We had our brand new Mustang keys, we had been partying all week in Wichita while doing our Flight Safety training and the past couple of days were still partying in Independence with the Cessna folks since this was their 100th Mustang that was being delivered. We were eager to start our trip back to Asia with our sightseeing stopovers.

There were a lot of issues to resolve:

1. Completing our Mustang course at Flight Safety. It was the first time Supap and I had struggled so much to get over jet lag. Hey, we both realized that we were getting old!! We struggled with the Garmin 1000 training as well… very difficult to comprehend when one's mind has not rested and with all the partying come night time. He-he! The new avionics were fascinating but, at the same time, one wrong turn of the knobs or punch of the key can bring chaos to your well-planned departure or approach. There are several ways of inputting information on this FMS and sometimes you get confused or find it hard to remember which procedure you just did because the end results are the same. I sometimes felt that the round dials, VOR, and NDB manual approaches were better than autopilot entering a holding pattern, knowing when to change frequencies, and do go-arounds on their own. Gee, this is technology that’s hard to comprehend for two aging pilots! The Flight Safety guys were good and gave us extra classroom time on their fantastic Flight Training Devices. The sim is also much better than the old hydraulic ones. Now it is purely electric. The visuals were great in Level D sim. We could not ask for more. Special thanks to the Flight Safety guys who were very patient with oldies like us falling asleep in class. No, it was not the subject, and it wasn’t the teacher, but just TWO SLEEPY HEADS!

2. Aircraft acceptance and registration. We decided to change our certification from commercial to private category. We were avoiding the voice recorder requirement for commercial category. I had to deal with this in between classes and between Thailand and America. Cessna wanted to throw a party for Supap and we had to schedule everything around this while taking into consideration dates for departure and landing permits from the different countries. We had to accept the aircraft before the RVSM can be certified. The ferry flight needed RVSM certification for sure. Timing was a critical factor. Otherwise, we will have to wait and stand by for another week (not sure if I can survive more steaks and hamburgers!!).

We had to go thru all the guarantee papers and airframe/engine insurance programs. We had to work on getting all our manuals, books, and loose items shipped to Thailand since we were already overweight with all the feasting, wine drinking and Supap's never ending shopping.

3. Stuff to order for the plane. We needed stuff for the plane like life rafts, emergency medical kits, Travel Johns, window covers, APU, etc., all to be shipped either to where we were or to Thailand.

4. Make the actual flight plan back home and work on landing permits, clearances, and hotel reservations. It was tough since we did not have a definite date for departure until we had our RVSM certification. All hotels want guaranteed reservations and will bill our credit cards even if we did not show up. With hotel prices these days, that could easily be two thousand bucks if we were a day late.

5. On the side, I was trying to make an episode out of this trip for our Asian Air Safari TV show and working on the episode that would show that week as well. I received emails of the videos that would show for that week and gave my critique on the work our editors and writers were doing in between classes and socializing dinners.

The route back to Thailand:

Anyway, we were so tired of just having Kansas steak and regular American freshwater fish for Supap's new target diet. We were eager to get out and to head to New York, our planned first overnight stop. The Mustang has a very short range and normally, we like to plan for a maximum of 850-nautical mile legs to avoid stress and tension. A refueling stop in Lexington, Kentucky and a hearty lunch will be justified. I always like horses so this is a good excuse for me to see the popular Kentucky bred horses. Had lunch at the fancy Malone’s restaurant downtown and they had "shashimi". Whoa, did we miss Oriental food! Even our waiter is half Japanese but doesn’t even know a single word of Nipponggo nor the difference between Shushi and Sashimi. After a few stopovers in the nice horse farms for some video, we were off to Teterboro, New Jersey. This was the best place to land and leave the plane safely. Plus, it is just like a bridge crossing to New York.

