Flying for Kosovo

I have received a series of photographs taken by James and Luz on the journey so far. Please excuse the low quality and small size of these pictures, because James has to upload them at a hotel and e-mail them through less than ideal internet connections and because there are so many pictures, we had no choice. We hope you enjoy!

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Chile is 4,300 kilometers long and only approximately 175 kilometers wide. It is snuggled between the tall snow-covered mountain peaks of the Andes and 6435 kilometers of Pacific coastline. To the North is Peru and a desert climate and to the South is the Drake Passage, the body of water that separates Chile from Antarctica.

It is the most stable and prosperous nation in South America. In fact, Santiago, the capital, did not appear to be any different than most European cities. The great infrastructure made me think several times that I was actually in Europe. The subway system was very well organized and clean, which made me wish that the New York City subway system would be the same.

The people reminded me of Europe as well. They were very friendly and quite educated. The media surprised me as well, as they treated me like a distant brother coming from Europe. It made me feel extremely privileged to be interviewed by the oldest and most respected newspaper in the country, “El Mercurio”, founded all the way back in 1827. A second newspaper gave me an entire page worth of news, just for our country Kosovo’s independence! It quickly became apparent that the people of Chile were familiar with Kosova’s situation and could not understand why their government had not recognized our independence yet. Though the Ministry of Foreign Relations was much stricter here than previous countries as far as availability and scheduling, I did get a confirmation that they were following Kosova’s political position in the world very closely.

Despite somewhat high prices, I enjoyed my short time here and it is definitely a place that I could be comfortable living in.

My experience so far on this trip has been amazing and continues to surpass my wildest expectations. Bolivia is no different. It is a wonderful country. La Paz, the capital, is the world’s highest capital city at 12,000 ft. above sea level. Even still, the city sits in a valley surrounded by even higher mountain peaks of the Andes, making for a the most amazing view. Walking around town was a bit difficult at first, due to the change in oxygen levels at that elevation, but well worth it after adjusting. The diverse influences have left their mark throughout time and the architecture of the city speaks volumes. At times I was reminded of being in Spain, while at other times it felt like I was in the USA or Switzerland.

I found the people of Bolivia to be very welcoming, friendly, open-minded, educated and knowledgeable. It was a great treat to witness the local cultural traditions, especially while walking in the outdoor markets. From the indigenous traditionally bright and colorful dresses that Andean women wear to the unlimited amount of tropical fruit available to buy from all over South America, I enjoyed the brief immersion during my visit.

The media coverage was eventually excellent, though initially they had reservations about Kosova’s independence. Within Bolivia, the region of Santa Cruz (one of the wealthier regions of the area) has been trying to gain independence from the rest of the country, which has caused a bit of resistance. Additionally, Kosova’s issue is well known in Bolivia, however most of information available is from the 1990’s, which were darker times for our people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was really welcoming, despite my unexpected visit. Unfortunately, due to the lack of contact from our government, the position of Kosovo’s independence had not yet been brought to their attention. But I did get some confirmation that they will do everything within their power to bring the issue up to their higher chain of command.

Finally! After a huge struggle to get a simple entry permit from the Civil Aviation of Peru, we are on our way to Lima. This is a perfect time to remind you that these bureaucratic permits are not required anywhere in the Western world. I have to say that this is caused me many headaches throughout our trip.

Here in the Southern Hemisphere winter has arrived and as we progress toward the Southern end of Ecuador, the topography changes drastically. To the right I can see the Pacific Ocean and to the left is the Andes mountain range that is now covered in snow. It is amazing to think that I am flying next to the longest mountain range in the world, spanning over seven countries and 7,000 miles. I am lucky to be able to view the changes in season as we fly southward.

Lima, Peru is another city that is economically struggling. The pollution is very high here,but but the food is fantastic – great ceviches, right on the budget! The people are nice and I have already learned a lot about their culture, though I am disappointed that I won’t be able to visit Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Peru indeed has a lot to offer the world.

In Chiclayo we had a live television interview already lined up and they were really surprised to have people come from the other side of the planet and from such a small country like beautiful Kosova. As you can imagine, our country was not very well known until we arrived.

Our stay in Columbia was much longer than anticipated due to issues with the Civil Aviation Authority and also because of weather. Today, our plan was to fly from Tumaco, Columbia to Manta, Ecuador. As usual, however, things did not go as planned. When we reached the Ecuadorian airspace, I was told by the Air Traffic Controller that I could not land in Manta (which shouldn’t have been a problem because it was an international airport). Because of the swine flu (H1N1) breakout at the time, we had to be re-routed to Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. Once on the ground, we found the airport to be fully equipped to check each passenger for body temperature, fever, cough, etc.

Downtown Guayaquil is very well kept and there have been major changes and improvements in the last two decades, despite the country’s economic struggles. There is a very nice boardwalk in town, Malacon, which is right next to the Guayas River and Cerro Santa Ana (Santa Ana Hill) is the oldest part of town, with 500 steps up to the top where you can enjoy a wonderful view of the whole city.

The media was really interested in our mission, especially the television stations. Overall, the people of Ecuador were very nice, though security was a factor due to the economy – especially at night. On a positive note, the street food was economical and very tasty.

I quickly unlearned all that I was taught to believe about Columbia. Growing up in the Western world, I had been brain-washed to believe such negative things. Because of the small percentage of the population who control the narcotic trafficking business, the rest of the population is given a giant mis-fortunate mark on their forehead as being ‘bad’, which haunts them all of their lives. I have learned that it is more us, the Western world, that is the problem because we are the ones that keep the traffickers in business by purchasing their illegal drugs.

