Future Travel Plans - RTW Again?

Hard to believe that it has been a month already since I returned from my around-the-world adventure. How time flies even when you're not having as much fun as while traveling.

Not long after my return home, my insomnia kicked back in and on one occasion the thought of doing another RTW trip could not be purged from my thought process. Good grief. Try as I might to forget about having 210k Delta SkyMiles just sitting there in my account, I could not! It was like money burning a hole in my pocket. So at 2:45 a.m. I got out of bed and turned on the laptop to begin plotting the route. By around 5:00 a.m. I'd worked out enough of it to return to my bed and fortunately I fell back asleep.

SkyTeam is another airline alliance (it includes Delta) and they too have sufficient member airlines to afford one the opportunity to fly around-the-world. The number of miles required for business class (do you think I'd travel any other way?) currently is 280k so I'm in need of at least 70k before this gets serious. They do not have a maximum permitted mileage requirement but do have a maximum number of stops: six. That's the rub. (Using the oneworld alliance I could travel up to 50,000 miles with lots of stops along the way). Nevertheless, there are always ways around travel restrictions for those who are creative.

Without a doubt I want to return to Australia (and improve my "arrival" from what it was this last trip) and fortunately Delta flies the route non-stop from Los Angeles. Sydney was very fun but I might try and also get to Perth this next time; even a return to the outback. From there I'd head for Seoul, Korea where I have only transited on a connection years ago. Korean Airlines would be the carrier both from Sydney and then continuing on to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I've lived in the middle east but not in this particular region and have been fascinated by Dubai for many years. Several classmates from college days at F.I.T. live in the region so perhaps I could visit them as well. Next stop, via Kenya Airways, would be Nairobi and it will be a hub of activity. While it seems doubtful that I would be fit enough for a climb up Kilimanjaro as my friend Matt did in 2009, I wouldn't rule it out completely. From NBO I'd like to visit the surrounding area but also the island of Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, the island of Madagascar, perhaps the Seychelles and maybe even a visit to Victoria Falls (depending on the season and water flow at the falls). Sounds ambitious, I know, but I like to dream big and then let reality take its toll. Some type of "visit-Africa" pass would have to be purchased which no doubt would be for economy class travel -- yikes! Then it would be off to Johannesburg but again, only for the connecting flight on Air France to Paris, hopefully aboard another Airbus 380 (engines are not made by Rolls Royce, so there should be no problems). I saw the aircraft both times I transited JNB on the last trip. Paris would be for a short visit much like London was this last time. (If AF were to pull the aircraft from that route I'd fly directly from NBO to Amsterdam and stay there for a few days). Once again, I'd go to South America, but this time a return visit to Buenos Aires is my preference, at least for the moment. I love the city, despite some difficulties I had there in 2006.

I know, I know, you probably think I'm crazy but, hey, planning something like this is much easier the second time around! Perhaps I'll find someone who wants to share the experience with me in person this time, versus via some blog. There will be no back-packer lodges or similar on this trip although I'd certainly look into Airbnb again. And it's not as though I'm leaving next year. Well, it's unlikely.

And after this? One last return visit to Antarctica; a more extensive one than the last.

Wish me luck! Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year/Decade!

A Plug for British Airways, Sort of ...

Actually, I wasn't too happy with BA for a number of reasons. First, they charge US$90 to reserve a specific seat in advance of the 24-hour normal check-in time (and that's in Club World, business class; more if flying in first, less for economy). Still, I was able to reserve an aisle seat on the upper deck for the flight from JNB to LHR (window would have been my preference). Second, while their business class seats have the 180 degree lie-flat seat feature, the configuration is strange. Aisle seats face forward and window seats face aft. There is a translucent partition between the seats but when it isn't in the raised position, such as for take-off or landing, the two passengers are face-to-face. It's awkward. Finally, when it was time to board the flight at JNB, we were all put onto buses and taken to where the aircraft was parked. No jet bridge and no separate boarding for business or first class versus economy passengers. The throng of 300+ people climbed the two sets of air stairs at once. I don't know if this is a regular occurrence or not at JNB. Did I really mind all of this? Only the first item, but I lucked-out. I love being on the tarmac with the sights, sounds and smells!

