Here are Orville and Wilbur...

I took the commercial pilot checkride on the fifth of May but it took about a month before I got the official confirmation that comes with the oh-so-cherished plastic-card. I put so much effort and bet so many financial ressources in this endeavor that.... I am simply so happy.... In a nutshell, yesterday Wilbur and Orville suddenly appeared on my mailbox....

And it reads:

Has been found to be properly qualified to exercice the priviledges of:

Commercial Pilot

Airplane Single Engine Land; Instrument Airplane

Private Pilot Priviledges

Airplane Single Engine Sea

English Proficient (<---!!! )

The adventure may continue.... ya...la...la...lala...

Cascade Range

Here are a few pictures from my last trip to the states of Oregon and Washington. We were extremely lucky for this roadtrip as we got plenty of sunshine. I was certainly not expecting that from these green coastal states with lush vegetation. Instead I was more or less bracing for impact with raindrops and snowflakes... What a pleasant surprise!

A few loops here and there along the Pacific Coast and Cascade Range

The road trip took us from Seattle to Aberdeen and then along the Pacific coast down to Lincoln City, Fort Klamath and Crater Lake National Park. We then proceeded north along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range up to Portland and Mount Saint Helens. At that point it started to rain and we elected to change course and go for a short loop around the Olympic Peninsula. After that we proceded to Mount Rainier, Anacortes and the North Cascade National Park before ending the trip in Seattle.

Cape Arch and the coastal waters of Oregon

During the first part of the trip, we drove South and we followed the picturesque Pacific coast. The landscapes are oscillating between large forests, wild bays and capes. The coast being somewhat wild, it is a heaven for bird watchers and marine mammal spotters. We got our fair share of terns, cormorants, pelicans, puffins, yellow crested puffins, murres and hummingbirds as well as seals and sea lions.

Continuing further South, we ended up in Oregon Dunes which is a pretty place where one may enjoy the sight of large sand dunes meeting a wild pine forest. Next we drove towards Crater Lake National Park. The park encompasses Crater Lake's caldera, which rests in the remains of a destroyed volcano called Mount Mazama. Around 5700BC Mount Mazama collapsed during a tremendous volcanic eruption loosing about one third of its height. The eruption formed a large caldera that is now filled with water forming a beautiful lake with a deep blue hue. Crater Lake is one of the deepest lake in the world.

Panoramic view of Crater Lake. These are deep blue waters...

We then proceeded North to Portland visiting the town of Bend as well as Newberry Volcanic National Monument, a park with lava tubes and lava flows. North of Portland lays Mount Saint Helens. Mount St. Helens is most famous for its catastrophic eruption on May 1980 which was the deadliest and most destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. Former President Harry Truman died during the eruption.

Shaken by an earthquake, the north face of the then tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive avalanche. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted about nine hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscapes were changed forever.

Mount Saint Helens, obviously after the explosion...

After visiting Mount St. Helens, we elected to visit the Olympic Peninsula and reach Cape Flattery the northwestern-most point of the continental United States. The peninsula is home to lush forests due to the high humidity. Mount Olympic, the highest point of the peninsula stops the eastbound clouds coming from the Pacific Ocean. The humidity contained into these clouds condenses when the air tries to rise over the slopes of the mountains and this results in abundant precipitations.

Huge moss-covered pines and firs along the road

The peninsula is also home to some very scenic and deserted beaches. With no one around, there is no better place to listen to the sound of rolling waves. Deadwood and tree logs are everywhere in this part of Washington. A lot of them are peacefully laying on the beaches after having drifted for a while over the sea. A testimony that violent storms can happen in this area of the country.

Dead wood along the coast of the Olympic Peninsula

After driving around the Peninsula, we headed back inland towards Mount Rainier. Most of the roads over there were still closed because May is too early in the season and layers of snow are too thick to be removed. We therefore continued our way to the North Cascades National Park and to Anacortes. In Anacortes we boarded a ship for a cruise in the Georgia Strait trying to spot some Minke whales, Killer whales, Porpoises and some other large sea mammals. We got treated by a pod of Resident orcas roaming along the Canadian coast of Saturna Island. There was even an energic young orca that breached twice over water!

