Well, its been quite a while since my last blog entry... All is well!!!
My work in the Middle East has come to a close, thankfully I left before the scorching summer heat.
I look back fondly United Arab Emirates. When I arrived at the start of last summer, I did not think I would feel like that. I arrived in the hottest part of the year where daily temperatures often sat around 50 degrees. The nights were warm too and was not pleasant to be outside.
However the winter was really nice and - only only saw it rain twice in the year there.
I also made some good friends in the UAE - and the enthusiasm for the local paragliding pilots was fantastic! I hope to fly again someday with the guys there, hopefully sharing thermals is some epic XC (Right Shoaib?)
Abu Dhabi is one of the richest cities in the world and is home to the worlds fastest roller coaster which is a pretty impressive ride, the Sheik Zayed Mosque which can hold 40,000 worshippers and also has the worlds largest carpet ever made! Also, the capital is where you will find the Emirates palace - the most expensive hotel ever build at a whopping 1.9 billion UK pounds, even the Christmas tree there was the most expensive in the world ($7m worth of decorations and jewelry).
The last night there was spent at a wonderful oasis in the desert, around 200km south of the capitol.
But even then at the end of May the temperature in the desert was creeping up in the mid forties.
In between contracts, I spent a couple of weeks in Thailand. Thailand is a very beautiful country, unfortunately only managed to see the inside of bars as the weather was atrocious. Some of the islands had flash floods and sadly some people lost their lives.
The second week however brought a great change and trips away from Patong were possible as the boats were active once again. It is a country that I will certainly go back to and discover more.
I am now based in a small Indonesian Island which is a round an hour by ferry from Singapore. I should be here until at least the end of the year before my next move - somewhere...
This location is ideal and I certainly hope to take advantage of my time here and visit other countries in Asia. Some parts of Australia is only a short flight away (4 hours), and it will be good if I can manage a few weeks there. Maybe that will be my reward after this job is complete - Just in time for Australian summer and catch up with some friends that I have over there.
It has been a while since I last flew and would have certainly done so if I had the opportunity for some decent XC. The UAE is pretty flat and XC not really possible to get any kind of distance.
Paragliding is also not possible on this island either but a couple of hours drive north of Singapore will get me to a few sites in Malaysia. Another country that I would like to visit.
I hope to get a chance to get my wing out in the next couple of weeks. I have already brushed the cobwebs off and given my gear a thorough inspection ready for my next destination...
The British Nationals in France...
My work in the Middle East has come to a close, thankfully I left before the scorching summer heat.
I look back fondly United Arab Emirates. When I arrived at the start of last summer, I did not think I would feel like that. I arrived in the hottest part of the year where daily temperatures often sat around 50 degrees. The nights were warm too and was not pleasant to be outside.
Al Wathba - Abu Dhabi local site
However the winter was really nice and - only only saw it rain twice in the year there.
I also made some good friends in the UAE - and the enthusiasm for the local paragliding pilots was fantastic! I hope to fly again someday with the guys there, hopefully sharing thermals is some epic XC (Right Shoaib?)
Al Wathba - Accuracy comp UAE
Abu Dhabi is one of the richest cities in the world and is home to the worlds fastest roller coaster which is a pretty impressive ride, the Sheik Zayed Mosque which can hold 40,000 worshippers and also has the worlds largest carpet ever made! Also, the capital is where you will find the Emirates palace - the most expensive hotel ever build at a whopping 1.9 billion UK pounds, even the Christmas tree there was the most expensive in the world ($7m worth of decorations and jewelry).
Sheik Zayed Mosque - Abu Dhabi
The last night there was spent at a wonderful oasis in the desert, around 200km south of the capitol.
But even then at the end of May the temperature in the desert was creeping up in the mid forties.
Liwa Oasis - UAE
In between contracts, I spent a couple of weeks in Thailand. Thailand is a very beautiful country, unfortunately only managed to see the inside of bars as the weather was atrocious. Some of the islands had flash floods and sadly some people lost their lives.
Phi Phi Islands - Thailand
The second week however brought a great change and trips away from Patong were possible as the boats were active once again. It is a country that I will certainly go back to and discover more.
Scarred and bitten snake charmer - Thailand
Ko Tapu (AKA James Bond island) - Thailand
I am now based in a small Indonesian Island which is a round an hour by ferry from Singapore. I should be here until at least the end of the year before my next move - somewhere...
This location is ideal and I certainly hope to take advantage of my time here and visit other countries in Asia. Some parts of Australia is only a short flight away (4 hours), and it will be good if I can manage a few weeks there. Maybe that will be my reward after this job is complete - Just in time for Australian summer and catch up with some friends that I have over there.
It has been a while since I last flew and would have certainly done so if I had the opportunity for some decent XC. The UAE is pretty flat and XC not really possible to get any kind of distance.
Batam Island - Indonesia
Paragliding is also not possible on this island either but a couple of hours drive north of Singapore will get me to a few sites in Malaysia. Another country that I would like to visit.
I hope to get a chance to get my wing out in the next couple of weeks. I have already brushed the cobwebs off and given my gear a thorough inspection ready for my next destination...
The British Nationals in France...
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