Everyday Style

Wander around Seoul and one can not help but admire the impeccable dress style of all the ladies. Now, to be clear this is not solely a male's point of view…the Bazflyers are a couple and the observation was a mutual one. Individualized fashion is everywhere. Department stores in central Seoul are filled with the usual array of international fashion brand suspects resplendent with their usual high end prices. So how do all the woman manage to dress so well and with style? They either have sufficient disposal income to shop in main street department stores, which somehow seemed incongruous, or there was an other piece to this puzzle. 

In a quest to solve this fashion quandary the Bazflyers descended below street level and onto the superb and highly efficient Seoul Metro. We surfaced a few kilometers from the central city right in the middle of Seoul's fashion district and markets and the scene was nothing short of overwhelming. 

The fashion markets cover many city blocks in area. Around the periphery there are hundreds of small vendors selling every conceivable fabric and notion used in fashion. Think of it and there was a row of specialist vendor shops ready to supply. Buttons of every possible type and design. Zips, bling, threads, fabrics and more. Thread your way through a maze of alleyways, side streets and multiple floors and mirage-like you find yourself in the midst of a another market place where hundreds of vendors are selling fully made-up fashion. These are not cheap knock-offs of main street brands but outlets for Seoul's young fashion designers. Quality manufactured goods like jackets, tops, dresses, shoes, bags and accessories abound all at very affordable prices.

Seoul's fashion markets are filled with thousands of shoppers every night until it closes after 10 pm. Eureka…we discovered how all the Seoul ladies dress so stylishly.

Stream of Life

Seoul is built on the Han River which is remarkably broad for such a short river. Over the centuries of time this river has provided the city with a navigable connection to the Yellow Sea.  However, for the Bazflyers, a small tributary stream running through central Seoul won us over as both charming and a great example of environmental innovation. 

The Cheong Gye Cheon stream was formally the domain of shanty settlements and a place where housewives gathered to do laundry while their children played. Efforts to improve the poor aesthetic condition of the stream in 1958 saw it covered with concrete and in 1976 an elevated highway was built over top. Consequently, Cheong Gye Cheon, which was once regarded as a symbol of the nation's development and growth, had vanished.

Today, the stream serves as a wonderful example of people's vision and environmental restoration work. Culture and tradition have been restored in a way that few could have imagined. What a beautiful place…..

History behind the name

Seoul is the Korean word for 'Capital City' but it has not always been known by this name. When Imperial Japan annexed the Korean Empire in 1910 Seoul was the colonial capital and the city was named Gyeongseong. After Japan's defeat in World War II and Korea's liberation, the city took its present name of Seoul. 

In 1950, the Korean War broke out and Seoul changed hands between the North Korean forces and South Korean forces no less than four times, leaving the city largely destroyed at the end of the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. The Korean War also had a dramatic influence on New Zealand’s economy. A wool boom brought great prosperity but also provided a backdrop to the bitter waterfront dispute of 1951. 

The involvement of New Zealand in the Korean War was significant. The Royal New Zealand Navy deployed six frigates. These vessels served under the command of a British flag officer performing shore raids and inland bombardment. New Zealand also provided an army volunteer force that was known as 'Kayforce'. The 1056 man force arrived at Pusan on New Year's Eve 1950 and was in action three weeks later. Thereafter it took part in the operations which led the UN forces back to and over the 38th Parallel, recapturing Seoul in the process. A total of 3,794 New Zealand soldiers served in Kayforce and 1,300 in the RNZN deployment. 33 were killed in action, 79 wounded and 1 soldier was taken prisoner. That prisoner was held in North Korea for eighteen months and repatriated after the armistices. 

It always seems right to me for history to be overtaken by progress and perhaps, after all, this, more than anything else, echoes the strength of Seoul. Walking the city's streets today I had difficulty locating any reminders of its occupation and war history. This part of its history has been well and truly subdued by modern towering monuments to Korea's global economic strength and the exercise of individual freedom. 

Mega City

Bazflyer's are small town folk at heart. We unashamedly acknowledge there is a comfortable and inevitable smug introspective that accompanies such a lifestyle. Small town is good. However, every now and then nothing serves quite like a mega-city experience to put our situation on this planet into proper perspective. On this occasion we have chosen to checkout Seoul in South Korea. This city has a population of more than 20 million and ranks after Toyko as the earth's second most populous city so there's no doubt here on it's mega-city status.

