, a nice bar that sells cigars, the best thai cuisine (hot hot hot) and a pool bar. It is situated in the middle of downtown Pattaya, so opportunities abound for entertainment and excellent restaurants. The Pattaya walking street is only 5 minutes away, where you can find some of the freshest seafood anywhere and then watch some kick-boxing at any of the streetside rings. The hotel itself is connected to one of the malls in town, and has many stores, a few good restaurants and a movie theater. Hard Rock Hotel +66 38 428755-9 / +66 38 421673 was a nice hotel.  Nov03 - Spent two nights at the Hard Rock. The gym rocks, the pool rocks, and the service...rocks. Ample internet access in the lobby, nice restaurant, and the rooms are clean and decent with a huge shower and comfy beds. The gym is complete with views of the pool for motivation. Located right next to the Montien, but in my opinion, a notch better.  Bring your golf clubs! Laem Chebang is a Jack Nicklaus designed course that can be played for $15 on Tuesdays, 'sport days'. It is incredibly beautiful, and the Caddies are great with 300baht being a good tip. Look out for 'sport days' at the other courses too, as you can play Monday through Thursday for $15 a pop. Taxi service can be arranged at the hotel or just outside the hard rock for 1000baht, or $25.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan -Tashkent, Uzbekistan is a real gem in the rough. The Hotel Intercontinental (011 998 71 120 7000) is a great place. The embassy gets the per-diem rate. Food in the  hotel is xpensive so try to eat on the economy. You get bags of money here as Per Diem, but can eat at local  restaraunts... with beer for about 5-7 dollars... The hotel would run you about $20. The bar in the hotel has  Happy Hour from 5-8 where you get two for one beers or local vodkas. That makes the beer about 3-4 dollars each if you pay in the local currency. Good work-out room, pool and sauna. Take the metro (70 sum = 8 cents) downtown... three stops and eat at the Restaraunt BAHOR. Ask for directions, but good food.. fancy, and with two glasses of wine, appetizer, soup and main dish came to $10. Check out what they call BROADWAY... a street with cafes and shopping. Taxis cost about 2000 sum ($2) but at the driver's descretion he may try to charge you 3000. Trade money at hotel for 910 sum per dollar, but you won't be able to trade it back unless you fill out a declaration at the airport when you arrived (we didn't). Not many people speak english on the economy, so if you can get a russian phrase book that would be a plus. 

Wake Island - Wake is almost Gilligan's Island, except no MaryAnne and Ginger. This tiny atoll can be really fun to visit. It has one bar, Drifters Reef, they will make you buy the bar if you wear your hat. These dudes wait for weeks for you to make that mistake. Mike is the "mayor" of Wake, he will greet you when you land. Call early and ask what they might need from civilization. Newspapers, milk, whatever. The trick is to get a fishing trip, and/or a "mits" mini pickup truck. Tour the island, it's beautiful, the MWR will loan you a PeeWee Herman bike- better with a "Mits". Gov quarters are circa Pan-Am flying Boat, they suck. Shoppette is open for 1/2 hour 6 days a week, 1700-1730. Per Diem and Lodging is $124, they will charge you $120 every day whether you eat or not, max profit is $4 a day. Bring meat and charcoal, beer, grills everywhere- Still a fun place to go and goof around, lots of history. ~If you haven't done Wake, you don't know what you are missing. Take heed to the signs about the sharks, they are not joking. Take the fishing trip, it costs $100 dollars us and can take 6 people, but you need to have closed toe shoes. The billeting is clean and is what you would expect in such an out of the way area. You will be too busy at the Drifters or fishing to use it so don't worry about it. There is new management out there now. The Air Force has finally accomplished what the Japanese have never been able to do and that is kick the Marines out of Wake. Expect good things to come down range from that including new runway, ramps, billeting, K-loaders, and other things that work and are not from the 50's. The new management is under a Mr. Carrol and John Hanna. Mr. Timmons left for Guam. They are super guys and very professional. They like it if you bring current magazines and newspapers for them. Also dog biscuits for their animals are always a plus. It is still same great place, just under new management. I anticipate a butt load of rules and regulations on the way now that the boys in blue have it, but there is nobody there to enforce them anyway so what difference does it make.

~Update to Wake Island Information:
(1) billeting renovation:
-courtesy of USAF, they are now segregating O's and E's. Building 1115 (by Drifter's reef) is being upgraded. Some rooms have new furniture, better lighting, tile floors, clean showers. First floor outdoor decking is coming soon. The E's are placed in bldg 1175 and is average at best.
(2) no change for drifter\s reef info. With the exception that the bridge to peale island burned to the waterline awhile ago.
(3) VCR/DVDs are available to check out from the library. No cost.
(4) The Dive club is now officially back in business. The cost is $35.00, whether you have your own gear or not. Coordinate with Nick (dive club president) in Ops or with Capt Trinh (base usaf "co"). The max is 3-5 divers per trip and that includes your dive master guide. One-day transient crews will not be allowed to dive, but if your delayed...have at it. The rental gear is adequate, but there is more inbound. We dove out side of the channel markers. Our max depth was 70 feet with a great view of the abyss into deeper waters. The visibility was in excess of 80-90 feet and lots of sealife. Reef fish, sea turtles, spotted rays aplenty.
(5) The runway resurfacing/repainting is finished. Plan for day operations only, for there are no runway lights in service right now.
(6) Base ops has been given a facelift with remodeling, new paint, etc. The store has increased its' variety and inventory and will accommodate transient aircrews ($$$).

~Fishing is great there. It is $125 for the boat, max of 6 people. It starts at 1700, and is with a Thai guide. Call early so you can reserve it (Mike Price is the svc guy there, call the ops number on the Giant report and they can transfer you to him). If you don't someone else may have it. We brought in some Jarhead fighter pilots and had the boat reserved, they did not, and were very pissed we beat them to the punch. We caught 14 in 2 hours.  Also, it is cool to talk to the peace officer there, he can give you a nice tour of the island including the bunkers and pow rock. We brought plastic single person rafts ($2 in Waikiki) and swam out in the lagoon with those and our cooler of course.

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