It's 4pm on Monday afternoon in Hong kong (actually Kowloon Island) and I am about to make my last blog entry for this trip before I leave tomorrow morning for Chicago. It has been a great trip and my goal is to keep the Moose Trax alive as I hope to make a trip like this once each month. I will post my April schedule when it finalized.
I got my "alert call" at 10:45pm last night in Ghangzhou China and got picked up at the hotel around midnight for a 40 minute drive to the airport. While waiting on my partner to come downstairs for the ride to the Fedex ramp, I had a wonderful Cantonese language lesson from the Chinese limo driver who was there to drive us. I discovered that Ghangzhou used to be Canton China, which is the reason 90% of the population there speaks Cantonese and the other 10% Mandarin. I think most of China is now speaking Mandarin. Anyway, I wrote down phonetically such words as 1) how much "gay ching" 2) your name "lakeul man man"
3)Thanks "dol jay" 4) good morning "joel san" 5) good "ho ho" 6)beautiful "lay ho land"
and 7) goodbye "bye bye"
It was a fun way to kill some time and learn a little about this far away culture.
I did go out exploring earlier that day and realized that Sunday is their major social and shopping day. I bet I saw tens of thousands of people out shopping, eating and having fun. Their little shops all had young people standing on stools or boxes with microphones and/or clapping boards trying to get people into their shops. It was controlled pandemonium! I did have to stop and eat some squid on a stick skewer, as it seemed to be the delicacy that everyone was eating. It tasted good...but I thought perhaps I had pressed my luck and didn't eat anymore at the marketplace.
When we got to the airport that night I met my Captain who recently moved his wife and 2 kids to Hong Kong and was living there full time. It was our first meeting and I chose to fly from China to Manila, since he had never flown into Manila before...and he would handle the radios. It was a beautiful night and the stars and full moon were out. In fact, I discovered the Big Dipper is upside down on this side of the hemisphere but the north star is in the same part of the sky. Always pointing True North of course. One of the few rituals that I do every night that I fly is find the north star. For some reason it is part of my comfort zone. Getting into Manila was easy...getting out through Customs and boarding my commercial flight to HK was a little more challenging. They appear to be very security conscious (bags checked twice) and then names checked off at a security point as your entered your gate for departure. Of course, there must have been at least a dozen different languages spoken in that crowd of 250 at my gate, which made communication a little difficult when it came time to board.
I got to my hotel at 10am this morning which made for a rather long day & night. I did get out around noon today to do my first look around. Naturally, the streets and sidewalks were packed with business people as it was a Monday here. I saw a few westerners but not many. I guess I was not in the tourist area. However, I did get a good look at the Hong Kong harbour which now has the world's second largest shipping port taking up much of the waterway. I remember 27 years ago that harbour was filled with sanpans (Chines house boats) and the only way to get between Kowloon Island and Hong Kong Island was on ferry boats. There is now an underwater tunnel and 3 major bridges connecting the three largest islands in the Hong Kong area. The Hong Kong airport and these modern bridges are world famous because of the design and location. Worth taking a look at online.
It's now 6pm and I am ready to hit the streets one more time before I make my way home tomorrow. I didn't get to see the real Hong Kong this time but I will return soon and I promise to take lots of pictures on that trip for all my new fans. I hope to be on the road to Nashville late Tuesday evening but know that I will be home NLT Wednesday at noon.
Ok, one last update. I just got back inside my room after wondering down town for a little over an hour. I have never been approached by more tailors wanting to make me new suits!! You get to the point that you walk with your eyes "looking forward" just so you won't be approached. As the sun went down I walk to the harbour board walk behind the hotel that is called the "Avenue of Stars" and sits right on the harbour that separates Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Island. This is the harbour that used to be full of Sanpans with hardly any room to turn the boats. Tonight I didn't see any! It looks like an entire culture of boat people have moved on gone to land. I guess you call that progress.....??!?
The interesting part tonight was the turnout of locals on this board walk of the Ave of Stars. It is similar to Hollywood's walk of stars with the Hong Kong film industry. Lots of bronze statutes of different scenes and people. Of course the most famous is Bruce Lee. Tons of women wanted their picture in front of that statue. It was rather amazing the way everyone was taking pictures of the hand imprints, statues, stars, etc. And when the sun goes down, the city of Hong Kong is majestic with its lights and is quite beautiful from the boardwalk across the harbour in Kowloon.
I drank a San Miquel draft beer and enjoyed people watching from an out door bar on the water front. Now I am ready to crash!
I will continue to update as my Fedex travels take me to different places...so keep looking ...
Blue skies from Hong Kong
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A New Day in Guangzhou China
It has been 9 hours since I closed out my last Blog....so I am rested and ready to pick up where I left off..............water buffalo near my parked jet in Penang Malaysia......
