countries | Jason Around the World

Liechtenstein and Helsinki…via Johannesburg?!

Estonia, Finland, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Switzerland 2 Responses »

Jun 052018

Time for another throwback post, this time back to 2008 when I was alerted to a mistake fare that Lufthansa had published. The fare was meant to be for DC to Helsinki, but when publishing it in the list of permissible connecting cities they accidentally put the code for Johannesburg. This meant that for a “normal” sale business fare to Helsinki you could add in several more miles earned plus have the chance for a 12 hour stop in Johannesburg! Back in the younger days when I flew more just for the adventure this sounded like a wild deal. I was sold!

Of course, I had nearly 14 hours in Frankfurt on the way to Johannesburg, and that just wouldn’t do at all. At this point I was at only 63 countries visited, so I started looking if there was a sidetrip from Frankfurt that I could pull off within 14 hours. Noticing the frequent flights from Frankfurt to Zurich, I decided that pulling off Liechtenstein would be possible, so a quick booking and I was set to try it!

Fast forward to the flights were relatively uneventful, so few details. Fortunately I was into Frankfurt on time and had no trouble making my connecting on SWISS. Fortunately, since they were both on separate tickets it could have been trouble. This was also in the dates before inflight WiFi, so it’s not like I could just log on and cancel the SWISS ticket if we were going to be late.

Fortunately, no problems.

United flight ???
Washington, DC, Dulles (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart approx 17:30 Arrive: approx 7:00 next day, flight time: approx 8 hours
Boeing 767-300, Registration N657UA, Manufactured 1993, Seat 6K

SWISS flight 1071
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH)
Depart 10:20, Arrive: 11:20, flight time: 1 hour
Airbus A319, Registration HB-IPY, Manufactured 1996, Seat 10F

Landed right on time in Zurich, and I had exactly 7.5 hours between flights to go see Liechtenstein. Down to the train station in the airport, and a first class ticket to the Swiss town of Sargans purchased. It was just over an hour to Sargans, where upon arrival I bought a connecting bus ticket to take me the rest of the five miles or so into Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

First impressions, a bank with some very modernist architecture:

More walking, and I was really impressed by just how green everything was:

This was around the time it seemed like every city had to have statues that represented the city, painted a bunch of different ways. DC had its donkeys and elephants, Berlin had its bears, and apparently Liechtenstein has its….cows.

…again just how green it was. But brrr, it was mid-August and everyone was still in jackets.

Herzlich willkommen!

Small tourist train running around Vaduz:

After walking around for around three to four hours, I decided to walk back to Switzerland, you know, as one does. There haven’t been a whole lot of international borders I’ve crossed by walking!

Old wooden bridge between Vaduz and Switzerland:

Apparently, the local graffiti artists are less fond of Switzerland:

…and walking back into Liechtenstein one more time for good measure:

…and back into Switzerland. How many different border signs can I find!

…just one more, I swear!

Caught the bus on the Swiss side back to the train station, and back to the airport in plenty of time to relax in the lounge for a bit before flying back to Frankfurt. Very productive stopover!

SWISS flight 1076
Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 18:55, Arrive: 20:00, flight time: 1:05
Airbus A319, Registration HB-IPS, Manufactured 1997, Seat 36A

No need to clear immigration since at this time Switzerland wasn’t in an immigration union with the Schengen countries, so got to stay in the international area the whole time, and plenty of time for a stop by the lounge on the way to the plane. Best part of the flight down to Joburg? I was so exhaused from sleeping on the plane the night before and walking around all day that I passed out. Plus, this was the old 747-400 configuration with 4D, the solo seat in the nose that people used to call the “Captain’s Chair” because it was in the middle of the deck.

Lufthansa flight 572
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)
Depart 22:35 Arrive: 8:50 next day, flight time: 10:15
Boeing 747-400, Registration D-ABTF, Manufactured 1991, Seat 4D

This was also in the days before the Gautrain, so I had to hope a shared bus taxi into the city, which dropped me right at Nelson Mandela Square. Looks just the same as it does now 10 years later! I had a great lunch Al Fresco while walking off the jetlag as much as possible before heading back to the airport to fly right back to Frankfurt!

Most awkward part about flying back to Frankfurt? It was the same plane I had come in on in the morning, and I had exactly the same seat heading back! Third straight night sleeping on a plane, and fortunately the seat was still form-fit to me so I quickly passed out and slept just about the entire way to Frankfurt. Three nights in a row on planes will do that!

Lufthansa flight 573
Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 18:55 Arrive: 5:25 next day, flight time: 10:30
Boeing 747-400, Registration D-ABTF, Manufactured 1991, Seat 4D

Lufthansa flight 3102
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Helsinki, Finland (HEL)
Depart 9:35 Arrive: 12:55, flight time: 2:20
Airbus A320, Registration D-AIQW, Manufactured 2000, Seat 4C

Spent the first day in Helsinki walking off jetlag and playing tourist a bit, and then it was time to head to Estonia for a night. I’d never been on a helicopter before, so it seemed the way to go!

Loading the baggage….much easier than a plane!

Excited to be boarding my first helicopter. Back in 2005 Copterline had a crash on this route killing all 20+ aboard, but I wasn’t nervous for some reason….I’m not sure why, but…

Copterline flight 140
Helsinki, Finland (EFHE) to Tallinn, Estonia (EECL)
Depart 17:00 Arrive: 17:20, flight time: 20 minutes
Augusta Westland 139 Helicopter, Registration OH-HCR, Manufactured ?, Seat 2A

Look at those views! We passed over the Tallink Ferry, which would be our ride back to Helsinki the next day:

After landing at Tallinn City Hall Heliport:

One last evening picture…back when it was cool to have holes in your jeans, I know…

Took the more direct route home, not via South Africa, and really did make the most of a five day weekend! Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, South Africa, Finland, Estonia…any trip where you have more countries than days is pretty successful!

Lufthansa flight 3103
Helsinki, Finland (HEL) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 13:40 Arrive: 15:10, flight time: 2:30
Airbus A320, Registration D-AIQW, Manufactured 2000, Seat 2F

Great surprise….an operational upgrade at the gate to first class for the last segment back to DC. What a great way to end what was a fantastic trip!

