Traveling To Canoa Quebrada

A romantic place. You can visit it any time of the year, because it has always 29-30C during the day and 23C at night. It’s hard to believe that Canoa was just a fisherman village for not very long ago. Only in 1970’s it started to grow, when the rest of the world discovered it. First ones to go there were hippies. It was not easy 3 decades ago to access the place because there were no developed roads. In time, the beauty of Canoa Quiebrada made it more popular. More and more people wanted to spend their vacations there. Because of that, nowadays-large roads will take you there. It is located at about 155 km from Fortaleza.

After just 1.5 hours drive, you will face a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, which is amazingly pared with the contrast of the orange cliffs that surround the beach as long as you can see with a naked eye. In addition, you can take a bus to Canoa Quebrada. The only company that makes the direct path to the city is the Sao Benedito (St. Benedict) and it is inexpensive, it is just R$ 17.50 (round trip).

We were completely under the spell of beauty when we so the village. The blue sky is so big, that you fill like waking in the sky. It is a must to watch the sunset from the dunes there, it’s spectacular.Nights are warm, and waking under the stars fills like magic. The main road is tightly aligned from both sides with gift shops, pizzerias and restaurants of all sorts. Canoa Quebrada offers lots of pousadas and small hotels in all ranges. You can book them ahead of time even online.

ATTRACTIONS
First you can take a tour on buggy to Foz do Rio Jaguaribe, it lasts for about two hours. The hall way goes trough the dunes. In the middle of the road, there are places where you can do skibunda oh the sand boards. The tour takes you to the delta of the river Jaguaribe. There the river meets the see and shows you one of the most beautiful scenery around. The return trip is by the beach when it is still dry.

There is another tour on buggy, which will take you along the beaches, to the south. Along the trip you will admire the orange-reddish cliffs. The final destination is a The Great Dune, from where you can see Canoa Quebrada. At the end of the day it is grate to walk to The Sunset Dune, as I mentioned before the view is fantastic, and don’t rush to comeback after the sunset, take a blanket with you and enjoy the moon and the stars, believe me it is an incredible experience.

Reptile friendly road at Robin Hood Airport

In a benign and innovative move, a new tunnel has been made to help reptiles pass under the road at Robinhood Airport. This is to ensure their safety. Notably, the tunnel has been created taking into account the biology of the reptiles, featuring the biology of reptiles in mind, offering a warm and welcoming space employing LED lighting and heating coils . Read More..

Daily Travel Photo : Spain

A young calf gores a reveler in the bullring at Pamplona , Spain

Holiday Destination : Argentina

Make certain that you visit Argentina if you are planning a trip to South America. Argentina is becoming a favorite destination for tourists from both North America and overseas.Argentina has been in the spotlight as of late but not because of their rich and natural beauty. The country has been facing a financial struggle which actually works in the favor of people looking for a South American vacation spot.The reason for this is simple – the flailing financial state of Argentina has made it even more economical to those planning a visit. This means that you can travel there without having to spend a small fortune. Combine that with the beauty of the country and you’ve got a winning holiday destination.

When you visit Argentina you’ll need to consider where you want to stay. There are several areas that are appealing to visitors and it’s important to understand the benefits of each in order to choose the one that is right for you.One, if not the most, popular destination is Buenos Aires. This is a wonderful, vibrant place for anyone to spend time in. Flights to Argentina from another destination will land in Buenos Aires. Many people therefore, plan to spend a few days in this culturally rich city before venturing to other parts of the country.Buenos Aires is home to over three million people which makes a visit to the city worthwhile. You will never tire of things to do and you can soak up the rich culture of this Latin community in many different ways.

You also need to prepare yourself before you leave. There are a few things to put on your to do list and this includes becoming familiar with the customs of the locales.In Argentina the majority of the citizens are Spanish speaking. If you took a few Spanish classes in grade school you may well have a leg up as just a simple knowledge of the language can be enough to get by.If you are planning on staying at one of the hotels or resorts that are found in Argentina you will most likely be greeted by an American speaking staff. You need not worry that you’ll be unable to communicate once there, as the hotels recognize that the majority of people visiting are English speaking.The currency in Argentina is the Pesos. To save money it’s advised that you exchange your money before leaving your country of residence. Although there are resources available to exchange funds in Argentina there may be a service charge in place.

