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STEVO'S 1995/6 "SAFARI" TO
MICRONESIA/USA/ HAWAII/VENEZUELA/MEXICO/ANTIGUA/TRINIDAD

 

DEAR CLIENTS:Happy New Year to you all!! I hope you had a very relaxed and pleasant Holiday break. As you probably know, I was overseas from Mid December to around Mid January, so apologies in advance if letters or faxes sent during that period have not yet received my attention or response: as a strictly "One Man" business, they are not touched until I return. I was on my annual Xmas/New Year "Safari" during this break, which thanks mostly to some lovely "frequent flyer point" freebie tickets, covered some 55,000 Km (or 30,000 miles!) over a series of 21 flights, so certainly saw lots of airports, if nothing else! BARELY got my new USA Visa...the U.S. Embassy here has not issued ONE since Mid December, unless a dire emergency, due to that silly nonsense of USA Federal workers not being paid.

First up was the 7 hour flight due North up to the USA Trust Territory of Guam located on the Equator. Then a 14˝ hour flight Guam-Honolulu visiting many of the tiny and remote Micronesian and Marshall Islands en-route, like Chuuk/Truk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kwajelein, Majuro and Johnson Islands. What an adventure! A 2 day break at one of the world's truly great Hotels, the Royal Hawaiian "Pink Palace" on the beach at Waikiki, and then the 5 hour flight to San Francisco, followed by a 5 hour "red-eye" overnighter to New York. As frequently happens in December, New York airports were virtually closed to aviation due to the dreadful weather and snow storms they receive. The plane was duly de-iced after sitting 2 hours on the tarmac, and then headed off South for sunny MIAMI Florida, where among other things, took a harbour cruise to drool at some of the $10m+ waterfront homes of the rich and famous.

From Miami a 3˝ hour flight to Caracas Venezuela on American Airlines. At the adjoining gate, AA flight #965 to Cali, Colombia was scheduled to depart 15 minutes earlier. Both flights were designated to use a Boeing 757. The first AA 757 to arrive from the Snow Bound east would fly onward to Cali. I chatted to people waiting at the gate lounge ... a young American couple bound for Cali were planning to visit Melbourne in 1996. Upon reaching Caracas I heard that the Cali 757 had crashed into a mountain, killing all but 4 on board, due to equipment/crew malfunction. That plane had been rostered to fly to Caracas, but the snow delay meant the other passengers were allocated it : had it arrived even 15 minutes earlier, you would NOT be reading this note probably! Clearly the deadliest incident involving a USA carrier since the Pan Am "Lockerbie" disaster of 8 years earlier. Easily my "closest call" in over a million flight miles, over 25 years, to some 70 different countries.

Caracas is a pretty South American capital (larger population than Sydney) located in a huge volcano crater. Flew out in the jungle to the Orinoco basin for a few wonderful days at a Venezuelan jungle camp surrounded by waterfalls, one of which (Angel Falls) is literally the world's highest. Back to do some sightseeing around Caracas for a day or so, and then a flight to Trinidad. Or so the itinerary said! Trouble was, the December 24th BWIA Air evening flight to Trinidad was cancelled at late notice, as so few had booked. So, I ushered in the early hours of Xmas Day in CARACAS, propping up the Hotel Bar until 2am, (paid for by the airline I might add!) with a bunch of 12 very drunk fellow travellers, from all sorts of countries, also bumped off the plane. First time I've ever spent Christmas Day in 2 different countries, and basically 2 different Continents at that!

Trinidad was finally reached lunchtime Xmas Day. Luckily, I'd booked a hotel transfer, as all the Taxis took the day off! Had to bribe the only cab apparently working with a King's Ransom to drive that evening to the only Calypso night club open, and to come back a few hours later - Caracas was more fun, and a lot cheaper! From Trinidad, it is a comfy flight to ANTIGUA, via a stop at the island of Grenada. Antigua is a very small Caribbean island (only 108 sq. m)... I drove around most of it in half a day, and was amazed there was virtually no trace of the devastating Force #3 Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn that had wreaked havoc in September.