United flight 933
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Washington DC, Dulles (IAD)
Depart 17:00 Arrive: 19:44, flight time: 8:44
Boeing 777-200, Registration N768UA, Manufactured 1995, Seat 1A

Hopefully these throwback posts make an interesting read – I’d love to see how some of these places have changed with time – share your stories!

Frequent Questions About Visiting Every Country

Uncategorized 5 Responses »

May 302018

Whenever I meet or am introduced to new people, there are five common questions I seem to get over and over again. I figured I’d to a post about them and give people a chance to ask any others or add their thoughts. Total top of the head rambling based on what comes to mind, and I’ll try and list them with the frequency I get them.

1) You’ve been to every country? Even North Korea? (close second: Even Greenland?)

Yes, I went to North Korea for the first time in 2005 as part of only the second or third group since the Korean War. The New York Times wrote an article about the trip, which I literally booked four days before. I’d seen an article on CNN talking about it, and having recently decided that I wanted to go to every country this was one I would knew would be hard. Thinking this might be my only chance, I dropped by far the most I’ve ever dropped on one country to do what ended up being a fascinating trip.

…and Greenland? No, it’s not a country. It’s an autonomous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark. But I do still really want to go!

Standing on the north side of the DMZ

Meeting a North Korean military officer outside the DMZ

2) What was your favourite country?

I’ve been trying to come up with a good answer to this one for years, and still really can’t settle on one favourite. What I have managed to do is narrow it down to a few – and without exception they’re places I’ve gone back to multiple times and really got in depth. That is to say: if I spent more time in a lot of places they might get added to this list. However, there are some that, well, idk…see question 3 below. So, what makes the short list?

Canada. From the forests of British Columbia to the Okanagan Valley. Vibrant cities like Toronto and Montreal. The natural beauty and distinct cultures of the maritimes, I think what gets me most about Canada is its diversity – both its people and its nature. It’s a country I could spend years exploring and still have hundreds of totally different and unique experiences.

Argentina. It feels terrible to say this as I’ve never really gotten out of Buenos Aires, but something about the city is absolutely electric. The wines, the beef, the tango, the mix of latin, italian, and other immigrant cultures that creates an amazing tapestry. Next step is really to dig more in depth more…but I don’t know where to start!

Senegal. I’ve spent months there in probably a dozen trips now, and from Rosso in the north to Dakar, St. Louis, and Zinguinchor, it’s an absolutely amazing place with amazing people. A little bit French, a lot bit Africa, the place just has an energy and warmth that keep drawing me back.

Russia. The Soviet Union was the third country I ever visited on a student exchange back in high school, and it keeps drawing me back. I’ve been lucky enough to work in Russia (along with all the Central Asian countries) and again it’s the diversity of the country that gets me. I hear from so many people how they didn’t like Russia (or the Russians) but once you get to know them they’re some of the most fascinating people you’ll meet anywhere. I can’t wait to do the Trans-Siberian soon and spend a work or more sharing stories…

South Africa. Another place I’ve gone to dozens of times now, and keeps drawing me back. I’m going to sound like a broken record, but maybe writing this article has made me realize something: it’s countries with huge diversity of people, nature, and experiences that draw me back. South Africa has an amazingly complex history and a lot of challenges in front of it, but it’s definitely a place with a vision for the future and people who want to help it get there.

Place du Souvenir Africain in Dakar, Senegal

Red Square, Moscow, in December…brrrr!

Monument de la Renaissance Africaine in Dakar, Senegal

3) What was your LEAST favourite country?

I think I might actually get this question more than which is my favourite, and in the same vein I haven’t been able to answer it. There really wasn’t any country that I hated. It sounds cliché, but I really do believe most places have some redeeming feature that makes them worth visiting. Now, that doesn’t mean that I want to go back to every country, far from it. Some of the bigger challenges:

Bangladesh. I loved the country, but when I went in 2006 it was a really tough place to do as a solo tourist. Lots of people desperate to make a buck trying to scam you. Grinding, in your face poverty that wore away at the spirit, and an urban chaos in Dhaka that made it very difficult to navigate when you were only there for three days. That said, I really want to go back now, but with someone who either lives there or knows the place well. I know there’s a million things to explore, and the warmth and kindness I was shown by several people on my first trip make me want to go back.

Niger. I loved my four days there, but you know, it was just enough. As far as tourist sites go, I feel like I pretty much saw them all, and any extra time invested would be diminishing returns. I don’t do patience well, so going to a place and chilling for a couple weeks while hoping to having fascinating experiences is hard for me.

Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu. Again, island time, and there’s just not enough to “do” for my tastes. Yeah, I could spend days or weeks trying to get a boat to the outer islands, but hey…more islands. I think I crave more culture and activities, and these are definitely places that move at their own pace. Some of the most beautiful nature (and OH the sunsets!) I’ve seen, but I like a little more activity.

Grand Mosque of Niamey, Niger

Sunset in Tarawa, Kiribati

Sunset in Nauru

4) Have you ever been robbed / arrested / afraid for your life?

Knock on wood, I’ve been to every country on the planet without ever being robbed. Closest I came was a taxi driver in Prague back in 2002 slipping me some old worthless Bulgarian currency as change. I lost like $3. As far as being robbed goes, I’ll take it!

Arrested? Not formally, although I’ve been detained several times by police and immigration officers and ironically the longest detention was in my home town of Washington, D.C. when Customs and Border Protection decided they didn’t like my shady trip to Egypt. Fortunately, after around four-five hours they gave up on it and let me go.

Afraid for my life? Not really. No real civil unrest, war zones or the like, but three incidents stand out. Terrorists blowing up a police car about 1 km in front of us on a road out of Karachi, Pakistan. When we tried to turn around and hightail it back to Karachi? Smoke ahead on that highway too. Thanks to a great driver he knew some side roads through a village and things were just fine. I also had a flight with Uzbekistan Airlines where the pilot landed in Amritsar, India in the middle of a monsoon. I’ve never felt such horrible turbulence. Final story? An overpacked ferry on rough seas in Sierra Leone with no way to the exit and multiple people vomiting everywhere. I was convinced my life was over.

