Author archive
6 February 2009
My Boeing 737 plane to Queenstown taxied towards the runway … being seated at the last row, I saw that a cabin crew member was standing outside the open loo. Rather strange at this late stage of the taxi. As it turned out, she was helping her chundering colleague. The plane turned back to the […]
26 January 2009
It was nice to be able to join my French visitor here and hopefully again in Queenstown soon. But in the mean time, its back home and back to work.
25 January 2009
After a leisurely wake-up and breakfast, we headed out west to Pupu springs … reputedly to have the clearest water in the world! The clarity is explained by the filtration through layers of rock. Quite an irony considering its name, but officially its name is Te Waikoropupū Springs. This was followed by some swimming at Kaiteriteri […]
24 January 2009
Nelson is the Sunshine capital of New Zealand, recording the highest sunshine hours per year. Well, that’s arguable as nearby Blenheim hotly contest that title. After lunch and a nap, Marie and I walked on the long and broad Tahunanui Beach near the airport. Gorgeous … makes me want to move here. We collected Kim […]
24 January 2009
I woke early as if it was a workday, to take the flight to Nelson to meet my friend and visitor, Marie. The scenery was gorgeous … one forgets how pleasurable it is to do flights on a turboprop (in good weather). I haven’t flown domestically for a while. Air New Zealand has a new […]
10 December 2008
Kim picked up our new cat on Wed 10 Dec 2008 from the SPCA. We called her “Nyoman”, the Balinese birth order name for one’s third child. Kim picked up our new cat on Wed 10 Dec 2008 from the SPCA. We called her "Nyoman", the Balinese birth order name for one's third child. Photos […]
21 November 2008
My Air New Zealand flight arrived in Auckland at 1100. I was pleased to be home after another great adventure, and looking forward to the Kiwi summer.
20 November 2008
After a long transit in Dubai, I boarded my Emirates flight to Hong Kong. I was ready for sleep with the scheduled departure of 0315. Upon landing in Hong Kong at 1710, it was a quick self-connection to my Air New Zealand to Auckland at 1915. I had to collect my bag and make my […]
19 November 2008
Once again I leave Sana’a, a very special city, to go my home in Auckland. Leaving at 1015, I took the Emirates flight to Dubai where I had 13h30 hours in transit, from 1345 to 0315. Because it would largely be day-time, it wasn’t worthwhile getting a hotel room. Fortunately I have a choice of […]
17 November 2008
I was pleased to see the back of Aden and its humidity … give me the cool dry highland … I love Sana’a at 7000 ft. On the road from Aden back to Sana’a it was interesting to see how men should pee in Yemen. Well, I had known this before but had somehow forgotten. The […]