As I did my preflight inspection at 3pm on Sat afternoon, there were two Malaysian police officers sitting on folding chairs underneath the airplane. They had been there since the Airbus had landed by another Fedex crew at 10am. Swapping airplanes and never seeing the other crew is commonplace......however....seeing local police protecting your Airbus was another first. Of course, they had no weapons and no communication ...but I'm sure their presence was the real deterrent....unless someone really wanted to damage or destroy the aircraft then I doubt there is little they could do to prevent it.
Taking off at 4pm from Malaysia en route to Manila was another beautiful picture that has been ingrained into my mind. The mountains surrounding the little island of Penang and the blue water was an awesome sight. The 3 plus hour flight to Manila was uneventful (best kind) and we arrived in their airspace after sunset. However, as we flew towards the North East I got to experience another first for me as I made radio contact with Ho Chi Minh Control and heard names that took me back over 40 years ago. Places like Cam Ranh, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Nha Trang and Da Nang all came alive for me after so many years. The interesting part was the controllers for Ho Chi Minh control spoke better English than anyone I have communicated with on the entire trip. Who would have thought??
As I mentioned earlier, the approach and landing into Manila at 7:30 pm was uneventful. Although, there was a tremendous fireworks show taking place just off to our left side which you could see from at least 10 miles away. It seems one of the local malls on the coast line of Manila do this show every weekend night. Of course my first thoughts were how can a country which has so much poverty justify burning up so many dollars with a fireworks show on a Saturday night. It was just the first thing that entered my mind as we flew down final approach. Upon landing we were once again greeted with smiling faces and lots of "welcome sirs" as our load crew began the cargo swapout. We landed 30 minutes early (American time ;) but our Philippine guests made sure that our schedule would be adjusted as it took them nearly two hours to get us ready to leave again (previously mentioned Philippino time). Eventhough fatigue was starting to set in...you just have to smile don't get too excited as time seems to go in slow motion. I used that time to practice my Krav Maga skills and used the canvas cargo barrier as a punching bag. It really worked surprisingly well and actually got the blood flowing and woke me up. Naturally, the Philippine loaders came running up ..curiously wondering where the pop pop noise was coming from as I was shadow boxing the canvas. I got lots of smiles and head nods when they saw this old man bobbing and weaving. It was fun....and I felt alive!
Leaving Manila and flying north towards China at 10pm at night brought back another "deja vous", as I flew east of Clark Airbase on a dark but clear night. When I saw the lights of Clark from 15 miles away, my thoughts went back to 26 years earlier when I use to fly night missions in the F-4 going up to Camp O'Donnell to drop practice bombs at night. I'll never forget those missions where you rolled into a 45deg dive angle bombing run, hurling your self at the rocks below hoping that you wouldn't get disoriented when you pulled out of the dive at 500 knots. Funny what you remember and what "sticks" in your mind.??!??
Anyway, getting the radio handoff to Hong Kong control was simple and we made the transition from feet to meters without any problems. I was ready for it this time! The final controllers into Ghangzhou spoke pretty decent english and we got an easy approach into this huge runway complex with very few airplanes around to interfere with our arrival. Once we landed I immediately noticed how everything was under strict and positive control from the time we cleared the runway til we parked on our Fedex ramp. This complex is brand new and massive. I am sure Fedex has put millions of dollars into China...as this is our future. Once we shut down the engines we were immediately swarmed by literally dozens of maintenance, customs and cargo loaders. It brings the meaning of "Chinese fire drill" to life! By the time I walked out of the cockpit, I could barely move much less think. People wanting to see my Crew Declaration forms, paperwork, etc. I couldn't even get to our little latrine on board or grab a bottle of water from our cooler....the intensity level raised ten-fold over what I had just seen in Manila.! Of course, the van and driver were at the bottom of the steps with a very serious looking military fellow riding shotgun. I think he is the "political officer". This is the part that I describe on FaceBook as being the "drill". It is distinct and complete control.....which is the signature of Communism! Remember, this area is the FedEx ramp. Built and operated ONLY by Fedex crews and employees. As we approach our building (which is massive and probably 2000' long) it is surrounded by a dark and ominous fence which I described earlier as the "gulag". A uniformed ChiCom met us at the door and we went immediately to Customs which in the FedEx building. There were at least 5 Customs agents (no smiles) ready to examine our paperwork and to make sure we were following instructions. My Captain got them all stirred up because he was not going to take the scheduled taxi back to Hong Kong (3 hour drive) which all based Hong Kong pilots would normally do. In Rod's case, he still lives in the Philippines and was going to stay in the same hotel as me instead. He had cancelled this Hong Kong limo several days earlier, but he had showed up anyway. Holy cow....this was NOT what they had expected and it really threw them a curve ball. I thought Rod was going to get forced into that other van.....he just smiled and said I'm not going and we proceeded on together to our hotel (one hour drive) which was a brand new Holiday Inn in the city of Ghangzhou. The nicest one I have ever stayed in. I have caught up on my sleep and had a great breakfast several hours ago. It is now 1pm and time to explore, workout in their fitness room and then take another nap before my 2 am flight back to Manila tonight. This will be my last operational flight on this trip as I will take a commercial flight from Manila to Hong Kong at 0630 tomorrow morning. I will write more from Hong Kong.......