What's my point here? Where's the "plug for BA"? Here: I just learned today that somehow my American Airlines Advantage frequent flyer account was credited with 5,620 miles, plus 1,405 bonus miles for a total of 7,025 for this flight from JNB to CPT! And this was on a "free" frequent-flyer ticket! I printed a hard copy of the statement. We'll see if the mileage credit is withdrawn at some point in the future. And I won't contact BA asking why they didn't credit me for the mileage JNB-CPT-JNB.

My RTW Carbon Footprint

While I'm not very knowledgeable about carbon footprints and how they are "offset" I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of impact my RTW travels had on planet earth.

To begin, I went to the website Carbonfund.org which describes itself as "leading the fight against global warming." There's a nifty calculator which you can plug in data pertaining to your home, car, flight, bus/train, etc. For this exercise I only chose the flight category and plugged in my itinerary. The result: 8.93 tons of carbon or 17, 860 pounds. The air segments that did the most "damage" were: MSP - NRT @ 1.16 tons; HKG - JNB @ 1.20 tons; JNB - LHR @ 1.02 tons and MAD - SCL @ 1.21 tons. This pertains to the high mileage for each segment. Carbonfund claims that the average American has a carbon footprint of 50,000 pounds per year pertaining to emissions for home, car, travel, etc. So in one month's time and for air travel alone I produced 36% of that annual 50k. Oops! Now I'm afraid to do the math for the other components.

The website calculates that my impact for travels could be offset by paying $89.30. I'm not clear exactly on how paying this money would make a difference. Besides, I don't have the money to spend at the moment. Still, it's good to keep all of this in mind, I guess. Think of all the people who fly more miles than I did this time around. The fact that I don't fly 50,000+ miles every year made me feel better after this little exercise.

Blog Updates

Well then, I've been receiving feedback from friends, neighbors and blog readers. They have been waiting patiently for some updates, namely, the Nov. 19 west coast tour of Easter Island. I'm happy to report that the entry has been made and a few others will follow as well.

In checking the stats it appears that quite a few people have been following this blog or at least checking it out from time to time. Most recent count is over 800! My thanks to you all for your support. It makes the associated blog work feel a bit more worthwhile. And another friend recently emailed me claiming to have just sent it out to 200 more people. My goodness!

I'm trying to go through all the photographs I took, clean them up with PhotoShop and prepare them for some sort of slide show or picture book. Don't hold your breath though, this sort of project remains unfinished five years after my last big trip -- the one to Antarctica.

Return to the United States

After a five-hour flight from Easter Island, a two-hour connection in Santiago and an eight-hour flight to Miami (business class all the way, thankfully) I have returned to the U.S. Even the customs and immigration people were impressed with my itinerary (all countries visited must be listed on the arrival document) when I passed through their station.

Again, I'm hanging out in the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge -- all day long, waiting for my flight this evening to the Twin Cities. The flight arrived here at 05:00 and my departure this evening is 7:10 p.m. You recall how happy George Clooney's character (in the movie Up In The Air) is traveling and being in airports and airplanes and airline lounges? Well, I cannot see myself living that kind of life.

Despite being "back" I'll still be posting entries here on the blog for a while longer. You'll still be able to have access to the site for a long time to come.

We Were Doing What?

Spelunking. When we visited Ana Te Pahu and climbed down into and through the lava tube (see previous blog post), our guide, Tuhi stated that we we were spelunking. I'd never heard of it and fortunately neither had Simone. We were told that the exploration of caves is spelunking; those who explore caves are spelunkers. News to me. It's also known as caving. Too bad I don't enjoy playing a good game of Scrabble but for those who do ... spelunker!

A fascinating article about caving can be found in a National Geographic magazine article entitled Conquering an Infinite Cave. Seriously you must check it out!

West Coast Tour & A Familiar Face

To say that I was happy with the tour of the South coast would be an understatement. Tuhiira was an absolutely fantastic guide and despite the fact that she wasn't going to be with us the following day, I signed up for the West coast tour nevertheless. Tuhi's husband would be the guide.

On the morning of our departure, I arrived promptly at 9:45 a.m. and Simone (also staying at Te'ora) arrived shortly thereafter. We were informed that Tuhi's husband was "out sick" and the tour wouldn't be operating. Could we reschedule for the following day? I could not as my departure for Miami via Santiago would take place that afternoon. We considered other options and after about 15 minutes, a new face appeared and it was Tuhi's. In truth, her husband still needed to work on a project at home (at her request) so she would take his place. I complained, "But how can I compare your style and expertise as a guide to that of your husband?" We laughed. "Oh well!" Simone and I were the only ones on the tour. Talk about private. We were both thrilled. It was as though touring Easter Island with our "sister." (I later learned that such a private tour normally runs US$200 per person!).
Tuhi and me, all smiles. She picked guava from along the roadside for us to eat. I tried it but wasn't too impressed. Too many seeds contained therein and I spit most of it out.

