This is the 8 Dec 2003 edition of this page, showing the updated summary for this visit.
This text fills in the travelogue gaps from the "1998 index-page" (the Overall Summary) with extracts from the detailed
notes taken at the time.
17 March '98
This night gave me a severe loss of sleep (worried about the near-death of a non-stick frying pan!!), - particularly between
1am and 4 am.. However, I got to sleep again and woke up at 4.57am.. I quickly dressed, had breakfast and
started to walk to the station (for the FIRST time with WHEELS on my case!) at 5.45am..
It was an EASY walk, and I followed that with a chat with my long-time-station-master-friend before walking
'upline' for the 6.29am train to London. I removed the strapon-wheelie-device and packed it, with the sun-hat,
into the last plastic bag brought along for that job.
I arrived at Paddington (London) on its Platform 5 and, at 8.55am, caught the EXPRESS from Platform 6 to
HEATHROW CENTRAL (for £5), arriving at Terminal 4 at 9.26am and checking-in at Desk 55 at 9.45am.
There was a little delay when the QANTAS 'checkin logic' didn't recognise the PETERS valid VISA. "Yes", I
said,"it was issued by SAGA!" A SAGA lady appeared and was a bit worried (she had been 'up' since 3am,
poor lady!) The QANTAS checkin assistant lady returned from her 'place of enquiries' - revealing that they'd
entered it as PETER, as opposed to PETERS (someone's "typo"!) and then they accepted it as OK - I COULD
FLY!!
Just as well - as 11000 miles is a long way to walk - and the oceans are DEEP in places!!
Anyhow, I contented myself with the purchase of 90Aussi-dollars for £40 (Sterling) at
Heathrow. There, also, I was pre-assigned a WINDOW seat 37K, which was better news than many 'lack-of-
preassignments' since!! Even when I appear FIRST at an airport's checkin desk, I get the "sorry - but they've
all gone" routine!!
The kind lady tells me that 'boarding' will be at 11.15am (for a 12.15hrs takeoff) via Gate6. It seems that my
'race' (by all the info available) will have a 'one-stop-strategy' (refuelling only) to Sydney - the 'break' being
at BANGKOK. Fair enough, - that is almost exactly halfway round the 'great circle'!
The noisiest takeoff that I encountered was at 10.44am.. The thrust from CONCORDE's engines were in
complete contrast to the larger, but quieter, BIG jets! I photod my own 747 (a colourful QANTAS beastie!)
without a flash. It is a 747-400 (the BIGGIE!) which I boarded at about 11.25am..
I chatted with DIDI (pronounced "dee-dee" rather than "diddy"!) throughout the day, a very enjoyable time
being had by us both. She, too, had been dog-sledding in Greenland (also at Ammassalik!) PLUS (wait for
it) the YUKON, - and many other exciting places. A very active and adventurous lady!! Quite a lot of her
destinations had been to HOTTER places that I tend to avoid!
For lunch, we both had curried rice - once up at altitude - and the next meal would be tomorrow's
breakfast before our landing in BANGKOK for refuelling - at about 11.15 GMT! So we'll count
this current meal as our supper/evening meal!!
Didi fell asleep at about 15.30 GMT whilst the SUN began to SET at 15.50GMT - and it went
completely DARK, very quickly, by 16.10 GMT. There should be a snack (or something) between lunch and
breakfast so as NOT to offend our body-clocks. I wrote some of these 'notes' at about 16.15 hrs (GMT still)
with my own personal light on for ease of viewing - then it was time for some 'SHUT-EYE'.
After the end of the 'shut-eye' and the end of a 'movie', our speed increased (now near TEHERAN!) from
its earlier 555mph to 621mph, then 624, then 633, then 650, then 666mph ... until (at 17.41hrsGMT) when
we were doing 694mph - and I thought they'll soon be coming around with our 'snack'!
Didi has awoken - and has been for about half an hour -and they are still estimating the Bangkok arrival
at 23.12hrs (GMT). Surely, the snack AND breakfast MUST occur by then!! The ground-speed is now 697mph
at 37000 feet. Will we break the 700mph barrier? It depends on the speed of the jet-stream that we are in!
Then I watched the National Geographic Documentary - called "Siberian Tigers" (subtitled 'Tigers of the snow') -
which showed that 'free Russians' are abusing them and their habitat. By 19.00hrs, the 'snack' was over and so
was the severe TURBULENCE over the Western Himalayas. It was still an estimated 4.25 hours to BANGKOK!!
By 19.46hrs (GMT), it was already starting to get light here. Where are we? INDIA probably!! That does
not count as another country in my 'count' as I'm not on the GROUND!! Not only are the skies beautiful for
astronomical observations (the constellations are easily recognisable even with the cabin lights ON!), but the
small villages are lit up 33000ft below us! Dawn hasn't broken here (tomorrow, locally) yet!
Now at 20.12hrs (GMT) - early morning local time in the many INDIAN villages far below, I observed with interest.
