StayGate Pictures : New plane-spotting site in Changi

 Photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Non-stop trips to Sanya

 Report, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

My inaugural flight from Changi to Sanya is on 23 August 2025. I did not stay in Sanya because of the typhoon closing down Sanya on 24 August 2025. I diverted to Guiyang at night of 23 August 2025 instead for plane-spotting on 24 August 2025.

On 20 September 2025, I am flying direct to Sanya on flight KR7956 for three-hours morning plane-spotting at Hua'erxi Sanya. This is my second non-stop flight to Sanya. Wish me good luck.

Typhoon Neoguri 2025 expected to move northwestward, gradually strengthening

Weather news by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

Last night, Typhoon No. 19, Neoguri (above), has formed after Typhoon No. 18 of 2025,  Nando, successively, joining Typhoon No. 17, Mitag, in a "three-typhoon dance" situation.

The centre of this year's 19th typhoon, "Neoguri" (tropical storm level), was located at 5 am today (19 September 2025) over the northwestern Pacific Ocean, approximately 2,520 km east-southeast of Tokyo, Japan, at 23.6 degrees north latitude and 161.9 degrees east longitude. Maximum winds near the centre reached force 8 (20 meters per second), with a minimum central pressure of 995 hPa. The radius of force 7 winds was 150-200 km. "Neoguri" is expected to move northwestward at a speed of 20-25 km per hour, gradually strengthening.

According to the latest forecast from the Central Meteorological Observatory, the centre of this year's No. 18 Typhoon Nando (tropical storm level, above) was located at 5 am today (19 September 2025) in the northwest Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,200 km southeast of Naha, Ryukyu Islands, at 16.2 degrees north latitude and 132 degrees east longitude. Maximum winds near the center reached Force 8 (20 meters per second), with a minimum central pressure of 995 hPa. The radius of the Force 7 wind zone was 280-300 kilometers. Nando is expected to move westward at a speed of 15-20 km per hour, gradually strengthening.

Note: In 2014, there is the strong tropical cyclone also named Typhoon Neoguri. Hence, the subject of this news title indicates "Neoguri 2025".

Ref.: https://news.weather.com.cn/2025/09/4337034.shtml

Hotel Review : Sycamore Tree Hotel, Changsha

 Review, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

I got Ctrip.com service centre at Changsha Huanghua Airport to advise me how to contact Sycamore Tree Hotel to pick me up and I managed to contact Sycamore Tree Hotel Uncle Liu to pick me up at column C6. The exit is next to the Ctrip.com service centre of the airport and there are long queues of cars awaiting to pick up guests at the airport.

Sycamore Tree Hotel is an hourly-rated hotel that allows guests to stay up to seven hours a day or to the next day. It has a three-hours room stay package for guests who are transitting to another city on the same day but since Trip.com is selling the room based on per day basis, I paid less than $30 to stay until 8 pm on the same day.

To kill time, under my request, Uncle Liu chaufferred me to two plane-spotting sites around the Changsha airport for plane photography at a return fee of 150 RMB from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm, including Gao'an Village Committee Building and the premises around Hunan General Aviation Building. This fee includes the driver's waiting time. 

Uncle Liu has very good knowledge on plane-spotting and I recommend plane-spotters to stay in this hotel if their purpose of visiting Changsha is plane-spotting.

Uncle Liu quipped that he also can bring guests to Zhangjiajie in Hunan.

While the staff of Sycamore Tree Hotel is friendly, I would like to comment that the room allocated to me has no window, no regular-size table for me to write on paper and no study chair. It takes a long time for the room to turn cool after switching on the air-conditioner. The toilet-cum-bathroom only has the small bath towel for body wiping purpose. Overall, the room is worse than the single room of Toyoko Inn. Despite the insufficiencies in the room, I recommend this hotel for staff friendliness, airport pick-up/drop-off services and local transport service. 

For breakfast and other meals, there is the bun shop next door and the noodles restaurant of one minute walk away from the hotel. For recreation, there is the games machine outside the hotel.

I will stay at Sycamore Tree Hotel again if there were another opportunity of an onward flight at night from Changsha to another city airport.

Hotel Review III : Best Yue Hang Hotel -- Vacation experience

 Review, photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

I am grateful to the hotel for reserving such a fabulous room (Room 8806) for me. I can see the beautiful airport terminal building and aircraft taking off for the sky. 

The hotel restaurant is a tourist attraction. It has meaningful arts on the walls. Its complimentary healthy breakfast that starts at 5 am now includes continental American breakfast and the jam used is crushed blueberry jam in cubes, unlike butter cubes used in other hotels. 

The hotel cautions the public on scams in China to avoid through its lift. 

After check-out, I forgot to take my passport. I thank the receptionist for allowing me to go up to the room to retrieve my passport so that I can depart for Jinan on time on 14 September 2025. I will stay here for plane-spotting in Kunming again if there are new Chinese airliners operating flights to the airport. 

Sanya Airport's "Sunshine Volunteer Service Station for the Disabled" helps passengers travel smoothly

 Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA                                 Image : Sanya Airport

On 8 September 2025, the opening ceremony of the 2025 International Airport Expo and the 10th China Airport Services Conference were held in Guangzhou. The Colorful Phoenix Team of Sanya Phoenix International Airport (hereinafter referred to as "Sanya Airport"), a subsidiary of Hainan Holdings, was awarded the "Sunshine Volunteer Service Station for the Disabled" by the China Civil Airports Association, marking a new stage in Sanya Airport's efforts in barrier-free environment development and volunteer services.

In recent years, Sanya Airport has consistently prioritized passengers, actively responding to the national call for strengthening barrier-free environments and continuously improving service facilities and optimizing service processes. 

The airport has added a "one-touch assistance" telephone system at the entrance of the terminal departure hall, allowing passengers to quickly initiate the call for assistance with a single button in an emergency. A special passenger reception area has been established, equipped with amenities such as car seats, hearing aids, and reading glasses to meet the needs of the elderly, frail, sick, disabled, and pregnant passengers. 

The airport has also established a "silver-haired" volunteer service team, established a special passenger service database, and provides both standard and cabin wheelchairs to ensure smooth travel for special passengers. 

To enhance the travel experience for passengers with disabilities, Sanya Airport is developing a one-stop barrier-free service system featuring "online consultation + offline support." Passengers with disabilities can call the Sanya Airport customer service hotline at 0898-9612333 ext. 6 before their trip to inquire about flight information, boarding procedures, and services for passengers with disabilities. On their day of travel, airport staff and volunteers will provide a variety of thoughtful services, including guidance, wheelchair assistance, caring escorts, and fast-track guidance, to effectively address travel challenges faced by passengers with disabilities. Furthermore, airport staff are actively fulfilling their responsibility to serve the community and spread warmth through volunteer activities such as civil aviation education and youth aviation education.

From facility upgrades to process optimization, from offline accompaniment to online support, every service initiative at Sanya Airport reflects respect and care for passengers with disabilities. Going forward, Sanya Airport will use this honor as a new starting point to actively implement the civil aviation philosophy of "sincere service," continuously deepen the development of its barrier-free service system, and contribute its "Phoenix Power" to building a beautiful society where "love is unimpeded."

StayGate Picture : Air Cambodia office in Ho Chi Minh City

 Photo copyright by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA