Archive for the 'Air Journey' Category

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Aeroparque Buenos Aires is one of the world’s most beautiful airports, along with Santos Dumont in Rio. Here is a beautiful, though shaky landing on a fine spring morning. ArcticTropic is actually designed and built in BA.

We were not here long , but here’s a few shots around town, before heading to Uruguay the next day.

The Pampas – home of incredible beef.

House in Palermo.

Puerto Madero

Cristina !

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An eight hour flight from Miami to Santiago,Chile bought ArcticTropic from a late rainy season tropical wave to a delightful Southern Hemisphere spring morning. As we approach Santiago, one can see the icy cold South Pacific Ocean in the distance.
Above, the final approach to SCL. What was supposed to be a one hour layover, turned out to be 3 hours as the flight was delayed due to the Puyehue Volcano erupting once again. Though 670 km south of Santiago, the ash cloud spreads far and wide. We are informed the Mendoza airport is closed and the flight may be cancelled. ArcticTropic began investigating  connections by bus, but at 1 PM ,it was announced that a window had opened and we ad to board quickly.
Up over the Andes, a crossing we have made many times.
Warm spring sunshine is softening the snowpack, providing ample water for the vineyards below.
On the Argentine side, the volcanic dust cloud was apparent. I was surprised we were allowed to fly. Volcanic ash can freeze jet engines  and make a plane drop out of the sky !
Disembarking our flight at MDZ.
Early evening, about 8 PM riding north through the desert  from Mendoza to San Juan.
Volcanic sunset. Tomorrow’s north  winds will blast away the dust and send temperatures soaring.
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On Sunday morning , May 8th. I flew from Miami to Newark to board Continental Flight 99 – a 16 hour, 8450 mile flight to Hong Kong. The flight took off at 3:25 PM . Five minutes later we were over Lower Manhattan.

Less than two hours and and a thousand miles later we were over Northern Quebec – still frozen in May.

After cloudy Baffin Land ( Nunavut ) we cross Greenland.

Northern Greenland – only a few hundred miles from the North Pole.

A Frozen fjord. Note last year’s icebergs trapped below. The local time is close to Midnight.

We cross the Arctic Ocean and fly over the North Pole. Sunday becomes Monday. Above shot is Northern Siberia on Monday afternoon.

Over the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Final approach to Chek Lap Kok.

Beautiful Tropical Monday evening landing.

After check- in to the hotel, off to explore the busting streets of Kowloon.

Kowloon Dance Hall.

Delicious Spicy Crab Dinner ! ArcticTropic is back on the ground in Asia !

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On April 3rd I will return to China , for the first time in a  little over a year. This time, the focus will will on South China, entering from Hong Kong and finishing in Shanghai.

After a short flight from Miami to Newark, I will board Continental Flight 99 – the 9th longest flight in the world. Flying time is 15 hours and 50 minutes for the 8055 mile / 12980 km distance. Leaving at 3:45 in the afternoon,  the 777-200ER  will fly northwest over New York State, Quebec, Hudson’s Bay,Baffin Land , and across the Arctic icecap within about 200 miles of the North Pole. Continuing in the same direction, due south, the plane will travel over Siberia,Manchuria and East China, before landing at 7:45 the NEXT night.Because the northern Arctic is in 24 hour daylight by April, all but the last hour or two of the flight should be  sunny – hopefully with few clouds – to enable aerial shots and videos.

ArcticTropic will be meeting with many South China adventure travel providers. If you would like to meet with us between April 4th to 14th please email  – travel@arctictropic.com

Newark is also home to the world’s longest flight – to Singapore – 9535 miles/15345 km at 18 hours 50 minutes !

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Time lapse of a typical day across the world’s skies.Note how activity increases and decreases as the sun moves west. Note the little blips over the Arctic,Pacific,Amazon and Atlantic during the night.

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An ArcticTropic friend,Tom Stires, took this shot of Reykjavik Harbor last Saturday morning.The first snow of the season dusts the hills overlooking the city.  Iceland , only four hours from New York, makes an ideal getaway for a long weekend. One can stay in town and take day excursions to glaciers,volcanoes and geysers. The nightlife is also great – and in just a few weeks – the nights will be 22 hours long.

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On Friday, September 10th, ArcticTropic travelled back across the Andes, from Mendoza to Santiago, this time in just 45 minutes ! The highlight of the flight is a view of Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m (22,841 ft), the world’s highest mountain outside of the Himalayas.

LAN has 3 daily flights to and from SCL to MDZ. Santiago – gateway to skiing at Portillo, and Mendoza, gateway to the Mendoza and San Juan wine regions.

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Next Monday night, August 30th, ArcticTropic will board a LAN Airlines flight from Miami to Santiago.The flight will transition from a hot steamy night at MIA to a sparkling winter morning in SCL, 8 hours later. After clearing customs, we’ll board a van to Portillo, Ski Capital of South America !
LAN has brand new planes, comfortable seats, multiple entertainment choices and complimentary cocktails.
From New York or Miami – one can board a night flight and be on the slopes by lunchtime the next day.
This week the forecast calls for optimum late winter conditions – bright sunshine,mild temperatures ( though very cold at night ) and packed powder snow. ArcticTropic will have periodic updates before next week’s departure.
FOR ADVENTURES IN CHILE, CLICK HERE
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On Sunday,June 20th, I flew from Miami to Los Angeles for an ArcticTropic business trip to meet with programmers and financial types. Above – takeoff over Miami and the Atlantic Ocean.

After crossing the oil-soaked Gulf of Mexico we coasted over the Texas Coast. Then landed in Houston to change planes.

Not long after…… the Deserts of New Mexico.

The volatile Mexico – Arizona border- now a War Zone in some areas.

Coming down over Southern California – still snow on the mountain tops.

The 405 – Light traffic on a Sunday – jam packed during the week.

Manhattan Beach.

The Pacific Ocean. The second ocean for me that day – I swam in the Atlantic at sunrise.

 

FOR ADVENTURES IN THE UNITED STATES, CLICK HERE

Mar 3rd
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The Labrador Sea between Baffin Land and Greenland, as we head toward the
North Pole. The next shot is when we were back in daylight over the Laptev
Sea of the Arctic Ocean as the plane approaches the North Coast of
Siberia.

Posted via email from arctictropic’s posterous