The scary ferry in Sierra Leone…morning after

5) What was the hardest visa to get?

Far and away, it was Angola. I made over two dozen visits to the embassy before I got it. Supposedly there’s now a visa on arrival and while the rules and such aren’t completely clear, it’s much much easier than when I did it about five years ago. Honourable mentions go to:

Yemen. I had the visa, and canceled my trip two days before due to rebels overrunning Sana’a. I visited later, actually without a visa, but my understanding is this is still a very very difficult visa to get.

Saudi Arabia. Easy to get a business visa if you have a good reason, but as a tourist? You can shell out several thousand dollars to one of the very few companies permitted to run tours, or you’re out of options. How did I visit then? Six hour airport transit, where thanks to a friend I pulled off a story worth of an “authentic local experience.” Given my criteria for counting a country is an amazing story and interaction with locals…I count it for now…but look to improve upon this one!

seafront in Luanda, Angola

Cathedral in Cabinda, Angola

Church in Luanda, Angola

Sunset Luanda, Angola

What was your hardest visa? It definitely can depend on passport and timing!

So with all that said, what questions do YOU get asked a lot about your travels? …or what else should I answer?

Domestic Flights

Flights 12 Responses »

Mar 172018

(fair warning…this got a LOT longer than intended….)

I just booked a domestic flight from Windhoek to Walvis Bay in Namibia, and from Harare to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, and that got me thinking: now that I’ve been to every country in the world, how many of them have I actually taken domestic flights in? I’m starting this post expecting that the number will be relatively small, maybe two dozen or so.

Many of the countries were super small, so it makes sense that I wouldn’t have taken a domestic flight in them. On top of that, many of my country vists were just a few days, so not much time to explore them and visit multiple cities.

With that away we go, in chronological order!

#1 – The United States (duh!) – 1972

First flight was in 1972, and since then I’ve flown way too many routes to list here. Some of the things which surprise me most are the relative lack of flights that cross the south or the northwest part of the country. Maybe I’ll have to work on adding new lines to this. Also, surprised the sheer number of different cities I’ve flown to/from Hawaii!

#2 – The Soviet Union (surprise!) – 1988

I don’t think anyone would have expected this to be the second country I took a domestic flight in! It’s also the only country I’ve taken a domestic flight in which no longer exists. I still remember vividly boarding flights in the middle of the night for a redeye across Siberia, and the cold waiting rooms at Sheremetyevo. It was only three flights total, but very cool to see this second on the list.

#3 – France – 1993

The coolest part of this one is that the airline I took no longer exists. Back when I didn’t know a whole lot about international travel I decided to visit a friend in Strasbourg who was studying abroad. Since I also had to be in Belgium, I bought plane tickets from Paris. These days I’d definitely take the train, but I remember back then having to call Air Inter and book the tickets…which they sent me via FedEx or some such service. Paper tickets…booking over the phone…how the times have changed!

I had to come back and edit this post, because I totally forgot about another flight…Cayenne, French Guyana to Fort-de-France, Martinique! Two domestic flights in the same country, nearly 4,000 miles apart!

#4 – Canada – 1996

Out of college finally, and decided to start racing triathlons, which led to doing the Ironman, which led to my first domestic flight with Air Canada from Vancouver, BC to Penticton, BC – a route I would repeat many times over the years. I still remember the tiny little plane – I think it was a Beechcraft – and it had like 20 seats or so…and no flight deck door so I could look out the pilot’s window the entire flight. The bad part was that with everyone on the plane heading to the race, they couldn’t fit hardly any of the bikes on the plane, so Air Canada would always send a truck full of bikes to Penticton the following day. Since then I’ve flown a couple more routes in Canada, but definitely want to fly more. Churchill, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and of course Nunavut are high on my list!

#5 – South Africa – 2000

Through the late 90s I got much more comfortable traveling, and made several trips to Europe. I even got brave enough to visit Africa for the first time in 1998. That solidified the travel bug for me, and in 2000 it was off to Cape Town for Ironman South Africa. That involved the KLM flight which went from Amsterdam to Johannesburg and then on to Cape Town. I’ve since flown this route several times on South African as well. I need to work on my domestic flights – especially Durban!

#6 – Malaysia – 2005

Travel really picked up in 2002, and I started checking off over a dozen new countries a year. However, it would be another 20 countries until I got my next domestic flights in Malaysia. Since then, I’ve flown quite a few flights with Malaysian Airlines, including lots of international ones. My trips to Malaysia are some of my favourite memories, and I need to make a point to get back for a longer trip soon.

#7 – Australia – 2005

Second new country in 2005 with a domestic flight was Australia. That trip, I only went down to Tasmania, but since then I’ve gone back and done Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin. Definitely one of my favourite countries, and Qantas has been a great airline. If US airlines could be half the quality Qantas is on domestic flights I would be thrilled! Definitely the country with my most “full” domestic map of flights after the US too.

#8 – Thailand – 2006

I’ve been to Thailand a couple dozen times over the year, but still haven’t explored the country too much beyond Bangkok. However, I did make a few trips to Chaing Mai which was absolutely wonderful. Plus, you have to love being able to fly a 747 on a flight that is under an hour! Plus, I’ve flown there from both Bangkok airports.

#9 – Brazil – 2006

This was another of those countries where my first domestic flight was a tag of a foreign route, in this case United used to fly Washington-Sao Paulo-Rio and this was that route. Also made it to Iguacu Falls. I really want to get back to Brazil though, and explore Manaus, Recife, Porto Alegre, the list goes on and on…

#10 – Argentina – 2007

Part of the same trip to Brazil, we ended up flying to Iguazu on the Brazil side and returning on the Argentina side. This is how I ended up with my one and only domestic flight in Argentina. Must change that and get to Mendoza, Ushuaia, etc…

#11 -United Kingdom – 2007

It started off easily enough as wanting to visit Northern Ireland, but then over the years it morphed to quite a set of flights in the UK. Still haven’t flown up to Scotland yet, so there’s still more to add to this map!

