View Full Version : St Lucia July 2022
Some random pics
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dave2010
31-07-2022, 03:22
The dark sky at night is impressive! Can you see stars?
I thought this might be something to do with Nobel Prizes and a day which is celebrated in Sweden and Norway!
http://thedandelionchronicles-denmark.blogspot.com/2010/12/santa-lucia-saint-lucy.html
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nice one this
I'd love to go back there but not sure I could handle the flight time any more.
Always thought St Lucia was a French overseas territory but turns out it is independent and was British from 1814 to 1967.
I'd love to go back there but not sure I could handle the flight time any more.
Always thought St Lucia was a French overseas territory but turns out it is independent and was British from 1814 to 1967.
was french once... maybe more than once. its a french name
was french once... maybe more than once. its a french name
yes, it was French until 1814 when we had it off them.
It was both. The British and the French fought over it, on-and-off, for over 150 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucia
I'd love to go back there but not sure I could handle the flight time any more.
Always thought St Lucia was a French overseas territory but turns out it is independent and was British from 1814 to 1967.
Tui’s 787s do it in around 8.5 hours. I booked extra legroom seats (by the escape doors) and found the flight quite comfortable. The 787 has bigger windows the ceiling of the cabin is higher making it more light and airy. Think I read they put more oxygen in the cabin mix to?
https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/dreamliner
Tui’s 787s do it in around 8.5 hours. I booked extra legroom seats (by the escape doors) and found the flight quite comfortable. The 787 has bigger windows the ceiling of the cabin is higher making it more light and airy. Think I read they put more oxygen in the cabin mix to?
https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/dreamliner
I went on 777 first time and an A330 second time. Not really a problem with legroom or comfort it's just the being trapped for so long in metal tube at 30,000 feet thing that I struggle with. Last time went on plane was to Rome, only four hour flight and I was climbing the walls.
Worth it when you get there of course. Loads better than Spain or the Canaries.
I'm not gonna fly again. Never liked it
Tui’s 787s do it in around 8.5 hours. I booked extra legroom seats (by the escape doors) and found the flight quite comfortable. The 787 has bigger windows the ceiling of the cabin is higher making it more light and airy. Think I read they put more oxygen in the cabin mix to?
https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/dreamliner
Roy, did you have to wear a mask for the duration of the flight?
Tui’s 787s do it in around 8.5 hours. I booked extra legroom seats (by the escape doors) and found the flight quite comfortable. The 787 has bigger windows the ceiling of the cabin is higher making it more light and airy. Think I read they put more oxygen in the cabin mix to?
https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/dreamliner
https://thetravelogist.com/planes-and-your-health/
I suppose the 787 is an ok choice. ;)
dave2010
01-08-2022, 10:12
I went on 777 first time and an A330 second time. Not really a problem with legroom or comfort it's just the being trapped for so long in metal tube at 30,000 feet thing that I struggle with. Last time went on plane was to Rome, only four hour flight and I was climbing the walls.
Worth it when you get there of course. Loads better than Spain or the Canaries.Shanghai to LHR - around 14 hours - that's long. Not even sure what the route is now - thanks to a certain person. LHR to Bangkok was great in an Airbus 380 - best plane ever - but the 777 we came back in was dire. If it wasn't the noisiest plane inside that I've ever been in, it sure felt like it was. Appalling - even with ear plugs.
It's taken me years to accept the statistics - that it is safer than driving - and some flights still do have what to me feel like dodgy moments. I really don't like turbulence, though I've now given up counting the number of flights I've been on.
If I remember I try to take photos - though it's a bit hit and miss.
dave2010
01-08-2022, 10:14
https://thetravelogist.com/planes-and-your-health/
I suppose the 787 is an ok choice. ;)Yes - but I'd probably still rather have an Airbus 380. Four engines vs two for very long flights.
I'm not sure about the 350 - I'll have to check that out. It only has two engines - whereas the earlier 340 had four - but is now I think out of production.
As you know, it is all about maintenance costs.
The A380 is a great aircraft, but I am a little biased in my opinion.
dave2010
01-08-2022, 11:38
As you know, it is all about maintenance costs.