You don’t need any vaccinations when visiting Argentina so that’s not a concern. You should pack plenty of UV protecting sunscreen though, as the weather in Argentina can be very hot and the sun shines brightly much of the year.Visiting Argentina is a wonderful way for couples or families alike to spend their vacation. It’s an economical destination that is rich in native culture.

Qantas staff fly with BlackBerry

QANTAS cabin staff are toting BlackBerry smartphones in a trial of new customer service techniques . The airline has bought 400 BlackBerrys to investigate replacing paper-based customer service forms, according to Qantas chief information officer Jamila Gordon.Onboard the plane, a customer service manager records information on the BlackBerry and after landing the device is synchronised with computers to download the data.The trial, which kicked off in mid-June, was expected to last until the end of the year, Ms Gordon said. Productivity gains would be more transparent by then, she said. Qantas plans to purchase more BlackBerrys as the project progresses.The airline spent considerable time on its quest for a chief information officer after losing long-time technology executive Fiona Balfour in early 2006.

Ms Balfour left to become Telstra’s CIO but she resigned from the telco 10 months later.When she jumped ship, John Willet stepped in as Qantas tech chief but his term was always meant to be temporary due to his approaching retirement.After a worldwide search Qantas announced Ms Gordon’s appointment in August 2007, poaching her from IBM Europe.Ms Gordon had left her home base of Sydney a few years earlier to work in France and The Netherlands, and has extensive information technology transformation strategy and end-to-end IT service delivery experience.

Qantas has outsourcing agreements with Satyam Computer Services and Tata Consultancy Services worth about $180 million.The carrier is in the midst of revamping its core business software platform, eQ.Another key project for Ms Gordon is Project Marlin, which involves replacing Jetsmart – a long-running $40 million engineering and maintenance platform.Jetsmart had been labelled Dumbjet by engineering staff. In February 2005, Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association members threatened to strike over the system because it required engineers to carry out additional data entry and accounting work.Project Marlin was on track for phase one, Ms Gordon said, in time for the arrival of the new Airbus A380 superjumbos later this year.

Taiwan Airlines To See Lift From New Flights

Starting from this week, direct weekend flights are to fly between Taiwan and China. This move is expected to give a boost to carriers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. This can be achieved only at the expense of Hong Kong; however, only after all the present restrictions are lifted.

In a significant deal signed on 13th June, Beijing and Taipei agreed to introduce the first regular weekend flights after 1949. This has been achieved as a result of a decade long stalemate between China and the neighboring island that china claims as its own. Most interestingly, a great number of flights operated between China and Taiwan has to stop between a third external destination such as Hong Kong or Macau. This shall certainly prove to be a boost for airlines in these hubs.

Gradually, unlimited direct flights in the route are to wipe off not less than 10th off the bottom line of Cathy pacific, the flagship carrier of Hong Kong, which has henceforth enjoyed a large part of the business of transporting the passengers on the long winding route according to Nomura.

The deal that is taking off during this week is however limited that shall allow only a small number of flights directly operated exclusively over weekends, still requiring to pass through the airspace of Hong Kong. Though a broader deal is expected next year, according to the New Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, more direct and daily flights can be expected in the route soon.

Chinese Airlines To Raise Fuel Surcharges

China based airlines including China Southern Airlines have decided to raise domestic jet fuel surcharges to about 50 percent with effect from Tuesday for offsetting the pressure ensuing from shooting oil prices. With citation to regulators, an aviation industry web site reported this information on Monday.

According to the approvals made by regulators,the report says that the increase in domestic fuel surcharges are effected from CNY60 to CNY80 yuan (USD$11.67) for flights operated over 800 kilometre (497 miles) or less, and from CNY100 to CNY150 for flights operated over longer distances.