As I did my preflight inspection at 3pm on Sat afternoon, there were two Malaysian police officers sitting on folding chairs underneath the airplane. They had been there since the Airbus had landed by another Fedex crew at 10am. Swapping airplanes and never seeing the other crew is commonplace......however....seeing local police protecting your Airbus was another first. Of course, they had no weapons and no communication ...but I'm sure their presence was the real deterrent....unless someone really wanted to damage or destroy the aircraft then I doubt there is little they could do to prevent it.
Taking off at 4pm from Malaysia en route to Manila was another beautiful picture that has been ingrained into my mind. The mountains surrounding the little island of Penang and the blue water was an awesome sight. The 3 plus hour flight to Manila was uneventful (best kind) and we arrived in their airspace after sunset. However, as we flew towards the North East I got to experience another first for me as I made radio contact with Ho Chi Minh Control and heard names that took me back over 40 years ago. Places like Cam Ranh, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Nha Trang and Da Nang all came alive for me after so many years. The interesting part was the controllers for Ho Chi Minh control spoke better English than anyone I have communicated with on the entire trip. Who would have thought??
As I mentioned earlier, the approach and landing into Manila at 7:30 pm was uneventful. Although, there was a tremendous fireworks show taking place just off to our left side which you could see from at least 10 miles away. It seems one of the local malls on the coast line of Manila do this show every weekend night. Of course my first thoughts were how can a country which has so much poverty justify burning up so many dollars with a fireworks show on a Saturday night. It was just the first thing that entered my mind as we flew down final approach. Upon landing we were once again greeted with smiling faces and lots of "welcome sirs" as our load crew began the cargo swapout. We landed 30 minutes early (American time ;) but our Philippine guests made sure that our schedule would be adjusted as it took them nearly two hours to get us ready to leave again (previously mentioned Philippino time). Eventhough fatigue was starting to set in...you just have to smile don't get too excited as time seems to go in slow motion. I used that time to practice my Krav Maga skills and used the canvas cargo barrier as a punching bag. It really worked surprisingly well and actually got the blood flowing and woke me up. Naturally, the Philippine loaders came running up ..curiously wondering where the pop pop noise was coming from as I was shadow boxing the canvas. I got lots of smiles and head nods when they saw this old man bobbing and weaving. It was fun....and I felt alive!
Leaving Manila and flying north towards China at 10pm at night brought back another "deja vous", as I flew east of Clark Airbase on a dark but clear night. When I saw the lights of Clark from 15 miles away, my thoughts went back to 26 years earlier when I use to fly night missions in the F-4 going up to Camp O'Donnell to drop practice bombs at night. I'll never forget those missions where you rolled into a 45deg dive angle bombing run, hurling your self at the rocks below hoping that you wouldn't get disoriented when you pulled out of the dive at 500 knots. Funny what you remember and what "sticks" in your mind.??!??
Anyway, getting the radio handoff to Hong Kong control was simple and we made the transition from feet to meters without any problems. I was ready for it this time! The final controllers into Ghangzhou spoke pretty decent english and we got an easy approach into this huge runway complex with very few airplanes around to interfere with our arrival. Once we landed I immediately noticed how everything was under strict and positive control from the time we cleared the runway til we parked on our Fedex ramp. This complex is brand new and massive. I am sure Fedex has put millions of dollars into China...as this is our future. Once we shut down the engines we were immediately swarmed by literally dozens of maintenance, customs and cargo loaders. It brings the meaning of "Chinese fire drill" to life! By the time I walked out of the cockpit, I could barely move much less think. People wanting to see my Crew Declaration forms, paperwork, etc. I couldn't even get to our little latrine on board or grab a bottle of water from our cooler....the intensity level raised ten-fold over what I had just seen in Manila.! Of course, the van and driver were at the bottom of the steps with a very serious looking military fellow riding shotgun. I think he is the "political officer". This is the part that I describe on FaceBook as being the "drill". It is distinct and complete control.....which is the signature of Communism! Remember, this area is the FedEx ramp. Built and operated ONLY by Fedex crews and employees. As we approach our building (which is massive and probably 2000' long) it is surrounded by a dark and ominous fence which I described earlier as the "gulag". A uniformed ChiCom met us at the door and we went immediately to Customs which in the FedEx building. There were at least 5 Customs agents (no smiles) ready to examine our paperwork and to make sure we were following instructions. My Captain got them all stirred up because he was not going to take the scheduled taxi back to Hong Kong (3 hour drive) which all based Hong Kong pilots would normally do. In Rod's case, he still lives in the Philippines and was going to stay in the same hotel as me instead. He had cancelled this Hong Kong limo several days earlier, but he had showed up anyway. Holy cow....this was NOT what they had expected and it really threw them a curve ball. I thought Rod was going to get forced into that other van.....he just smiled and said I'm not going and we proceeded on together to our hotel (one hour drive) which was a brand new Holiday Inn in the city of Ghangzhou. The nicest one I have ever stayed in. I have caught up on my sleep and had a great breakfast several hours ago. It is now 1pm and time to explore, workout in their fitness room and then take another nap before my 2 am flight back to Manila tonight. This will be my last operational flight on this trip as I will take a commercial flight from Manila to Hong Kong at 0630 tomorrow morning. I will write more from Hong Kong.......