The A380 is a great aircraft, but I am a little biased in my opinion.We were planning to go to Brazil, but that's been shelved for the moment. That's a heck of a long way over water, and I think perhaps the best option now is the Dreamliner - but it is a long way - and only two engines .....
I doubt that the 380s will go on that route - would be great if they did. I wasn't too biased before I went on one - incredible planes - and perhaps I'll never go on such a comfortable or relatively quiet flight again. Maybe the 350s are similar, but like the Dreamliner, only two engines.
They will fly the ETOPS routes, so theoretically, will be fine.
They will fly the ETOPS routes, so theoretically, will be fine. also known as Engines Turn or Passengers Swim.:eyebrows:
also known as Engines Turn or Passengers Swim.:eyebrows:
I hope you can swim a long way!
Roy, did you have to wear a mask for the duration of the flight?
No Barry but they had to go on as soon as we got off the plane in St Lucia
I hope you can swim a long way!
Its a colloquial aviation backronym... "Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim", referring to the inevitable emergency water landing of a twin engine aircraft after a double engine failure over water outside gliding range of land.
chance of both engines failing is so low that you'd never leave the house if that level of chance event was an issue.
According to the FAA the probability of just one (jet) engine failing is one event per 375,000 flight hours.
Someone better at maths than me can work out the chance of both going down.
they said titanic couldn't sink too:D
dave2010
01-08-2022, 17:56
also known as Engines Turn or Passengers Swim.:eyebrows:See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS
Did LA to Sydney years ago - 1991 I think. I can't remember all the details. Might have been a Tristar, but at least there are a few island diversions possible. On the return journey we stopped in Hawaii.
There really aren't many diversions possible on the route across to Brazil from London.
Air travel is statistically very safe - but that doesn't mean that things can't or won't go wrong. Engineering, materials and operational factors all have to be very good.
dave2010
01-08-2022, 18:03
chance of both engines failing is so low that you'd never leave the house if that level of chance event was an issue.
According to the FAA the probability of just one (jet) engine failing is one event per 375,000 flight hours.
Someone better at maths than me can work out the chance of both going down.Depends if events are independent or not. If they are - just square the probabilty - but often one failure may trigger another. They may not be closely interlinked, but often there is some linkage - for example if fuel has to be moved from one side to the other - etc. I don't know how any analysis of non-independent events is done. Another linking might simply be via the environment - flying a plane on just one engine may impose a higher load on the remaining engine, thus increasing the probability that it fails. I think the ETOPS rules require some duplication of parts which might contribute to one or other engine failing - for example fuel pumps, but there's probably more to it than that.
Think I’ll see if there’s a boat back
Depends if events are independent or not. If they are - just square the probabilty - but often one failure may trigger another. They may not be closely interlinked, but often there is some linkage - for example if fuel has to be moved from one side to the other - etc. I don't know how any analysis of non-independent events is done. Another linking might simply be via the environment - flying a plane on just one engine may impose a higher load on the remaining engine, thus increasing the probability that it fails. I think the ETOPS rules require some duplication of parts which might contribute to one or other engine failing - for example fuel pumps, but there's probably more to it than that.
With just one engine, you have a reduced cruise speed.
As for fuel systems, you have the normal system, the alternate system and then there is always gravity feed if the pumps fail completely.
dave2010
02-08-2022, 07:28
With just one engine, you have a reduced cruise speed.
As for fuel systems, you have the normal system, the alternate system and then there is always gravity feed if the pumps fail completely.Can planes really fly with gravity feeding the fuel? I don't know - but I'd have thought that the flow rate would be too low for a jet engine.
Can planes really fly with gravity feeding the fuel? I don't know - but I'd have thought that the flow rate would be too low for a jet engine.
yes, although there is a small gravity feed pump to help it .
The design is such that the aircraft can fly with gravity feed from the wing tanks.
The engine usually contains an engine driven low and high pressure fuel pump.
So, if all the wings pumps were to fail, you can still fly.