A female killer whale taking a deep breath in the waters of the Strait of Georgia. Orcas are the ultimate killers of the seas

After the cruise we went back to Seattle stopping in Everett. In Everett we visited the Boeing factory and got a glimpse at the Boeing 787-800 and let me say that this bird will be a mighty one. And if it actually delivers on its promises, this is going to be a killer of an aircraft both performance-wise and economically-wise.

Seattle skyline with Mount Rainier in the distance

And that is all about this trip. We did not get a chance to climb the iconic Space Needle this year but instead we enjoyed the view from Magnolia Bluff over the city with Mount Rainier in the background. And even better... there is a short movie of the trip available here. Ain't that a blessing?

Springbreak in Yucatan

Springbreak in Mexico was an absolut blast!! We spent slightly more than a week wandering around the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

From sub-tropical landscapes to pristine coral beaches, from the quest for a meteorite that supposedly impacted the Earth in a humongous blast sixty milions years ago to orange and pink flamingoes and from the outrageously wild parties at Cancun to the legacies left by past civilizations, Yucatan has a lot to offer.

Blue waters and fishermen boats on the Caribbean Coast of Quintana Roo

Our flights led us from Atlanta to Miami and finally Cancun. However it was not our intent to stay for a long time in Cancun as the place in crowded during Springbreak by partyongoers of all kinds. Upon arrival we therefore headed South to reach a quieter resort of the Riviera Maya: Playa del Carmen close to the island of Cozumel.

Maya ruins on the edge...

After spending a whole day relaxing on the beaches of the Caribbean Sea, we headed West towards Tulum and Coba. Tulum is pretty famous for it is the only Maya archeological site close to the sea. In fact, it is actually standing on a beach. It is relatively crowded unless the traveler elects to visit the place early in the morning before the tours from Cancun litteraly invade the place.

Nohoch Mul is a the tallest pyramid of the Maya civilization

Coba is home to the Nohoch Mul temple, the tallest pyramid of the Maya civilization reaching slightly more than forty meters high. Its skewed architecture is very close to the one of Tikal in Guatemala.

After Coba, we headed North to reach Chichen Itza, one of the most famous archeological site of Yucatan. Northern Yucatan is quite an arid place and the sink holes called Cenotes close to Chichen Itza that could provide water all year round might have played an important role in the selection of the site.

El Templo de Kukulcan, the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl, the Plummed Serpent

Chichen Itza rose to prominence around 600AD and soon became a major regional capital centralizing and dominating political, economic and ideological life in the northern Maya lowlands. Around 987AD, the brutal Toltecs invaded the area and brough with them rituals involving human sacrifices to please the rain god Chaac. The blood from victims would also flow and fertilize the Earth.

We later proceeded due-West to Merida and Celestun to visit a wildlife reserve. The Celestun reserve is made of hundred of square miles of mangrove along the Gulf of Mexico coastline and is home to a colony of orange flamingos. Ubiquitous in the Yucatan peninsula are large lizards and iguanas that roam over the Maya ruins, probably chasing ancient ghosts and feeling the scent of blood that used to flow during sacrifices thousands years ago.

Two iguanas probably fighting for the remains of a skull...

Following this trip to Celestun, we headed South along the Ruta Puuc to visit other major archeological sites. Uxmal, Kabah, and Labna were amongst the ones visited. The largest one is the pre-Colombian complex of Uxmal that encompasses several squares miles of land and features pyramids, palacios and ball courts. Uxmal was founded around 500AD and was the most powerful city in Western Yucatan. Most of the monuments seen today were built between 700AD and 1100AD after which the city started a slow decline. This decline is most certainly linked to the fall of Chichen Itza around the thirteen century.

El Adivino in Uxmal

The next day we drove East for a couple of hours towards the archeological site of Ek Balam and finally towards the city of Cancun where we spent a whole day relaxing on the beach and in the crystal-blue warm waters before getting back home. This was an absolutely flabbergasting trip deep inside the Maya world and my trip video is available here. Enjoy!

