Leg 161, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China via Vietnam to Baise, Guangxi, China
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A couple more big cities to do some stunt flying while making my way along the South China Sea coast. Then a visit to Northern Vietnam. I thought those iconic pictures of those mountains sticking out the water were isolated to a specific area, it goes on forever inland! What a strange landscape.
Meizhou in eastern Guangdong province. Early morning, full moon is up.
Xingning Airport
Mirs Bay, heading to the South China Sea
I had to skip this one, Kuiyong Airport
Checking on Bing maps, I drew in the ‘runway’ in red, looks implausible
You can also see the weird offset between road/poi overlays and aerial data China is plagued with
On Google it’s definitely not an airport
Same weird displacement which syncs back up at Hong Kong, mismatching again inland and also on Hainan island.
Moving on to Shek Kong in Yuen Long District, New Territories, Hong Kong
Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China after the UK handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997. The UK invaded China in 1839 and has had possession of Hong Kong since 1841.
Here looking at Victoria Harbor with Sky 100 Hong Kong Observation Deck in front
Hong Kong island with the sun peaking out above Two International Finance Centre
A couple residential buildings in Happy Valley, The Summit and High Cliff, got special attention
A little bit back to Victoria harbor, looking at Central Plaza on the left
Zooming by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Great fun following the road low around the harbor
Night view of Victoria Harbor
Hong Kong also has some cool ways to get around, Ngong Ping 360 on the left
Peak Tram going up to Victoria Peak
Macau, an autonomous region on the south coast of China, considered the Las Vegas of Asia
Ferreira do Amaral Plaza
Lots of restaurants and casinos around here, even a full replica of the Venitian from Las Vegas
That’s actually see through glass in reality
Macau is a contrast between colonial Portugese architecture and modern casinos
Ruins of St. Paul’s (17th century) on the left. Macau was a Portuguese territory until 1999.
Houhaisha, an island between Leizhou Bay and Wailuo Channel
Jingliu, utilizing the fertile sea bed between the islands
This volcano was tough to find, Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark on Hainan island
Very old volcano, some remnants of volcanic flow are visible in the park
Flying by the Hainan Nantai reservoir
Skimming the tree tops on the hills near Xiashuitian
Sanya on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island
Served by Phoenix International Airport in Tianya District
On the South China Sea, Guanyin of Nanshan, 354 ft statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin on the coast
Valong Bay Tropic Paradise Forest Park in the hills, more glass walkways
Daguang Dam Reservoir, constructed between 1958 and 1973
Catbi Airport near Haiphong, major port city in northeastern Vietnam
Haiphong Kien An Airport next to the Cấm River
Pho Chieu Pagoda and a view of the bay
Gia Lam Air Base at Hanoi
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam on the Red river, parliament building in front below
Hanoi Keangnam Landmark Tower 72, 3 towers, main tower 1,150ft high
That calls for some extra fun
Too easy, practice a bit of inverted flying instead
The Bonanza is pretty good at aerial stunts
Lots to see in Hanoi. Hồ Chí Minh (1890-1969) Mausoleum
Hồ Chí Minh, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, also known as Bác (Uncle), was a Vietnamese revolutionary and politician. He served as Prime Minister of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1955 and President from 1945 to 1969.
Thăng Long Imperial Citadel from the 11th century
Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Buddhist temple built in the 6th century on a small island
Quán Thánh Temple (left), formerly Trấn Vũ Temple, a Taoist temple dating back to the 11th century
One Pillar Pagoda (right) rebuilt Buddhist temple, originally erected in 1049
A peak in the National History Museum of Vietnam
Phuc To Airport at Ba Vi National Park
Very peaceful here, nice views
Yen Bai Air Base up the Red river
Hồ Thủy Diện Thác Bà Lake, created for Nhà máy thủy điện Thác Bà Hydroelectric power plant
Flying over Làng Mãn, the lake behind me
Crossing the Sông Lô (Sông means river)
The landscape is getting more and more rugged, near Hoà Phú
Crossing the Sông Bằng
Miles and miles of this terrain stretching to the horizon, near làng Lí
And over the border, Xiatao, Hubei, China down below
Mining operation near Jingxi, a peak inside these hill/mountains
Last stop today at Baise Youjiang Airport
Baise comes from Youjiang Zhuang Baksaek, meaning “in, or blocking, a mountain pass”
Very pretty here, Jiuzhou and Equan scenic areas
Tongling Grand canyon nearby as well
One more day in China, Phoenix Ancient city is on the menu for tonight.