Malaysia - Manila - China..What a day!
Ok..first of all thank you Pat for setting up this Blog. I really did know how to create a Blog...but I wanted to give you the chance to shine! I will update pictures upon my return since my "throw away camera" is not digital and so the pics must be developed. That will change on my next trip.
My Friday night was spent eating at this enormous Seafood Buffet in the Eastern & Oriental Hotel where we stayed. (note: I must correct a date from the previous post. This hotel was built in 1885 NOT 1985 as previously mentioned. That makes a considerable difference when I describe the unique architectural design and quality of this hotel). The variety was incredible as it ranged from Indian cuisine to squids, sushi, shrimp, lobster and a hundred items in between. Oh...and the beer and wine was free! I would say most of the guests were either Korean or Japanese with a mix of Europeans. I don't think any other Americans were there except for me and Rod Shockley (my Captain and best new friend). Rod is a retired Naval Aviator and a very large African American man , my age and with a similar personality. I think we cast a wide shadow last night! We stayed for 3 or 4 hours eating and drinking lots of free wine. Of course, we had to venture out to the local establishments to make sure all was quiet on the "Eastern Front". We must have been successful as there were no adverse reports this morning.
I really didn't stay out that late...but it was 1am before I went to bed and just approaching dawn when I got up this morning at 6. By the way, it is almost 2am (20 hours later) as I am writing this Blog from Ghangzhou China, so it might seem a little disjointed. Which of course it is....but I want to write this while it is still fresh in my mind. Morning coffee and a wonderful breakfast buffet was made special as I watched the sun rise over the eastern Malaysia horizon, while I sat on the covered patio on the water. I got a little exercise in the pool later on that morning, took a restless nap and went back to the airport in our "Butler driven" Mercedes. What I noticed once we got to the airplane were the water buffalo's and the small farm that was approximately 50 feet in front of our very large wide body Airbus. The fence was so close ...it was such a contrast with this modern aircraft sitting within spitting distance of a 9th Century beast of burden. I have never witnessed that before........ok battery is dying and so am I .....I will post more later.
My Friday night was spent eating at this enormous Seafood Buffet in the Eastern & Oriental Hotel where we stayed. (note: I must correct a date from the previous post. This hotel was built in 1885 NOT 1985 as previously mentioned. That makes a considerable difference when I describe the unique architectural design and quality of this hotel). The variety was incredible as it ranged from Indian cuisine to squids, sushi, shrimp, lobster and a hundred items in between. Oh...and the beer and wine was free! I would say most of the guests were either Korean or Japanese with a mix of Europeans. I don't think any other Americans were there except for me and Rod Shockley (my Captain and best new friend). Rod is a retired Naval Aviator and a very large African American man , my age and with a similar personality. I think we cast a wide shadow last night! We stayed for 3 or 4 hours eating and drinking lots of free wine. Of course, we had to venture out to the local establishments to make sure all was quiet on the "Eastern Front". We must have been successful as there were no adverse reports this morning.