We were so excited to be in New York. Of course our first destination was Little Italy for good authentic Italian food. It was a bit nostalgic for Supap and myself to be back after a long time. He enjoyed visiting NY when he was a university student in Florida. He takes pleasure in taking photos just to capture how much things have changed. I, on the other hand, used to have a small buying office in downtown Manhattan in the mid 80s.

The Marriott on Lexington gave me a room with a view. As I look out, I can’t help but reminisce. This place truly reminds me of long gone days of my youth, when I was still struggling to be on my own. I remember the times when I used to stay at a friend's apartment trying hard to save money during my visits… times when I used to hang out with my former schoolmates (Jun D, Ubert C, Roel R, Nonoy P. Bembot B, Mon R, Peng O. and many more) who were considered ‘Native New Yorkers’. We’d go out at night at Roel’s bar and have fun until the wee hours. I also recall enjoying having hot dogs with my kiddos when they were really young kids down by Rockefeller Center… Gee, so much has changed since then. It makes me realize how time flies and how much my outlook in life has changed too. Must be ‘age’ but I see life differently now.

Supap and I visited the usual places, enjoyed the restaurants and the nice long walks. Hey, 42nd Street has changed so much from the last time I was there. It was fun just watching the neon lights’ glitz and glitter. Times Square is interesting as always – what with-different kinds of ‘characters’ wondering around trying to make a quick buck from tourists. I also had a chance to meet up with Bing Medel, a classmate in high school. It was fun remembering the ’good old days’ and getting to know new interests and activities that we do now.

Oh, we didn’t miss the Empire State building! This was Supap's favorite place to take photos. To our surprise, the lines were too long! Funny, there were no lines at all when I first visited the building. Luckily there is an ‘express ticket’ where you could overtake everyone since you paid more than double. Couldn’t imagine paying that much when I was younger. We wondered around just enjoying the scenery. No worries because we did not look like King Kong so no one really bothered us.

Supap and I also took time to prepare for our long trip the next day. We did some groceries for the plane and not forgetting my hard drives for the videos. With our energies still running high, we checked out the infamous “Hawaiian Paradise” Club. Everyone was dead gorgeous and pretty and ready to party but… too bad, we had an early start the next day. Can you believe that???

We tried to be like New Yorkers so we rented a stretch limo to head back to Teterboro. We were of course the smallest jet in the tarmac! What the heck! We still arrived in style. The Jet Aviation FBO is nice and has very good business --- Gulfstreams, Falcons, and Hawkers are all over the place. This was my dream when I was young --- to have an FBO with all the private jets in the region coming in. Unfortunately, the Philippine government had other ideas. I had the FBO but did not have the visiting jets!

We headed for Goose Bay, Canada with a stop over at Bangor, Maine. Planned to stay overnight and start off early for Greenland the next day. Unfortunately, upon landing, our right hand generator had carbon brush problems. That meant an extra day that actually turned into three days in Goose Bay just to wait for the parts.

This was our first free day. Washing clothes was on the agenda but with itchy feet, we rented a car and explored Goose Bay. This was an old military base. The town is very small and when you rent a car, you’re warned against going to dirt roads. We were able to cover the whole town within a few hours. We discovered more restaurants than the travel brochures have listed. We also visited the Sea Plane base. Flying seaplanes is a way of life here especially if you live further from town. The single and twin Otters on floats are just super busy hauling cargo and people from all over the place. It was fun to watch and it made me see how important airplanes are for these people.

The next day was spent for organizing the plane while the mechanic replaced the parts. We bought some floor mats to keep the dirt away on the ferry flight so the plane will look neat and brand new upon arrival. We also had to look for Supap's Tabasco sauce. Now you can tell he is really Thai.

The Goose Bay ramp is interesting during early mornings. All the small airplanes with ferry tanks parked at the Woodward Aviation ramp are open and being inspected by the pilots. They are all doing the Atlantic crossing and getting ready for take off. The weather this morning was marginal. Being in the Mustang, our alternate fuel is critical and we, of course, did not have the Atlantic crossing experience and ferry tanks. It was snowing in Nassaseraque. The ceiling and visibility were low. But do we want to spend another day in Goose Bay??

