Pictures while using frequent flyer miles

[Ranchero50]

A/F must go first class. I was 'stuck' in Bahrain for a week or so waiting to fly out of the gulf and was just happy to have flush toilet in the Hyatt we were in. The staff said the 'domestic' wing didn't, just the normal hole in the floor for the Arabs.

[adrianspeeder]

Venturing into the wilds.





Cheers.



Not what I was expecting when reading the menu, but I’m pretty hungry, and there is beer, so we’ll take it.



Car is worth more than the whole block.



Time to hit the bars, and see how this corner of the world drinks.





“Sir, would you switch to drinking Tiger beer?”
“With a photo for the blog? Sure why not.”



Nope, didn’t like the Tiger beer, so back to the “333”.



“Hey, ice cream floats sound great to go with all this booze!”

I’m sure it would have tasted ok if some pilot didn’t knock it over on me before I could try it. Back to the hotel for some overnight laundry service.

[adrianspeeder]

A/F must go first class. I was 'stuck' in Bahrain for a week or so waiting to fly out of the gulf and was just happy to have flush toilet in the Hyatt we were in. The staff said the 'domestic' wing didn't, just the normal hole in the floor for the Arabs.

Well we try to anyway. I've stayed at a few hole in the floor spots as well.

Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

Full tourist mode in Ho Chi Minh City.



















War Remnants Museum

[Ranchero50]

Pink coral buildings are most likely from French colonial days, pre '54. The architecture looks correct.

[adrianspeeder]

War Remnants Museum

[adrianspeeder]

Ready to leave South Vietnam, but traffic is a bitch at the airport. They were also worried we’d get lost and required an escort to the runway.



Crossin’ into North Vietnam with the official headgear. I guess I'll have to get one at the next stop to fit in.



B-52's ran this same route.



Easy there Cap’n, we ain’t no wild weasel.



Landing in Hanoi @ Noi Bai International Airport. Loadmaster was blasting CCR on the PA for our passengers.



Checked into Hanoi Hilton. No **** either. Right next door to the famous one that is now a museum. We visit that later.



I don’t know how to caption this.



Oh dick, what are we getting into?



Get on your bikes and ride! This was literally 3 dollars to rent for the day. The girl running the stand asked if we knew where to go. No idea really, the last person I ever knew to come here was my uncle in the 70’s. “I’ve got 20 bucks if you can lead us around for a bit.” She pulled the garage door closed, locked it, flipped the closed sign out, and we had a guide for the whole day. Apparently, I should have started my bid lower. Oh well.



I got a good feeling about this.

[adrianspeeder]

Hardcore biker gang in full tourist mode.









Which wire does what?



B-52 museum piece. This has an interesting somberness to us as an aircrew.

[adrianspeeder]

A backup generator used by the Hanoi Radio Station to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Vietnam War.





How they keep this all straight, I couldn’t tell you.



New official headgear.





Our ever helpful scooter tourguide.



Next stop to visit the Hanoi Hilton museum.



HA! Well that’s one way to spin it.

[adrianspeeder]

Oddly, my history books show a different experience for downed American pilots.



Well this is accurate.



Three wheels of fury.



Laundry service was quick. I normally only fly with a 7day bag good for one extra pair in case of emergency beyond that. This was a trip that never seemed to end, “Bingo underwear! Danger danger!”



Well Vietnam, it’s been real. Time to get on to the next one. Next stop, The Philippines.



Public transit and crazy traffic in the Philippines.







Next stop was the last stop of the trip in Hawaii. Met up with ole Dover friends, and had a great time.



Just a few steps from where we had parked the airplane, we were shown this cool plaque. “On this spot Apollo 8 Astronauts Colonel Frank Borman, Captain James Lovell, & Lt Colonel William Anders first touched Earth at 14:37:35 after their historic manned flight around the moon 28 December 1968.”

[adrianspeeder]

Hi friend!



Bye friend!



Takeoff Runway 08 Right.













Later Hawaii, it’s been real!



Last leg headin’ home after a long and fun filled trip. Left turn Clyde!



On to the next one,
Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

Quick trip out and back to the desert. Nothing really new, but nothing went wrong, so I’ll call it a win.



Fill ‘er up.



Passed 2000 feet below by a 777.



Beast of an airplane, and within a short time was over a mile away.



Best job I ever had!



On to the next one,
Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

Next up is a trip to Colorado, but first we need beetle spray treatment.

“Uhh, how safe is this stuff to breathe if no one can be on the jet when you are spraying?”

“You’ll be fine. Have a great day!”



Stuff smells great!



Mile high militia!





Altimeter shows 9000 feet, but that ground ain’t far away.



Headin’ home for the next one. Hold onto your butts, it’s a good one!
Adrianspeeder

[adrianspeeder]

Loaded up and ready to ride for my first trip to the state of Arizona. One more pin on the map, and we are coming in force.



Ready for takeoff in sequence.



Fly fatty fly!



Headin’ out west over some pretty country.



He grows up so fast. From a dollar rider Lt to a left seat aircraft commander.



First trip into Arizona. Oddly, from the air it looked pretty much the same as Iraq.

[adrianspeeder]

Phoenix International. This looks like it’s gonna be a **** show.



The resemblance to Iraq was tripping me out. Scanning for surface to air threats???



Had a few days off on this one, so rented a car and headed north for some sightseeing. I’ve never seen a real cactus, so I made that my goal.



Reminded me of a Wile E Coyote cartoon backdrop, and was quite pretty in person.







Cactus! Not quite what I was imagining, but I’ll take it.



Wandering through the desert looking for more cool stuff.