What's traveling on a plane if you don't sit by the window? Well, I guess if you're not a fan of heights, you'd pass. But I'm here to tell you how very unlucky of you to be missing out the world's greatest sights! Window seat is always my favorite spot when I travel by plane. Sure, it's difficult to cross over other passengers when you need to go to the toilet, but watching the plane slowly drift off, finally fly, making turns and revealing what's underneath tens of thousands of feet above, it's a whole different kind of breathtaking thing.

Here I want to show a few of the best aerial view (view from the airplane window - Duh!), that I've ever witness. And I do sometime regret that I don't always carry a camera or let my phone on (stays in airplane mode though!) to be able to capture the best aerial moments, but I hope some of these images does justice. One other trick to witness one of the best aerial views? Midnight to early AM flights. Sunrise is such a tease when you're on an airplane.

1. Jakarta at 2:30 AM

When I was traveling to Alor and had to transit in Kupang first, I was quite surprised when I found out that there's actually a midnight flight of Batik Air. It is actually their last flight of the day, and it boarded us at 2:30 AM. Couldn't let my drowsy eyes rest when I had to witness an aerial view THIS GOOD. The sound asleep citizens of Jakarta must have not realized about the beauty their house and street lights have created, seen from the sky. There was actually a storm coming in on the other end, and the lightning it produces only made the sky lit up in grace. Couldn't get the lightning pic, as I am no pro-photographer.

2. Sydney in the morning

Took this ugly injustice photo when I was arriving in Sydney in the early morning. I had to stare in awe at the beautiful sun rising from the horizon. Photo does not represent, but as the pinkish sunlight touches the combined beauty of city lights, this aerial sight is a win-win game for me!

3. Tarakan, North Kalimantan

When I landed in Kalimantan (for the first time ever), it was Tarakan, North Kalimantan. I was going on a trip to Derawan Islands and we took a transit here before continuing our journey by boat. Tarakan was a unique aerial sight I ever witness. I knew that Tarakan is one of the port cities in Kalimantan that transports many boats and ships to the sea, as well as one of the largest oil-producing cities in Indonesia. So my guess was this aerial view of many patches of forest and water conveys the realism. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful aerial sight!

4. Tanjung Pandan, Belitung's patches of tin mining

[caption id="attachment_286" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Photo: Maya Arifinda[/caption]

Not a photo I took, but as I have said earlier, I regretted not having my camera/phone ready for an aerial shot this interesting. Bangka Belitung has been the tin-producing land for many many years. While the tin mining business still benefits, so would this interesting aerial sight still offer. Tin, lead and kaolinite are some of the natural resources one can still find and dig off of the grounds of Belitung. View of scraped off white patches of land may seem unhealthy for this province, but the panoramic aerial sight it created made it beautiful.

5. Alor, East Nusa Tenggara's Islander view

Traveling in a small propeller-operating plane is always interesting and fun. These small planes does not go as high as other Boeing 737 type jets, so noticing a kind of aerial display that would capture your heart, will not disappoint. The islander view of Alor in its vast ocean after a flying off from a small island always gives out the best panoramic view. Another one that made my heart flinched looking out from the window seat is this.

6. Kathmandu, Nepal. MOST. BEAUTIFUL. AERIAL. VIEW. EVER.

I was saving the best for last, obviously. As much as Nepal have captured my heart in so many ways, it's aerial view is notoriously THE BEST I have ever witness in my lifetime. I had to post two pictures just to represent. Being surrounded by mountainous range, the Nepali houses are placed all over the hills. Seeing tiny houses in between sheets of green hills already become my favorite. But wait when I got higher and higher off the ground. Standing might, the great snowy range of Himalayas' and the world's highest peaks, MOUNT EVEREST peeked out as I looked from the window. Hands down, nothing else have captured my heart so much than seeing this beauty from thousands of feet above the ground.



Other best aerial views I have witnessed in my life that I regretted not having a photo of: New Delhi, India with its delightful stacks of houses, and Beijing, China with its ever flowing kilometers of the Great Wall seen from above. Beautiful! So the next time you hop on a plane, request a window seat and let the mile high surprise you!