#12 -India – 2008

First trip to India only reason for domestic flights was for positioning to Sri Lanka, but since then I’ve been back many times…but almost always flying straight in and out. Rarely any domestic flights. But there’s been a few…

#13 – Greece – 2010

Almost two years passed until I got my next new country with a domestic flight. I’m generally not the biggest fan of the Travellers Century Club list since it includes so many obscure places, but I can definitely thank them for motivating me to hop around Greece collecting their “countries” which led to several domestic flights. Aegean Airlines was pretty nice as well!

#14 – Germany – 2010

On the way back from Greece I ended up with a connecting flight from Munich to Frankfurt, a flight which I’ve done multiple times since then. I know Lufthansa has a bunch of other domestic routes, but seriously why would I want to fly them when I can take an ICE train instead! Heck, I did a whole trip last month just to ride trains around Germany.

#15 – Norway – 2011

Many moons ago, I planned to run the Antarctica Marathon, but life got in the way and I wasn’t able to do it. So, what better alternative than to run the Svalbard Marathon on the other end of the planet! We spent the week before the race working ourselves up the country, and it was the first time in years that I had gone to one country for a full week – and I’d love to go back!

#16 – Netherlands – 2011

I mean, it does count, right? Even though they’re not part of the mainland…

#17 – Marshall Islands – 2011

Didn’t expect this one when I started making this list, and even though I never officially entered the country, thanks to the United island hopper flight from Majuro to Kwajalein I did take a domestic flight in the Marshall Islands!

#18 – Federated States of Micronesia – 2011

Yeah, after the last one you knew this was coming. After the Marshall Islands the United island hopper continued on to Pohnpei, Micronesia and then Chuuk, Micronesia – so once again another domestic flight in the South Pacific!

#19 – Ethiopia – 2012

Again, this was just a connecting flight, but it qualifies to say I’ve taken a domestic flight! I really want to go back though and explore more of Ethiopia!

#20 – Guyana – 2012

This was one of the most fun, because it was all in a little Cessna C208 and I got to sit in the copilot seat for all three segments! Flying through the jungles and rainforest of Guyana – what a blast!

#21 -Peru – 2013

Fun trip to Machu Picchu, and another rare occasion where I spent a full week exploring a country a little more in depth. Yay for business class fare sales and friends who like to travel!

#22 – Kazakhstan – 2013

Another case where I was just connecting on the other end so didn’t actually explore both cities – just Almaty – but since I flow Air Astana which is the national airline I decided it definitely counts!

#23 – Angola – 2014

One of the cooler flights was Angola, because I flew between two parts of the country that would have required crossing through the Democratic Republic of Congo otherwise. Plus, how many tourists actually make it to Cabinda? With visa on arrival coming soon, I’m planning a longer trip to more remote parts of Angola – figure it’s a great way to work on my Portuguese too!

#24 – Bolivia – 2014

Bolivia was neat because I took a little local airline out to the town of Uyuni to see the salt flights. I must have gone at a really quiet time of year, because I felt like I had the whole place to myself.

#25 – Fiji – 2014

This one is pretty easy – and it’s all thanks to the country of Tuvalu. See, the best resorts in Fiji are in Nadi, and all the longhaul flights go in and out of Nadi. However, until this week, the only way to get to Tuvalu was from Suva, Fiji. Go figure. Plus, the Suva to Funafuti flight got canceled on me over and over, so thanks to trying to get to Tuvalu I’m pretty sure I took this flight at least 7 or 8 times!

#26 – Vanuatu – 2014

See, we have Fiji Airways to thank for this one too. I never intended to take a domestic flight in Vanuatu. Heck, I didn’t even have any intention of returning to Vanuatu. However, thanks to canceled flights, I had to go back to Vanuatu to get out of Fiji and resume my trip. Oh, and then the flight to Vanuatu diverted…due to thunderstorms that “we hoped would be gone by the time we got there.” Oh well, diversion and all meant another domestic flight country!

#27 – Tanzania – 2015

I mean, I couldn’t go to Tanzania without going to Zanzibar, could I? Another fun flight in a really tiny plane, this time a Cessna 207A with ZanAir…which I partly chose because of the name of the airline! I got the copilot seat again – which was amazing!

#28 – Cameroon – 2015

Put this one also in the category of flights that just stop on the way. In this case, it was a flight from Istanbul to Yaoundé to Douala in Cameroon. We didn’t get off the plane, but it was made more fun by having to circle Yaoundé for like 30 minutes due to weather…until the pilot declared a fuel emergency and we decided to risk it.

#29 – Oman – 2015

Clearly 2015 was a good year for domestic flights. This time, I was returning to Oman not because I had a burning desire to see more of Oman, but because I was very curious about the mountains in the south near Salalah. Enough said… extra cool was that this flight was actually operated by an A330 with really nice international business class!

#30 – China – 2015

I debated if I should include one, but technically Hong Kong is a part of China so it needs to be included despite the fact you have to clear immigration when taking this flight.

#31 – Colombia – 2015

Yet another one for 2015! This was the first new country that I took a domestic flight in in 2015, and it was definitely memorable. Thanks to my Cuba flight from Spain being canceled I needed to buy a last minute ticket, and the best deal was on Avianca from Madrid to Cali to Bogota to Havana…which meant a domestic flight in Colombia. What I didn’t expect is what a mess the Cali airport would be – and how hot and humid it would be!

#32 – Belize – 2016

I did a fair amount of research when planning my Belize trip, and just about everything I read indicated that staying in the capital was a bad idea as there was nothing at all to see, and that you were really missing the point of Belize if you didn’t head out to the islands. I didn’t have enough time to go diving, but decided to just go to a resort and relax for a couple of nights. Yet another Cessna, this time a 208B Grand Caravan, to San Pedro.