Also, the announcement made by the regulators says that the ex-refinery jet prices of the country have been raised by CNY 1,500 per tonne with effect from June 20.This factor has considerably delivered a double- whammy to domestic airlines that are already suffering from a drop in passenger volume from the month of May, during when a devastating earthquake hit southwest China.

Ever since, China’s big airlines, including Air China and China Eastern Airlines, have been striving to get the permission from Chinese authorities for increasing the surcharge.Luo Zhuping, a spokesman for China Eastern noted, “The hike in the fuel surcharge is helpful but we might still suffer as air traffic demand is falling and airlines have to offer discounts to attract customers.”However, Li Fenghua, China Eastern Chairman said the reporters that the carrier is expected to be profitable during the first half ensuing from robust traffic during the period between January and April.

Qantas frequent flyer freedom comes at a cost

* Qantas launches two-tier frequent flyer system today
* Customers can book any seat
* But it looks ‘very, very expensive’

QANTAS is set to launch its new two-tier frequent flyer system today, amid fears that many of the airline’s new “Anyseat” tickets will cost several times more than current awards.The new tier will allow Frequent Flyer members to use points like cash to redeem any seat at any time on Qantas and Jetstar flights.

It aims to remove a bottleneck preventing many Frequent Flyer members booking tickets when they want to fly. But they will pay more for the option, and they will not know how much more until they try to book.Redemptions under the new tier will start at about the same points level they are at now and rise according to the availability of seats, demand and the time they are flying.

This means travellers will burn more points if they book closer to a flight and fewer if they buy their tickets ahead of time or during quiet periods.A website similar to the Qantas booking engine used by people buying tickets will display how many points a particular seat will cost and give other options on and around that date.Those wanting to remain with the existing system will do so on a separate “Classic” website.

Qantas will unveil the new system at a press conference today, but Frequent Flyer members asked to complete a survey for the airline were able to connect to a special website and believe they already have an inkling of the kind of premiums people will pay.

Examples quoted include a return Anyseat economy fare to London, including taxes, costing 294,367 points.This compares with a redemption under the classic system of 128,000 points before taxes. Another example says a feature that allows members to pay for a London-Sydney return economy seat with a mixture of cash and points cost 128,000 points and $2030.

Clifford Reichlin said last night that the new scheme appeared to be “very, very expensive indeed” . “It depends on how close you are to departure when booking,” he said.”Departures start at the same price as (the Classic system) but as you get closer to departure, the prices increase dramatically, exponentially in fact.”Mr Reichlin said the new tier would suit people with big numbers of points but he believed there would be little advantage for the average frequent flyer.There was also the worry that Qantas would reduce the number of seats available to the original system, something the airline has denied it will do.The new scheme will allow members to exchange points for a wider range of merchandise or shopping vouchers.

Winter finally arrives at Aussie resorts

SNOW was hammering down in the alpine villages last night and the forecast is for continuing falls through until Thursday, with cold snowmaking days to follow.In Victoria, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham both received 30cm of fresh snow while Mt Buller received 12cm. Sub-zero temperatures overnight
are anticipated for most of this week and the weekend in Victoria.

Falls Creek and Mt Buller will each operate three lifts today. Falls Creek is offering special discounted single-day lift and lift/lesson tickets today. Ticket prices may change depending on number of lifts operating.In a tremendous boost for skiers in the lead-up to the NSW school holidays, Perisher and Thredbo should pick up more than 25cm of fresh snow as falls continues throughout the day.By 4pm yesterday the white flakes were falling all the way to Thredbo village at 1370m. By 6am, Thredbo had 20cm and Perisher received another 10cm.Perisher has fired up 77 snowmaking guns across parts of the valley, Blue Cow and Smiggin Holes to boost the 15cm of fresh snow that has fallen since yesterday afternoon.

Eleven lifts are operating across parts of Perisher Valley and Blue Cow Mountain.At Thredbo, snowmakers pumped out the white stuff for over 10 hours across Walkabout, Ballroom, High Noon, Catwalk, Supertrail and World Cup trails. Six lifts are operating.Snow is forecast to 1200m today
with a few snow showers persisting to Thursday. Fine conditions are predicted in time for the weekend.