Sherwood
02-08-2022, 10:53
I spent much of my working life on a series of long and short term projects in the developing world. Generally, I was OK with long haul travel, but one project completely wiped me out. I was commissioned to undertake a major review of the Tongan health care system for the Asian Development Bank. My journey started at Leeds/Bradford Airport and included the following stops: Heathrow, Los Angeles, Auckland, and finally Tonga. Each step entailed substantial gaps between flights. After 2 days travelling, I arrived in Tonga early on a Monday morning, with just enough time to have a shower and a shave, before attending business meetings at 8am. Even though I was travelling business class the journey wiped me out and I was not firing on all cylinders for the rest of the mission.
Tui’s 787s do it in around 8.5 hours. I booked extra legroom seats (by the escape doors) and found the flight quite comfortable. The 787 has bigger windows the ceiling of the cabin is higher making it more light and airy. Think I read they put more oxygen in the cabin mix to?
https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/dreamliner
walpurgis
02-08-2022, 12:22
Can planes really fly with gravity feeding the fuel? I don't know - but I'd have thought that the flow rate would be too low for a jet engine.
Jets may look normal, but everything is actually built upside down to avert this exact problem ;).
787-8 - G-TU1B ('Alfie') did it in 7:29 !
That’s me in the red t shirt
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I don't think I have ever made a long haul flight uninterrupted in one go, without a change of plane somewhere 'midway'.
Sherwood
04-08-2022, 00:09
Long haul is generally taken to be in excess of 6 hours. London to LAX nonstop is over 11 hours. LAX to Auckland nonstop is around 13 hours.
I don't think I have ever made a long haul flight uninterrupted in one go, without a change of plane somewhere 'midway'.
More pics
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I don't think I have ever made a long haul flight uninterrupted in one go, without a change of plane somewhere 'midway'.
Neither have I. Las Vegas is 11 hours but change at Chicago, think they do a direct now from Heathrow though.
But the changeover is very quick you barely have time to get off one plane and get on the next one before it goes. With all the pissing about with customs and that it's about 23 hours from leaving the house to checking in at the hotel. Then a quick shower and hit the tables! Mind you I was a lot younger last time I went there.
More pics
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52261813616_66a12f754b_o.jpg
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I always think it looks a lot like North Wales, except for the palm trees and blue skies.
Neither have I. Las Vegas is 11 hours but change at Chicago, think they do a direct now from Heathrow though.
But the changeover is very quick you barely have time to get off one plane and get on the next one before it goes. With all the pissing about with customs and that it's about 23 hours from leaving the house to checking in at the hotel. Then a quick shower and hit the tables! Mind you I was a lot younger last time I went there.
i have to say all that fills me with horror, especially now, but would have when younger too. Im not a good traveller tho and unless im driving, i get pissed off pretty fast.
there was a time i would have liked to see the us of a, but not now. uk is big enough for me
Sherwood
04-08-2022, 20:20
St Lucia reminds me of Montserrat before the volcanic eruption. Incredibly green and fertile due to the volcanic soils.
Neither have I. Las Vegas is 11 hours but change at Chicago, think they do a direct now from Heathrow though.
But the changeover is very quick you barely have time to get off one plane and get on the next one before it goes. With all the pissing about with customs and that it's about 23 hours from leaving the house to checking in at the hotel. Then a quick shower and hit the tables! Mind you I was a lot younger last time I went there.
I've flown across the Atlantic three times and on each occasion there has been a refuelling stop.
Most I've done is eight hours or so (to/from the Caribbean and to NY) and found that once you've immersed yourself in a couple of films, enjoyed the wonderful (and often weird combinations) of what passes for food (I've decided to plump for the veggie option next time, looked far better than the concoction I was served with) then the flight flew by (see what I did there?). I'll always go for the extra leg room seats if available though. The Dreamliner is a nice, quiet, comfortable airplane anyway but not sure how I feel about it being made of 'composite' rather than metal and the landings are always bloody awful.
Most I've done is eight hours or so (to/from the Caribbean and to NY) and found that once you've immersed yourself in a couple of films, enjoyed the wonderful (and often weird combinations) of what passes for food (I've decided to plump for the veggie option next time, looked far better than the concoction I was served with) then the flight flew by (see what I did there?). I'll always go for the extra leg room seats if available though. The Dreamliner is a nice, quiet, comfortable airplane anyway but not sure how I feel about it being made of 'composite' rather than metal and the landings are always bloody awful.