#33 – Turkmenistan 2016

After being turned down for a visa the first time I tried to go to Turkmenistan, it was cool to not only be able to finally go but also to take a domestic flight and see some really cool sights.Too bad it was a modern 737 and 717 instead of some old ex-Soviet plane!

#34 – Russia – 2016

Ok, you could possibly say that this is the same as the Soviet Union way back when, but I’m counting it separate. This is also on my immediate list to expand, as I have a big trip planned next year which will include LOTS more domestic flights. From the extreme north to the far east…

#35 – Spain – 2017

Again, some islands from away from the mainland is what it took, but finally had a domestic flight in another European country.

#36 – Portugal – 2017

Same trip as the Canary Islands above, we continued on and went to some portuguese islands as well. Unfortunately we came in from Las Palmas, so only one “domestic” flight

So that’s it…36 countries total. At least 10 more than I expected I would have here, and with two more booked, and at least half a dozen more planned, it looks like I’ve definitely succeeded in figuring out what I’d do after “every country”: explore the ones I found really interesting a lot more in depth with longer flights.

How about you? How many countries have you taken domestic flights in, and which ones were particularly interesting?

Two Days in Helsinki and Helsinki to DC on Finnair and US Airways

Attractions, Business Class, East Africa 2015, Finland, Flights, hotels 3 Responses »

May 202015

After landing I grabbed a quick coffee from Starbucks and caught the Finnair bus downtown to the main Helsinki train station. It was quite a bit colder in Helsinki than Doha or Frankfurt (duh) and even with shorts and a hoodie it was a pretty brisk walk in the 10C temps to my hotel. At least it was sunny!

I was staying at the Hotel Kämp, where I’ve stayed on all my previous visits to Helsinki. They’re one of my favourite Starwood properties, and usually deliver the perfect balance of polite, formal service along with being non-stuffy. Unfortunately, today I had to wait over 10 minutes to check in, because a large group of Chinese tourists were arguing and all trying to guarantee rooms on the same floor. Ugh!

The wait was well worth it, however, because I ended up with a pretty sweet suite upgrade:

It was just a large studio suite, but had a great view out onto the Espalande, which would have been nice had it stayed sunny more than 15 minutes, lol.

Spent the next couple of days with friends, touring around the city a bit and just hanging out. Plus, lots of sauna time…obligatory in Finland! Spent an afternoon at Suomenlinna, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was build in the mid 1700s as a protection from Russian invasion (pretty much a common theme whenever discussing the Finnish military). Unfortunately, the fort fell to the Russians in 1808, and Finland was occupied the next year.

Currently, the island has many year around inhabitants, as well as being crawling with tourists and daytrippers. Obligatory shot sitting on one of the cannons on the island:

After a coffee, headed back into Helsinki for a quick snack at the Karl Fazer Cafe. Yum! Finns consume more coffee per capita than any other country, which probably explains why I feel so at home here:

Time in Helsinki was much too short, and soon it was back to the airport for departure. The bus was on time and quick, and soon I was through immigration and security and into the Finnair lounge, which is divided into two parts. There’s a business class lounge, and there there’s a Premium Lounge for OneWorld Emerald and Sapphire members.

I got to use the premium lounge, which had a rather tasty spread:

You have to love a lounge with pickled herring and salmon!

…and of course champers!

Delicious white chocolate mousse to finish it off:

After a tasty lunch, it was time for the best part of the lounge…the sauna! The Finnair lounge is (probably) the only lounge in the world with an authentic sauna in it, and what better way to spend time before your flight than getting naked and sweaty with your fellow passengers. Of course, Finnair “encourages” the use of towels in the sauna, but that’s something no self-respecting Finn would ever do.

Just, um, make sure that the lock on your locker works before you lock your clothes in it and find after the sauna you can’t get them out. That might make for an awkward few minutes having to hunt down a staff member to unlock it…

Aaaaaannnyways, moving on to the gate, it was time to board!

Finnair flight 5
Helsinki, Finland (HEL) to New York, Kennedy (JFK)
Depart 14:10, Arrive 15:50 Flight Time 8:40
Airbus A330-300, Registration OH-LTS, Manufactured 2009, Seat 2A

Finnair uses the same seats that Brussels Airlines uses, meaning there are good seats, great seats, and not great seats. On the left side, the rows alternate with two not great seats (window has to climb over aisle to get out) with a row of great seat…one seat with two huge tables on either side. In the middle, all rows have two seats, but all have aisle access, so they’re ok. Then, on the far right, it’s all solo seats, which are also pretty good. So, avoid at all costs rows 1, 3, and 5 on the left side. They’re far inferior. I had 2A, so was all set!

Funky Finnish design pillow, amenity kit, and bubbles:

Today’s menu:

Champers, with strange snack mix of asparagus and soy sauce marinated fish…it was actually really tasty. This is also a good time to mention how much I love Finnair’s glassware!

Salmon and potato salad with Finnish rye bread. Taste, but tiny portions:

The lamb and red wine sauce with barley risotto, again, delicious!

Cheese and ice cream for dessert. Unfortunately, the ice cream was super mushy. Boo!

I may have had a second go at the cheese…

Oh hai Iceland aka country #196…see you in just over a year finally!

Dozed a bit and watched lots of tv on the flight, and soon it was time for a pre-landing snack. Smoked salmon and egg salad, with capers. Very light, but still tasty. The fruit, however, was even below United’s usual low standards. Everything else was super fresh and tasty (albeit small portions) but the fruit was just sad. I suppose the portions also explain why people aren’t America-sized!

Dessert, a Finnish cinnamon bun. Not nearly as sweet as their American counterpart, and not slathered in cream cheese frosting, but you can actually taste the cinnamon…shocking!

Landed at JFK about five minutes early, and after the gate agent came on the plane, she paged me asking me to identify myself at the door. Ut oh, this isn’t good. I was praying it meant they’d put me on the American nonstop from JFK to DCA which left one hour after hour arrival (thus making it technically an illegal connection) but no, she was there to be my escort! I’d booked a 3:10 JFK-LaGuardia transit, which I guess they thought was really tight, and so being in business class I got my own escort to immigration, through immigration, and to my onward transit. Absolutely stunning service by Finnair on arrival!

