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Showing posts with label stopover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stopover. Show all posts

Monday, December 12, 2022

How Might A Change Of Laws On Sex Affect Your Holiday In Indonesia?


Flag of Indonesia

The flag of Indonesia is a band of red above white.



 

What is the danger? Apart from deliberately having extra-marital sex, there's the risk of accidentally breaking the law and the trap. The tourist goes to a bar, a beach, a restaurant, anywhere, and meets an attractive person who says they are single, divorced or widowed.

Whether they are a local person or a fellow tourist, the love of your life, or a passing interest, pushes things further. Up pops a video camera's witness, or a spouse's detective with spouse in tow. 

You are subject to blackmail. Or a year in jail. 

Do you chat to a girl in a bar? Do you allow a group to befriend you? 

The person beside you on the bus will be warning you not to talk to the person sitting in front of you who tries to strike up a friendly conversation. I had this when I was single. Everybody was warning me in countries such as Turkey not to talk to another person.

The whole time you are wondering what will happen if the friendly person gives you a peck on the cheek. What about a goodbye hug and kiss, at the disco, after a day travelling together, or even bye-bye at the airport?   

What if you are not travelling, but a travel agent? You only need newspapers to report that one person claims to be imprisoned or blackmailed or forced into marriage, or to claim that, and your travel brochure for a business in London has to be reprinted. Your travel rep is laid off. Your aircraft's flight is cancelled because of falling bookings.

So you are a tourist and you are not worried. But you go on holiday and one of your group, a fellow passenger, your tour guide, is arrested. That puts a damper on your holiday.

Never mind. Besides, you are married. It is only a day or two stopover. You are planning on a round-the-world flight tour for your honeymoon. Round the world to New Zealand or Australia can be cheaper than a direct flight. So I was told by a fellow passenger on Singapore Airlines.

But other tourists are worried about one country. That leg of your trip is cancelled. The whole of your tour is in jeopardy.

People may book holidays up to a year ahead. People might deliberately cancel and go elsewhere. Or they might just have a nagging feeling that a particular country is not a good place to visit. The reason has been forgotten. But the negativity remains. 

I believe that is the reason for 'gut feelings', 'instincts'. You read or experience a bad event. You forget the event. But you are left with an uneasy feeling about person, or country. 

Could anything good come out of this for the tourist? They might cancel the law because of its possible or real effect on tourism. You might then be out of danger, no risk, but be offered bargain holidays. 

Useful Websites

https://www.flightcentre.co.uk/flights/round-the-world-flights/trip-planner?

Friday, January 1, 2021

Dubai New Years Eve 2020 - 2021 Burj Khalifa fireworks



UAE flag


Dubai is a popular stopover in the Middle East en route to other countries. Dubai is capital of the UAE, united Arab Emirates. 
Burj Khalif opening ceremony.

As you might have suspected, Burj means tower.

New Year's Eve Dubai. 
The Burj Khalifa held the record of the tallest building in Dubai and the world from 2009. At the opening it was festooned with fireworks.

On New Year's Eve 2020, the night before Jan 1st 2021, Burj Kharifa was lit up with ever changing pictures. Some of the fireworks looked like the ones from the opening ceremony.

If you are there during the rest of the year, you can look at the tower from the ground across the fountains which are floodlit. Check locally for light up times.

The floodlit fountains can also be seen from inside the tower.

Useful Websites


About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a teacher, tutor (in person and online) and workshop leader, specialising in English and other languages.

Please contact Angela if you need an English language workshop for a Toastmasters Club or a business.

 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Holiday season - need accommodation?

🌇
Balcony room with bed. Halong Bay, Vietnam. Photo by Angela Lansbury.


Do you need accommodation for your arrival night or the whole trip?  Here's a quick way to get started in your search.

Try
a) Email friends at destination, friends likely to travel to destination who might share cars and accommodation, clubs such as Hashers (international running club), Tennis clubs, Toastmasters International clubs you have visited previously, hosts of the conference you are attending - especially if you are a speaker, home swap agencies.

b) Check your airline for stopover prices.

c) Check any club of which you are a member for their own accommodation. If planning a side trip, lists of their overseas clubs with reciprocal memberships and if necessary get a letter of introduction. Check their room prices and availability.

For example, in Singapore the Tanglin club has accommodation and reciprocal arrangements with several clubs in England.

d) Check out interesting hotels in the area at all prices, including new places. Contact the local tourist board.

e) Youth Hostels
Youth hostels are nowadays often open to people of all ages and have family rooms. Make a list of the YMCA and YWCA or other religious accommodation. In the USA you find branches of the YMHA (Young Men's Hebrew association).

Credit card offers.
Hotel groups of hotels you stayed at previously.
Join a hotel group loyalty card scheme to get offers of discounts.
Check reductions for longstay. 
Check Sunday night offers.

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