Expedition Day 42 Almost immediately after departure from Subang International, Air Traffic Control directed me in to towering (CB) cumulonimbus clouds. I requested an immediate modification of the SID (standard instrument departure) but was denied course changes due to the surrounding jet traffic. Preparing for the worst, I slowed down to 90 knots - VA (maneuvering airspeed) to minimize stress on the aircraft. The plane was carrying 2.5x the normal amount of fuel, with a slight aft center of gravity, as I punched through the wall of cloud. Inside the maelstrom, I was slammed with rain and a moderate up/down drafts until passing through the far side of the cloud. Throughout the flight I had to avoid many formidable CB's over the Strait of Malacca and extending south-east all the way to Bali (1100nm away). Dodging weather over the Straight of Malacca. Further south of Singapore, I spot numerous, densely populated islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. Lush, tropical rice terraces are located in the the highlands of Bali. Photo credit: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images Civit cat snacking on coffee cherries. The first step of the Kopi Luwak coffee "process". Near the photogenic rice terraces, my driver stops at one of the roadside coffee plantations. We sample a dozen types of coffee, including Bali's infamous and pricey Kopi Luwak (civet cat) coffee. Exquisite Balinese artistry on display at the UC Silver factory and museum in Denpasar. Photo Credit: Novinite
Mt. Agung shuts down air traffic again at Bali Airport. I carefully time my arrival and departure from Bali to avoid damaging volcanic plumes from recently active Mount Agung and Batur. Hours after my departure from Bali, Mount Agung blew out another plume which disrupted air traffic over Indonesia. This is the first of three volcanoes that will impact my flight around the world. Comments are closed.
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