Tough decisions will have to be made. Do we just stay and wash our dirty clothes again? Do we wait for weather to get better? They say the bad weather can sometimes last for a week. We have to make alternative plans. We checked on winds aloft and weather further north and it was good. A bit of head wind going up but we should recover once we head east. It was a longer route but definitely safer. Plus, if we have an engine failure, the swim with the whales and the seals (and hopefully, not with polar bears) will not be too far.

Instead of flying four legs to Sweden it will be six. It’ll be definitely a long day for us! Our first leg would be: Goose Bay (CYYR) to Kuuijaq (CYVP) heading further north of Canada.

Short hop but had 120 knots of headwind. Just a refueling stop and was interesting to see the stylish terminal painted blue, which stands out in the field. The topography and terrain changed. I thought I had seen enough lakes but when you fly over this area, they seem endless and numerous. I am sure most of them have never been fished on before. Tried a quick turn around but, with our pee break and Supap's photo session, we had burned almost two hours of our day.

Kuuijaq (CYVP) to Iqaluit (CYFB) was next. Another short leg but still with headwinds. Now more rocks and more lakes are what we see below us. The huge rocks with crater lakes become more dramatic. I noticed Canadian names and nouns are like American Indian words. “U” does not necessarily follow their “Q”. Again, the terminal was painted bright yellow, which stood out from the colors of the ground. Had a chance to run to the terminal to grab myself a crab sandwich. Saw their interesting handicrafts that deal a lot with polar bears, seals, and other aspects of snow life. The features of the locals resemble the Eskimos of Alaska. I did not realize how big Canada is until today.

Iquluit (CYFB) to Kangerlussuaq (BGSF) was our first Atlantic crossing. Greenland-finally! The rocky mountains became bigger and still more lakes and rivers. These are fjords and could have been dramatically white with snow if it isn’t summer. The approach to the airport was exciting as you fly below the mountain rocks into the river.

We were losing time as we flew east. Sunlight was long because it was summer but it eventually caught up with us. It was getting dark but as we took off, we still see the chunks of glaciers separated from the mainland and drifting towards the North Sea. It was like having white chocolate chips drifting in the blue sea from 35,000 ft. I was hoping to see some whales or polar bears but forgot I was not superman. Greenland was bigger than I thought. We crossed the Atlantic again and headed off to Iceland.

Kangerlussuaq (BGSF) to Keflavic (BIKF) was almost 800 miles. This was my first night landing this trip and my sim instructor will be pleased at how well I did. They had a small FBO and had sandwiches and coffee ready for us.

From Iceland, our next stop was Flesland (ENBR), Norway. This is about 4:00 am local time. I can feel fatigue creeping in on us. We could hardly comprehend ATC clearances but it was just another quick and short hop to Stockholm (ESSA), Sweden --- our planned overnight stop. I can see the sun rising in the horizon. We were ready to sleep. Tuned-in to ATIS… heard ceiling was 400 ft and visibility was 2 miles. This is exactly what we DON’T need when we were all struggling to stay awake. Decision height was at 300 ft and as we got to 350 ft, we saw the runway. What a relief!!

It was drizzling and cold. That gave me an excuse to use my new leather Mustang jacket! I called our handler by Iridium to prepare a car to bring us to town from the airport. When we got out of the plane, our handling agent did not even help get our luggage, and as we got out, they did not even get a vehicle for us. That really sucks! With the gloomy weather, the drive to town seemed longer than it should be. We wanted to be right at the center of town so we chose Radisson, which was just next door to the train station. When we checked in, our rooms were given away because of our late arrival. This day was definitely not starting right but we were happy to be in mainland Europe safe from the cold snowy islands of the North Sea.

