Travel 01 (May 08 - Jun 11)

[winston]

I was in Macau recently and if you are heading there and would like to some tips, please do feel free to send me a PM.

The following are some notes:-
1) There are shuttle buses to and from the airport and ferry, to the major hotels
2) If you are travelling between Macau and Cotai, you can take the Venetian shuttle that goes between the Venetian and the Sands.
3) There's also a shuttle that goes between the Venetian, Four Seasons and City of Dreams in Cotai
4) The Dragon Show at the Bubble at Crown Hotel is not too bad. My kids liked it. You can collect the free tickets on the second floor
5) The Fountain show in front of Wynn's is not too bad. And while you are there, dont miss the Magic Tree show at the back of the hotel. It's free and the kids liked it as well.
6) There are some activities along the Canal Shoppes at the Venetian
7) Have a look at the Chinese treasures of Stannley Ho at the lobby of his new hotel, Grand Lisboa. That's next to Wynn's.
8) Fisherman's Wharf is quite nice but a bit quiet. Be careful if your kids are playing the War Game ( BB guns ) at the Aladdin Fort. Make sure they dont take off their helmets. They can be blinded by the BB pellets.
9) If you are staying around Cotai, Taipa Village is just a few minutes away. There's some nice Portugese restaurants there. There's also a nice lotus lake behind the church and you can also go into one of the old Portugese houses
10) If you like to gamble, you need HK$. They dont accept Pattaca or RMB in the Casino.
11) Check the weather stations. There's alot of tropical storms and typhoons .

[kennynah]

welcome to the future defacto airline customer services counter....

[winston]

Mag pulls ad as cops probe air ticket `racket' by Nickkita Lau, The Standard HK

A magazine has suspended advertising from a firm offering discount air tickets after a customer complaint sparked a police investigation.

Andrew Cunningham filed the complaint at the end of last month after promised air tickets failed to materialize.

Cunningham told The Standard he saw an ad for cheaperflights.co.cc in the August 1 issue of bc Magazine.

He contacted the travel agent via e-mail and got a quote of 1,020 (HK$12,900) for two American Airlines round-trip tickets from Hong Kong to New York to Florida and back to Hong Kong in October. Payment was to be made to a bank account in Spain.

"I thought it was a little bit fishy, so I contacted the magazine and American Airlines," Cunningham said.

He said the magazine assured him it had not received any complaints and the airline confirmed reservations had been made for him and his wife, so Cunningham deposited the money in the Spanish account in mid-August.

"I even recommended the site to a friend who was going to buy air tickets to the Philippines," Cunningham said.

But his friend did an internet search and found comments made by others claiming they had paid the agent but never received tickets.

Cunningham e-mailed the agent again and was told the tickets were on their way.

The airlines informed him the reservations were made but no payment had been received.

He also contacted the magazine several times only to be told there had been no complaints about the advertiser.

"I'm very disappointed with the magazine which should be somewhat responsible for my loss," Cunningham said.

A police spokesman confirmed it had received Cunningham's report on August 29 and that the case had been classified as a "deception."

Publisher of bc Magazine Simon Durrant said the advertiser had been contacted and the advertisement suspended until the dispute was resolved.

"It is purely a trade dispute between Mr Cunningham and the party concerned. You cannot blame the magazine for running an ad for a restaurant if you don't enjoy the meal," Durrant said.

A Consumer Council spokeswoman said local travel agents with real street addresses are more reliable because law enforcement and investigation could be conducted more efficiently should any complaint or scam arise.

Travelers should also check if an online travel agent is licensed before making purchases.

[kennynah]

I am in Florida USA now, and I'll go look for it, if it is available for sale in the retail shops.

invite a babe from office and head off to the florida keys for a weekend... drive all the way to the tip... preferably, she can drive too... the journey from tampa can take many hours...and you will need to sleep over at some motel along the way...(hence my suggestion to ask a babe along..wahahaha)...

take some pictures and post them here... i really regretted that i made it to what seems like 3/4 of the way along the keys but turned back....

[b0rderc0llie]

Great idea. Am planning of doing that. Still in DisneyWorld area. I got until the 22nd Oct before i catch my flight. Will drive all the way to the tip then

[kennynah]

of cos, dont forget to head to the beach everyday to watch the sunset... it's really an amazing experience.... depending on which part of Florida you are at... if you can, go the beach nearest to Naples... there's a open air pub that fronts the beach.. guzzle your bud light (which of cos, pales in comparison to our tiger) and pleasure your ears to the beat of live Cuban repertoire... sibei song one...

walk along the white sandy beach, and if you should be so lucky, you should come across a few beach houses...occupied only by lonely pretty girls who need some of your company....wahahahaha....

[kennynah]

babe pics from the journey to the keys?

[b0rderc0llie]

Hehe, I am out of the keys already. Went all the way to Key West as you suggested. Went sailing, kayaking, snorkelling and jet skiing there. I like Islamorada, which is somewhere between key largo and key west, where I got to swim and interact with the trained dolphins and sea lions.

http://www.theaterofthesea.com/special.programs.htm

Am in Ocala now, Florida's horse country. Going home on the 22nd, reaching singapore on 24th. Show you some pics after I get back home haha.

[kennynah]

Show you some pics after I get back home haha.

期待

[winston]

Stop flying these airlines today

Stop flying U.S. Air and United... Today.

If you're holding tickets on those airlines, I'd cancel and make other arrangements.

I've been telling friends and family members for years how dangerous these airlines are, and it was confirmed for me again.

An NPR story yesterday morning reported United flew an Airbus jet 200 times with towels stuffed in the oil sump compartment instead of using caps, which cost pennies.

U.S. Air flew eight planes ($100 says it was actually more than that) on 1,647 flights without inspecting for cracks on the landing gear.

But the best part is the baloney the airlines spewed out in response:

Over the past nine months, we and the FAA have completed a formal review of our aircraft maintenance tracking systems as well as a comprehensive review of our maintenance program. This collaborative process included efforts to identify the issues, drill down to find the root cause and develop comprehensive fixes...

With these challenges behind us, we look forward to continuing our relationship with the FAA to deliver on our common mission of safety first. US Airways will continue to work with the FAA in a cooperative manner to promptly achieve a negotiated resolution of the FAA's civil penalty proposal... Safety is at the forefront of everything we do at US Airways.

Are you kidding me? "Safety is at the forefront of everything we do..." This is the same airline Consumer Reports in 2007 ranked last out of 18 airlines for customer satisfaction. United Airlines was ranked 16th, ahead of America West.

Last year, in a business deal only idiots could dream up, Nos. 17 (America West) and 18 (U.S. Air) merged, apparently making an even bigger cluster of poor service and safety. And by the way, one minute on their "new" website makes this grown man cry.

Come on people, stop risking your lives and spending your money with a business that treats you poorly and endangers your life.

Source: Dr. David Eifrig in Retirement Millionaire