Is this just not the best image ever of Johannesburg:
Johannesburg at night
July 1st, 2010
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PRECAUTIONARY HEWA BORA
June 24th, 2010
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An MD 82 of Hewa Bora Airways experienced a tyre blow out on one of the 6 tyres when taking off from Kinshasa yesterday. The Pilot correctly orbited the airport to dump fuel as the fully fuelled aircraft was above its maximum allowed landing weight.
He then made a normal landing at Kinshasa
Source – email 23 June 2010
10 REASONS WHY A CRUISE IS BEST
June 21st, 2010
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10 REASONS WHY A CRUISE HOLIDAY IS WAY BETTER THAN A LAND-BASED VACATION
- The price is almost fully inclusive. The cost of your cruise includes your accommodation, transportation, all meals, activities and entertainment. In some cases it will include the gratuities too.This takes away the stress of paying for surprise expenses like extra meals, taxis, buses, room service, incidentals etc.
- The floating resorts offer you a different destination each day. Every morning you wake up with a new country or island waiting to be explored. The ship offers optional organized excursions or you may go out on your own.
- You enjoy some of the best dining and entertainment in the world. Every day on board ship is different. Different theme days, menus and shows offer you a unique experience every night. You never have to do the same thing twice.
- You only unpack and pack once! You can visit different destinations without living out of a suitcase, or spending most of your holiday running from one airport to the next, catching buses and taxis.
- On board ship the whole family can enjoy a proper holiday. Married or single, with or without children, the modern floating resorts offer facilities and entertainment for different people of different backgrounds and with different needs.
- Modern cruise ships offer a very safe environment. There are no incidents of crime on board!
- You can visit the most exotic places without sacrificing any of the conveniences you are accustomed to. You can visit the Far East, Alaska, Russia,Chile, Argentina, the Amazon and the rain forests but every evening you will come home to your modern and comfortable resort and exchange experiences with your fellow guests over a sundowner followed by a lavish 5 course dinner and a broadway show!
- Cruising is not only for the rich. It is cheaper to enjoy a cruise holiday than a similar land based one. With prices starting from as little as US$ 75.00 per person per day, cruising offers unbeatable value for money!
- Cruising is not only for the old . No matter what lifestyle you lead our floating resorts offer you so many different activities and entertainment that it is certain you will be offered to do what you enjoy doing. No matter how active or inactive you want your holiday to be, our resorts will offer you exactly that!. Tennis, mini golf, video arcade, basket ball, skid shooting, libraries, video libraries, card games, aerobics, fully equipped gyms, health spas, massage,facials and much more are on offer daily.
- Cruising is guaranteed to be the most relaxed and enjoyable holiday of your life.
Source: email from Cruises international
Etihad Crash in Paris
June 18th, 2010
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An email has been doing the rounds and though it needs clarification, Etihad did have an accident in Paris – it happened in 2007 – 5 people were injured. It happened during testing:
On 15 November 2007 an Airbus A340-600 due to be delivered to Etihad ran into a concrete blast fence during an engine test at the Airbus factory at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport, France. This was due to the crew not following proper test procedures, raising all four engines to maximum thrust while the wheels were unchocked. The attempt to steer away from the wall resulted in decreased braking power. Five people were injured and the aircraft was written off
Voyager – more disgrunteld passengers
June 10th, 2010
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So is SAA misleading the public in cahoots with the banks? A nice deal a voyager sweetener – well in the past we have seen articles flaming SAA on their scruples along with their disregard to run a mileage program that is fair, attainable and actually rewarding. The latest flaming comes from Carol Lazar a well know travel columnist, catch the article here:
I think it is dishonest, misleading and SAA needs to get its ducks in a row and treat its passengers with respect.
Well done SAA – is it not time you revamped this offer?
World Cup Schedule
June 6th, 2010
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This is the most efficient easy to use site I have seen for the world cup schedule
Give it a whirl – click below
World Cup Stadium
June 5th, 2010
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Got this fantastic map in the email this week – click on the image below to view in and around the stadiums for the World Cup 2010:
More BA flights cancelled
May 28th, 2010
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Please be aware that our north and southbound South African scheduled services have had minimal disruption due to cabin crew strikes.
Below is a breakdown of flights that have been cancelled for the dates above.
No flights have been cancelled to or from Cape Town
The following flights from JNB to LHR have been cancelled.
