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Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Friday, 24 May 2019
Caven (Slovenia)
On my way to Croatia for 12 days of vacation with Ruth, I stopped for the night in Friuli (Eastern Italy). Nicole had been so kind and offered a bed at her house -thanks!
So before I continued driving South, she took me to 'Caven' (pronounced like 'Tschaven'), a site near Ajdovscina often used by pilots from Triple Seven for testing wings. WIth an altitude difference of > 1000m it is ideal for testing, furthermore the LZ is less than 15 minutes from Triple seven's HQ.
The site is more oriented towards the East than Ljiac (on the same mountain ridge), so it often workes already in the morning. But unfortunately not this time: after approx. 20 minutes I was back on 'terra firma'...
I left my equipment with Nicole, as I'm not going to fly while travelling together with Ruth. Meanwile Nicole will take my glider to Triple Seven and have it checked (and repaired if necessary).
So before I continued driving South, she took me to 'Caven' (pronounced like 'Tschaven'), a site near Ajdovscina often used by pilots from Triple Seven for testing wings. WIth an altitude difference of > 1000m it is ideal for testing, furthermore the LZ is less than 15 minutes from Triple seven's HQ.
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| testing of a tandem glider (with Nicole as 'ballast') |
The site is more oriented towards the East than Ljiac (on the same mountain ridge), so it often workes already in the morning. But unfortunately not this time: after approx. 20 minutes I was back on 'terra firma'...
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| 'Caven' looking SE towards Ajdovscina |
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| Lokavec - many landing options |
I left my equipment with Nicole, as I'm not going to fly while travelling together with Ruth. Meanwile Nicole will take my glider to Triple Seven and have it checked (and repaired if necessary).
Saturday, 11 May 2019
Japan -Update: Komenoyama :-((
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| Kaneko.san |
Sad news: I've been informed by Rick and Yuko that a tragic accident happened at Koneoyama a few days ago. Apparently Kaneko-san had suffered a major accident upon landing and had passed away shortly later in the hospital. Presently no additional info is available.
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| Kaneko-san at Komenpyama |
I had the pleasure of meeting Kaneko-san first at Daikanbo, then he regularly updated Yuko and me on the flying conditions at Komenoyama. Finally I was able to meet him again on my last flying day on Kyushu. He has been extremely welcoming and helpful. He didn‘ t seem to me a pilot who would take unnecessary risks. But I remember Pat Bal telling me that the LZ could be turbulent under certain conditions (and that it could be advisable to land further out towards the HG LZ.) But I don't know if this has been a contributing factor!
It's tragic to loose such a friendly personality and great pilot!
Saturday, 4 May 2019
Japan - thanks & conclusion
Now that my trip is (already) over it is time to look back.
First of all I have to thank my many (old and new) friends without whom this adventure would not have been possible - or at least not in such an efficient and enjoyable way.
- to my wife Ruth, for everything! 'Letting me go'; getting along at home without me during my absence, taking care of everything there, etc, etc;
- Rick (and Leanne): for providing invaluable infromation and support about Kyushu flying sites and whom to contact;
- Yuko for being not only a good translator and driver, but also for making the sometimes long drives enjoyable, finding good restaurants/ onsen and providing interesting information about Japan;
- Peter and Tekko: for having 'found' Yuko as guide;
- Saichiro-san for invitig Atsushi and me to an to an oppulent dinner in Osaka and his wife for the nice presents.
- my friend Atsushi in Osaka for translating at the dinner with Saichiro-san and driving me back from Iwaya (also thanks for lending me the radio);
- Tak-san and his son Shoichiro from Iwaya for providing a nice sightseeing tour after flying had to be stopped; Shoichiro for repairing my cockpit;
- Chikako for spending the afternoon in Osaka with me and later helping find an eye clinic in Tokyo;
- Masako for seeing me before I took the train to Hakuba;
- Koji and Mari -my long time friends in Hakuba- for letting me stay at their place; furthermore for driving me to the hospital to have the eye checked;
- Mari for preparing excellent meals;
- Masa from Aoki for organising this nice Onsen/ Ryokan and taking care of me during the stay there;
- Koba: unfortunately we have been unable to meet, but many thanks for the radio;
- all the clubs/ schools etc; I have always been very welcomed and assisted in getting airborne;
- Dr.Pete from Oz for having a look at my x-rays and providing additional information;
Did I forget somebody? certainly not on purpose!