I had the Fruitarian option one time, other passengers were jealous. Never seen it offered since though. Got a mate who always goes for the Kosher, not sure of his reasoning there since he's Church Of England.
Pigmy Pony
05-08-2022, 17:36
I always think it looks a lot like North Wales, except for the palm trees and blue skies.
I think the M6 through Staffs. and Cheshire have more tyres at the roadside. Usually in worse condition than the one in Roy's pic. Mrs. P counted 36 last time we came back from Stoke, which relieves the monotony, but as travel games go, I prefer "Dead or What".
Most I've done is eight hours or so (to/from the Caribbean and to NY) and found that once you've immersed yourself in a couple of films, enjoyed the wonderful (and often weird combinations) of what passes for food (I've decided to plump for the veggie option next time, looked far better than the concoction I was served with) then the flight flew by (see what I did there?). I'll always go for the extra leg room seats if available though. The Dreamliner is a nice, quiet, comfortable airplane anyway but not sure how I feel about it being made of 'composite' rather than metal and the landings are always bloody awful.
The amount of in-flight films on offer, as well as a bewildering choice of music available to listen to on modern air frames is more than enough to keep me entertained. Before I would just read a book, or sleep.
Regarding the in-flight food, well that depends on the carrier as to what is served; but most decent carriers the cabin staff will come round with a menu and a choice of options. Whatever I choose, I eat it all as I've paid for it, and there is rarely anything I don't like.
Sherwood
05-08-2022, 20:33
The problem with airline food is not so much the quality of ingredients or the care that goes into preparation, it is the fact that our taste buds do not function in a pressurised cabin as they do at sea level. In my work I travelled regularly in business class and occasionally in first class. The quality of food in business and first class was much better than economy, but even with the best ingredients and careful preparation, the food still tasted somewhat bland. Airlines have invested a lot into research to improve our experience of in flight dining but cannot overcome the fundamental problem. I used to bring a frozen citrus smoothie on board until security concerns ended that option.
Drinking wine with the meal always helps! :)
Sherwood
05-08-2022, 20:49
G&T for me. Bit of a waste drinking fine wines as the complexities are masked.
Drinking wine with the meal always helps! :)
dave2010
05-08-2022, 20:58
Jets may look normal, but everything is actually built upside down to avert this exact problem ;).Surely, Sir, you are joking? Aren't you?
Longest flight I can remember was Shanghai to LHR, though Bangkok to LHR and LHR to Beijing are also long. I actually can't remember if we did LA to Sydney without a stop - which is certainly possible nowadays. LHR to SF or LHR to LA can take varying times - even if done in one shot. Depending on the wind they may take 10 hours, but if the jet stream isn't helping then 12 hours might be needed. I thought LHR to Delhi was less time - but it's not a lot shorter. London to Havana is also quite a long flight.
LHR to Bejing, LHR to Bangkok, LHR to Laos, and Cambodia back to LHR. And LHR to Havana, and to Panama and Mexico, have IME always involved a refuelling stop.
The same with flights south to the African continent; being with European carriers, always stop in their home country, where you will, more often or not, change flights. And the same with some Asian countries: Burma, Bhutan (via India) and Nepal.
The only non-stop flights I have made have been to some Middle Eastern countries, and some North African countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania etc.)
Sherwood
05-08-2022, 22:30
My experience is completely different. I have worked in around 30 countries, and visited over 80 in total. When I lived in Botswana in the late 80's I flew direct from Gatwick to Gaborone with British Caledonian. Same was true when I lived in Vietnam, Thailand and Bangladesh: non stop flights from London. When I lived in Malawi, my routing was typically LHR-JHB-LLW. London to Johannesburg is further, so the last leg was backtracking. Namibia was a bit different as it involved one stop, but that was in Frankfurt with Lufthansa (due to the German colonial connection).
