James is currently in Malta. Today he had several interviews for local newspapers and will soon depart for Africa. He is awaiting the landing permit for Tunisia, which will be his next destination. James still needs your help and support for the fulfillment of this very important initiative! Show your support and become a part of lobbying for Kosovo!
James has made it to Malta after five very difficult, long and expensive days in Greece. He was able to get one newspaper interview in Greece, though their media was somewhat hesitant to address Kosovar concerns. He was able to meet with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs though and they were somewhat receptive. After multiple attempts to make it all the way to Malta (part of the issue is that many airports in Greece don’t carry AVGAS, which is necessary for the plane), James was able to make a few stops in Italy before finally landing in Malta.
During this phase of the mission, it is very important to have your ongoing support. Many African countries are themselves dealing with issues similar to ours. Therefore, working with the local media, aviation regulations and governments may be much more challenging than the South American and/or Caribbean portion of our mission. Your support means so much to Mr. Berisha!
From James himself:
Landing in Malta was easy and joyful. Upon approach, I was able to take some great pictures of this beautiful island. I had been wanting to visit here for a long time now.
The ATC air traffic controllers were very friendly. Those are the first people who reflect their country’s friendliness by how well they cooperate with the pilot. Based upon this first experience, I will be happily give them Euros for their friendly and cooperative service.
After landing we were great-ed by friendly staff of the airport and in no time we were on our way to the hotel. Here in Malta, people speak either English or Maltese, a language that I never heard before. For the next few days, we were able to speak with the media and visit parts of this beautiful island, which is loaded with tourists from around the globe. This gorgeous island’s economy is very much concentrated in tourism, so they tend to cater to outsiders and take care of them. They are very customer-service oriented and are there to help at any moment.
The architecture of this beautiful country is great, the hotels are very
nice,cleanliness is great and people are amazingly friendly. Restaurants are full everywhere. Boardwalks are so busy that it is difficult to walk at times. It appears that anyone could afford a vacation here as everything seems to be within a budget and not extremely expensive (no $5 hot chocolates here!). The temperature here is also very pleasant.
Here, the AVGAS has been the cheapest that I have paid in months (this helps make up for the expensive price that I paid in Greece). The airport fees were also very reasonable, making the entire trip nothing but good memories!
The journalists and everyone I came in contact with here were happy to know that the people of Kosova have lots of respect for them!
The next country is Tunisia. This will be my first landing and Flying for Kosovo’s first touchdown on the continent of Africa. My journalist friend from Macedonia Mr. Jusufi, will be leaving me here in Malta. So, starting in Tunisia, I will be on my own.
Africa, here we come!
Times of Malta
IT-Torca