Florida Panhandle

In order to complete the requirements for the Commercial Pilot examination, I had to fly a cross-country flight to a point at least 250 nautical miles away from my departure airport. Given that it is winter-time and all grey and gloomy in Atlanta, I elected to head South and selected an airport on the Florida Panhandle : Apalachicola. Apalachicola is actually 252nm from Atlanta and seems to be a quiet and sleepy town of the Gulf coast.

Atlanta - Albany - Apalachicola - Destin - Montgomery - Atlanta

The flight was done with Peanut, the little Cessna 152 Aerobat registered N69023. Not the fastest airplane out there but well enough to carry two standard persons with some luggage. The first stop enroute was a refueling stop in Albany to top off and get some lunch.

Peanut is gently awaiting our return on the ramp at Apalachicola

The next part of the flight was the most interesting one: from Apalachicola to Destin Fort Walton Beach airport along the Gulf coastline. Looking from above, the crystal clear and turquoise waters from the Gulf of Mexico seem to be pretty inviting. On our way to Destin, we overflew some pretty remote places, some swamps, some forests as well as Tyndall Air Force Base and Panama City Beach.

Glorious sunset colors on the Gulf of Mexico!

After about an hour and a half of flight, we could finally see the white sand beach of Destin far on the horizon. The white sands beach of Destin seem like heaven on Earth especially when there is no-one around... We overnighted in Destin to gt some rest and visit the place. However due to some unforecasted bad weather along the route of the return flight, we had to delay our departure and make another overnight stop in Montgomery, Alabama.

Some bad storms looming ahead...

Overall, it was a pretty challenging flight and a pretty interesting one. Challenging due to the complexity of the airspace around Destin : from Tyndall AFB to Eglin AFB there is a tremendous military activity going on and we must pay attention to these high-speed traffic. Interesting because we were going a bit farther away than we usually do. A video of the journey may be seen here. Enjoy!

Vietnam and Cambodia

After quite a long delay, here is a short report concerning my Christmas trip to Vietnam and Cambodia in South-East Asia. This trip was somewhat different from my usual roadtrips in that it is not possible to rent any car in Vietnam. And I guess this is the best thing that could ever happen since driving there is similar to playing the Russian Roulette: from fanatic drivers, to frantic tidal-waves of bikers there is no way to return a car in the same state it was let-go. So I changed and travelled aboard minibus and trains. And honestly the forty five hour train journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was a well worth adventure in itself.

It took about twenty five hours to reach Hanoi from Atlanta with a stop in Seoul in South Korea. That includes my longest flight ever: Atlanta to Seoul was an impressive fifteen hours nonstop leg aboard a Korean Air Boeing 747-400. But I have to praise Korean Air for providing a spotless aircraft, a dedicated cabin crew, some quality inflight services and last bit not least a lot of legroom. Korean Air is definitely not in the same league as Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Air France and the likes... The next leg was aboard an intra-asian configured Airbus A330-300 and that was quite pleasant too.

Once in Vietnam, I travelled for a couple of days around Hanoi before heading South to Hue and Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon. After spending a few days in Ho Chi Minh City, I travelled due-West to reach Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia. I later returned to Ho Chi Minh City where I boarded my flights back to Tokyo and Atlanta.

The 45-hour train journey from Hanoi to Saigon was ridiculously insane but awesome nonetheless...

While landing in Hanoi and despite having a window seat, I was puzzled by the lack of lights outside. It was about midnight and we were literrally rolling on the runway before I could see any light outside. I was wondering: what the heck, I thought they had electricity over there... Soon enough I realized that during the Winter season, the Northern Part of Vietnam is swamped in a dense haze layer that precludes any visibility over a few miles and I guess this is what prevented us from seing any form of human activity around the city during the approach.

The next day I was awaken to the sounds of busy streets where honking is just a language amongst others. I initially headed towards the monumental Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Ho Chi Minh and the VietMinh first booted the French out of Vietnam in 1954 before engaging against South Vietnam and their American allies. So as could be expected in a Socialist Republic, there was a lot of propaganda about how oppresive and treacherous the Colonialists and Imperialists were and how the local nationalists successfully kicked them out....