I really didn't stay out that late...but it was 1am before I went to bed and just approaching dawn when I got up this morning at 6. By the way, it is almost 2am (20 hours later) as I am writing this Blog from Ghangzhou China, so it might seem a little disjointed. Which of course it is....but I want to write this while it is still fresh in my mind. Morning coffee and a wonderful breakfast buffet was made special as I watched the sun rise over the eastern Malaysia horizon, while I sat on the covered patio on the water. I got a little exercise in the pool later on that morning, took a restless nap and went back to the airport in our "Butler driven" Mercedes. What I noticed once we got to the airplane were the water buffalo's and the small farm that was approximately 50 feet in front of our very large wide body Airbus. The fence was so close ...it was such a contrast with this modern aircraft sitting within spitting distance of a 9th Century beast of burden. I have never witnessed that before........ok battery is dying and so am I .....I will post more later.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Just landed in Penang Malaysia
The next leg was only 75 minutes and was into the tiny city/nation of Singapore. Again, the runway was huge and you flew over Malaysia (on final approach) with literally tens of thousands of palm trees underneath you. It looked like a giant nursery! When we landed and taxied back into the Fedex Cargo area, we went right next to these huge trees and beautiful bushes and plants. Right next to the taxiway. I wish I had had my camera available as I have never seen trees next to a taxi way before. It was awesome! The efficiency of the Singaporans (sp?) was a sight to behold. Of course, their English was superb and they had us ready to start and taxi in less than 45 minutes. I hear it is the best layover city in the Far East, so it will definitely go on my list of things to do ;-)
We took off (light weight) and I immediately climbed to FL 340 en route to this final stop of Penang Malaysia. This flight took us north again and across the equator. This airport is large although it only has one runway, and sits on a tiny island connected to the mainland and the large city of Butterworth Malaysia. Of course, all of these flights are done in "non radar contact", so you constantly have to give location updates with your position and altitude. Unheard of in the states! The final approach into Penang was magnificent. The mountainous terrain surrounding the airfield (sea level) goes up to 4500". As you came in closer you could really see the unique terrain and city of this little island. Malaysia was once under British rule, so everyone here speaks the Queens English. Most of the inhabitants appeared to be either Muslim or Hindu. I guess lots of Indians are settled here as well. Our driver met us at the terminal wearing a white tuxedo and driving a Mercedes. The city is jammed with people, cars and thousands of Honda 90 motorbikes! It is the headquarters of Intel, AMD, Fairchild, etc so the educational level of this country is very high. The hotel (Eastern & Oriental Hotel) has been here since 1985. My room has two suites in it and is all hardwood. The buffet tonight is all seafood with free beer and wine. Good thing I don't fly until tomorrow afternoon. Naturally, I took pictures of me signing the register, as I thought it could have been on a set from a Humphrey Bogart movie. I was and am impressed. Ok...enough for tonight....my Captain is calling and I must share some of my southern hospitality with these wonderful people. My travels take me back to China tomorrow, so I know I won't be venturing out there. Thanks for being so patient with my descriptive comments. I simply want you all to see it from my eyes......and so it goes.......
love moose
We took off (light weight) and I immediately climbed to FL 340 en route to this final stop of Penang Malaysia. This flight took us north again and across the equator. This airport is large although it only has one runway, and sits on a tiny island connected to the mainland and the large city of Butterworth Malaysia. Of course, all of these flights are done in "non radar contact", so you constantly have to give location updates with your position and altitude. Unheard of in the states! The final approach into Penang was magnificent. The mountainous terrain surrounding the airfield (sea level) goes up to 4500". As you came in closer you could really see the unique terrain and city of this little island. Malaysia was once under British rule, so everyone here speaks the Queens English. Most of the inhabitants appeared to be either Muslim or Hindu. I guess lots of Indians are settled here as well. Our driver met us at the terminal wearing a white tuxedo and driving a Mercedes. The city is jammed with people, cars and thousands of Honda 90 motorbikes! It is the headquarters of Intel, AMD, Fairchild, etc so the educational level of this country is very high. The hotel (Eastern & Oriental Hotel) has been here since 1985. My room has two suites in it and is all hardwood. The buffet tonight is all seafood with free beer and wine. Good thing I don't fly until tomorrow afternoon. Naturally, I took pictures of me signing the register, as I thought it could have been on a set from a Humphrey Bogart movie. I was and am impressed. Ok...enough for tonight....my Captain is calling and I must share some of my southern hospitality with these wonderful people. My travels take me back to China tomorrow, so I know I won't be venturing out there. Thanks for being so patient with my descriptive comments. I simply want you all to see it from my eyes......and so it goes.......
love moose
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Lates Update from Cebu
Dear Family and Friends....
It is now Thursday afternoon from Cebu...and yes I got a sunburn! We did not get out of Seoul on Wednesday night til almost midnight and it took us about 3 hours to fly to Chunghou China (FedEx hub). It was a beautiful night to fly ...but I got to ride sideways in a jumpseat in a MD-11 since our bird was broken. When we got to China, our hub turn was delayed another 2 hours because our Airbus was having some maintenance issue. With that resolved we got airborne for Cebu about 0540 this morning and flew about 2 more hours into Cebu.
China was incredible. The airfield and FedEx facility is brand new. It's huge. The aircraft was met with very impeccable looking Fedex employees with several military/political officers all around our airplane. It didn't take but minutes to remember you are in a very controlled Communist nation. Everyone was very courteous and efficient and we were driven by van into this new facility built next to the 25 wide body gates. The Fedex sort facility is very large and looks similar to the one in Indy except there were prison type fences (security) around the bldg, that looked like they were to keep the employees in, since it was already within the secure confines of the entire airfield. It reminded me of a gulag. Of course the Chinese security was very serious and their Custom procedures were methodical and repetitive. We stayed inside for about an 90 minutes and then went through the same drill just to go back out to our airplane. The maintenance issue took another 3 hours to resolve once we got to the bird...but the Chinese workers were very courteous and thorough ...and all spoke very good English. It was impressive.
