Today was the longest single leg of the entire trip crossing the Philippines over to Borneo and finally Brunei. Not only was the weather lousy (hot and humid) but for some reason they would not sell us any kerosene, no matter what the form of payment would be. So we went to the hotel, aka …
After some difficulties with airspace control we made it to Palau before lunch. We had a fantastic view over the island during our approach. Everything here looks neat and it seems that we have finally reached a destination that does look like “the” South Pacific. In any case, perfect beaches, a great hotel and a …
lI was a short ride over to Guam. Now being on US Territory handling was very professional and fast so we were at our hotel already before lunch. Besides being home to Andersen Air Force Base, one of the largest US military bases outside the 50 states, Guam enjoys all year round summer temperatures. Unlike …
Sometimes small details make a huge difference. We had great uncertainty whether we could move on from Pohnpei due to a fueling problem. Turns out they came up with a fix overnight and we got our kerosene. Good winds then brought us to Saipan and finally, what we believe, somehow back to a more “normal …
For the first time we were greeted by not so nice weather, in the morning that is. We decided to rent a car (some would call it a wreck) and drive up and down the slim island. Places of interest were supermarkets, official buildings and of course normal street life which came across like a …
A short hop and flying time of under two hours brought us to the tiny island and nation of Nauru. The entire landmass is just over 20 square-kilometer and one can comfortable drive around in 20 minutes. Since both hotels were booked we decided to go for a lunch followed by a quick tour around …
Flying almost another 3 hours straight north (equivalent to Rome – London) we reached another wonderful lagoon. However, Kiribati has about ten times as many people and this is visible on ever corner here. Space is scarce and the area which is habitable is overcrowded, left alone the debris on land and in the lagoon. …
After some heavy downpours over night we were lucky to get out of Apia in good weather. A good two hours of flying time later we were approaching Tuvalu, our first classic South Pacific lagoon. We were hoping for open skies and sun in order to get a good look at the Tuvalu lagoon. We …
What a difference two hours of flying over the ocean make! Everything here is nice & neat, clean, organised and in good shape. The people are a joy and our hotel finally a place again one likes to stay the night. We now are at the easternmost point of our journey (UTC + 13 hours) …
Leaving the Yasawas in Fiji was easy but had its potholes since managing to get on the seaplane entirely dry was a challenge. Nadi handling was just a joy again and off we were towards Tonga. Now one needs to understand that life happens on a different pace here, whatever it is. So bringing along …