The Mausoleum with the exposed corpse of Ho Chi Minh

We then proceeded to the Hanoi Hilton, the other name given by Americans to the Hoa Lo prison that was initially built by the French at the end of the nineteenth century. Once again we were greeted with a profusion of state propaganda explaining with all kind of pictures and details how the prison was atrocious and how the jail-keepers were brutal while under the rule of the French (there is even a guillotine exposed). Of course they also explain how all this changed and how the jail transformed itself into a pleasant place for happy and well-treated American prisoner of war. As a trophy, there even exhibit the uniform of Senator John Mac Cain who spent quite a few years over there as POW. And let me add that surprisingly he seems to have very different memories concerning the quality of his stay at the Hanoi Hilton...

Anyway, the next day we headed to the countryside and more precisely to Halong Bay, a World Heritage site that features thousands of limestone karsts and isles of various sizes and shapes. In the middle of these isles and far away from the continental coast, several floating fishermen villages may be found featuring schools, markets....

Early sunrise over some limestone formations in Halong Bay

Once I returned to Hanoi, I headed to the train station for one of the most exhilariting moment of the trip: the rail journey from Hanoi to the city of Hue approximately in the middle of Vietnam. Hue is famous for its Forbidden City which used to be the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty until 1945. It is well-known for its monuments and architecture but unfortunately the historic city has been heavily damaged by American bombings and the Forbiden Citadel is in the process of being reconstructed.

The Citadel of Hue with yet another picture of the national hero...

During the afternoon I set up for a little cruise on the Perfume River to discover a bridge made by French engineer Gustave Eiffel, the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Minh Mang mausoleum. Later in the day I went for a little shopping exploration at the local market and I got treated with all kind of colorful fruits, meats, fish and other interesting artifacts. And because life is insanely cheap, I got into a serious shopping frenzy...

The next day, I headed towards the railway station to complete the second part of the journey that would lead me to Saigon. This part of the journey was much more interesting with the train crawling along the coast and on the slopes of mountains. I finally reached some lowlands filled with rice fields which indicated that I was now getting close to the Mekong River delta.

Winding tracks squeezed between the China Sea and the mountains

Reaching Saigon late into the night or early in the morning shall I say, I headed to the city center to visit a few monuments including the Post, the Opera and the Cathedral all of them designed by the French. Next I headed to the Chinese part of town towards the infamous Cho Lon district in order to visit the Thien Hau temple and to take a tour of the marketplace. Once again, a lot of interesting fruits including dragonfruits, mangoes, pineapples, pomelos, lychees, longans, durians, jackfruits, coconuts, papayas, mangosteens, rambutans, guavas and watermelons.

The Opera of Saigon at night is awesome

During the following days, I continue my exploration of the Mekong River delta going to My Tho, Can Tho, Long Xuyen and Chau Doc. During this time, I visited several floating markets and a stork wildlife reserve. From Chau Doc, I took the speed-boat to Cambodia sailing up the Mekong River.


Upon entering the Kingdom of Cambodia, it is obvious that this little country is completely different. Their political system is no longer socialist and the differences between the poors and the wealthy are outstanding.

It also seems that the people are less active in the fields and this is because unlike Vietnam, Cambodia has not set up an irrigation system and therefore nothing happens during the dry months of the year.

The city of Phnom Penh is also very different and displays a Khmer architecture that is similar to the one found in Thailand. The Royal Palace is absolutely gorgeous with its yellow tiles and golden roof.

Pointy architecture...

After a short stay in Phnom Penh, a city that seems to attract a lot of Westerners, I headed North West to Siem Reap for some more jungle adventures. The main attraction there is the city of Angkor. Angkor is the name of the ancient capital city of the Khmer Empire that flourished from approximately the ninth century - when Jayavarman II declared himself the Universal Monarch - to the fifteen century when Thai invaders sacked the Khmer capital. The ruins of Angkor are located amid forests and farmlands to the north of the Tonle Sap lake. It is believed that Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world sprawling over three thousand square kilometers and supporting over one million inhabitants. Ouch!

