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Brussels-based low fare carrier Virgin Express has over the last six months, carried more passengers than any other airline at Brussels Airport, making it the first main airport in Europe where a low fare carrier is the market leader.
Delta Air Lines has announced that it will launch its own budget subsidiary next year. The as yet unnamed carrier will fly, initially, on routes between the US Northeast and Florida. Delta said it later intends to expand the operation across its US network. Fares are expected to come in between USD$79 and USD$299.
Bulgaria intends to launch a new national airline, Balkan Air Tour in December after the final collapse of its troubled flag carrier Balkan Bulgarian.
It is scheduled to start operations on December 1 and will operate services to seven destinations – Berlin and Frankfurt, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris and Tel Aviv.
Air Canada has reached a three-year deal with the Quebec government to provide low cost fares throughout the province using the airline's Jazz budget operation. In return the province, which is a heavy user of Air Canada services, has agreed to buy around CAD$2.5 million (USD$1.6 million) additional tickets every year for the government and its agencies.
The agreement will also ensure that travellers in Quebec will get cut price Internet fares for travel between remote regional communities and both Quebec City and Montreal. The airline says that fares will be cut by as much as 70 percent compared with regular ticket prices and the flexible low cost deals will be extended to all Air Canada Jazz routes in the province.
Oh dear, arisen from the ashes of Belgium’s now defunct Sabena, Delsey Airlines, has filed for bankruptcy. It was flying transatlantic services from Brussels to New York, Boston and Los Angeles. The airline, originally called VG Airlines, was created by the entrepreneur Freddy Van Gaever who was the founder and first CEO of the successful regional airline, VLM, and Antwerp financier Tony Gram, managing director of the travel goods manufacturer, Delsey. The airline had been in talks this week with a possible last-minute investor, but had to concede defeat when the investor pulled out.
Everyone has heard of the Kruger National Park. It's the biggest game reserve in South Africa. Its border stretches from the Limpopo River in the north to the Crocodile river in the south. The whole eastern boundary of the park borders onto Mozambique.
The park was established in 1926 and is over 2 million hectares in size. Its size can be likened to that of Wales or the American state of Massachusetts. There are a large variety of animals in the park, ranging from 122 different species of mammal, 109 different types of reptile, 55 species of fish and 422 species of birds.
The park is also home to 7000+ Elephants, 30000 Buffalo, 120000 Impala Buck and 22000 Kwaggas (Zebras). To add to this list you will also find giraffe, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hunting dog, hyenas, rhino and hippos.
A visit to this park is a must and if you are not an animal mad person, after your first visit here you will find that you have become one.
Most visitors to South Africa do not have enough time so a quick visit is what they opt for. To get to the park they either travel by tourist bus or fly in and land at Skukuza, the largest rest camp in the park. There are many others to stay at as well.
At Skukuza you can hire a car and drive yourself, or elect to go by coach on a guided tour through the park. There are a couple of rules one has to follow in the park.
There is a good reason for the rules. There are wild animals out in the bush. You might get out of your car and walk slap bang into a lion lying in thick grass right next to the road.
Guess who is going to win that argument! The lion initially, but once it has killed someone it will kill again and become a threat, thus necessitating its own demise.
The rest camp gates open at six in the morning and you are able to venture out onto the roads. Suddenly 10 metres in front of you there is a movement in the bush. You stop your car and one impala crosses the road. Sit still, don't move, suddenly there are hundreds of them in the road. In about 10 minutes they have all crossed and the road is clear. Moving on you come across a clump of rocks with some thorn bushes.
At the base of the thorn bush the grass is moving.
Taking a closer look you can see a largish animal lying on its side. You've found a lion lying twitching its tail. It does this to rid itself of the flies. Lions love to sleep in the shade in the heat of the day and if you keep your eyes open you are likely to see more of them.
Leopards are very difficult to spot. Where there are largish trees, check the higher branches and with a bit of luck you may spot one relaxing on a branch.
At sundown its time to get to that water hole. Find a good spot where you can see clearly, keep quiet and watch. The animals come from all directions to drink. Impalas, kudus, warthogs and giraffe to name but a few. They are very wary as they approach the waters edge. Have you noticed the log floating close to the water's edge? It's a crocodile lying patiently in the water with only its eyes sticking out waiting for its supper. If an animal gets too close the crocodile will launch itself and grab its prey, and drag it into the water where it will drown it.