When we finally go airborne our flight to Cebu was awesome. I got to see the most incredible dawning of the day watching the sun rise over the South China Sea while we were cruising at 12500 meters (FL 370) which was the most complicated part of leaving China. We never use meters in our flying, so trying to decipher their broken English and convert meters to feet had me hopping. The best part of the morning was flying directly over Luzon, which is the major island of the Philippines. This is where we lived from 1980-83. It was an incredible view and I actually got to fly over the same places where we used to fly F-4s during our training missions. The mountain ranges that start at the north of Luzon near Baggio and then One Hundred Islands and on down into the Camp O'Donnell where the Death March of Bataan ended after the fall of Corregedor. (Kelly...we hiked part of that trail while you were in school here). I flew directly over Clark AB and got to see Mt Pinatubo which was the volcano that destroyed most of that base in 1991. This volcano erupted in the same mountain ranges where we flew our F-4s and where Camp O'Donnell use to be. It was quite a morning flight for me! I took several pictures ....but it was from FL370.
We then flew directly over Manila on our flight into Cebu, which is part of Mac Tan Island, Philippines. This island is the Carribean for this part of Asia. Lots of Asians come here to vacation. It is famous in history as the place where the explorer Magellan was killed by a Philippino native named Lapu Lapu, which is the name of the airfield we landed. It is a little airport but Cebu is the second largest city in the P.I. It reminded me of the old tv show Paradise Island! It was really a beautiful setting as you came into land. We were met at the airplane with about 15 men, at parade rest, wearing yellow shirts, waiting to greet and unload our Airbus. Smiles everywhere and lots of "welcome sirs". Nothing had changed! The same industrious and courteous people that I knew 26 years ago!
The Shangri-La Hotel has lived up to its name. An open aired entrance, lots of security and waitstaff, all in colorful uniforms waiting to meet your every need! It was awesome. The large fans were turning, and plants and greenery everywhere. The entire first two floors of the hotel has no external walls. The bars, resturants, main check in, etc are open aired. The grounds were lush green and led to the several pools and decks and then down into their own beach. Not many Europeans ....just mostly Japanese and Korean guests. I did meet one fellow from Kuwait who took my picture..which will be posted once I return home. I naturally held true to my promise....went to the beach (after 1 hour nap) and got sunburned. I love it! I had a late lunch and then crashed again which now has me writing at 7pm. I am going to get a light dinner and drink one San Miquel for old time sakes. We leave the hotel at 6:30 am for a long day tomorrow. We fly to Jakarta, Singapore and end up in Penang Malaysia which is another lush beach resort. Man this is a miserable job but I don't mind the sacrifice.
Ok ...enough of this saga. I hope you all have enjoyed my description of this journey. I wanted you all to be a part of this adventure through my eyes and then my words. I will write more tomorrow.
Love to all
Moose
It is now Thursday afternoon from Cebu...and yes I got a sunburn! We did not get out of Seoul on Wednesday night til almost midnight and it took us about 3 hours to fly to Chunghou China (FedEx hub). It was a beautiful night to fly ...but I got to ride sideways in a jumpseat in a MD-11 since our bird was broken. When we got to China, our hub turn was delayed another 2 hours because our Airbus was having some maintenance issue. With that resolved we got airborne for Cebu about 0540 this morning and flew about 2 more hours into Cebu.
China was incredible. The airfield and FedEx facility is brand new. It's huge. The aircraft was met with very impeccable looking Fedex employees with several military/political officers all around our airplane. It didn't take but minutes to remember you are in a very controlled Communist nation. Everyone was very courteous and efficient and we were driven by van into this new facility built next to the 25 wide body gates. The Fedex sort facility is very large and looks similar to the one in Indy except there were prison type fences (security) around the bldg, that looked like they were to keep the employees in, since it was already within the secure confines of the entire airfield. It reminded me of a gulag. Of course the Chinese security was very serious and their Custom procedures were methodical and repetitive. We stayed inside for about an 90 minutes and then went through the same drill just to go back out to our airplane. The maintenance issue took another 3 hours to resolve once we got to the bird...but the Chinese workers were very courteous and thorough ...and all spoke very good English. It was impressive.