With Global Entry immigration was a breeze, and then it was off to find transit. I’d planned to take a taxi at around $40-50, but my escort convinced me to take the bus. For about $13 I wasn’t going to argue…but then found it it would be a 30 minute wait. I decided to do it anyways and save $30 or more, but was seriously having trouble figuring out when the bus left. It didn’t help that the ticket salesman spoke less English than anyone I’d encountered on this entire trip. Ugh! Anyways, the bus finally came, they crammed us in, and we were off to face the nightmare known as the Van Wyck Expressway at rush hour. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad, and we made it to LaGuardia about 90 minutes before my 7pm flight. Security was a breeze with PreCheck, and just as I cleared it…I got a phone call.

My 7p shuttle to DCA was delayed until 7:40p now. Since it was about 5:40 at this point, I rushed over to the gate for the 6pm shuttle, which coincidentally was delayed until 6:45. “No, it’s full, you can’t standby” was the extremely rude reply I received. Then, I noticed the 5pm shuttle was still hanging around too…maybe I can get on that? “Go to the customer service counter. We’re closed here.” Ugh. Service.

With several other grouchy passengers I reluctantly headed to the customer service counter. We waited nearly 45 minutes, and then got the update. The 5pm wasn’t actually full at all, and if I didn’t mind sitting in economy I could get on it…when and if it left. It was around 6:30 at this point, so I asked about the 6pm. “It’s due to leave DC any moment, and yeah, plenty of seats on it…should leave here around 730p.” I figured I’d wait the extra 45 and be comfortable, and moved to the 6pm.

I waited it out in the AAdmirals Club. Not sure if I was technically allowed entry since I was connecting from Finnair business, but the agents just smiled and let me in. Two glasses of wine? To quote the bartender: “you look like you could use a double.” Hah!

So, at the end of the day:

The 5pm shuttle left around 6:45, and I could have taken it on coach and gotten home 15 min earlier than expected.

The 6pm shuttle (with me) left at 8:00 and I was about one hour behind schedule.

The 7pm shuttle which I was initially booked on…ended up leaving around 9:30. I guess I made a pretty good call!

American Airlines flight 2145 (operated by US Airways)
New York, LaGuardia (LGA) to Washington, National (DCA)
Depart 18:00, Arrive 19:23 Flight Time 1:23 (2 hour delay)
Embraer ERJ-190, Registration N956UW, Manufactured 2008, Seat 2A

Plane go up, plane go down. Enough time for a “big boy glass” of wine, some biscotti, and about 30 minutes of Wifi enroute:

On approach to DCA:

…and with that, the trip was over. Felt like a long whirlwind trip to only check off one country, but with the extra time in Doha and Helsinki it was well worth it! It’ll likely be a few months before my next trip report, but you never know…

Doha to Helsinki, Finland on Qatar Aiways and Finnair including the A350

Airports, Business Class, East Africa 2015, Finland, Flights, Qatar 2 Responses »

May 182015

Quick check out from the hotel, and used Uber to call a ride to the airport. In order to avoid having any leftover Qatari Rials I used the rest of the cash I had to pay down the hotel bill a bit and figured the ride would go on my card. The driver had a little trouble finding me at the W (he thought I was at the next hotel over) but once that was settled it was a quick ride to the airport. It turned out to be slightly more expensive than the cab to the hotel had been (by less than $2) so it was a good decision in order to minimize having cash leftover.

I was already checked in for my flight (they’d done it the night before in Asmara) so was able to skip check-in and go straight through to security. Qatar has a nicely sectioned off part of the check-in area for business and first passengers, complete with its own passport control and security. Since I already had my boarding pass I was able to get through immigration and then security in a total of maybe five minutes. Less than five minutes from curb to terminal is pretty impressive.

Of course, evil teddy was still waiting for me when I arrived:

Having not had much lunch, I decided to have a “small” dinner at the sit down restaurant in the lounge. There’s a large buffet, and this menu to order from:

I ordered the lamb tagine, and in the meantime I had a glass of Veuve Cliquot Rosé and some small salads from the buffet. Duck, crab and chicken salads. Quite tasty:

The lamb arrived shortly, and was quite tasty:

…and a couple of small cakes and pastries to finish it off:

It was still nearly three hours until flight time, so I lounged around, caught up on a bit of blogging and enjoyed a bit more champagne. Soon, it was time to head to the gate where the big excitement was about to begin…a ride on the A350. View from the gate:

Advert in the gate area:

Boarded about 30 minutes prior to departure time, and was the first on board to get some pics.

Qatar Airways flight 69
Doha, Qatar (DOH) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
Depart 01:20, Arrive 06:55 Flight Time 6:35
Airbus A350-900, Registration A7-ALA, Manufactured 2014, Seat 2K

First thought on the cabin…the front few rows were pretty full, but only two people in the whole back cabin. Had I known it was an “open” cabin with no real bulkhead between the two sections, I definitely would have booked a seat further back, but that said, 2K was a great seat:

Fancy new electronic signs with rotating text. Too bad the time was off by a few hours:

Very few people were planning on eating, but for the sake of the review, who was I to say no. Amuse bouche of “mushroom and rice fritters with mild chili and garlic sauce” to start. Extremely bland, and just had a small taste:

Next up was the roasted bell pepper and tomato soup with saffron and mint yoghurt with garlic croutons. Extremely tasty, I could have had a couple of bowls!

The “classic Arabic mezze” appetizer which was described as “hummus, tabouleh and baba ghanoush served with arabic bread.” Again, extremely bland and only had a few small nibbles, except for the hummus which was pretty tasty.

For a main, I went with the “chicken machboos with rice – golden fried onions and toasted nuts.” Now, the presentation needs some serious work because it looks like a cross between vomit and cat food, but it was extremely tasty!