The road heading east from the village is paved, for a short while. The road after we turned north was dirt and rough. I was sitting in back and wondered if I'd become car sick. I opened the window wider for a good breeze, not caring about the dust. The countryside is quite flat and rather bleak with just a few hills scattered here and there.

We arrived at Ahu Akivi with its seven moai. The site was restored in 1960 and what makes this particularly unique is the fact that the moai are facing the ocean. It is suggested that these moai are facing the direction of the village and their descendants. The ahu or platform is aligned with the rising sun on the spring and autumnal equinoxes. There are at least 15 other platforms classified as solar-pointing devices. Knowing when seasons would change is important
for farming.


From here we ventured further into the countryside and stopped in a field strewn with chunks of lava rock. Walking a short distance we came across a huge lava tube that was later used as an inhabited cave: Ana Te Pahu. The tube stretches for over 1 kilometer! At first one comes across the "Banana Cave" where a number of trees had been (recently) planted. Further inside there were rocks positioned as though walls for forming rooms. The tube went on and on and with "torches" (flashlights) we explored further and came across an area where fresh water from rain would have accumulated and could be used for various needs. We climbed up and out of the tube then proceeded back to our little SUV.



More rough road was covered but the view out over the countryside as we climbed a small hill was lovely. There were plowed fields on a nearby farm, the outskirts of the village of Hanga Roa, the the ocean in the background.



As we approached our next stop, Puna Pau, it was quite evident that soil erosion is a problem in some parts of the island (photo, below left). Coming across what appeared to be chunks of red lava rock, Tuhi told us that this area contained the quarry where all the topknots or pukao were carved. We were looking at several buried topknots as well as others not buried. They littered the hillside.The stone contains a high amount of iron ore (hence the color) and is a softer volcanic rock, thus being easier to carve. The topknots were a relatively later addition to the moai with about 100 of the former in existence versus over 1000 of the latter. I learned that none of the original moai were ever given topknots, so the quarry was only being used from the 15th or 16th century onwards. Puna Pau means "Exhausted Spring" in old Rapa Nui so either the crater contained water at one time or it passed nearby.



The large topknot with the opening on the side was meant as a sort of shelter from sudden rain showers. It probably weighs close to 12 tons and was intended for the largest moai being carved at the time that remains at Rano Raraku (see south coast tour).

Tuhi also explained the meaning of topknots to us. Actually, they don't represent "hats" but rather the way a man's long hair was worn: tied up in a "bun" hence the knot. In early Rapa Nui society high-ranking men were forbidden to cut their hair. Wearing the hair on top of the head tied up in a knot was the fashion. I observed several young men in the village also wearing their hair this way. Perhaps it also is because they perform in the local Polynesian dances held for tourists (which I did not attend).

More rough road was covered before we reached the relief of the main paved road near the airport. We drove alongside of the the main runway, around the eastern end of it, past a fuel depot and on to our next stop. (I expressed my concern out loud as I saw the fuel depot so close to the end of the runway. I wondered what would happen if the landing airliner couldn't stop? Apparently I was the only one concerned.)

Speaking of the Mataveri airport I can't resist sharing a few tidbits. A grass landing strip was created in 1950 and the first plane landed in January, 1951. It was an amphibious Catalina that flew from Chile and took 19 hours to reach the island. The first commercial flight was a Lan Chile DC-6 and the flight time was reduced to a mere 9 hours from Santiago. The switch to jets took place in 1970 when Lan Chile began using the Boeing 707 and flight time dropped to 4.5 hours. During the mid to late 1990s, Concorde was a regular visitor when Air France and British Airways charter flights operated special around-the-world service. NASA provided assistance and money for an upgrade to the runway in 1985. It was lengthened to 9, 524 feet so the Space Shuttle could land there in an emergency after departure from Vandenberg AFB in California. After the Challenger disaster no launches were ever scheduled for Vandenberg.