When we finally go airborne our flight to Cebu was awesome. I got to see the most incredible dawning of the day watching the sun rise over the South China Sea while we were cruising at 12500 meters (FL 370) which was the most complicated part of leaving China. We never use meters in our flying, so trying to decipher their broken English and convert meters to feet had me hopping. The best part of the morning was flying directly over Luzon, which is the major island of the Philippines. This is where we lived from 1980-83. It was an incredible view and I actually got to fly over the same places where we used to fly F-4s during our training missions. The mountain ranges that start at the north of Luzon near Baggio and then One Hundred Islands and on down into the Camp O'Donnell where the Death March of Bataan ended after the fall of Corregedor. (Kelly...we hiked part of that trail while you were in school here). I flew directly over Clark AB and got to see Mt Pinatubo which was the volcano that destroyed most of that base in 1991. This volcano erupted in the same mountain ranges where we flew our F-4s and where Camp O'Donnell use to be. It was quite a morning flight for me! I took several pictures ....but it was from FL370.
We then flew directly over Manila on our flight into Cebu, which is part of Mac Tan Island, Philippines. This island is the Carribean for this part of Asia. Lots of Asians come here to vacation. It is famous in history as the place where the explorer Magellan was killed by a Philippino native named Lapu Lapu, which is the name of the airfield we landed. It is a little airport but Cebu is the second largest city in the P.I. It reminded me of the old tv show Paradise Island! It was really a beautiful setting as you came into land. We were met at the airplane with about 15 men, at parade rest, wearing yellow shirts, waiting to greet and unload our Airbus. Smiles everywhere and lots of "welcome sirs". Nothing had changed! The same industrious and courteous people that I knew 26 years ago!
The Shangri-La Hotel has lived up to its name. An open aired entrance, lots of security and waitstaff, all in colorful uniforms waiting to meet your every need! It was awesome. The large fans were turning, and plants and greenery everywhere. The entire first two floors of the hotel has no external walls. The bars, resturants, main check in, etc are open aired. The grounds were lush green and led to the several pools and decks and then down into their own beach. Not many Europeans ....just mostly Japanese and Korean guests. I did meet one fellow from Kuwait who took my picture..which will be posted once I return home. I naturally held true to my promise....went to the beach (after 1 hour nap) and got sunburned. I love it! I had a late lunch and then crashed again which now has me writing at 7pm. I am going to get a light dinner and drink one San Miquel for old time sakes. We leave the hotel at 6:30 am for a long day tomorrow. We fly to Jakarta, Singapore and end up in Penang Malaysia which is another lush beach resort. Man this is a miserable job but I don't mind the sacrifice.
Ok ...enough of this saga. I hope you all have enjoyed my description of this journey. I wanted you all to be a part of this adventure through my eyes and then my words. I will write more tomorrow.
Love to all
Moose
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Seoul Update
Dear Friends and Family,
Not much to report this afternoon from Seoul (1pm now) and we leave the hotel at 7pm. Obviously, I finally caught up on some sleep...but awoke at 4am rearing' to go! I looked over our flight plans for today and then hit the gym. After I showered, I took a cab again to Yongson Army Post just so I could "hang" with the troops. I'll take another nap before we push for China.
The war footing here for the troops has stepped up a bit and most of these kids are walking around in full battle gear. I expected to see lots of kids (which I have) but there are more "gray hair" soldiers than I expected. Naturally, I don't think of myself that way ( I still have blond hair...right?) but I do think I could still handle the physical challenge. hoorah. The army post is hopping...lots of activity...lots of family and kids. I remember when I was on the "Z" how strange it was for me to see families when I came south to Seoul or Osan. I guess i always felt the "shooting" was only minutes away and this wasn't a good place for kids. It could be a very unpleasant and a monumental undertaking to try and evac these families if the North came South un expectantly. That is the same concern I had 22 years ago as well.
I haven't taken as many pictures of Seoul this time. I guess because it doesn't feel or seem different to me. In spite of the two decades of my absence...I feel like I was just here driving my MK 151 Jeep with Sgt Armstrong behind the wheel. Man I miss those moments! It seems we lived on the edge (physically and emotionally) for that entire tour ....I never felt more alive! I guess the pictures that I would really like to capture are the ones I can't take. Across the Imjin River up at Camp Bonifas or Camp Grave within spitting distance of the DMZ and the North Koreans!
I just got a fax slipped under my hotel room. Looks like our Airbus is broken tonight and I will be jumpseating with my captain to China (4 hours yuk). We then will have 4 hours on the deck there and then I will fly an Airbus to Cebu Philippines. Not a big deal...just a little inconvenient! Hopefully, the wx will be good at Cebu and I can hit the beach. I promise to take more pictures. Especially for Michael since this is his birth place. Love to all
Blue skies always
moose
Not much to report this afternoon from Seoul (1pm now) and we leave the hotel at 7pm. Obviously, I finally caught up on some sleep...but awoke at 4am rearing' to go! I looked over our flight plans for today and then hit the gym. After I showered, I took a cab again to Yongson Army Post just so I could "hang" with the troops. I'll take another nap before we push for China.