Perhaps the airline industry has changed and there may be fewer nonstop long-haul flights these days. However, my most recent (holiday driving trip) to the USA was an open jaw ticket Heathrow to Denver outbound, Seattle to Heathrow return (both nonstop flights with British Airways).
One factor may be relevant. The respective work flights were paid for by the agency employing me. The nonstop flights may have been more expensive but I would typically be booked on the most direct route. If I was paying myself and stopover flights were cheaper I would probably have gone for them (within reason).
LHR to Bejing, LHR to Bangkok, LHR to Laos, and Cambodia back to LHR. And LHR to Havana, and to Panama and Mexico, have IME always involved a refuelling stop.
The same with flights south to the African continent; being with European carriers, always stop in their home country, where you will, more often or not, change flights. And the same with some Asian countries: Burma, Bhutan (via India) and Nepal.
The only non-stop flights I have made have been to some Middle Eastern countries, and some North African countries (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania etc.)
Well at least we agree on LHR to Namibia using Lufthansa.
When we travel to Cameroon (my partner is Cameroonian, and we have a house there) we fly Air France and change flights in Paris.
Sherwood
06-08-2022, 15:09
Although at a distance of more than 5000 miles, the Frankfurt to Windhoek non stop flight is still over 10 hours in duration.
In hindsight, I think the longest non stop flight I ever took was as part of a 10 leg journey back in 2002. Hong Kong to Los Angeles on Cathay Pacific. IIR correctly that was nearly 14 hours.
Well at least we agree on LHR to Namibia using Lufthansa.
When we travel to Cameroon (my partner is Cameroonian, and we have a house there) we fly Air France and change flights in Paris.
With the new generation of airliners, you can now do an 18 hour non-stop flight.
Routes like JFK to Singapore are now possible.
dave2010
06-08-2022, 15:36
With the new generation of airliners, you can now do an 18 hour non-stop flight.
Routes like JFK to Singapore are now possible.Agreed. I forgot to mention LHR - Nairobi - also non stop. I have also been on some flights which did stop, and some when I had to change planes. One of the shortest "stopping" flights was from Sweden to Glasgow, which stopped briefly in Edinburgh, then just about cleared the lights at the end of the runway before coming down outside Glasgow. Also I have listed the long flights, but ignored the shorter feeder flights - so sometimes there were several flights to get to or from destinations in Vietnam, the USA or Africa, and sometimes the total time would have been more than 24 hours - but the longest flight time was about 15 hours.
True, current airframes are capable of doing long-haul fights in one go; and making the experience a lot more comfortable.
My experience of long-haul travel was made mostly in the '80s and '90s, here the air frames I flew on were Boeing 707s, 727, 737, 747 and 757s. An occasional Lockheed Tristar, Airbus A320 and several Russian craft: Ilyushin; Tupolevs and Antonovs. Travel on the Noughties have been done using more modern air frames; whose identity I neglected to note. apart from a Boeing 777 ot two.
The weirdest flight I ever made was an internal flight in Laos in an old Soviet (SU8?) cargo helcopter. Oh, and once for an internal flight in Uzbekistan on some propeller driven plane, where in order to calculate the amount of fuel required not only was the baggage weighed, but so too the passengers.
I been weighed before getting on small helicopters. With them it's so they can do the seating arrangement for the best stability. You don't want all the fatties sat on one side.
was on a couple of choppers. wasnt weighed tho that i remember. long time ago now. betting if i went on one now i'd be charged overweight:D
Sherwood
07-08-2022, 15:00
I vividly recall my most dangerous flight. Back in 1993 I was team leader on a British government funded project design mission in the north of Kenya. Specifically, the semi-arid district of Embu, Meru and Isiolo. The project anticipated a strengthening of primary health care facilities in Isiolo. As team leader it was my responsibility to meet with representatives of the two villages we thought were suitable locations: Merti and Garba Tulla. The security situation precluded travel by road so it was essential to fly in. For this we sought the help of the African flying doctor service (Amref) and chartered one of their twin engine Cessna. The plan was to fly over the villages first to signal our arrival and the army would drive out to escort us safely to the respective village. Our pilot was very experienced being an ex Ethiopian Air Force officer. The journey from Wilson airport in Nairobi was amazing and took us at low altitude over the Rift Valley and around a snow capped Mount Kenya. The first stop was fine and we proceeded to the second location. As instructed he flew over the village before attempting a landing on a nearby dirt airstrip. It did not go well. As we were landing a strong side gust caught the left wing so that the right wing dipped close to the ground, certainly no more than a couple of inches (I was in the co-pilot seat). The pilot managed to stabilise the aircraft and land safely although he did not speak for over a minute after the landing. To add insult to injury the army escort did not arrive and after 15 minutes an increasingly anxious pilot insisted we leave as our landing would certainly have been detected by the “ bandits” operating in the area.