Situated on the southwest corner of the island are the remains of three different platforms at Vinapu. One has essentially disappeared. The other two are Ahu Tahira and Ahu Vinapu. The former displays six overthrown moai, face down with four topknots lying in front of them. The primary interest here is in the actual construction of the platform where the precision stonework has been compared to the Incas (Cuzco, Peru). This strongly suggests contact between Polynesians and the South American mainland. Given this impressive platform structure, island legend suggests that the giant moai still at Rano Raraku was destined for this site. At nearly 70 feet in height without topknot this would have been something to behold!




From Vinapu we drove along the southern side of the airport to the top of the island's largest (1 km diameter across) volcanic crater, Rano Kau which erupted 2.5 million years ago. It is also a Naional Park where an entrance fee is collected, however, if one has retained the ticket from entrance to Rano Raraku there is no additional charge. It was windy at the top but the views were magnificent. The three of us had our lunch at the top and Tuhi took a short nap. Oh, alright, so did I.

The lake inside the crater is covered with mats of freshwater reeds (Scirpus californicus if you're interested) floating on top of 30 feet of water and lots of sediment at the bottom (we did not venture down to the lake; 20 minutes down but 40 minutes back up). Tuhi told us that the reeds have existed here for over 30,000 years, long before any human contact. The same reeds can be found on floating islands of Lake Titicaca in Peru. The cauldron gives the interior a sort of micro-climate.

We ventured further along to Orongo, the ceremonial village where the Birdman Competion took place. From this vantage one can view the Kari Kari which is the "bite" out of the side of the crater facing the ocean. During the competition, young men run along the ridge, then down the side to the ocean and swim out to the largest of the three motu, which means islet. There are three and the big one is where the Sooty Tern lays its egg which is part of the competition. I'll leave it to you to do further reading via the link above. You can also view the movie Rapa Nui via Netflix that came out around 1993. It's a bit hokey (and not suitable for children) but does show the competition. Apparently the last competition was held in 1866 when Roman Catholic missionaries put an end to it (no further comment from me).


Given the views, this is probably the best real estate on Easter Island!



There are many many petroglyphs (a local rock expert counted over 1,700) with various symbols including bird men. Depending on the lighting conditions it can be difficult to make them out.

The last stop was actually on the north side of the village of Hanga Roa and past the picturesque cemetery. There are three ahu, or platforms: Ahu Vai Uri, Ahu Tahai and Ahu Ko Te Riku. The last one is what most visitors want to see because this moai has eyes as well as a red topknot.



The entire site was restored between 1968 and 1970. The eyes of the one moai are not original. White coral was discovered in 1978 at Anakena and it was decided to replicate a set of eyes in one of the moai. This certainly changes the appearance of the statue!

We returned to our point of origin and said our good-byes to Tuhi before heading back to Te'ora. What is normally scheduled to be a half-day of sight-seeing had turned into a full one. We were fortunate indeed.

South Coast Tour - An All-Day Adventure

Arrangements had been made with the owner of Te'Ora for me to take at least one all-day tour of the island. The associated cost isn't cheap, approximately US$65.00 but to cover the area on foot would be nearly impossible. There were six in our group plus a driver and a Rapa Nui native named Tuhiira as our guide.




First stop was Ahu Vaihu which is where we viewed numerous toppled moai. They were knocked over by rival tribes during a turbulent time in the island's history. It's rather sad to see these huge monoliths face down or on their side. The pukao of course fell off and some rolled out into the nearby bay. A few definitions: Ahu is a ceremonial platform, Moai is a monolithic statue, Pukao is the hat or topknot (red).




Next we headed to Rano Raraku which is a volcanic crater is where nearly all the moai were carved and nearly 400 remain. Only part of the rock of the volcano hardened and could be used for carving, the rest is too soft. Moai were always carved on their back so that all the details of the face and arms, etc. could be completed at this site. The site is also a national park which charges an admission fee (another US$60) which is good for another park (Rano Kau) as well.

Once the moai were carved here they were taken to other parts of the island and the top hat was added once they were in place. Let me add that the tallest moai ever moved and successfully erected was nearly 30 feet tall and weighed close to 80 tons.

From the side of Rano Raraku one can look off in the distance and see Ahu Tongariki. Here are 15 moai facing inland and the site is impressive. The Ahu is over 700 feet in length! The site was restored between 1992 - 1996. Notice the smile on my face standing in front of these guys!