The elephant in all its splendour arrives waving its trunk as it savours the breeze. It's long white tusks glint in the evening sunlight as it makes its way down to the river’s edge. Close behind come the rest of the herd. Soon there is no place for the other animals, they must wait their turn as the elephants suck up trunkfulls of water to drink and spray over themselves.
It gets dark quickly so you need to get back to camp.
Along the way keep your eyes open for the nocturnal animals that should be out and about. You would be amazed at what's out there.
When you get back to camp, have a meal, and hop into bed.
Before dropping off listen to the sounds of the bush. You'll hear lions roaring and in the morning might even find their footprints around your bungalow.
Love an experience like this?
Visit the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Geoff Fairman is the editor and publisher of Banker's Oldboys Ezine, a free electronic publication. Subscribe to Bankers Oldboys Ezine for more articles about Cape Town and South Africa by sending a blank e-mail to BrerRabbit-subscribe@topica.com
France: thieves may target cars with foreign number plates. Conceal bags and purses when driving and never leave valuables in a vehicle, even for a short time or when you are nearby. The last two digits on a French car's number plate indicate the département in which the car is registered. Many hire cars are registered in Marne département (51) and cars with registration numbers ending in 51 attract the attention of thieves.
Venice: The heightened tension in the Middle East has led the Italian authorities to increase security around the Jewish quarter in Venice. Extra police have been drafted in to guard the area. Security in the Jewish quarter in Rome has also been increased.
Greek Islands: Personal attacks, including sexual assaults and rape, are infrequent. However there have been incidents of sexual assault and rape on some Greek Islands. Visitors are therefore advised to maintain at least the same level of personal security awareness as in the UK. We strongly advise lone visitors, especially, never to accept lifts from strangers or passing acquaintances at any time.
Portugal: Crime remains comparatively low in Portugal but pickpocketing, handbag snatching and theft from cars are increasingly common in major tourist area. Passport, credit cards, travel tickets and money should not be carried together in handbags or pockets. Leave spare cash, passports and valuables in a safe place. Portuguese police recommend that car windows and doors are closed and locked while driving at night in urban centres. Pedestrians are advised not to wear valuable jewellery or watches in public areas.
Source: the Foreign & Commonwealth office
A recent UK survey for the Department for Education found that of over 1,000 adults, 30% felt unable to compare rates in exchange bureaux. A similar proportion said they were not comfortable converting foreign currency into sterling. Over a fifth of those surveyed admitted they had wrongly calculated how much they spent on holiday, with 12% saying they had run out of money.
The Globetrotters Club has just teamed up with Oanda.com to provide people with information about currency conversions and cheat sheets. To translate currency or make a cheat sheet, visit:
The Globetrotters Currency Converter
— get the exchange rates for 164 currencies
The Globetrotters Currency
Cheat Sheet — create and print a currency converter table for
your next trip.
Cardiff, home of the Millennium Stadium, city of so much more.
Sight seeing buses leave from outside the castle regularly throughout the summer. However a tour of the Stadium costs £5 and can be pre-booked and is a must. The highlight is a trip up the tunnel to the pitch with the sound of the crowd roaring in your ears. I defy anyone to take these steps without a silly grin!!
The shopping in the city provides all those shops you expect in a large town, although there are a surprising number of music shops. However, the old arcades off St Mary’s Street offer some interesting alternatives to the large chain stores. I always show friends the “Kinky” boot shop for a laugh, which can be a stunned silence!
On a hot summer’s day, the place to chill is Butte Park with some of the best municipal planting I know. Or there’s the Mill Lane quarter, for people watching while you chill.
There are a range of restaurants, wine bars, pubs and clubs to suit everyone. And if you like a busy town, go on an International weekend, but be prepared to sing!
Located, appropriately enough, in the heart of Theatreland, the Theatre Museum is dedicated to promoting the performing arts. In addition to housing the National Video Archive of Stage Performance, the museum boasts a staggering collection of over one million programmes and playbills, puppets, photographs and props relating to theatre, ballet, dance and music. Visitors can participate in workshops, makeovers, tours and try their hand at animation and puppetry. There is lots of memorabilia from old theatres and stage sets, which creates a very special theatrical ambience. The Theatre Museum opens 10:00-18:00 Tues-Sun. Closed 24-26 Dec. Tube: Covent Garden Enquiries: 020 7943 4700 Entrance: FREE admission for individuals
Celebrated Canadian author, Rohinton Mistry, has cancelled the second half of his US book tour because of racial profiling at US airports. Mr Mistry – the Indian-born author short-listed for the Booker Prize this year – was “extremely unhappy” about the treatment he received, Canada's Globe and Mail reported.