The war footing here for the troops has stepped up a bit and most of these kids are walking around in full battle gear. I expected to see lots of kids (which I have) but there are more "gray hair" soldiers than I expected. Naturally, I don't think of myself that way ( I still have blond hair...right?) but I do think I could still handle the physical challenge. hoorah. The army post is hopping...lots of activity...lots of family and kids. I remember when I was on the "Z" how strange it was for me to see families when I came south to Seoul or Osan. I guess i always felt the "shooting" was only minutes away and this wasn't a good place for kids. It could be a very unpleasant and a monumental undertaking to try and evac these families if the North came South un expectantly. That is the same concern I had 22 years ago as well.
I haven't taken as many pictures of Seoul this time. I guess because it doesn't feel or seem different to me. In spite of the two decades of my absence...I feel like I was just here driving my MK 151 Jeep with Sgt Armstrong behind the wheel. Man I miss those moments! It seems we lived on the edge (physically and emotionally) for that entire tour ....I never felt more alive! I guess the pictures that I would really like to capture are the ones I can't take. Across the Imjin River up at Camp Bonifas or Camp Grave within spitting distance of the DMZ and the North Koreans!
I just got a fax slipped under my hotel room. Looks like our Airbus is broken tonight and I will be jumpseating with my captain to China (4 hours yuk). We then will have 4 hours on the deck there and then I will fly an Airbus to Cebu Philippines. Not a big deal...just a little inconvenient! Hopefully, the wx will be good at Cebu and I can hit the beach. I promise to take more pictures. Especially for Michael since this is his birth place. Love to all
Blue skies always
moose
First Fed Ex Asia Tour
My trip over to Seoul may end up being the most special part of this adventure. Asiana Airlines started their pampering of me 2 hours prior to boarding by putting me in their First Class Lounge. Only 12 seats in FC on this 747-400! We didn't mix with the Business class. Once on board...which we were escorted around hundreds of passengers, we were given our own little cubby hole that looked like a plush cockpit with a maneuverable chair (reclines to a bed) and private tv. Of course they insisted I wear their pajama's and their house slippers....which of course I did! Once airborne, I put on my eye mask and went to bed. I slept pretty well and didn't get up for about 7 hours (14 total). Naturally, I was hungry so I had some mixed nuts and fresh fruit and coffee. I then worked on my computer for a couple of hours (writing new Vigilance course) and then had breakfast. This was incredible. Fine china, linens, 6 stainless steel utensils all served by beautiful Korean women dressed in tailored suits. Really like eating in a fine dining restaurant. This meal was served about 4am and I had: pastry, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, cheese omelet served with fresh asparagus, baked tomato and potato cakes. I also had endless fresh coffee and a tomato juice.
After breakfast, I tidied up (hot towels) and change clothes. The bathroom had every personal hygiene item that you needed. We landed about 6am and I was clear of customs and in my chartered van in less than 20 minutes. The ride to the hotel took about an hour (terrible morning traffic). Of course the Millennium Seoul Hilton is very impressive as well.
At 0915 I took a cab to Yongson Army Post (20 min ride)....lost my new prescription sunglasses..then hopped a bus from Yongson to Osan. That ride took an hour. Osan has changed and seems to be growing more and very modern. I loved watching the fighters and remenising about my many hours, days and weeks operating out of that airfield starting with the F-15 in Team Spirit '79 and then my many trips there flying F-4s from the P.I. It was also where I finished out my ALO tour almost 22 years ago next month! Hard to believe it has been that long.
Ok..I am officially tired. It is almost 7pm and I have run out of gas. I am sure I will be awake around 2am (noon your time) so look for me online. Maybe I can find a way to chat. I willl complete more on this saga tomorrow.
Love to all....and GOD Bless these young airman and soldiers who choose to live this kind of life....
Moose
ps. I will give more details about the American soldiers in Korea tomorrow....
After breakfast, I tidied up (hot towels) and change clothes. The bathroom had every personal hygiene item that you needed. We landed about 6am and I was clear of customs and in my chartered van in less than 20 minutes. The ride to the hotel took about an hour (terrible morning traffic). Of course the Millennium Seoul Hilton is very impressive as well.
At 0915 I took a cab to Yongson Army Post (20 min ride)....lost my new prescription sunglasses..then hopped a bus from Yongson to Osan. That ride took an hour. Osan has changed and seems to be growing more and very modern. I loved watching the fighters and remenising about my many hours, days and weeks operating out of that airfield starting with the F-15 in Team Spirit '79 and then my many trips there flying F-4s from the P.I. It was also where I finished out my ALO tour almost 22 years ago next month! Hard to believe it has been that long.
Ok..I am officially tired. It is almost 7pm and I have run out of gas. I am sure I will be awake around 2am (noon your time) so look for me online. Maybe I can find a way to chat. I willl complete more on this saga tomorrow.
Love to all....and GOD Bless these young airman and soldiers who choose to live this kind of life....
Moose
ps. I will give more details about the American soldiers in Korea tomorrow....
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