Trip Reports - Round The World, including Island Hopper, seaplane and balloon flight

Hi all,

With 400+ pictures I've selected for this trip I wasn't able to post it directly in any forum.

The trip took place in July 2011. I hope it will be interesting to read even now. Enjoy the seaplane, heli and balloon flights in photos.

Part 1 -- Prague to San Francisco (http://gr09.comuf.com/2012/05/rtw-2011-part-1-prague-to-san-francisco/)
Part 2 -- San Francisco to Hawaii (http://gr09.comuf.com/2012/07/rtw-2011-part-2-san-francisco-to-hawaii/)
Part 3 -- Hawaii to Palau (http://gr09.comuf.com/2012/07/rtw-2011-part-3-hawaii-to-palau/)
Part 4 -- Palau to Singapore with several stops (http://gr09.comuf.com/2012/07/rtw-2011-part-4-palau-to-singapore-with-several-stops/)
Part 5 -- Side trip to Alice Springs and back home (http://gr09.comuf.com/2012/07/rtw-2011-part-5-side-trip-to-alice-springs-and-back-home/)

They have had so many helicopter crashes in Kauia. I would be scared.

What was your favourite airline?

IsPalau worth a visit?

Thanks.

I wasn't aware of those crashes. The Eurocopter looked in a very good condition although I'm generally not a big fan of helicopters. I was thinking about taking a flight to the Big Island but in the end there was no time.

My favorite airline has become Singapore Airlines as soon as I entered their A380 and was welcomed by name and taken to the huge seat :)

As for the Palau I would recommend it in case you like scuba diving. Other than that Palau doesn't have miles of nice beaches (I would say thank God). My wife who doesn't dive liked Palau but she would chose Hawaii over Palau any time.

Great trip report. Obviously, you like to eat as I do. I'm taking the island hopper in October. I think I booked the same seats as you had, port side, just ahead of the engine. Did that work out, considering weather etc? I was in Alice Springs earlier this year. Nice seeing it again. Thanks for all the details. By the way, Blue Hawaii copters had a crash on Maui last fall. Five people killed including two honeymooners. Tragic. Their base was just across from our hotel on the Big Island in Waikoloa. They shut down for three days.

I'm not sure which side is better for the Island Hopper. But I loved to be on the left. After taking off from Hawaii we were turning not too sharp turn right with amazing wives. Also, at the military base (Kwajalein) all the interesting stuff was on the left. Arriving to Guam I guess both sides are fine. I think you will have fun on any window seat but if I was gonna pick I'd go for the port side again.

I looked up the heli crash, pretty scary reading, very sad. I would think twice now. But I'd go for the seaplane flight again anytime :)

It was about 10 years ago that there were about 3 or more crashes in Kaui. And in New York they have had quite a few.

One of my most memorable flights on a seaplane was on CHALK from Paradise Island in the Bahamas to Miami via Bimini. However a few years ago they had a horrible crash taking off from Miami. Their planes were very old. I flew with them in 1978.