I had no idea how fascinating and beautiful this country could be. Rolling hills, mountains, rivers and oceans and a climate that I consider to be one of the best in the world really surprised me. The people here are equally amazing. They are very educated and have quite a European mentality. In downtown Pereira, a professor caught me off guard when he approached me to talk about our writer/novelist Ismail Kadare. He admitted reading many books from our famous writer and loves his writings. Also, most Columbians that I encountered knew the story of Kosova and actually support our independence. That could have been one of the reasons that the media coverage was so excellent. Finally, the coffee here is excellent, even for someone like me who tries to avoid caffeine.

The one feature of this country that I was dismayed by, however, was the Civil Aviation Authorities. In addition to encountering many bureaucratic issues with them, the airplane parking for our baby plane was $50 for every 24 hour period, which is one of the most expensive prices that I have ever encountered in my entire career of flying. Despite this hiccup in my experience of Columbia, I really hope to return and visit this amazing country again in more detail.

Panama is the last country in Central America and also ends the first phase of our mission.

We had an excellent flight and I was very pleased at having made the decision to leave Costa Rica very early in the morning. Otherwise the weather changes drastically by mid-day, making it nearly impossible to cross the high mountains between there and Panama in the midst of the powerful rain-storms. The early flight allowed us to absorb the amazing scenery below – not only were we flying over the Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range, but we had a great view of the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea to the left and to the right was the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. Even this could not top the highlight of our flight: flying over the Panama Canal. I had requested and was granted permission from Air Traffic Control to fly over the Canal so that Mr. Spahiu could do some filming. What an amazing piece of human art and engineering to be lucky enough to witness.

After landing, I noticed very quickly that Panama’s way of life is very liberal. Casinos are open 24/7, year round and there are lots of hotels and construction going on currently. The people are also very liberal – very friendly and open-minded. The media response was great and it was unfortunate that our time here was so limited (only 2 days). I hope to someday return for a longer visit to learn about this country in more detail.

I am very much looking forward to continuing the second phase of Flying for Kosovo and touching ground for the first time on the beautiful continent of South America.

Its name means ‘rich coast’ and I could not wait to visit this magnificent and amazing country.

Costa Rica was the first country to recognize our independence, which was a very historic moment for Kosovo. This gesture meant so much to the people of my country, that I wanted to make a brief stop here just to thank the people for recognizing our nation.

I found the people here to be amazing in every aspect. Costa Ricans are very friendly and happy people and I learned many good things during my visit to this beautiful country. One thing that I noticed was that whenever I would say thank you or “gracias”, their response would always be “con mucho gusto” or ‘with pleasure’. Also, when asking ‘how are you’, people here often respond by saying “pura vida” or ‘pure life’. That is pretty much the mood of the country.

The media coverage was awesome and we were able to do both television and newspaper interviews. Unfortunately, this time of year brings lots of rain. It took us almost a week to leave this country with our baby plane because of the intense daily rain showers– though none of us were complaining about our prolonged stay in such a beautiful setting.

Next stop is Panama

Fantastic flight coming to Nicaragua today. Initially, the airplane struggled with the climb out of Tegucigalpa. The high hills around, along with the heat and the weight of the plane (we were loaded to maximum capacity) made it difficult. Approaching Managua, the view of Lake Managua to the north was beautiful. It’s a pleasure being here again and it’s a very hot and humid day today. Mr.Spahiu was much more comfortable during this flight and it was his first lesson as a pilot.

Soon after our arrival, we met with La Prensa newspaper. We are meeting lots of wonderful people in Nicaragua and the food is great. I am looking forward to meeting with the rest of the media tomorrow

Our next country is Costa Rica which was the first country to recognize our independence and I am very excited to visit them.

Great flight from El Salvador, it’s always great to fly over beautiful rolling hills and cumulus clouds. Our friend Nail Spahiu has never before been on a small airplane like our baby Cessna 172, so he was pretty tense at first. He finally loosened up and became excited during the end of the flight. How could he not when we are flying over an amazing mountain chain with a great view landing in Tegucigalpa – a beautiful place that I am happy to be able to visit again.

It was great to see that media were at the airport already when we landed. It seems that they hang out here a lot because of the guaranteed work that comes with many government officials traveling through here daily. I must say that they were very nice to work with – having arrived late in the afternoon, we already had a radio and newspaper interview today. Tomorrow should be very busy with media interviews and I am looking forward to seeing more of this great city.

Wow!! What an amazing experience..I am having a hard time understanding why El Salvador government has not recognized the independence of Kosovo as yet with all the friends Kosova has in El Salvador.
Shortly after our arrival in San Salvador, I met with Mr. Pacolli and his team. It was a big surprise for all of us. I was happy to see Mr. Pacolli after almost 10 years. In a meantime I met with Sammy Sosa as well. Today we met with Mr. Nail Spahiu our companion in filming our mission “Flying For Kosovo”.
I would like to thank Enrique Rais for the royal treatment he gave us during our short visit to his beautiful little country. Mr.Rais’ drivers helped on brining us to the hotel. The next day, Mr. Rais organized our stay at a different hotel on his account.
Alejandro Miranda, the PR for Mr.Rais surprised me in all aspects of life. He is a true friend of people of Kosova. He gave us a tour of his town, and spent his entire day with us making sure we were well taken care. He organized a big press conference at the international airport of San Salvador. Media was extremely happy to participate in a short flight around the pattern. Looking forward to going back to El Salvador in the future.

Diario el Mundo

Guatemala is a fascinating place with a very nice topography. Flying through Guatemala is like going through the jungle, swamp, rain forrest and Swiss Alps with beautiful waterfalls. Arriving at the international airport we got an amazing view and the runway which is located in between tall buildings, deep cliffs and housing. People of Guatemala are really cordial and friendly.