Breakfast was great and definitely a far cry from our small town cafe in Goose Bay. Nice yoghurt that American/Canadian hotels never think of, freshly baked hard rolls, croissant, apricot jam, and good cheese made us look at the bright side of things. At last, we were given our rooms right after our hearty breakfast. After a good shower and a quick nap, Supap and I were ready for our Thai lunch! Thai Airways fly to Stockholm daily because there is a large Thai community there. Hmm… we could hardly wait to have our Tom Yong soup and hot rice! We wondered around town and did our photo/video session soon after. We enjoyed the Swedish river that goes out to the sea. We saw the huge cruise ships and the old style sail boats that the Nordic seafarers use to travel in the olden days. Their architecture is also very distinct from the other parts of Europe. The colors and pattern of the buildings behind the water made us feel that we were indeed in Stockholm. The city is clean and well organized and in fact, it is voted as one of the Top 10 Cities best to live in around the world. The city has different colored trains crisscrossing around which always amused me and became good photo subject.

Khun Somchai, the Thai Airways general manager, is Supap's good friend. He picked us up for dinner and drove around town. He knew exactly Supap's taste. He brought us to a fancy restaurant and had the most stylish meal in Stockholm. The dessert was a killer because it was so good!! I can just imagine the calories that I have ingested! We were beat by the time we finished. Almost fell asleep between stories but I still had to do some flight planning and hotel reservations in Budapest --- our next destination!

Khun Somchai had Chinese dim sum prepared for us before we departed for the airport. It was still drizzling and cloudy as we got the plane ready for our flight. Our shoes were wet with the rain but weather was reported to be nice and sunny in Budapest (LHBP).

This was my flying leg and it was great to get out of the clouds. The ATC was also very good to us and gave us a couple of direct routing. By the time we were turned over to Budapest approach, we were actually number one. What a great flight plus, we had about a 60-knot tailwind.

We had to take off our sweaters the minute we landed and we were off to Four Seasons right in the heart of Budapest. It could not have been any better than this. My good friend Bruno called as soon as we got there and he was ready to pick us up. When I stepped out of the hotel, the whole Hungarian Balloon Team was outside waiting for me. I was very happy to see them in their country. I always wanted to visit them. They have the same fun loving character as Filipinos do. From the moment we met, I knew that we were going to be friends for life. Bruno is 74 but looks and acts like 45. Peter had gifts for us and it was embarrassing because I had nothing for them. I thought I'd give them my American snacks packed in my bags and a few Asian Air Safari shirts.

Dinner was in the old town of Buda at a restaurant called Kisbuda Gyonye just across the river. The resto served traditional Hungarian drinks and food. They even had an old man singing and playing the piano and accordion while he joked with us. To my surprise, Tibor showed up in Barong Tagalog, a Filipino’s formal wear for men. He claims that it should make the party festive and culturally impressive for his new partner, Nora. Toni and Julie were the nicest couple ever. Toni is lucky because Julie sacrificed drinking for driving so he was obliged to drink her share. Laslo enjoyed recalling their Philippine experiences. We had a blast trying all the different starters, Hungarian wines, dessert, and even coffee. Except for Bruno, all of them drove about 60 miles just to see us. Tomorrow's dinner will be Laslo's treat at his restaurant in Agar!

Bruno picked us up for lunch and he was more than happy to tour us around the city. There is so much history and culture in Budapest. Even our hotel used to be the famous Gresham Palace. Bruno’s story telling included the medieval times, the Ottoman Empire, World War II, and up to the modern times. It is like a review of my history classes in high school but this time, it really sticks in my head because I can actually see and feel the place. It was a very pleasant walk around the city. Everywhere you look is a nice photo subject. I regret that I never visited this place earlier in my life. I can very well be a Hungarian in my second life! I love this place specially the people. By the way, all the women are so pretty but I was too busy with visiting cathedrals and castles.

Bruno’s amazing! He is a walking encyclopedia and history book put together. And just like in school, I am always the slow student… or was I just distracted by the flimsy summer wear of the ladies walking around??