Then, disaster struck. I asked for the cheese plate and “I’m sorry, we’ve run out of those.” Wait, there’s 10 empty seats…how could you have run out of cheese? Do they not at least cater one for each passenger? She wouldn’t tell me what was up, so either the crew was hoarding it for themselves (unlikely), some passengers asked for multiples and got it (possible – lots of people seemed to be having cheese/dessert and wine then passing out), or they just don’t cater enough for all the passengers. Either way, extremely poor service.

So, I settled for the “Ladurée Plaisir Sucré” which was amazing. Described as “dacquoise cake with crushed hazelnuts, crispy praline, milk chocolate thin leaves, chocolate ganache, milk chocolate chantilly whipped cream.” It was amazing. I wanted another, but sleep won out…

…and back went the seat, and I got a solid four hours of sleep. Unlike the 787, where I’ve had the best sleep I ever had on a plane multiple times, the A350 seemed like any other plane in this regard. The seat was plenty comfortable, but I didn’t wake up feeling hydrated and refreshed like I did on the 787. So that said, it was quite a nice flight, but stopped short of the “omg this is amazing and I have to fly this plane again” experience.

Like my other flights the crew was solid, and responded to the call button quickly and curteously, but made no effort to anticipate passenger needs. Maybe this is a European/Asian thing, but on Qatar they seem to wait until you ask for something to provide great service. Not bad, just different. However, if you’re the type who’s shy to use the call button, you might want to avoid Qatar.

Pic of our plane in the very early morning sun upon deplaning:

First stop (without thinking) was outside immigration to Starbucks to get some coffee and attempt to come back to life. But, like I said, not thinking because I was planning to use the Z-Gates Senator lounge to grab a shower, which meant going back outside immigration. Not bright, but at least they didn’t question it. After a shower and catching up on emails, it was time to find Finnair. Unfortunately, they left from Terminal 2, which I can’t remember the last time I’ve used that in Frankfurt. Must have been way back in the NWA days when they flew there.

Took the train (outside Schengen still) to Terminal 2, cleared security, and found Terminal 2. Most flights from Terminal 2 area outside the Schengen, so upon arriving there I used the JAL lounge for another hour before trying to find the gate. The JAL lounge was nothing special, with the usual non-hub offerings of drinks, snacks, etc. It was a solid selection and reasonably comfortable, although there seemed to be an extreme lack of power outlets in the lounge. But hey, sushi and sake in Frankfurt. From Qatar, to Germany, to what felt like Japan, and onto Finland…it was becoming quite the multicultural day!

Finally found the way to it, and cleared immigration…which dumped you back outside security. Got a strange look from immigration, and he just crossed out my exit stamp instead of re-stamping me in. Ugh! I guess it makes sense, but had to re-clear security and then finally found the Finnair gate, which was of course a bus gate. Proletarian “all in one” bus mixed with economy and business, and soon it was time for the delights of European business class…standard coach seats with the middle blocked.

Finnair Airways flight 822
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Helsinki, Finland (HEL)
Depart 11:45, Arrive 15:10 Flight Time 2:25
Airbus A319, Registration OH-LVH, Manufactured 2000, Seat 3C

The seats may have sucked, but hey…amazing glassware and cute little airplane crackers:

Proper menus:

Tasty reindeer starter, relatively tasty chicken masala, and a really lame pre-packaged sweet for dessert. Overall, solid service and friendly crew, so can’t ask for too much more on a short inner-Europe flight:

Landed in Helsinki right on time, arriving of course at a bus “gate” and was quickly bussed to the terminal to continue the adventure…

Overnight on Tarawa, Kiribati

hotels, Kiribati, Restaurants, South Pacific Tour 2014 6 Responses »

Nov 122014

My driver from Mary’s Motel showed up, and the car had ice cold air conditioning, which was nice giving the blazing mid-day sun in Kiribati. There is basically one road on Tarawa Atoll, and it runs the length of the atoll. It’s dozens of miles long, but the Atoll is maybe 500 meters wide at its widest point:

Kiribati is also, according to some sources I read online before the trip, the least visited country in the world. I wasn’t expecting anything to see/do, more just to walk around and take in how life goes on here.

My hotel was in Bairiki which is the country’s administrative centre, and you can see it’s a bit of a drive from the airport. It took almost an hour, and during the drive I got a lot of insight into the country from my driver. One cool fact is that the road is under construction (it was badly potholed, etc) and that should significantly improve travel options on the atoll. Was also cool to see several large signs from my employer as one of the key financiers of the new road. Hopefully it helps things!

At Mary’s, I played the usual (by now) South Pacific game of musical rooms until I found one that had reasonably functional air conditioning. Finally settled on this room:

Pretty swanky, no? 😉 It was clean, cool, and reasonably comfortable, and came with a few bonus creepy crawlies here and there, and a few lizards that I occasionally saw crawling on the walls. The towel origami made up for it though:

View from the room into the parking lot:

The “beach” just outside the motel:

Here you can see the one road, and just how narrow the atoll is in many places:

Nicer beach on the other side:

The hotel driver offered to take me on a bit of a drive down around the Atoll, and we drove around for about 90 minutes before heading back. Unfortunately my phone was dead at this point, so didn’t manage to get any pictures. It was interesting to see how even in the most populous part of Kiribati life was still so rural and quiet. Many of the locals had pigs tied up in their yard, and the pigs were eating/drinking out of what appeared to be old coconut shells. There just wasn’t much going on, but that appears to be the pace of life in Kiribati.

After resting, I decided to go for a bit of a walk. I walked about an hour down the atoll towards the airport just seeing sites until I got way too hot. The “aministrative centre” of the entire country. Not a very busy place:

Air Kiribati advertisement. They’re currently out of business (I believe) and most of these routes are now being operated by Fiji Airways (God help them – oops – foreshadowing) or Our Airline aka Nauru Airlines:

Sunset just outside Mary’s. Love the vivid orange and red colours:

Nauru to Tarawa, Kiribati (via Majuro, Marshall Islands) on Air Nauru

Airports, Flights, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, South Pacific Tour 2014 No Responses »

Nov 102014

Hotel van, once again with the side door completely open (I found out the night before this was for “air conditioning reasons” and not because it was actually broken) dropped me at the airport, and there was nobody in sight. I prayed the flight was still operating. Got to the check-in counter, and there was nobody in site. This wasn’t a good sign:

No need to worry, however, the flight was on-time, and was en route from Brisbane already. I was, however, the first person to check in 90 minutes before the flight time. The agent confirmed that only six passengers were getting on in Nauru. Um, how is this profitable?

