From the Logbook...Naan Training (pt.3 of 4)

...continued from the previous post.

Taking the boat ride to the village of Naan from the airplane dock is always a thrill.  I always just sit there in awe and remind myself that I call this my "job."  The forest is huge and the river is full of all kinds of fun kinks, bends, and obstacles.

The structure on the right is a gold mining outfit.  While totally illegal, gold mining like this is extremely popular, especially on the big rivers near my home in PalangkaRaya.  Despite the obvious environmental devastation that comes from this type of mining, I can also relate to the families trying to eek a living from this type of vocation.  There is little else to support them in these interior locations.  If I were faced with the decision to break the law and look for gold in order to feed my family, I think it would be an easy decision.

When we arrived at our hosts floating house, we opened up the buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pepsi that I had brought from PalangkaRaya.  KFC is really popular around the world.  We had a great time in fellowship and laughter while in Naan.  The pastors that serve there live a TOUGH life, and their dedication to God and to serving Him is admirable.  It's a pleasure to serve alongside them at their remote location.  (side note-KFC tastes really good when you have been working hard and sweating a lot while on the Equator)

After lunch, we still weren't done with training.  We were going to use our friends boat to survey the river, measuring it's length, look for obstacles, ect.  Above, I'm putting on my mean flight instructor face.  It's important to keep things real.  Stay tuned for the last post from our day in Naan...