BA034/ 30 May
BA034/ 02 June
BA034/ 03 June
The follwing flighs from LHR to JNB have been cancelled
BA033/ 30 May
BA055/ 30 May
BA033/ 01 June
BA033/ 03June
GAUTRAIN – fares
May 27th, 2010
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GAUTRAIN CONFIRMS TICKET FARES Gautrain today released ticket fare prices for those services that will be operational from 08 June 2010. These services include a train service linking stations at Sandton, Marlboro, Rhodesfield and the O.R. Tambo International Airport as well as bus routes from Sandton and Rhodesfield stations. Initial fare estimates were made in 2002 by the Gauteng Provincial Government and incorporated into the Gautrain Concession Agreement signed in 2006. These fares have now been adjusted to account for inflation and also to ensure that the original fare policy is maintained. This fare policy is aimed at making the Gautrain attractive and affordable to broad sectors of the population without competing with existing modes of public transport. As a consequence, Gautrain commuter fares are typically lower than the cost of using a private vehicle for the same journey, but more expensive than those of existing minibus taxis, Metrobus and Metrorail fares. Various travel options are available to commuters using trains, buses and parking or a combination of these features. Commuters who combine a bus trip or parking usage with a train journey will enjoy reduced rates on the bus and parking components. Special weekly and monthly packages are also available for regular users. The system will open with two train services: • The “Airport Service” will link Sandton to the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Airport passengers can board at any station and will pay R100 for a single train trip to the airport. All airport trains go via Sandton station. • The “Commuter Service” links all the stations with the exception of the airport. A single train trip from Sandton to Marlboro will cost R16.50, from Sandton to Rhodesfield R21.00; and from Marlboro to Rhodesfield R18.50. Integrated single train plus single bus trips will cost R22.50 from Sandton to Marlboro, R27.00 from Sandton to Rhodesfield; and R24.50 from Marlboro to Rhodesfield. Parking at any station will cost R9.50 for the first 24hrs or part thereof as long as you also use the train. If you park and do not use the train, the parking fee is substantially increased. Commuters will access all services by means of a contactless smart card – the Gautrain Gold Card. Cash will not be accepted for passage on the buses or trains or at the parking exit gates. The Gautrain Gold Card allows seamless transfer between Gautrain’s train, bus and parking services. Gautrain Gold Cards will be available at a once-off cost of R10 from ticket offices and ticket vending machines at all stations as well as at selected retailers. Value can then be loaded onto the cards on an as-required basis and the cards can be re-used over and over again to pay for Gautrain services. Passengers also have the opportunity of registering their Gautrain Gold Cards at a ticket office which will enable the blacklisting of a card should it be lost or stolen. Un-used value on the card can then be transferred to a new card. The train and bus services will operate from Monday to Sunday between 05:30 to 20:30. Trains and buses will be available every 12 minutes during peak times (05:30 to 08:30 and 16:00 to 19:00), and every 20 minutes during off-peak times. On weekends the train service will be available every 30 minutes.
Forever Bela Bela
May 25th, 2010
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My travels have taken me to some awesome places in my time and while travelling as a family has it’s challenges and seems to take you to more comfortable spaces that are kid friendly and easy to use. This past weekend we found ourselves at the Forever resort in Bela Bela. Now I must say a few things about the place, first off the staff can really do with some customer service skills, from the first dealings with them via emails I was advised to call and make a reservation – this is the 20th century and alot of establishments are spending large sums of money to make booking their places easier. Not Forever, this was the first indication that we were really gonna go back in time on the weekend. That we did, looking at the facilities and various rooms on offer we opted for the more expensive Log cabins – disappointingly this really is just a glorified name for them – they are nothing more than over grown Wendy houses.
The maintenace and upkeep of the place must really take it’s toll and for the size of the establishment one can expect a few things to be untowards however for R1500 a night I must say I expected a bit more. Found the following thinsg wrong in our cabin alone:
- Outside light not working – they did send maintenance out to fix it @ 8 pm and were truly grateful
- Shower does not run out as fast as the water comes in so you end up standing in a pool of water
- The Handel on the sliding door was busted which made it challenging to use
- The taps in the bathroom were so loose you almost had to straighten them up to get your hands wet
- There is a warped board in the floor in the bathroom – for someone who prefers being safe on the ground living a meter above the ground on a few plank could have been exciting in the right setting.
@ R3000 for a weekender I feel a touch hard done by if I was paying purely for the accommodation, in essence you not – you are paying to be at an amazing resort -the kiddies pool and little slide that was warm along with the heated pool we certainly had hours of fun in the sun. This is why we came. So next time you chose your holiday resort or destination look around and see what you are paying for.
Yup I will be back however it will certainly not be to stay in the wendy house – guess next time I will try the chalets where my feet can stay on solid ground.