After getting my boarding pass and checking my bags (exit row again, score!) it was upstairs to immigration. Note how dead the airport looks:

Got to immigration, and there was only one small problem, as you can see in this picture:

That’s right, the immigration person hadn’t showed up to work yet! Less than 90 minutes before flight time. Security was there, but they wouldn’t; let me through until I cleared immigration. They suggested I have a seat at the immigration officer’s desk while I wait. Hahah!

Immigration showed up about 1:15 before the flight, and clearing immigration and security took all of about two minutes. Then, it was to the incredibly crowded holding room:

Overnight in Nauru

Airports, hotels, Nauru, Restaurants, South Pacific Tour 2014 6 Responses »

Nov 092014

After clearing immigration I went outside and looked for hotel transport, which was nowhere to be found. I’d emailed them my flight details and they said the hotel transport would be there, but 30 minutes later nothing…and most people from the flight were gone by this point. After 45 minutes, I gave up. There were no taxis at all (supposedly Nauru has a taxi or two in the country, but nobody seemed to know how/where to locate them) so I started asking baggage handlers/etc around the airport if there was a way to call the hotel. One of the flight attendants from my flight had her cell phone, and rang the hotel. They said they’d send their van shortly.

The van arrived around 15 minutes later, about an hour after we landed, and soon we were off to the Menen hotel. It was an old minivan, and the side door of the van didn’t close. Oh life in the tropics!

Got to the hotel, and they seemed completely uninterested in checking me in. The guy at reception was busy watching the small tv in the lobby with his friends, and clearly the Chicago Bulls took priority over helping me. Finally checked in, got my key, and up to my room…where the AC barely worked. As anyone who knows me knows, aircon is a requirement, so I went down to the front desk to check into getting another room. “No” was the simple answer. No you don’t have any other rooms, no you refuse to give me one, or no you can’t be bothered to look?

I was persistent, and eventually he sighed and gave me the key to another room. The AC in this room worked rather a bit better, and it looked like it would work for the night. View from the room:

Spartan, but functional room:

Ocean view from just outside the hotel:

I had considered walking around the island since it was approximately a 20 km walk around the entire country, but it was hot. Really hot. It was almost nearly 4pm by this point so it would be dark way before I’d get around the island. Remember what I said about taxis? Uninterested front desk guy was pretty sure I couldn’t find a taxi to hire for a couple hours to drive me around the island. I kept pressing him. Surely something was possible. I came all this way to see Nauru, and it would be a real shame not to be able to see anything. Finally, he told me “the hotel driver will take you in the van. You can work out details with him.” I decided not to ask, and soon we were off.

Driving out of the hotel on the one road around the island:

Cairns to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Qantas Link, overnight in PNG

Airports, Australia, Flights, hotels, Papua New Guinea, South Pacific Tour 2014 5 Responses »

Nov 032014

Cab dropped me off at Cairns Airport, and I never thought to specify which terminal. Walked up to check-in, and of course I was at the domestic terminal, which meant walking about 800 meters in the heat to the international terminal with my bags. One positive, most of the walkway was covered with a canopy, and it was breezy, so at least it wasn’t outrageously hot. To add insult to injury, check-in only opened two hours in advance. I’d assumed there would be a lounge (since I’d gotten kicked out of my hotel early) but no such luck until check-in opened. Killed a bit of time chatting with some french backpackers, checked in, and was on my way.

Shot of just how quiet the international terminal was. It was dead:

The “Reef Lounge” that Qantas used was rather depressing, but at least had free beverages. The snacks were pretty miserable, consisting of some rather sad-looking sandwiches and a bit of snack mix. I gave it a pass.

Boarding was right on time, through a real gate, but walked out to the plane:

Qantas flight 197 operated by QantasLink
Cairns, Australia (CNS) to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (POM)
Depart 14:25, Arrive 16:10, Flight Time 1:45
DeHavilland Dash-8 Q400, Registration VH-LQK, Manufactured 2012, Seat 15D

Take off was right on time, and it was a light load today with less than half the seats taken. Great view of the Great Barrier Reef on departure:

2014 Plans – Updated!

Trips 5 Responses »

Apr 162014

Thanks to the United devaluation of miles, I had to start planning my year in advance. Especially since I would be using so many miles up this year, and United added “premier qualifying dollars” this year – I would be forced to plan. Got all my mileage burning trips in place, and then deals fell into place. First, the amazing $1500 Europe fare. Now, I’ve found a < $3000 business class fare to Israel over Thanksgiving – another new country for me!

So far, the year has already been busy:

But now, with nearly everything planned, it’s looking downright insane:

Plans are:

January: return from trip to West Africa, Congos, Angola – up to 154 countries!
February: week in Hawaii
March: weekend in Ottawa
March: long weekend in Jamaica – 155 countries!
May: Boliva and Ecuador, with a day stop in Medellin – 157 countries!
May: long weekend in Chicago
July: long weekend in St. Kitts – 158 countries!
August: DC – Hawaii – Paris – Andorra – Hawaii – Las Vegas – DC – all in 10 days. Whew! – 159 countries!
October: over a month in the South Pacific – 168 countries!
November: Israel – 170 countries! (yes, I count Palestine)
December: Christmas in Minnesota
December: New Years in East Africa – Malawi, Tanzania, Comoros, etc! – probably 172/173 countries by end year!

That should bring me into 2015 with only 23 more countries to go, and maybe only 15-17 to go after I return from New Years! So close, but they get hard! I still have Turkmenistan, Syria, Guinea (Ebola anyone?), Mali, Central African Republic, Cuba…yeah, some real thinking is going to be needed!

I’m sure more long weekends will get filled in soon…I’m tired just typing this! What do you have planned for 2014 so far?

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