Flying out of the coastal Acehnese city of Meulaboh was a little different than flying out of, say, LA International Airport. First of all there was no Starbucks or perfume stores. That was just the start of the differences. When we showed up at the airport (the building above) at 7 am for our 8 am flight, there wasn't anyone there yet, so we opened the unlocked gate and walked in. Eventually a guy showed up to check us in along with the 2 other passengers (making a total of 4 passengers and the pilot). There was no terminal to wait in, so we hung out under a tree until a guy from the airplane hollered from about 50 meters for us to come over and load up.
Our plane was a Cessna C208b Caravan 1, capable of seating up to 10 passengers.
This carcass of airplane that tried landing without its landing gear rests next to the airstrip overgrown with grass, a gentle reminder that you really ought to be a little nervous if you fly planes this size.
The airstrip (already behind us in the picture) sat less 200 meters from the ocean, the same ocean from which emerged the huge tsunami waves that destroyed so much of the coast up to 2 miles inward. Now 3 years later, a 2 lines of simple look-alike houses (to the left side of the pic) line the road, a sign of the rebuilding efforts of these people and relief organizations from around the world.
I road shotgun for the entire one-hour trip from Meulaboh to Medan. The pilot (an American guy) and I chatted about the views we were seeing below us, his kids college applications, and his days in the Gulf War. After awhile I started asking him about the airplane's instruments and how to fly, realizing that if he had a heart attack the stick was in my hands. Not that I was worried, but just wanted to be prepared!
Flying out of the coastal Acehnese city of Meulaboh was a little different than flying out of, say, LA International Airport. First of all there was no Starbucks or perfume stores. That was just the start of the differences. When we showed up at the airport (the building above) at 7 am for our 8 am flight, there wasn't anyone there yet, so we opened the unlocked gate and walked in. Eventually a guy showed up to check us in along with the 2 other passengers (making a total of 4 passengers and the pilot). There was no terminal to wait in, so we hung out under a tree until a guy from the airplane hollered from about 50 meters for us to come over and load up.
Our plane was a Cessna C208b Caravan 1, capable of seating up to 10 passengers.
This carcass of airplane that tried landing without its landing gear rests next to the airstrip overgrown with grass, a gentle reminder that you really ought to be a little nervous if you fly planes this size.
The airstrip (already behind us in the picture) sat less 200 meters from the ocean, the same ocean from which emerged the huge tsunami waves that destroyed so much of the coast up to 2 miles inward. Now 3 years later, a 2 lines of simple look-alike houses (to the left side of the pic) line the road, a sign of the rebuilding efforts of these people and relief organizations from around the world.
I road shotgun for the entire one-hour trip from Meulaboh to Medan. The pilot (an American guy) and I chatted about the views we were seeing below us, his kids college applications, and his days in the Gulf War. After awhile I started asking him about the airplane's instruments and how to fly, realizing that if he had a heart attack the stick was in my hands. Not that I was worried, but just wanted to be prepared!