In regard to paragliding: the first two weeks (Kyushu) have been really successful:
flying has been possible on 9 out of 12 days: 9 different sites!
Second part (Honshu): 1 (short) flight only.
Without my eye problem flying would have been possible on (just) 3 more days, the rest was either unflyable due to wx or spent travelling. I'd loved to have seen more of Tokyo -rather than staying in my room- but priority had to be given to my eye, so I could have a relaxed flyight home without having to worry about possible complications...
I know, the 'yield' of my trip does not look very impressive, but it has very well been worth the time/ money spent and Kyushu certainly deserves another visit - especially if supported by Yuko and Rick...
The stay in Tokyo has not been as 'bad' as I had anticipated: due to the 'Golden Week', many shops/ offices had closed, so actually there have been less people in the city than during normal working days.
First of all I have to thank my many (old and new) friends without whom this adventure would not have been possible - or at least not in such an efficient and enjoyable way.
Domo arigato gozaimasu!
- to my wife Ruth, for everything! 'Letting me go'; getting along at home without me during my absence, taking care of everything there, etc, etc;
- Rick (and Leanne): for providing invaluable infromation and support about Kyushu flying sites and whom to contact;
- Yuko for being not only a good translator and driver, but also for making the sometimes long drives enjoyable, finding good restaurants/ onsen and providing interesting information about Japan;
- Peter and Tekko: for having 'found' Yuko as guide;
- Saichiro-san for invitig Atsushi and me to an to an oppulent dinner in Osaka and his wife for the nice presents.
- my friend Atsushi in Osaka for translating at the dinner with Saichiro-san and driving me back from Iwaya (also thanks for lending me the radio);
- Tak-san and his son Shoichiro from Iwaya for providing a nice sightseeing tour after flying had to be stopped; Shoichiro for repairing my cockpit;
- Chikako for spending the afternoon in Osaka with me and later helping find an eye clinic in Tokyo;
- Masako for seeing me before I took the train to Hakuba;
- Koji and Mari -my long time friends in Hakuba- for letting me stay at their place; furthermore for driving me to the hospital to have the eye checked;
- Mari for preparing excellent meals;
- Masa from Aoki for organising this nice Onsen/ Ryokan and taking care of me during the stay there;
- Koba: unfortunately we have been unable to meet, but many thanks for the radio;
- all the clubs/ schools etc; I have always been very welcomed and assisted in getting airborne;
- Dr.Pete from Oz for having a look at my x-rays and providing additional information;
Did I forget somebody? certainly not on purpose!
In regard to paragliding: the first two weeks (Kyushu) have been really successful:
flying has been possible on 9 out of 12 days: 9 different sites!
Second part (Honshu): 1 (short) flight only.
Without my eye problem flying would have been possible on (just) 3 more days, the rest was either unflyable due to wx or spent travelling. I'd loved to have seen more of Tokyo -rather than staying in my room- but priority had to be given to my eye, so I could have a relaxed flyight home without having to worry about possible complications...
I know, the 'yield' of my trip does not look very impressive, but it has very well been worth the time/ money spent and Kyushu certainly deserves another visit - especially if supported by Yuko and Rick...
The stay in Tokyo has not been as 'bad' as I had anticipated: due to the 'Golden Week', many shops/ offices had closed, so actually there have been less people in the city than during normal working days.
Japan -day 26: Travel
...looooong travelling day: HND-FRA-ZRH.
The eye (due to the increased application of drops) felt quite ok in the morning.
I left for Haneda by using the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho to HND.
The interesting thing about the flight HND-FRA is the route: extremely to the North (almost 78°N), even 'around' Nowaja Semlja, entering European airspace Northwest of Murmansk. In the '90s you would probably have been shot down if you overflew this island At that time his area has been completely out of bounds.
Landings: FRA on-time/ ZRH with about 15' delay: 'welcome back' ;-)
But I cannot really recommend FRA as an airport for transit: arrival at C16, departure from A28: this is a very long walk, especially if you have a short connection! No problems with the eye during the trip :-)
Ruth picked me up and I arrived home 23hours after getting up in Tokyo. I'm wondering how long it will take to overcome the jet-lag...
PS: on Monday morning I have an appointment with my 'regular' eye specialist.
The eye (due to the increased application of drops) felt quite ok in the morning.
I left for Haneda by using the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho to HND.
