2nd March - Huma Island to Manila by seaplane

Monday 2^nd March 2015

We flew off at 3pm from Huma Island in the sturdy 8-seater seaplane.  Our pilot, Canadian John, was very competent and reassuring.  I enjoyed the flight (nearly two hours) very much, but not as much as Pete did.  He just loved it, every single minute.

There weren’t many of us, just John and his wife Holly, a cheer co-pilot, and American Steve with his girlfriend Nelly.

John and Holly

Steve and Nelly were the only guests at the resort, and they had been there for five days, having a wonderful time.  I took a photo of Steve on the pool, because I had never seen anyone smoking a cigar in a pool before.  “What could be a better place?” he boomed.

Manila looked just spectacular from the air, as we came in to land.  Such a good seaplane – it also has wheels, and we were able to land nice and neatly at the airport.

Meanwhile in Hobart we are all making notes, making plans, collating photos, getting ready for the memorial service on Thursday.  Dad will be thrilled to bits – the university has deemed his body suitable for the medical school.  He has always wanted to donate his body to science.  Not sure why…but it was his decision entirely.  He had filled in all of the forms in 1998, and renewed his application just a few days ago, with Pete Harmsen as witness.  In his meticulously orderly file was the original, along with a note from the university, carefully thanking him for the application, and also…thanking him for the corrections to their spelling and grammar.  Our father, PickyPedant extraordinaire!!