Wow - that was indeed frightening!
I can't match that, but I have flown in a twin engined Cessna. I had flown in to Botswana from Windhoek, Namibia on a conventionial jet plane, landed and went through passport control to wait in the passenger lounge, armed only with my travel documents to fly to the Okovango Delta in Botswana. After a while of waiting around, a very smartly dressed official asked if I needed help. I explained who I was and what I was waiting for. "Ah yes, we know about you. Your pilot will be along in a few moments". And true enough, a tall Australian wearing shorts, T-shirt and what looked like flip-flops, sidled up and said "Hi, my name is Bruce, you must be Barry - where are we going?" (!). I told him where we were going and he punched in the information into what I presume was a navigational aid, and we took off. Being able to fly low, and sitting next to him I was able to look down to see the wildlife and natural features of Botswana.
We landed on an airstrip near a river, disembarked (I only had a small bag with me) and Bruce told me to wait "over there", whilst he went off to complete the necessary paperwork. After a few moments a Pygmy appeared out of the bushes, introduced himself to me as Daniel and said "Your dugout canoe is over here, I will escort you to the camp". And so we did. Daniel was my local guide for all the on-foot safaris we did over the next few days. Of course all of the above had been arranged in advance, but was a surprise to see it all expedited in such a relaxed manner.
The only potential dangerous incident which occured was on a flight from London to China, via Karachi. We were coming into land at Karachi and getting close to the runway, when all of sudden the plane abruptly took off like a rocket and circled around a few times. When we did eventually land (and not that smoothly), I asked my fellow passengers if they knew what had happened. A couple sat near the wing said they did not hear the landing gear go down; and another couple said that they had had a bad premonition about the flight before boarding, but it was now over. Obviously the pilot had tried to land and the engineer had told him the landing gear had not been engaged! It must have too late to engage it so the pilot had only the one option.
Apropos the flight in a cargo helicopter - well that was in Laos, an internal flight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. We we all seated in the hold of a Soviet cargo helicopter: mothers nursing babies, baskets of food, caged chickens, the fuel tank(!) and me. I was told that it would be noisy, so was armed with ear plugs, but as it turned out it wasn't noisy at all, so didn't use them. Being sat in the hold there were no large windows, so couldn't really see where we were flying. After a while I thought the journey was taking longer than expected, but we did eventually land. Disembarked and thought "this looks familiar". Turns out the pilot could not land at Luang Prabang due to mist/fog, and could only turn back. After an hour we took off again and landed safely, only to be told that a similar flight a week previously had crashed!
Sherwood
07-08-2022, 19:44
I think we share some experiences. I lived in both Namibia and Botswana. In my experience they are joint #1 for wildlife/safari experiences. Regarding your Botswana experience I think you mean San rather than Pygmy. The dugout canoe is a Mokoro. I visited the Okavango on several occasions. It is quite phenomenal. I had a similar experience and we may have had the same pilot. Are you sure he was South African and not Australian? You would have flown into the Okavango through Maun airport.
Do you remember the camp you stayed in and when did you travel?
Wow - that was indeed frightening!
I can't match that, but I have flown in a twin engined Cessna. I had flown in to Botswana from Windhoek, Namibia on a convention plane, landed and went through passport control to wait in the passenger lounge, armed only with my travel documents to fly to the Okovango Delta in Botswana. After a while of waiting around, a very smartly dressed official asked if I needed help. I explained who I was and what I was waiting for. "Ah yes, we know about you. Your pilot will be along in a few moments". And true enough, a tall Australian wearing shorts, T-shirt and what looked like flip-flops, sidled up and said "Hi, my name is Bruce, you must be Barry - where are we going?" (!). I told him where we were going and he punched in the information into what I presume was a navigational aid, and we took off. Being able to fly low, and sitting next to him I was able to look down to see the wildlife and natural features of Botswana.
