by Loti | Oct 31, 2013 | Portugal, Travel
Madeira, Portugal. Little did I know that we were landing on one of the most dangerous runways in the world as our last stop on our around the world trip. Actually I am glad I didn’t know until after we arrived in Madeira. I learned over dinner in Madeira the first night, all 3 of our pilots had to receive special training just to land our plane on the single runway that is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on 3 sides (you can see the ocean at the end of the runway in the photo) and a mountain with thermal winds on the 4th side. Yikes! But our pilots executed a perfect landing. So what are the other most dangerous places to land? Well according to The History Channel, Nepal is the number #1 with San Diego the 10th. Madeira is 9th with St Bart’s and Hong Kong in the top 10. So I have landed at 2 of the most dangerous (San Diego and Madeira). I think I’ll stop with that record! Overall, I was amazed at how smooth all of our flights were on the trip. Not one scary moment except maybe the landing in Australia. It was an amazing experience, but I am glad to be home. And where is our plane going next? Whisking Prince Charles and Camilla off to India for a 9 day trip. I bet they won’t be as fun as our...
by Loti | Oct 21, 2013 | Indonesia, Travel
Indonesia. Breathtakingly beautiful. At least at the Four Seasons in Bali where we stayed. So beautiful (as seen from my villa in the photo), I didn’t leave the hotel property for the short 48 hours we were in the country. And Indonesia, it turns out, is the 33rd country I have visited around the world. So how many more countries do I need to see in order to have been to every country? And who even keeps track of what defines a country? According to the United Nations, who seems to be the main authority, there are 193. The US State department says 195. England and Scotland are not considered countries since they are part of Great Britain, Greenland is part of Denmark (news to me) yet Vatican City is a country. Ask the Olympic Committee, the World Soccer League, the World Atlas folks and you come up with different answers. But whatever the number, I have a lot to go (about 160 by my reckoning). Yet, as you read this, I will have added India to my list of places visited. So one more my country under my belt. 34 and...
by Loti | Oct 15, 2013 | Architecture, Easter Island, Landscapes, Wonder of the World
Easter island. Remote does not even begin to describe this fascinating island. The closest inhabited island is Pitcairn Island with 50 inhabitants located 1300 miles away. Mainland Chile is over 2,100 miles, a 6 hour plane ride. Yet it boasts one of the longest runways in the Pacific thanks to the US space program. In 1986, the US extended the runway in both directions to serve as an emergency landing spot if the space shuttle got into trouble after liftoff. And mystery surrounds the island. No one is really sure of how and when the island was settled. Archeologists disagree when the island was inhabited first, with varying estimates of 300 AD to 1200 AD. At one point there were 10,000 to 20,000 residents, however by 1877 there were only 111 residents left. And then there are the Moai, the ancient statues which bring so many to Easter island. How were they made, moved, toppled? We have much to still learn about this fascinating island. I thought I would find answers on visiting it first hand, but only came away with more...
by Loti | Oct 12, 2013 | Conquering Fear, Environment, Panama, Plants, Uncategorized
Panama. It is hard for me to comprehend 52 million gallons of water. But it is the amount of water required to move one ship (just one) through the lock system of the Panama Canal. With approximately 40 ships going thru each day, 365 days a year, just do the math. A staggering quantity considering the water is not recycled and ends up in the ocean. So where does it all come from? Is it fresh water or salt? How is it replenished? A lot of questions tumbling thru my brain as we pull into the lock behind a large container ship and the water starts pouring in behind massive gates. And a little unnerving. The water, it turns out, comes from 1.5 million hectares of protected rainforest which surrounds the canal. The day after our partial canal transit by boat, I find myself in one of four cool helicopters (reminding me of the TV show MASH) flying over the rainforest in formation. The water collects in the Gaton Lake (partially seen in the photo) and is released into the ocean (all 52 million gallons) each time a transit is made. Without the forest, there would be no canal. Without the canal, there might be no rainforest since deforestation is occurring at a rapid pace. For me, it is an amazing feat of nature and man working together to provide an efficient trade route between the Caribbean/Atlantic and the Pacific...
by Loti | Oct 7, 2013 | Africa, Australia, Conquering Fear, Easter Island, Fiji, Food, Indonesia, Panama, Portugal, Travel, United States
Miami/FT Lauderdale . Arriving at our kicking off spot for the jet trip around the world, I am vacillating between being totally terrified (I mean what was I thinking about signing up for a trip with 23 people I don’t know) and feeling completely exhilarated (what an adventure). We visit 8 countries in just 22 days on our Airbus (which hold 24 travelers plus 3 pilots, one engineer, 4 flight attendants, a full time chef and 4 tour guides, plus an IPad to use). So just how far is it around the world? I was guessing 50,000 but it turns out it’s just under 25,000 miles, barely enough to get Silver medallion status on Delta. So if you have any minimal status on any airline, you have probably flown the equivalent of around the world. I just happen to be doing it all at one time. And which way do you want to travel? East to west or the opposite, west to east? As with so many things, I never really thought about it. Our pilots feel flying from East to West is much easier on jet lag. You generally arrive during daylight and then can go to bed at a normal time. Which is great as our entire trip is east to west. We leave for Panama in the morning for a short 2.5 hour trip with no time change so I think we will be safe from jet lag for a couple more days. By this time tomorrow, we will have traversed one of the largest locks in the world (the largest is in Belgium). The journey...