“As a person of colour he was stopped repeatedly and rudely at each airport along the way – to the point where the humiliation of both he and his wife has become unbearable,” a memo from the writer's US publisher Aflred A Knopf said. “I find it outrageous,” Betsy Burton of The King's English bookstore in Salt Lake City said. “It makes me feel ashamed of my country.”
The US introduced extra security measures – including fingerprinting – for people born in 20 predominantly Arab and Muslim countries following the 11 September attacks.
Last week Canada urged its citizens born in Middle Eastern and Muslim countries to think carefully before going to the US because of the new checks.
The place: Lille is small enough to wander around, in a weekend. There are two parts to Lille: the old town, which has narrow cobbled streets, and lots of interesting small shops, and the new town where the large shops, such as Printemps and the usual chain stores can be found. For those who want to explore, there’s a castle and some museums, but wandering around the Old Town is a must.
Why go to Lille? It’s a pretty town, close to London, good for shopping, eating and relaxing. There is a good supermarket, Carrefour, very close to the Lille Europe and SNCF railways stations, where you can stock up on cheese, wine, chocolate – whatever takes your fancy! The food is always good, so it is a part shopping, part relaxing and part gastronomic destination! Most of the hotels are within walking distance from the Lille Eurostar station.
Hotels: the poshest is the Carlton, in the Old Town, which does not ever seem to offer discount rates, but there are lots of hotels to chose from. Hotels seem to be either close to the train stations, close to the main square or in the Old Town. If you can, go for the latter. The Hotel Continental is a budget place often used by British tour operators, it’s ok, between the main square and the railway stations, but on a busy main road. Hotel Bellevue says it is a 3 star, it’s a little quirky, but the rooms are usually large and it’s behind the main square. Hotel Art Deco Romain says it is 500m from the Lille Europe station, it may be, but you need to get a tram to get there, and whilst it’s only 2 stops, it is not easy to walk to, plus the rooms are cupboard sized. La Treille in the old Town is highly recommended.
Prices: fantastic, especially for eating out and drinking. Most of the restaurants offer at least one prix fixe menus i.e. you get to chose a starter, main course and often a desert. Some include wine or a glass of champagne to start. These range from 15 Euros to 50 Euros, and you can usually be guaranteed excellent food, whatever the price. The Beetle’s favourite restaurant is called L’Alcide, which is close to the main square and can be pricey a la carte, but do good prix fixe menus, there’s also La Renaissance which does very cheap but good prix fixe menus (a recent 3 course dinner for 2 plus beer cost £15 a head). The Carrefour at the Lille Centre Commercial close to the train stations is a huge supermarket, and the prices there are far better than those in the UK for almost everything. One tip, though: if you spend more than 100 Euros, you will be asked for photo id, so take your passport or new style driving licence.
Things to do and see: in winter, there is a Christmas market around the corner from Printemps, where you can browse around the stalls, drink cups of mulled wine, eat crepes or waffles. Year round, there is a huge Sunday market in Wazemmes, a short metro ride from the centre and there is also a smaller Sunday market that sells fruit, veg, flowers and handicrafts in the old town. If shopping is not your thing, you should visit the citadel, which is quite impressive, and the town square with its old buildings. If you are a museum buff, then you should visit the Palais des Beaux arts, the natural history museum, the house where General de Gaulle was born, and the Musee de l’Hospice de Comtesse.
Getting Around: really easy. A one way trip by metro or tram costs just 1.15 Euros, or an all day card costs 3.55 Euros You must validate day tickets just the once in yellow machines that say “composter” and single journey tickets in the same way when you set off. But if you stick to the Old Town and the area close to the new town, you probably won’t need to take public transport, although it’s good to know that it’s there and regular.
How to get there: by Eurostar, a little over 2 hours from London Waterloo.
More than 300 young girls and women have been killed in Ciudad Juarez since 1993 on the other side of the US border, across from El Paso, Texas. Late November, over 1,000 women dressed in black and holding candles marched through Mexico City to demand that those responsible for killing hundreds of women in the border town of Ciudad Juarez be brought to justice. Despite several federal and state investigations, the authorities have been unable to identify the killers or establish a motive behind the murders. Several people have been arrested or detained, but still the killings continue. Various motives have been offered: satanic black magic rituals, drug related and sex slavery.