One or two such villages could probably be small TOWNS. I can't see the details, just the lights in the darkness. Later,
I see a VERY LARGE VILLAGE, well lit-up with signs of possible 'industry'. This might even be a SMALL TOWN!
All the scene is in low lighting and still clearly illuminated.
By 2030 (GMT) our massive 747 had some fantastic views looking DOWN at LIGHTNING in the CLOUDS -
with a new FLASH every second or so. This was then followed by a short period of the roughest TURBULENCE
of the journey so far. This could be quite frightening for 'worriers'. DIDI and I thought it quite IMPRESSIVE - for a
night-time viewing of lightning from ABOVE.
At 21.15hrs GMT (I haven't changed my watch's time yet), our 747 has done about 5000 miles (8000Km) and
we have just 2 hours of flying time to our pit-stop in BANGKOK. I don't yet know what the local time will be
there. Guess that someone, or some display, will inform us roundabout the forthcoming breakfast time!!
On the flight, I watched three good videos, specifically : (i) The SIBERIAN Tiger (ii) The Vicar of Dibley (as on
UK TV) and (iii) MICHAEL PALIN on the PACIFIC RIM trip (phase 7!)
18 March '98
At 22.54hrs (yesterday), I altered my own watch to 5.56hrs today (Wednesday) just over 10 minutes after
landing at BANGKOK. We have travelled 9548Km (5968 miles) from HEATHROW to get here!
I left the aircraft at 6.36am, returned to the Departure Lounge at 7.10am after a walk with DIDI in the Terminal
Building. We re-entered the aircraft at 7.30am (ish!).
Takeoff was about 7.55am to 8.25 am, with a planned flight-time of 8hrs 24mins. There was a beautiful BRIGHT day
above the clouds as we headed for the Equator with meaningful dialogue between Didi and myself. We crossed the
Equator at 10.30a.m(ish) - Didi now sleep - and met some dense clouds up to 30000ft (plus) over BORNEO. There was
no sign of the massive fires, but the equatorial island certainly has a LOT of dense cloud (and smoke?)
over it up to a GREAT height.
Having left BORNEO, we now skirted past BALI en route to Australia across the open seas. After dark, there was
a line of clouds of which I took photos south of Borneo, - and there seemed to be great SMOKY areas drifting from
Borneo to these clouds at 25000 to 30000 feet -and more!
We crossed the Australian coast (near DARWIN) at about 11.50am (Bangkok Time!).... No...I NOW think it is
a LARGE ISLAND (North of Aussiland!). There is much more SEA and VIVID BLUE skies yet!! These vivid skies
were randomly dotted with clouds for many miles, thereafter it was all BLUE! However, as we progressed, there were
more random, lower, cotton-bud clouds appearing as intermediate reflecting layers no longer reflected and enabled
vision THROUGH it! Then there appeared more beautiful (coral?) attols.
One island had three or four 'massive-growth' clouds in the middle of total BLUENESS. These clouds stood out like
'sore-thumbs'!! Then, at 13.05hrs (Bangkok time) we reached more islands plus the mainland of Australia - way West
of Darwin and very barren.The main features were shadows of clouds!
Soon, Australia looked like one GIANT MIRAGE (there was apparently a SEA where the desert was!) - still very
barren but with some ridges, dunes (very, very OLD) - with many optical illusions and general mirages from this high
altitude. According to our 'screen' we are headed straight for ALICE SPRINGS - there being plenty of features that
might have been the OLGAS - but no signs of AYERS ROCK or Alice Springs today!! There were weird North-South
'flow-lines' or something baffling and very EXTENSIVE when we passed the 'Olgas'. Here, I changed my watch's time
from 16.17hrs to 20.17hrs ready for SYDNEY-time. The distance for this leg from Bangkok to Sydney was 7522Km
(4701 miles) making the day's trip something like 10669 miles.
I landed at Sydney airport, went through baggage reclaim, customs, passports, toilets and visas with DIDI - before catching
the coach/bus from the airport to the NOVOTEL in DARLING HARBOUR (about 12 miles). We checked in at this hotel,
Didi will be sharing with Anne and I got my cases partially unpacked and got the room's air-conditionning (for cooling)
working. After having learned how the room-to-room telephone system worked there, I had to 'order' some 'complimentary
milk' to go with the 'complimentary tea & coffee' !!
Being midnight (local time) and 2pm GMT it was NOW my bed-time!!
19 March '98 (Thursday)
(all times following are to be quoted in 'Eastern' or 'Sydney Time')
I was UP at 7.10am, shaved 2 day's worth of beard and generally got ready for the day (slowly in
my own room!). After breakfast, first with Anne and then with DIDI - I was satisfied with the plentiful
and varied foods.
Didi and I went on a DIY exploration of SYDNEY, via a bureau-de-change (for Didi's funds), PYRMONT
BRIDGE, the Monorail track and the AMP Tower.