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| Luftansa Boeing 747-8 |
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| Food: (again) excellent and more than abundant ;-) |
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| somewhere over Siberia |
The interesting thing about the flight HND-FRA is the route: extremely to the North (almost 78°N), even 'around' Nowaja Semlja, entering European airspace Northwest of Murmansk. In the '90s you would probably have been shot down if you overflew this island At that time his area has been completely out of bounds.
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| ( 'yellow dor' = Murmansk) Nowaja Semlja |
Landings: FRA on-time/ ZRH with about 15' delay: 'welcome back' ;-)
But I cannot really recommend FRA as an airport for transit: arrival at C16, departure from A28: this is a very long walk, especially if you have a short connection! No problems with the eye during the trip :-)
Ruth picked me up and I arrived home 23hours after getting up in Tokyo. I'm wondering how long it will take to overcome the jet-lag...
PS: on Monday morning I have an appointment with my 'regular' eye specialist.
Friday, 3 May 2019
Japan -day 25: Tokyo
As my eye has been 'creating' problems once more during the night, I decided to spend most of the day in my room. Furthermore my (Swiss) eye specialist had advised me to increase to application of eye drops: not any more every 4-5 hours but to hourly. This has helped to improve the situation quite a bit.
So in the late afternoon I left the hotel to meet my friends Tekko and Peter for dinner: Sushi 'with all the trimmings'. They had selected a restaurant near their appartment and we spent a nice evening there dining and reminiscing.
So in the late afternoon I left the hotel to meet my friends Tekko and Peter for dinner: Sushi 'with all the trimmings'. They had selected a restaurant near their appartment and we spent a nice evening there dining and reminiscing.
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| 'Uni' to finish ;-) |
Wednesday, 1 May 2019
Japan -day 24: Tokyo - Shibuya
As soon as the eye clinic would open in the morning I had my eye checked again: pressure is ok, but the inflammation is not yet completely cured and I'm still rather sensitive to light - actually more than during the last 2 days...
As it was very bright outside, I decided to rest in my room till late afternoon. Then I headed for Shibuya to have a look at the 'famous' intersection...
Tips on how to best view this intersection can be found here. Actually this blog (in german) is extremely helpful for anybody travelling to Japan (and not only for those who come here for the first time!)
At the Nishimura Fruit Parlor I treated myself to some sugar ;-) The fruits are absolutely outstanding, as are the prices - Zurich in comparison seems rather reasonably priced.
I'm not convinced that the kids find it really cool to travel during the rush hour. And I also don't think that for the parents it makes for a very relaxing holiday...
As it was very bright outside, I decided to rest in my room till late afternoon. Then I headed for Shibuya to have a look at the 'famous' intersection...
Tips on how to best view this intersection can be found here. Actually this blog (in german) is extremely helpful for anybody travelling to Japan (and not only for those who come here for the first time!)
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| from Starbucks |
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| from Magnet - 8.floor |
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| and again from Starbucks |
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| ...stand out at any price, even if you make a fool out of yourself |
At the Nishimura Fruit Parlor I treated myself to some sugar ;-) The fruits are absolutely outstanding, as are the prices - Zurich in comparison seems rather reasonably priced.
I'm not convinced that the kids find it really cool to travel during the rush hour. And I also don't think that for the parents it makes for a very relaxing holiday...
Japan -day 23: travel to Tokyo
First due to my eye, secondly also due to the 'infavorable' wx-fcst I had descided to 'skip' my visit to Ishioka/ COO and go directly to Tokyo. I had found a Hotel within walking/ carrying distance of JR Hamamatsucho station for the remaining 3 nights.
As also the wx in Aoki was unflyable, Masa had the time to pick me up at my Onesn/ Ryokan and bring me to Ueda (otherwise I would have taken the bus). In August/ September he'll be guiding 2 groups to AT / IT, so I hope I'll see him again then.
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| Aoki -outside Ryokan: the water is drinkable, but tastes a little of sulfur (like Passugger 'Ulrikus' earlier). |
As also the wx in Aoki was unflyable, Masa had the time to pick me up at my Onesn/ Ryokan and bring me to Ueda (otherwise I would have taken the bus). In August/ September he'll be guiding 2 groups to AT / IT, so I hope I'll see him again then.
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| Ueda looking towards Aoki: xxra |
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| 'typical' room in a Jap.hotel - well, with 2 beds actually on the bigger side ;-) |
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| Shabu-Shabu for dinner -but most probably I have been ripped off... |
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| TYO by night |
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