Leg 152, Shigatse, Tibet, China via IMyanmar (Burma) to Aalo, Arunachal Pradesh, India
DAY01_21.PLN (7.1 KB)
More mountain crossings and a loop through northern Myanmar (Burma)
01-20 Shigatse Air Base ZCAR 7:31 PM
01-20 Gonggar (Lhasa) ZULS 11,975ft Potala Palace 29°39’19"N 91°07’6"E Need 17.5Kft to 19.5Kft
01-20 Yongphulla VQ10 8:12 PM 8,330ft
01-20 Rangapara VARB 9:53 PM
01-20 Tezpur VETZ 9:58 PM Lot of height bugs, bumpy rivers
01-20 Tezpur VATZ 10:07 PM
01-20 Gohpur VAGR 10:12 PM
01-20 Dimapur VEMR 10:36 PM
01-20 Imphal VAIM 11:04 PM Buildings on ‘runway’
01-20 Tulihal VEIM 11:10 PM
01-20 Hommalin VYHL 11:31 PM
01-21 West Nampong VYNP 12:23 AM
01-21 Pamti VYMK 12:26 AM
01-21 Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground VE91 1:03 AM
01-21 Putao VYPT 1:27 AM
01-21 Naungmom VYNM 1:45 AM
01-21 Teju New VE48 2:26 AM
01-21 Pasighat VEPG 2:20 AM
01-21 Along VEAN 2:50 AM Short runway
Flight time 7:19 18 stops
Sunrise on the way to Lhasa
Along the Yarlung Tsangpo River
Lhasa Gonggar Airport at the confluence of the Lhasa river and the Yarlung Tsangpo
Early morning, long shadows on a long runway at 11,975ft
Lhasa is still an hour drive away, 120km detour to visit Lhasa
Lhasa, Tibet, on the Lhasa river. Potala palace sticking out ahead
Potala palace, 17th century dzong fortress with hundreds of rooms and shrines
It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959
Potala palace and a temple on the water (labeled Norbulingka, maybe part of it)
Norbulingka, Tibet’s largest man made garden
Also the Dalai Lama’s ritual summer home in a 374-room palace from 1755
There are many monasteries around here as well, for example Drepung monastery built in 1416
And Sera monastery with a golden roof, built in 1419
I was determined to find a landing spot in Lhasa, I did find one, but…
Not on Bing unfortunately, thus not in game. Good thing I topped up the fuel at Gonggar
Banzha, just crossed the Yarlung Tsangpo again near Gonggar
Terrain quality is generally bad in this area with a few good spots like here near Pujin
Flying over Cona County
I’ll be descending into that, prepare to get wet
Not yet, still clear along the Brahmaputra river
Gohpur, Assam, India down below
Only one picture there (left), on the right Kanaklata Barua, who was born here.
Kanaklata Barua (1924-1942) also called Birbala and Shaheed, was an Indian independence activist and AISF leader who was shot dead by the British police while leading a procession bearing the National Flag during the Quit India Movement of 1942.
Chathe river ahead
Passing Laikot mountain peak, 9,278ft
Awang Sekmai, the skies are getting worse by the hour
Imphal, the capital of Manipur, a state in northeastern India
In front, Kangla Fort on the Imphal river, 16th-century sacred palace with a citadel
Behind the fort the centuries old Polo Ground (Mapal Kangjeibung)
Imphal is the birthplace of Polo
Near Alang
Chahong Khunou
Getting close to Hommalin
Homalin or Hommalinn on the Chindwin River in North-Western Myanmar (formerly Burma)
Uyu river ahead
On the way to West Nampong, nothing but forest in between
And some farmland at Sanlaik
Myitkyina on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady river, aka Irrawaddy river
Myitkyina means “near the big river” in Burmese
Some of the sights
Mya Myizul Pagoda on the East bank of the Irrawaddy river
On the way to Vijaynagar, definitely raining over there
Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground, military base
Vijaynagara Valley containing the Noha Dihing river
Climbing out of the valley
And into the rain, no sight of the runway until 10 seconds before touch down at Puta-O
Some of the bridges around Puta-O
A small break in the clouds above Man Kabat
Another small break over Putao township at the India-Myanmar border
Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh, India on the Denning Nallah river near the Lohit river in the distance
Close to the border with Burma
Near Bolung, sun shaft illuminating a singular cloud
Then back in the soup, no visuals at Pasighat
Final stop at Aalo (formerly Along) in Arunachal Pradesh, India where the Sipu river joins the Siyom river
Beware, short runway, I stopped just in time… At least they have a fire extinguisher next to the fuel tanks right at the end of the short runway!
Another very pretty place
Tomorrow, exploring more of China, heading North to visit the highest airports in the world.