Bohol, Boracay, Cebu and Palawan are some of the most popular places in the Philippines for foreign tourists. We checked out Cebu, on this occasion for a special vacation. Verdict: My Overall Rating: 55% My Ranking out of my top 200 Cities: 184th place Global Ranking: Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) ranked Cebu 26th among 28 APEC cities surveyed in 2015. Why it should be visited: Beaches, Food, Spanish history Negatives: Traffic, Traffic, Traffic and Crime, Crime, Crime Would I return?: No- we had a great time here but I would choose to see other Filipino cities first. Location and Orientation Cebu is…
Flat Earth Proven with Spirit Level on a Plane
This was so elaborate I thought it was a parody. A guy took a spirit level onto a plane to prove that the earth is flat. My one question is always: If the earth is flat, how come I can get on a plane in Singapore and travel in the same direction before eventually arriving back in Singapore? A flat earth would preclude that as there would eventually be an end or an edge? Fascinating to live in a world where people think the world is flat and scientists involved in conspiracies to cover this…
My First Cebu Pacific Flight
Having tried Philippine Airlines for the first time last week, I was determined to try their fast growing competitor Cebu Pacific. Especially, when I was flying from their own hub. Booking: 2/10 Booking with Cebu Pacific was one of the most mind-blowing frustrating experiences of my life. The website froze seven times in mid-booking over three days! I re-booted my computer multiple times and came back to the website. In frustration, I contacted Cebu Pacific who suggested I did not know what I was doing! Having convinced them that I was a tech savvy frequent…
Standing in Solidarity against Evil
Like many, I am dismayed with the bombing in Manchester which killed 22 people- mostly children. I am also saddened by the attack on a convoy of buses in Syria which killed 68 children last month. Let us not forget Yemen and South Sudan where more children die daily. Holding hands and singing KumBy Yah is not going to stop these atrocities but nor is bombing to pieces a whole lot of homes, villages and communities. We know neither of those strategies will work. The globe needs a new way forward. One that does not support the…
All about SkyTeam- Comparing airlines and Elite Earning
Of the seven airline alliances, Skyteam is the one I have had the least to do with. You will usually find me on a OneWorld plane before a SkyTeam flight! Of my 1200+ flights, almost half have been on a One World carrier, a fifth with a Star Alliance airline and fewer than ten percent have been via a Skyteam partner. This is caused by three things: Australia and New Zealand have never had a Skyteam member, I have had elite status with Qantas /One World and Star Alliance carriers for over a decade My concern/perception that…
The World from the International Space Station
One of my dreams would be to fly through space. Not sure it will happen in my lifetime! That would take a lot of frequent flyer points to achieve! I found some really cool videos of Earth taken from the International Space Station. Enjoy! 1. This 4k HD space video shows the planet Earth from space views in various orbital paths of the western hemisphere 2. This video of New Zealand was taken by the crew of Expedition 42 on August 12, 2015 from 06:10:29 to 06:16:34 GMT, on a pass over the New Zealand…
My First Philippine Airlines flight
My 1.6 million miles of flying has never before included the Philippines or Philippine Airlines! That changed with this, my 1181st flight. PAL became the 96th airline, I have ever flown. (Not long until my 100th airline). Booking: 7/10 PAL’s system feels a little clunky. After selecting date and routing, the airline presented us with a seemingly confusing array of fare choices! It is really both extremely helpful in choosing the right fare and time and completely overwhelming! They do have a helpful summary explaining what each fare type includes: We chose the cheapest fare possible…
All about Star Alliance on their 20th Anniversary
Chances are you have seen The Star Alliance symbol on aeroplanes, airline check-in counters, airport lounges or Boarding Passes. Started by just five airlines 20 years old this week, it is the biggest of the six major airline groupings across the world. – The Six Major Airline Alliances These groupings of airlines share sales office, ground support and lounges, code share flights and jointly market their products. The benefit for us, is that the Alliance allows customers to get similar reciprocal benefits across the airline members. By size the alliances are: Star Alliance has 27 member…
Finnish Moomin themed Kids Hospital
Continuing the theme of my recent reviews of Finnair and Finnish capital Helsinki, comes today’s story which caught my attention. Finns are very proud of their Moomins, friendly trolls who live in the MoominValley. Moomins are happy go lucky warm hearted creatures who embrace adventures with gusto. They also face potentially ruinous situations with a positiveness and open ness that can be inspiring. Which is one reason why it makes sense for the new Children’s Hospital in Helsinki to adopt a Moomin theme. The New Children’s Hospital will have eight floors above ground, a basement, and…
Cathay Pacific Business Short Hop: Bangkok to Singapore
There is a massive amount of choice between Bangkok and Singapore with at least eleven airlines competing for passengers. I the midst of the clamour, the Cathay pacific option provides a nice calming option. The timing is really nice with an 11:50am departure giving one time to check out of the hotel at a civilised time and get to the airport after morning peak. Arrival into Singapore at 3:20pm gets you to your hotel just before the evening rush in Singapore, allows a check in and shower and then a chance to go for a walk,…
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