LOTS of history here in Antigua - founded by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, then Lord Nelson headquartered the British "Americas" fleet here in the 1600's - much of the dockyard and infrastructure of that time still remains in perfect preservation. You can clearly see nearby island countries of Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Barbuda, and St. Kitts ... each a very brief yacht trip to visit. It must be THE place to spend NYE : Lady Diana arrived at the tiny airport just as I was departing! Then another bunch of long flights, to N. York, Houston, then final destination, EL PASO, right at the remote western end of Texas. El Paso is dusty, dry and treeless, and this was WINTER! Not a place to linger very long, take it from me.

Hired a car and headed through southern New Mexico, and then to the bottom of Arizona. TOMBSTONE is a little town (pop. 3000!) I've for some reason always wanted to visit. Heartily recommended - wonderful set-up, with the OK Corral, Boot Hill Cemetery, stagecoaches down the streets, wooden pavements, and strikingly authentic Saloons really taking one back into history. Spent a night in Nogales Arizona, which is 100 yards from Nogales Mexico. Went over one day to Mexico for a "Tex/Mex" lunch and got charged 50% more than the same stuff costs anywhere in the USA! The joys of travel indeed. From Mexico, up to Tucson Arizona for a while, then a long 600 mile daylight drive from Tucson to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This countryside is studded by 1000's of the huge (up to 30') multi armed Saguaro Cactus - really like a western movie set!

Spent New Year's Eve in Santa Fe ... the Americans really do know how to celebrate in style! An hour or so drive north of Santa Fe is one of the classiest Ski resorts in the USA at TAOS. A charming town, as is Santa Fe, with all the buildings in both seemingly in the unique earth coloured, flat roof, "adobe" style. No high-rise anywhere, even for Hotels, banks or government buildings. I didn't realise it before, but Santa Fe has been the capital of NM for nearly 400 years. New Mexico was in fact founded by the Conquistadors 50 years BEFORE the Pilgrim fathers and the Mayflower even landed at Plymouth Rock!

Weather in USA for winter was truly SUPERB where I'd been: bright, sunny and dry, until my last day in N.M. - then suddenly 9" of snow fell in 5 hours on Santa Fe! (It is 7000' high there : literally as tall as Mt. Kosciuscko .) That meant some VERY nervous slow driving downhill over "black ice" & snow covered highway to Albuquerque on the Rio Grande River, which still has portion of the famous old "Route 66" passing through town. Then came a 2 hour flight to Houston to have dinner with a good client, then onwards 4 hours to San Francisco and 5 hours to Honolulu.

From Honolulu I flew on to the most northern of the Hawaiian islands, KAUAI. Superbly lush, with clouded , shrouded green mountains - where "South Pacific", "Blue Hawaii", "Jurassic Park" and most recently the $A275 million Kevin Costner flop "Waterworld" were all filmed. Back to Honolulu and another 14˝ hour adventure flight via the bunch of tiny islands to Guam. Two of the islands are allegedly "Top Secret" US bases and have armed Military guards posted outside to keep you on the plane: I snuck off at Kwajelein pretending I was "official cargo" and was frog marched back by a very pissed off armed commando guy!

A bit of time in Japanese and Korean tourist over-run Guam, and back 8 hours later to Sydney. After the whirl of flights, which took me to 9 different countries, and some 15% of the USA states, it was back to the 3 large canvas MAIL SACKS patiently awaiting my return. I saw a number of clients and dealers on these travels, and bought back 2 suitcases of new material...some of it featured in the enclosed brand new F-5 list. Please order recklessly ... a Mountain of nasty Mastercard and Visa bills have as usual preceded me home, and are snarling and glaring up menacingly from among the 3 mail sacks! ( P.S: The "Melatonin" jet-lag drug really DOES work! )

Best Wishes For 1996!! Glen Stephens

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