Angkor Wat during a grey, hot, humid and sticky afternoon

There are over one thousand temples in the Angkor area, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubbles scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat said to be the world's largest religious monument.

The most famous archeological ruins include Angkor Thom (Bayon being the most prominent temple of this site), Ta Prohm, Kbal Spean (Valley of 1000 Lingas), Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Ta Som, Preah Khan...

I truly believe a visitor could spend a whole week there without ever visiting the same temple twice. There is so much to see that staying more than initially planned is tempting.

Buddha is overseing the Eastern gopura of Ta Som

Another gem and my personnal favorite is the temple of Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm was founded by king Jayavarman VII as a monastery and a university in the thirteen century. Unlike most temples at Angkor, Ta Prohm has been left in the condition it was found and the inter mixing of ruins and surrounding silk-cotton and strangler fig trees is absolutely gorgeous. In fact it is even a little bit more than that: the trees are actually growing out of the ruins and this gives a very atmospheric landscape which will leave the visitor speechless.

Silk Cotton trees and ruins seem to cohabit to please the eyes of puzzled visitors

In Ta Prohm, nature and man-made ruins seem to provide a perfect aesthetical combination that is seldom matched. Such a picturesque landscape was bound to be used for movies... did I say....Tomb Raider... After spending a couple of days deep in the Cambodian jungle, I had to call it off and I took the plane to return to Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy a few days on the beach of Mui Ne.

Mui Ne is one of the few resort station that Vietnam offers.

There are very few Westerners there since Vietnam is not a very popular destination for Australian tourists. And I like the way it is: very genuine and different from the usual tourist traps.

The beach of Mui Ne

After spending two days relaxing on the beach of Mui Ne, I was ready to go back to Ho Chi Minh City and visit a few other landmarks such as the Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels at Cu Chi are a symbol of the Vietnamese resistance to the American imperialism. Communist fighters would hide themselves in these tunnels during the day and sneak out at night to harass American forces.

And that's about it concerning the adventure in Indochina. I took a Boeing 767 flight to Tokyo where I spent a whole day and then caught another flight headed to Atlanta. After flying with some of the best airlines in the world (Korean Air, Japan Airlines) and getting accustomed to their top-notch customer-services, I was once more appaled by the low level of services offered aboard american airlines...

I hope you enjoy the trip report and as usual a short movie full of flavors from Indochina is available here. Enjoy!

Georgia Atlantic Coastline

Here is a short summary of our Thanksgiving trip to the South Eastern part of Georgia over the course of four days in a Toyota Prius. I cannot praise enough the fuel efficiency of the Prius averaging more than forty miles per gallon. In addition, fuel was at its lowest point at that time. Putting everything together, we did not spend more than thirty dollars in fuel for this trip. Amazing!

The first major attraction was the Okefenokee swamp which is a large depression in the southeast of Georgia. Despite being the largest peat-based blackwater swamp in North America, it is not very well known. This result in very few tourists and this is a good way to let the ecosystem in its pristine state. There are no road through the swamp and people have to resort to horses or kayaks to move and visit the wildlife refuge.

Paddling in the Okefenokee Swamp is a treat

Okefenokee or the "Land of the Trembling Earth" is covered by cypress forests, marsh, lakes and island. It is home to a humongous number of animals including alligators, turtle, lizards, cranes, woodpeckers and bears.

The next point of interest was Cumberland Island which is a bariier island and a protected seashore. This result in miles of undevelopped beaches that are accessed only after a ferry rides and some trecking.

Lady Cumberland is the ferry linking Cumberland Island and St Marys

Jekyll Island was one of the last major thing we visited during the trip. From the early British settlers of the 18th century to the rich French landowners of the 19th century, from the gilded age playground of the early 20th century to its recent reconversion as a state park, Jekyll Island has had a rich past. Large and opulent mansions together with ruins of old stone houses are a testimonial of thisrich and changing history.

Nature trail are everywhere and I believe that the most convenient way of moving throughout the island without missing the details is by using a bike. The island is flat and it is easily possible to go around the island under the shade of moss-covered trees in a day.

