I’m not very good with retaining figures, but always seem to hear the pilot’s announced of the intended cruising altitude for any flight. From Tripoli to Geneva, it was 37,000 feet.

There were, of course, many things on my mind as we took off… the “fasten-seat-belt” lights went off… light meals were served… and then as we drew closer to the Swiss airspace, I was too tempted to take pictures. An earlier experience of a friedn made me think of stopping, but you can bet that a few questions from the right person can sure open doors — even if they were never shut 😉

Blogging from that height was the first thing that came to mind… and I sure began to (only that it was in my head). Right now, I’m waiting for the hotel attendant to resume at the only hotel that has a room for me (WSIS — and other UN — meeting periods are not the best time to arrive Geneva without an hotel reservation). And of course, this is the opportunity I have to transform the blog from its “in-my-head” state into electronic (and visible) format. If I had a choice — and assured access (and my missing camera cable was already replaced), I would have posted this blog from that height — 37,000 feet above sea level.

The pictures you see coming with this blog are rare shots 🙂 That one (actually 2 of them, with one brighter than the other) that looks like it has a “slash” across the page is simply amazing. For the first time, I caught the view of another aircraft from 11F and just had to get my camera for the shots. The one that has a dot was not close enough, so I tried better and harder… and the string (from left to right) shows you the succession of shots I was able to get from 11F, and you can join me in appreciating the marriage of technology (Sony Cybershot) and nature (amazing cloud formations). 37,000 feet above sea level, this rather shot blog filled my mind. It’s quite interesting how I really wished the pilot would just get a little closer — and just as if he perceived my thoughts, he made one of those “Stealth-like” moves (nothing close to the 4th man’s moves but cool enough for a commercial flight 😉 and I got the third shot — best of the 3, I guess. I would have wished for a closer view, but that move scary enough for one day. I got other “near-breath-taking” pictures too, anyway. Enjoy them…

Wanna join the ride… you’re absolutely welcome (not the Tripoli-Geneva flight, but the opportunity to share treasures with others through blogging!) 😉 And I guess after settling down today, and hooking up with the other “WSIS foot soldiers” early tomorrow, work begins — the last in the series of WSIS PrepComs, but ahead of the final summit in Tunisia. I should be able to do a few blogs from Geneva, but you could check out my presentations titled More Than A Summit and Quo Vadis: Where Do We Go From Geneva, (and the WSIS Website) for more information (and background) on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).