When I was told that getting to Bario in Sarawak required a flight in a small plane, I didn't jump for joy 😂
I had to ride in these things sometimes during my past life - don't have good memories of them 😅 Made me dizzy 😵💫
Turns out with MASwings it was quite a pleasant ride both ways, from Miri to Bario and back.
We were early at Miri Airport for the check in, so everything was relaxed and smooth. They had to weigh the luggage and also us, individually to ensure the plane was not overloaded.
The plane takes only nine passengers even though there were 19 passenger seats.
Getting to the plane required a short 5 minute walk in a covered walkway as the plane wasn't served by aerobridge for obvious reasons (small plane lah).
Our handsome plane waiting for us. It was a DeHavilland Twin Otter. Slicker than the stubby, tubby vintage Shorts Skyvans of old RSAF 🫢
Boarding.
We are rolling. It's not a lot louder than the usual 300 seat jetliners.
The twin engined plane climbed pretty fast once the wheels were off the tarmac. By the way, the wheels hung out throughout the flight as they are non retractable (common small plane design feature).
There were more seats than passengers due to weight restrictions. So, there's plenty of space for us 😃
The cockpit is separated from the passengers by a curtain.
No cabin service, no cabin crew but they did give us a bottle of water and pack of peanuts when we check in.
Fail proof air conditioning. Didn't need this as the temperature was very comfortable inside.
The aircraft cabin is unpressurised, so we had to fly at 10,000 feet and below. That means we could see the rivers, paddy fields, forests, hills, towns, villages, roads, etc below us throughout our 50 minute flight.
Sometimes we were whited out in the clouds.
Flaps down getting ready to land in Bario Airport.
Over the piano keys, touching down in Bario.
The friendly pilots autographing Sock Peng's journal 👍
We are in Bario!
Land of the wind. Land of the thousand handshakes. Shangri-La of Sarawak.
The terminal building is just steps away from the parking apron.
Inside the tiny terminal building.
The check in counter, arrival hall and departure hall are all here. So, procedures were a breeze.
There's a convenience stall, canteen and a cafe at the airport.
Just took a few minutes to collect our luggage and we were on our way to Nancy Harriss Homestay for our Bario adventure.
Two nights later, we were back for our flight back to Miri. Too soon!!
Boarding.
Check in procedures were the same.
We were over Marudi town on the way to Miri.
Thank you for a great and safe flight 🙏
I miss Bario already.
Written by Tony Boey on 20 Aug 2023
🎗 My Bario trip was arranged by Wilson Chiam of Brighton Travel 📞 +6019 884 6186 📞 +6012 878 6669 and sponsored by Sarawak Tourism.
Moses Koh said on Johor Kaki Facebook:
ReplyDelete"If you go again, the best seats are the last row. Most leg space. For some excitement, seat in front to watch the pilots manoeuvre the plane."