I have commented a few weeks ago about the TV show “Embassy”, that portrays the trouble travellers can get into while overseas. The Guardian newspaper is reporting today, twelve of the strangest things Australian travellers have asked help for from embassies or consulates. My favourites are: A mother wanted the embassy in Bangkok to book accommodation and a return ticket to Australia for her son, then provide an embassy driver to take him to the airport. and Why won’t the Australian Embassy come and pack my bags for me? I’m an 80 year old travelling by myself…
Walking Tours are the best
I am not an organised tour type of person. After being encouraged to do a walking tour by my sister, on my first trip to Berlin, however, I now believe that walking tours are the best way to see a city. I have now done that Berlin walking tour five times now! Walking tours are the best way to be introduced to a city. It allows me to see and feel the city while learning about its history, architecture and culture while getting exercise! I am not trapped! If you do not like the tour, I can wander…
Tourist’s Stupidity wins them €20K fine
I hate tourists that damage the buildings or the natural environment. Its a massive bugbear of mine. The question is how much do we want these people to be punished? It seems Italy is getting tough. This week, one such vandal was fined $US25 000 for attempting to carve his initials into the Colosseum. This AD70 amphitheatre built during the Roman Empire stands 48.5 metres high and welcomes over six million visitors a year. I have visited it twice and it still inspires me. The 42-year-old Russian tourist had used a stone to carve the letter “K” into…
Passengers Push Plane
I have heard of self service airlines before but this week’s story out of Siberia gave me the chills! Seventy passengers hopped off their UTair Tupolev 134 in order to push it, after its brakes froze in minus 52C temperatures at Igarka airport, above the Arctic Circle in Russia. The airport tractor was not able to budge the plane. This video shows the pushers, most of whom were oil and gas workers wanting to get home: Eventually the plane made a successful flight to the regional capital of Krasnoyarsk. Clearly their de-icing machine was working! Apparently, the Problems developed because “the…
I do not carry my passport
Passports are such a crucial tool. It seems crazy to me in this modern world that I still need to show a physical bundle of papers to cross a border (or in the USA fly on a plane domestically). On a visit of mine to Zimbabwe, I met an Irish guy was staying in my hotel. While sitting in Harare‘s Africa Unity square, he had put down next to him, his moneybag. It contained his cash, passport, credit cards, driver’s licence and even a copy of his birth certificate. After some minutes, he realised that…
Robots to Protect Thai Food
I have yet to meet a Thai person who is not passionate about their food. From small street stalls to five star rooftop restaurants, Thai people expect the flavours of their food to be right. And with good result. I rate Thai cuisine as one of the top five in the world (with French, Italian, Lebanese and Vietnamese)! Thais will tell you passionately where the best place in their city is to buy sticky rice or Som Tam (Spicy PawPaw/Papaya Salad) or Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan (Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts): They will also…
Giving money to beggars
One of the biggest dilemmas in travel is whether to give money to beggars or not. Whether I meet one on the streets of Baltimore, Bangkok, Brisbane, Budapest or Bulawayo, I am faced with a myriad of thoughts and questions. For me, when accosted by a child or a mother and child or a disabled person, I have to work through what my position is afresh. Other colleagues I travel with have no such qualms. They calmly step over beggars as if they were invisible. On some occasions, I have seen it lead to tension…
TajMahal Memories- A Top Experience
Was reflecting that, eight years ago this week, I was at the Taj Mahal for an amazing dawn. From out of the dark… the first rays of the sun lit up the historic building. Gradually more and more of the building appeared. It was beautiful. I include that as one of the top 100 experiences of my life! My camera was much more primitive than it is now. What have been some of your best travel experiences? Related Posts World’s best airlines -skytrax 2013 All about #Bargaining /Haggling Don’t carry a Money Belt
The Child and the Chewing Gum
I boarded the train in Thailand to find a medium sized child (say 9 or 10 or 11) sitting in my seat. I smiled at the child, as his mother called him back to his rightful seat. I would have done the same at his age: wandering around the train carriage to get different views of the world from the train windows. Ah this picture of exotic travel, domestic bliss and happy reminiscing was shattered when I found “the monster” before vacating my seat had carefully left his freshly chewed gum carefully along the side…
Lessons from “The Embassy”
Almost a million Australians a year travel to Thailand. Many get into trouble and some of them are now captured for eternity in a fascinating new TV series “The Embassy“, set at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. It is compelling viewing. Trailer: The hour long episodes deal with everything that can go wrong on holidays in Thailand: ladyboys, love, lust, lost passports, lunatic drinking and lame behaviour. My favourite line comes from one of the Thai staff at the embassy: “low cost airfares meant the end of ‘the calm’ for consular offices.” The “observational documentary series”…
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