We landed on an airstrip near a river, disembarked (I only had a small bag with me) and Bruce told me to wait "over there", whilst he went off to complete the necessary paperwork. After a few moments a Pygmy appeared out of the bushes, introduced himself to me as Daniel and said "Your digout canoe is over here, I will escort you to the camp". And so we did. Daniel was my local guide for all the on-foot safaris we did over the next few days. Of course all of the above had been arranged in advance, but was a surprise to see it all expedited in such a relaxed manner.
The only potential dangerous incident which occured was on a flight from London to China, via Karachi. We were coming into land at Karachi and getting close to the runway, when all of sudden the plane abruptly took off like a rocket and circled around a few times. When we did eventually land (and not that smoothly), I asked my fellow passengers if they knew what had happened. A couple sat near the wing said they did not hear the landing gear go down; and another couple said that they had had a bad premonition about the flight before boarding, but it was now over. Obviously the pilot had tried to land and the engineer had told him the landing gear had not been engaged! It must have too late to engage it so the pilot had only the one option.
Apropos the flight in a cargo helicopter - well that was in Laos, an internal flight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. We we all seated in the hold of a Soviet cargo helicopter: mothers nursing babies, baskets of food, caged chickens, the fuel tank(!) and me. I was told that it would be noisy, so was armed with ear plugs, but as it turned out it wasn't noisy at all, so didn't use them. Being sat in the hold there were no large windows, so couldn't really see where we were flying. After a while I thought the journey was taking longer than expected, but we did eventually land. Disembarked and thought "this looks familiar". Turns out the pilot could not land at Luang Prabang due to mist/fog, and could only turn back. After an hour we took off again and landed safely, only to be told that a similar flight a week previously had crashed!
I think we share some experiences. I lived in both Namibia and Botswana. In my experience they are joint #1 for wildlife/safari experiences. Regarding your Botswana experience I think you mean San rather than Pygmy. The dugout canoe is a Mokoro. I visited the Okavango on several occasions. It is quite phenomenal. I had a similar experience and we may have had the same pilot. Are you sure he was South African and not Australian? You would have flown into the Okavango through Maun airport.
Do you remember the camp you stayed in and when did you travel?
Yes, the airport was Maun, and now you mention it the 'dugout' was a Mokoro.
I used the term 'Pygmy' as a lazy shorthand to describe Daniel's stature - he wasn't very tall, about 5 foot or maybe a bit less. I bow to you superior knowledge that he might have been San (in general, are the San short in stature?).
You ask if my pilot was South African, rather than an Australian. To the casual listener the two accents can sound similar, but I can tell the difference. Later in my trip, I stayed in a hotel near the South African border, where at the weekends South Africans would come up to party. All I can say is they lived up to their undesirable stereotype with their attitude and demanding nature!
The camp in the Okovanga was called 'Delta Camp'. There were about a dozen chalets situated in an unenclosed clearing. When I arrived, they asked me if I was afraid of heights (?). I said no, to which they replied "Oh, that's alright as we have put you in the tree house". Yes, one of the accomodations was a very well appointed tree house. At the top was the double bedroom, with a verandah allowing one to sit out in the evening to watch the wildlife, which was nearby and would sometimes walk through the camp. On the 'floor' (or branches) below was the shower and toilet. Nowadays, tree house holidays are not that uncommon, but this was over thirty years ago and it was certainly a new and delightful experience to me.
Later still I went on to Zimbabwe and stayed at the Victoria Falls Hotel - sampling Edwardian elegance, before crossing over the bridge to visit Zambia.
Pepperamip
15-08-2022, 06:58
I was there at the exact time Princess Diana died. Got some really good memories.
Got some hazy one too with a few too many piton beers.
Is that a Sandals resort? looks lovely
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