After seeing San Stefan Cathedral, Heroes Park, the Citadel, and the pleasant walk around town, we headed to Agar to see the lake and, of course, to have dinner with the rest of the gang in Laslo's Cytori restaurant. There was a wedding reception that evening so that gave us an opportunity to learn a bit more about Hungarian culture. It is interesting to know the similarities and differences between their traditions and rituals and ours in the Philippines. I tested one exercise --- the cutting of wood where the bride and groom use a saw to cut a log. This signifies working together and sharing responsibilities. Mind you though, my trial of the woodcutting was purely for exercise.

Laslo showed me around the place. Food was excellent and his drinks and wines were great. No wonder King Juan Carlos of Spain uses his restaurant for catering whenever he is in town deer hunting. I might be able to remember my Spanish 101 if he invites me for hunting.

We enjoyed the music together and I felt I was so lucky to have friends who knew how to enjoy life and be happy. Saying goodbye was rather sad but they promise to visit the Philippines again on my birthday.

The drive back was quicker without traffic and the city lights at night was too nice to pass. As if we haven’t had enough, Supap and I still walked the streets and took pictures of the castle and the night-lights of Budapest. Gee, I haven't had a descent sleep yet and tomorrow, we are off to Athens.

Athens (LGAQ) was Supap's leg and again, a nice day for flying. Strong and bumpy winds but was an easy flight. The landscape changed, as we got closer to Athens. The sea and the mountains looked distinctive so we know Athens is definitely different from Budapest. One of Supap's childhood dreams is to take a good photo of the Acropolis so this is one of our missions here. We stayed in the center of town near the restaurants and shops. We enjoyed our Greek seafood dinner --- the bread, olive oil and olives, and the wine made us feel we were really in Greece. The next day was a cultural day for us. It’s our chance to see and touch what we learned in school about Greece. Of course, I wanted to see Mercury so I can continue to have his gift of flight. We first visited the Acropolis to fulfill Supap's dream. It was fantastic to see it from our hotel room window. Acropolis is perched on top of the hill and overlooks the whole city. To actually walk around the old city made me imagine what it’s like for a poor fisherman or farmer would feel when he first enters the city during its glory times. I stared at the architecture and old columns in awe. It was sad to see the once great empire turned into just a world heritage site. I wish it still exists and old folks can tell me stories of how they fought the wars and saw the royalty and crowns changed hands.

After a few photo sessions, we drove around to look for other interesting sites. We went to the port to have some fresh seafood lunch. Right after, we headed to Wea Marina, the biggest in the island, just to watch the nice and fancy yachts being cleaned. We drove around all afternoon to see the rest of the city and enjoyed seeing the Acropolis from the different angles of town. We also hiked up in the chapel in Mt. Lycabettus and visited the track where they had the Olympic finals. Pooped and tired, we decided to have dinner on the rooftop of the hotel with the lighted Acropolis as our background. There was no better way to end our day.

We were up early the next day to do a quick side trip to Santorini (LGSR). Weather was great and it was just a 30-minute flight away. Some small islands en-route reminded me of home except that their mountains were a bit different and beaches were not quite like ours. The approach gave me a strange feeling because of the parallel runway. It felt like one was too close to the mountains. No problem though because it was a nice and clear day anyway. I was not too happy with my landing because of the gust of wind but as long as I can correct it then, it should be okay.

I was happy to be in Santorini. The place made me feel like I was really on vacation. Everything seems so relaxed and casual. We had a young Dutch lady as our handler. Our Canaves Resort van was waiting for us and we were ready to see the island. We stayed in the town of Oia at the northern tip of the island. All the fancy resorts are there so I was hoping to meet a vacationing princess or jet-setting lady. When we got to the resort, I noticed that everyone was walking in pairs. This was a honeymoon place and only couples normally stayed here. Supap and I might have been mistaken for gays so I made sure I walked farther away from him, showed I had a separate key for the room, and smiled charmingly at all the ladies.