Our travel from Auckland north west around the globe to Seoul took 12 hours in a Korean Airline Boeing 777. There was no hardship in this journey cloistered in the comfort of business class which the Bazflyer's justified as research for BAZ's new crew seats…! When our flight touched down at Incheon International Airport the late afternoon sun displayed as a spectacular orange ball of light hovering above the distant horizon. What a perfect setting for an airport that has rated the bast airport in the world since 2005. Immigration, baggage claim and airport exit was a seamless process and less than 30 minutes after disembarkation were were on a coach traveling into the city centre.   

The Christchurch earthquakes have highlighted how precious some New Zealander's can become over a few 100 year old buildings and a city's rebuild. In this regard Seoul stands as a stark comparison. It has an amazing 2000 year history as a major settlement but that has not prevented it from having the most technologically advanced infrastructure in the world. Our hotel is located in the middle of downtown Seoul. I can't wait to explore…..!

 Early morning downtown Seoul

Aviation Milestones

Aviation has been and still is the corner-plank of my life interests and it's no joke the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) came into being on the 1st of April 1937. A short few years later New Zealand's fledging Air Force was fully engaged in WWII, initially alongside Briton in the European theatre and then throughout the Pacific campaign. 

By the time I left high school and enlisted in the New Zealand Air Force in January 1963 it was well and truly a mature organization with a proud fighting history. That milestone was nearly 50 years ago, when aptly termed a 'Boy Entrant', I assembled with a disparate bunch of other 'kids' for the first time at RNZAF Base Woodbourne. Many of us plan to gather again at Woodbourne next year to commemorate the occasion. 

Commemorating historical milestones is an important aspect of our being…and so it was on the 31st March the Royal New Zealand Air Force commemorated it's 75th anniversary with an open day and air display at RNZAF Base Ohakea. This anniversary air show was a 'must-attend' occasion on the Bazflyer's calendar. Not only was it a significant historical milestone but in my youthful years, immediately prior to training as a pilot, I resided in barracks on Ohakea Base while working as an electrical fitter on 14 Squadron. Back in those days the squadron operated Canberra bombers. Later on when flying UH-1 Iroquois helicopters I often landed at Ohakea to refuel. 

We flew BAZ from Taupo to Ohakea and landed within the assigned 2-hour period along with some  other 130 light aircraft. Yes it was a very busy arrival but flying-in turned out to be more preferable to arriving by vehicle. When the flight displays commenced at 10 am vehicle traffic was still backed-up 30 kilometers in every direction. More than 70,000 people made it to the venue but many were thwarted by the traffic chaos and unfortunately missed a magnificent day. 

The sky was blue and the Air Force treated spectators to a 5-hour non-stop aerial show that featured nearly every aircraft type ever operated by the RNZAF. There wasn't a Canberra bomber but my old helicopter unit, No.3 Squadron, was well represented.  When I flew helicopters the squadron was based at Hobsonville but nowadays it's permanent home is Ohakea. In a manner similar to 'grandfather's axe'  the very same UH-1 Iroquois helicopters I flew in the early 70's are still doing sterling service but not for much longer. No.3 Squadron is presently re-equipping with brand new state of the art Augusta 109 LUH and NH90 helicopters. As expected my old squadron and today's youthful aircrew put on a masterful display featuring both the old Iroquois and their smart new fling-wing aircraft. 

As we taxied onto the runway for our flight back to Taupo, the controller in Ohakea tower cleared BAZ for take-off and as the Comanche gathered speed I wondered, just briefly, what he would have thought if he knew the pilot and his airplane respective both began their aviation careers 50 years ago……!

Journey's End

It has been two weeks since the Bazflyers arrived back at their home-base on Taupo airport (NZAP). Since then BAZ has been the subject of a very through 100 hourly inspection, wash and general clean-up. All set for the next adventure…! 