Nature trail with autumn colors on Jekyll Island

And as usual, if you enjoy these pictures then do not hesitate to take a look at the short video of my trip to the Golden Isles of Georgia here. Enjoy!

Washington and Maryland

Here is a short preview with a few pictures concerning our Fall-break week-end in Washington, DC. There are several significant monuments in this city amongst which are the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Supreme Court as well as several large museums on both sides of the National Mall including the Air & Space Museum.

The White House still hosting George Bush and his guest Silvio Berlusconi that day

The White House is one of the major place in Washington as so much political power is concentrated in this single monument. The house is home to the President and his family and a selected number of people may visit the place. Although we could not actually visit the inside, it is possible to walk around the house and its properties from a distance. Above is a glimpse of the South side of the White House.

One of the other iconic landmark is the Washington Monument that looks surprisingly similar to an Egyptian Obelisk.


Standing more than five hundred feet high, it was built in 1884 in honor of George Washington who led the country to independance and then became its first President.

The Monument standing alone during a nice and shiny morning...

The next monument on our agenda was the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body and leads the federal judiciary. It consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Once appointed, Justices have life tenure. Speak about job-security during these uncertain times....

Supreme Court at night

Last but not least concerning was the most easily recognized building of all. The Capitol stands alone on Capitol Hill and is the highest building of the city since no other building that is higher than the Capitol shall be built in Washington. As a result, the Capitol is seen from miles away and has become Washington's most iconic landmark. It is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal governement of the United States. It sits at the Eastern end of the National Mall.

The Congress was initially set up in Philadelphia until 1783 when it had to flee to Princeton and New York City following some unrest in Philadelphia.

In 1790, the Residence Act paved the way for a permanent capital and it was decided that it would be set on the banks of the Potomac River.

In 1792 and 1793 following a design competition proposed by Thomas Jefferson, the current Capitol was designed and built according to the plans of architect Thornton.

The Capitol, here at night, is the highest monument in Washington.

The trip headed next to the East toward Annapolis, home of the US Navy academy and to the states of Maryland and Delaware on the Cheasapeake Peninsula. After an overnight in Ocean City, we visited Assateague Island on the Atlantic seahores.

Ocean City resort station

Assateague Island National Seashores is a place created by ocean waves and winds which have formed a maze of sandy beaches, salt marshes, maritime forests and coastal bays. Assateague is most famous for its wild horses that graze on the island. These horses are actually feral animals being descendants of domestic animals that have escaped -probably during some ship wrecks off the Virginia Coast - and reverted to a wild state. Tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes and poor quality of food, they have strived and formed a unique wild horse society on Assateague.

Assateague Island salt marshes are infested with mosquitoes...

The next day we drove back to Washington and more precisely to Alexandria and then to Washington Reagan airport to catch our Delta Boeing 757 flight to Atlanta. A trip report that takes the form of a short movie is available here. Please enjoy!

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Helens

September and it is time to think about Labor Day. I was not even returned from France yet that I was thinking af renting a car for a short loop in Northern Georgia. At that time, I heard about a little village in Georgia with a somewhat German architecture and I was curious about it.

Helens is a German inspired village

But even more than the architecture, it was the prospect of a trip in the Appalachians and some tubing down a river that initially attracted me...

And that is why they are called the Great Smoky Mountains

After spending a day in Helens, we went North to reach Pigeon Forge at the feet of the Appalachian mountains. This would be our base for some further explorations of the nearby mountains. These mountaisn are certainly not as wild and genuine as the Rockies but being only five hours away from Atlanta, they are well worth the trip there.

Acid rains killing trees in Tennessee

And for those who still doubt that pollution has an impact on Mother Nature, well just look at this dead forest... Acid rains seem to be killing quite a few trees in these mountains.

Ireland

A short week-end trip to Dublin in Ireland and a visit to Glendalough National Park.

No doubt, we are in Ireland...

Glendalough round tower

Four Courts building in Dublin

As usual, a small movie from the week end is available here. Enjoy!