The white painted cave houses hanging by the cliffs and overlooking the Caldera are just something you never see anywhere else in the world. The walk around the small town of Oia was magical! You can hear people speaking in different languages and shopping around for souvenirs. The cafes looked so romantic, specially, during sunset.

My villa had two floors, a Jacuzzi that had a window having the ocean and passing ships as a view on the ground floor and my bedroom on the second floor. I had my own balcony where I could just relax under the umbrella and read airplane magazines. The contrast of the blue sea against my white wooden windows is like a picture from a magazine.

We were eager to see the whole island so we drove around again. We went into the busy town of Fira, walked the beaches of Perivolos and Perissa, visited the lighthouse, and of course had a few drinks at the Santorini winery. Meals were always good at Dolphins near the Red Beach. We were happy to keep all our beautiful memories, the picturesque views, and our different experiences in our video footages and photos. We can always view it and share it with our friends, children and grandchildren. Santorini is truly a vacation place one must see.

Our next destination will be another study of history --- Petra, Jordan. On our way, it was interesting to see the change in landscape again as we flew further east. We landed in Aqaba (OAJQ) and drove up to Petra.

The drive was just as interesting especially seeing the rock formation in the dessert. We stayed at Marriot simply to marvel the view of Petra from a distance. I always imagined myself being ‘Indiana Joy’ so this is the type of place I should explore. The haze was bad but the brown shade of the landscape and a camel or donkey in the middle of the road made me feel I am there for an adventurous stay. Petra is another world heritage site. Visitors have to walk to the Nabataean tombs. At our age, not counting all the partying and feasting we did the past weeks, the heat, and time constraints, the horse driven cart or horseback was the way to go. However, the ride stops at the Kazneh point and from there, you have no other choice but to take a camel ride. If you want to go up the hills, it would be the mules. The Kazneh or The Treasury became known because of the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. Getting into Petra through the gorge was very dramatic and seeing the Kazneh at the end was absolutely stunning.

Can you imagine this place existed more than 2,000 years ago? To be able to walk through this place and see a bit of how life was during that period made my day. There is so much to see and learn about the heritage and history of this place. Airplanes indeed made the world smaller for us but learning and understanding fully how people lived in the past, their beliefs and aspirations, their philosophies, and how they looked at life after death may take a whole lifetime of study.

Our next leg will be OJAQ - Riyad (OERK refueling stop) and an overnight stay in Dubai (OMDB). Dubai is always a nice stop and a good break in the Middle East. We stayed at Burj Al Arab, the tallest all-suite hotel in the world. It is a class on its own and has become a landmark in Dubai. For a moment, I considered getting a Rolls Phantom for our pick up but I couldn’t accept paying so much for the same service that the 7-series BMW can offer. Burj is really something else! I think I had the warmest welcome because the hotel’s staff and front liners were mostly Filipinos. They were only too happy to see a countryman visiting this magnificent hotel. The room rates are out of this world! But after considering the living space, its amenities, the great service, and of course, the facilities of the hotel, I think it is worth it. It’s something everyone should try.

Dinner was of course at the Al Mahara. Seeing the different species of fish in the aquarium while having one of the best seafood dishes made me feel like Neptune. Good thing I did not see any mermaids. I was getting too fat and that would be too embarrassing. We had time for a little shopping and so we indulged. Mostly though, we wanted to enjoy our room and get our much-needed sleep. We got room service for breakfast since we wanted to depart early for Delhi (VIDP).

The next leg (off to India) will require us for a refueling stop in Muscat, Oman (OOMS) and another in Ahmedabad (VAAH). Whew! It’s another long day for us, and India is not exactly a place where one can make a quick turn around. They computed fuel remaining for taxes and needed every detail of everything. Sometimes you wonder if having a ground handler will help. I can see now that the Mustang will be the favorite of Indian Aviation Authorities. With its short range, it will definitely have to stop at least twice in an Indian airport for refueling. We arrived in New Delhi almost sunset. It is amazing to see how active and progressive both General Aviation and the airline industry are in India. Definitely a big change from the last time I was there. Low cost airlines were just all over the tarmac.

