In Continuum.

Chinook



That little flying thing up here was exactly what i took yesterday for training.It was exciting,at least for me,to fly in a helicopter.Afterall,despite the numerous experiences that ive had over the years flying,what are the odds of ever flying in a helicopter in a live time?Well,if you are the wife of a terribly rich billionaire,whose main transport is a private jet then,a Chinook is somewhat like his bicycle.That is out of the question,definitely.

Anyway,so this is what was supposed to happen.The guys form up at the form-up point,and then the Chinook would land.We board the chopper,the ramp closes up and then we fly to our destination merely five minutes away.Upon landing,the ramp goes down,the guys run out and then prone out,forming a fan-shaped...thing.The chopper takes off,we head towards the RV-point,job well done.Easy,not as it seems.

First i was the backdraft of the chopper flying over our heads.The winds you see in movies,they were fake.Totally under-rated.As the chopper swooped down above our heads,we didnt feel a thing.Well,at first.Then it came,the wave of wind flew the boys off our feet,bringing along with it a wall of dust and leaves.Those came crashing down upon us and the lot of us took cover under our helmets and trees,which were of course,not of much use.

Then it came,the chopper landed.I was pumped,and i licked my lips with excitement and at the same time,tasted sand(That was disgusting).One of the crew came out of the lowered ramp,and signalled for us to dash for the chopper.Three,two,one,action.

We dashed across the gravel road,then upon the little field where the chopper was.The wind blew towards us like a F5 tornado,knocking some of us off our feet and into holes in the ground.Then as we got closer,it got even worse.It wasnt the heat that had us down on our knees,but the heat that blasted out of the twin engines at the side of the chopper.They were like two giant hairdryer,blasting at us like hair on the top of our heads.Our rifles were going everywhere,and i shielded my face to the heat,but was of no use.The heat was too strong,and i tripped over a couple of holes before reaching the ramp,with half my face feeling totally burnt and worn out.I felt like i just sat on the beach of Siloso for the past five hours or so,and my hair was all over the place.Or rather,what was left of it.

I was drained,and my face was still burning as the ramp went up.We buckled up for the ride,and i was really excited as i held my rifle tight.Then,it took off.

I swayed a little,then soon enough we found ourselves airborne.We took the chopper twice that day,once in the day and once in the night.The procedures were the same,but at night it was totally different.

In the morning,i could see the little beach Samuel,Krishna and I laid upon years ago while we had our kayaking days.I remember Sembawang Island was off limits to kayakers,and that we werent allowed to even step foot on that island.But we did anyway,and we had the time of our lives as we just sat on the beach like kings of the world,and that incident when we were attacked by a school of fishes.It was memorable,really.And seeing the beach from the chopper brought back some fond memories indeed.

Then at night,the view totally changed.In the distant,Malaysia's ports shone brightly and proudly.Then,it came.The grand view of the moon in it's full glory as it hung low in the evening sky.It was beautiful,as the chopper flew across the moon and the rays of moonlight came in through the windows.I admired at it for a while,and then it was gone.But it was in that moment,that split moment it left a lasting moment.I didnt have a camera then,but man what a picture that wouldve been.Incredible,indeed.