Next we headed to the north coast to see Anakena which happens to be located next to a beautiful beach with fine white sand (coming from nearby coral that has been pulverized by wave action). We took our lunch break here around 3:00 p.m. and while there were many people swimming, nobody from our group entertained the notion. This is the site where the early Polynesians came and colonized the island. Of note is the detail of the moai, especially the pukao (hats). The site was restored in 1978

From here we headed back to the village and parted company with our beautiful guide Tuhiira.

The weather was partly cloudy and yet there was more than sufficient sun for me to get a mild sunburn. At times the wind was so strong that without a windbreaker there would be lots of goose-bumps. The roads we traveled were a mixture of paved and gravel, more so the latter.

Easter Island - Getting There, Arrival & Getting Settled

The flight to Easter Island didn't start out very well. A very long story, short: I was bumped from business class because it was oversold. I got a good window seat in economy and $120.00 compensation which nearly covers the reciprocity fee that U.S. citizens must pay to enter Chile.


This is what the in-flight map looks like when the plane is half-way there. The excitement was building to be sure. When we approached the island we flew along the southern coast from east to west and I had a perfect view. I filmed it all, including the landing and taxi to the apron where we deplaned down airstairs as there are no jetways.
The arrival "concourse" where we entered the main terminal building and collected our luggage. It took nearly half an hour for my bags to arrive; first in, last out? Once outside I was greeted by a young woman by the name of Kia who placed a lei around my neck and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek. (I've already forgotten what the Rapa Nui word for "lei" actually is, sorry).

Arrival at the place where I would be staying. Not very impressive from the outside and yes, I had second thoughts initially. Then when I saw my room, called "Iti" as in small, which is adorable, I knew everything would be just fine. The bed turned out to be the absolutely most comfortable of the entire trip! Same for the pillows! Call it the "heavenly bed" even though I know that name is used by some major hotel chain in the U.S.



The view from Te'Ora's patio area, looking across the road at the ocean and toward the harbor area of the village of Hanga Roa (a ten minute walk). The sound of the ocean waves crashing could be easily heard from my room and lulled me to sleep each night. Not really much of a harbor, but then again this isn't Cape Town.

There are some paved streets and the rest are dirt and in pretty tough shape (washboard). Lots of people have cars but getting replacement parts takes time; over six months for a passenger door window for Kia's car. And losts of the younger people have motor bikes which are very loud when passing by. (The boys especially like doing "wheelies" along the main street. Also, I noticed that dogs seem to be everywhere, mostly German shepherds, as in semi-wild. They're friendly, follow people unless scolded and while my inclination was to pet one or two, I had the good sense not to out of fear of being bitten.

Since the island observes daylight savings, it didn't get dark until close to 9:00 p.m. Watching the sun sink into the ocean from a point near the harbor was fun. The walk back to Te'Ora in the dark was not problematic for me as I felt completely safe in this little village of close to 6,000.

It sure was hard to believe where I was when I went to bed on my first night...

Rapa Nui - Isla de Pascua - Easter Island

I have arrived on Easter Island! It's a beautiful day with sun, some clouds, a nice breeze and from my little room at this guest house I can hear the sound of waves crashing along the coastline. Off to explore so more later ...

Sunday Atop San Cristobal Mountain

San Cristobal mountain overlooks the city of Santiago. It's more the height of a bluff along the Mississippi River but no matter. It is a destination for tourists and locals and Sunday is especially important and festive. Atop the mountain is a very large statue depicting the Virgin Mary and this is the destination for many.

On the way to where I would board the funicular I stopped by Bella Vista Patio because I heard tango music. Sure enough there was a crowd gathered to watch couples tango. A video of this is available for viewing upon request. While watching the tango I noticed a man with his pet llama. He was letting little children ride on it for a donation. Closer to the funiclear station there were various stands selling just about anything, including a face mask if you weren't satisfied with the one attached already.



I boarded the funicular and up the mountain I went until reaching the top. The view was lovely although the smog made the distant Andes difficult to see. There was music being played and clearly a Roman Catholic mass was in process. Further up I climbed (via steps) and along the way were dressed people young and old in traditional garb. Later, after mass, they would be processing around.




Nearing the statue of Mary, I stopped by the place where candles are lit and messages left, mostly thanking Mary for helping someone out for one thing or another. Some had left plaques with the message.

I didn't light a candle, or leave a message or make a donation either. I just took lots of photos before heading back down the mountain. The place was packed with people, some hiking others biking and still others having a picnic lunch. There is also a zoo and numerous trails to walk around to other parts of the mountain. One can easily make a visit here an all-day event.