Immigration in India required us to leave our passports if we were staying for more than one night since we did not have a visa. It was a bit scary and this was the first time we heard of this. But we wanted to see the Taj Majal so all we could do is keep our fingers crossed until we depart. The aviation authorities also did not give us any clearance to land in Agra. They said it takes about 30 days to get one so we had no option except to drive. The Oberoi Hotel driver was a bit late but he was there to pick us up. Interesting drive it was. Delhi was a real super busy city but the real charm of India comes to you only when you are out of the city proper. It took us more than four hours to get to our hotel. The Oberoi is located close to another world heritage site - The Taj Majal. We arrived late at night so off to bed we went. As the sun rose, we could now see our surroundings so we started to enjoy it. This hotel is one of our favorites in this part of the world.

I was off to the Taj as soon as I woke up. I did not wait for Supap since he was still trying to wake up from his sleeping pills. I did not realize that the Taj authorities did not allow tripods in the area. After getting into the main gate, they tell me video cameras are not allowed. Okay then, only still cameras. I decided to wait for Supap who was the expert photographer. I asked my guide to bring me to the other side of the river so I can take some good videos with a tripod. We drove around town and when we got to the other monument, again, no tripods allowed. Very frustrating but the drive allowed me to see the other side of this small town called Agra.

I was starving and decided to go back to the hotel and meet up with Supap. After a plate of good fruits and good Indian yoghurt, it was time for us to do the Taj Majal together with his still cameras. By the time we got there, there was a heavy downpour of rain but the haze was gone. We enjoyed taking photos and made it inside this monument. The whole place was built with white marble while all the artworks were carved and placed with precious stones from all over the world. Everything else in this monument was symmetrical except the tomb of the Shah that was placed next to the tomb of the Queen. There is no argument about this monument being one of the wonders of the world. It was made out of love so this makes it even more unique. While tourism is still one of the main livelihoods of Agra, farming and handicraft keeps the locals busy.

With a bit of nap in between honking of horns and sudden brake stops, the trip back to Delhi in the car was not so bad. We slept in Delhi to prepare for the final leg of our trip and mostly to avoid delays. We decided to leave the hotel at 4:30 in the morning so we can depart by six. Unfortunately, there was still a two-hour wait at the airport by the time we got our passports, fuel, and flight plan. We called Kolkotta (VEEC) for a very quick refueling stop. As expected, when we got there (VEEC), we still had to wait for about an hour and a half.

We can hardly wait to get to Bangkok, the new home of the Mustang. Despite the political issues in Thailand, we still had a big welcome from Supap’s friends. The food was great but more important was the presence of all his friends. N6202W will now be HS-IOO in its new home. I was very happy for Supap to fulfill his dream. Supap has accomplished another first in Thailand.

As for me, flying thru the three continents of the earth made me see the unique balance in this world. As we fly past the changing landscape and topography I see the different changes and think…where there are airplanes and financial capability of acquiring material things, it lacked in diversity, culture, and personal time. Where, there are so much forest and lakes, there are no inhabitants to develop them. Where there are fantastic views and unique wildlife, winter will be hostile living. Where they have the sophistication, the culture and the Mediterranean beaches, cost of living will surely be very expensive. Where there is oil and money, there is no water and just sand. Where there is poverty, it is rich with culture, world heritage sites, and love for the family. And just when you think the place has very good people, is almost perfect, and like paradise, it will surely be taken advantage of by selfish and greedy government officials. Although the whole world is perfectly balanced, we cannot be everywhere at the same time and can only choose one place to be our home.

Luckily, airplanes were invented so we get to taste the good side of everything even for just a while.

Supap took the nice photos and the rest were mine. Our actual trip was 11,984 nautical miles and we flew for 40 hours and 54 minutes. Our map and airport list follows.