The 4,800 km journey in BAZ from William Creek in South Australia back to Taupo in New Zealand took a little over 16 flight hours with perfect weather conditions the entire way. Following a sunrise departure the first en-route stop-over was two nights at Broken Hill. The city of Broken Hill has developed as a vibrant Mecca for artists and filmmakers, a long way from its roots as the site of the richest deposit of silver, lead and zinc the world has ever seen. We checked-out the iconic nearby settlement of Silverton where the legionary movie Mad Max was filmed. We lunched at the Broken Earth Cafe a'top of the huge mountain of mine tailings that dominates the town. The uniquely designed miner's memorial sited on-top of the mountain of mine tailings is a stark reminder of the human capital expended in mining the rich underground lode on which the global giant BHP, Australia's largest corporate company, was established. 

Silverton Hotel

Miner's Memorial

Broken Hill Sunset

The Bazflyers made another sunrise departure leaving Broken Hill, took a short stop-off for fuel at Dubbo and landed at Coff's Harbour early in the afternoon. Time for a Friday afternoon visit to see an elderly relative living in a local retirement residence followed by an early night in preparation for another sunrise take-off the next morning. Departure time from Coff's Harbour was dictated by the need to be at Lord Howe Island for Customs clearance out of Australia at 9:30 am and a sumer-time eastbound time-zone shift.

Sunrise Departure

The two hour flight over water to Lord Howe Island and further three hours to Norfolk Island was a routine affair in superb flight conditions. Familiar faces met BAZ's arrival on Norfolk Island and after refueling and obtaining our onwards flight clearance for a first-light take-off the day after tomorrow, the Bazflyers settled into a relaxing 2-night stay on Norfolk Island. However, there was to be no early night prior to our Monday sunrise departure due to a mandatory TV appointment to watch the Rugby World Cup final…and the AB's won!

Lord Howe Island

Auckland Harbour from 8000 feet

The emotions of landing BAZ back at Taupo airport after an amazing Coral Sea journey was a mix of excitement and anti-climax. It was great to be home but simultaneously it signaled the end of the flight of a life-time. Sixty-three hours of flying heaven.  

Landing back at Taupo

Sampling the Outback

This post is written from the comparative coolness of the William Creek Hotel, an iconic 'outback' pub situated in the middle of nowhere. The pub was built in 1887 to service the Ghan railway line that ran between Alice Springs and Adelaide. The rail service was axed in 1980 but the tiny settlement of William Creek lives on as a must-do stop for adventurous over-lander's traveling the Oodnadatta Track. 

William Creek is also the closest settlement on the Australian Continent to the great inland sea of Lake Eyre. This lake is normally a vast dry salt pan without water for decades at a time. Last year it rained in the Australian 'outback'…water poured into Lake Eyre reawakening a normally dormant wilderness. Such  a rare event has bought a flush of visitors to William Creek and boosted the settlement's usual permanent population of just two or three people. 

It is said the opportunity to view Lake Eyre with water in it may occur only once in a life-time…so with clear skies forecast for the coming days the Bazflyers flew west from Dubbo to sample the Australian 'outback'.

Three weeks earlier the lure of a short sojourn back in New Zealand was compelling so with BAZ safely parked at Archerfield the Bazflyers flew Air New Zealand into Christchurch. It was a great pleasure to catch-up with our family and grand-children again. How quickly the young ones grow up…!  Then back to Brisbane and onto the International Comanche Society AGM at Dubbo...a throughly enjoyable gathering of Comanche aircraft, owners and partners. Saturday night's BBQ dinner held outdoors under a clear moon-light sky was made even more memorable by three great musicians who so accurately pushed the Comanche group's genre button. Yes we danced the night away…!

With the AGM behind us some important decisions were required like; when to fly BAZ home to Taupo and what do we do in the meantime? Weather forecasts were consulted, options explored and eventually a cunning plan was agreed. We would sample the great Australian 'outback' during the week ahead and on the weekend fly back across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. And so the Bazflyers departed Dubbo for the underground settlement of White Cliffs. This is a place like no other, set in a fascinating landscape where almost the entire population of some 150 folk live 'wobble-like' in underground caves. 

Leaving White Cliffs in the cool of the morning we once again pointed BAZ skywards and at an altitude of 8,500 feet flew deep into the 'outback' over Lake Eyre to land at William Creek. Tomorrow the Bazflyers head back east to Broken Hill….