The 7 Deadly Sins of Travel

By: Lucy Corne - bootsnall.com

If you travel often I’m sure that at some point you’ve found yourself listening to a fellow backpack-toting wanderer berate his peers for not being ‘good travellers’. But really, is there such a thing as a good traveller? I mean, it’s hardly rocket science is it? Jumping on and off trains, packing and unpacking your bag or finding a place to sleep for the night – not endeavours that require any specialist skills.

Of course, while the nuts and bolts of travel are easy to master, there are always a few ways that you can screw up, ways to offend your hosts or make other travellers cringe. Whether you’re a novice nomad or a seasoned explorer, you’re still at risk of committing one of the seven deadly sins.

I’m not talking about the list of seven you might remember from high school Religious Ed class. Sloth is practically a pre-requisite for a long-term backpacker and what’s a food market without a little greed and gluttony? Scratch pride, wrath, lust and envy from your guilt list – if you’re planning to globetrot, the list you need to worry about covers the seven deadly sins of travel.

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Hurtigruten Charters to Australian Gas Project

source: Cruise Critic

Hurtigruten is saying farewell to Finnmarken -- at least for a year and a half. The expedition line has signed off on an 18-month charter, with an option for an 18-month extension.

The 15,530-ton, 639-passenger ship is being chartered to Boskalis Australia Pty Limited, a global provider of dredging and maritime infrastructure services. Finnmarken will provide marine construction support (carry supplies) on the Gorgon project in Western Australia, which involves the development of a natural gas plant.

Because the contract will commence early in 2010, booked passengers on Finnmarken's scheduled Coastal Voyages will be impacted by the move. A spokesman for the line tells us most displaced passengers will be moved over to the 11,204-ton, 475-passenger Nordlys. Those with suite accommodations, however, will be offered similar accommodations onboard Midnatsol or Trollfjord because the slightly smaller Nordlys doesn't have enough suites to put up all affected guests (Midnatsol and Trollfjord are nearly identical in size to Finnmarken).

If you are booked on a Coastal Voyage aboard Finnmarken, you needn't do anything at this time. The company will be contacting affected passengers directly.

Pandaw's Maiden Ganges Cruise

by Paul Strachan, Founder Pandaw Cruises

Now both the upstream and downstream voyages are over, I am taking stock and trying to work out if they were a success or not. My own feelings are mixed, as are the evaluations and reports we receive from the intrepid who came with us. Some say it was brilliant and others are asking for their money back. Where do I begin?

First of all we made it. For the first time in living memory, certainly since the 1920s, a passenger vessel made it all the way from Calcutta to Varanasi. That is 1,280km in 14 days. Given the challenges of low hanging power lines, bridge restrictions, high flow rates, dealing with bureaucracy through three separate states, etc, this was an achievement. Many said it could not be done. They said the same when we started on the Irrawaddy in 1995 and on the Mekong in 2002. Once again we cracked it.

On the plus side I would say the excursions are fascinating – there is a lot to see and do along the banks of the Hugli and Ganges, more than on the Mekong and as good as the Irrawaddy. The riverscape really is amazing – varied and full of contrasts. There are lots of dolphins and bird life is rich. The village people are warm and welcoming and there is none of the hassle you would expect of India. There is no doubt this is one of the most beautiful river cruises in the world. Given the mess of India’s land infrastructure surely the only way to see this wonderful country.

Read the rest of Paul's blog here

Cruise Weekly: Battle of the Mekong

If you believe the industry hype, river cruising is riding the rocket of small ship and adventure products in a rapidly growing cruise market. I tend to agree. The anecdotal evidence points to more travellers seeking out products away from the traditional sea and coastal routes and looking inland to the great waterways.

One of the most famous Asian rivers, the Mekong, is set to stage a great showdown as operators from all over the globe take on locals in their own “warships” in an attempt to outdo each other for market share.

For those who didn’t get an A in geography, the Mekong is the 10th longest river in the world and stretches 4350km through Indochina. Working backwards from the massive delta at the bottom of Vietnam, it cuts a swathe through Cambodia, forms virtually the entire western border of Laos with Thailand and Burma before disappearing onto the Tibetan Plateau through China’s Yunnan Province.

Unfortunately the entire length is not navigable due to modern dams, rapids and shallows and most cruising is restricted to the lower reaches and Cambodia’s Tonle Sap.

“The French had a good crack at it though,” Trevor Lake of Discover Asia reminds me, “but like so many early European adventurers, they were hopelessly under-equipped and it really was a comedy of errors.” (Read ‘River Road to China’ by Milton Osborne)

Trevor, by the look of him, has been travelling in Asia since forever and he makes several important observations about choosing a Mekong river cruise.

“With so many vessels and styles to choose from, and new ones launching all the time, travellers really need to discuss their plans with an experienced agent. It’s absolutely imperative that you find the right vessel to match your expectations.”

His company represents all the major cruise lines, many of the tiny ones too, and is one of the handful of agents able to speak independently for all products.

Robert Fletcher of Active Travel is another expert agency operating for over 25 years across the major lines who believes the Mekong cruise market is about to reach a defining moment.

“River cruising is a sound product and will remain so unless the Battle for the Mekong leads to ridiculous discounting and dilution of the concept and quality. I think 'The Battle' is on the brink - either the Mekong cruise market stays as a fairly exclusive experience with relatively high standards or it is reduced to a mass market, low cost, low service exercise with bums in berths as the driving force.”

The major players are:

La Marguerite, (main pic above) a brand new 46-cabin luxury cruiser, built locally to luxury standards and decorated to reflect the colonial elegance, although externally she resembles many modern river cruisers. Still some teething issues, but shows great promise.

Heritage Line’s opulent Jayavarman is certainly one of the most anticipated vessels claiming “a marriage of avant-garde French colonial design with enchanting Indochine architecture”. The launch date has been revised from September to November and its itineraries boast Angkor Wat and Mekong Delta explorations.

The well-known Pandaw cruise line operates two vessels, the RV Tonle Pandaw and the RV Mekong Pandaw. While they rate a more modest 3.5 stars, they offer a rustic elegance that is in perfect harmony with the surroundings.

Trevor’s tip however may not suit all types, but challenges how we view river cruising.

“I just adore the Toum Tiou vessels from Compagnie Fluviale du Mekong (CFMekong.com). In my opinion they are the perfect way to experience the Mekong, compact, personal and thoroughly authentic. My other favourite would be to take a luxury private sampan – just the two of you – and travel undetected through the floating markets and villages. Brilliant!”

Both Richard and Trevor seem to be saying the same thing: choose carefully, consult an expert and avoid the cheaper alternatives. Meanwhile the ‘battle’ rages.

Active Travel
www.activetravel.com.au

Discover Asia
www.discoverasia.com.au

The Westin Auckland Wins Gold For Being Green

The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay has been awarded the prestigious Qualmark Enviro Gold Award, New Zealand's highest level of achievement in relation to conservation and sustainable practices in tourism.

The five key areas of responsible tourism criteria this coveted award recognises are energy, water, waste, community, conservation, programmes and monitoring by businesses. The hotel's performance within the criteria was outstanding and all areas were thoroughly tested for compliance.  The Westin's environmental responsibility is an essential component of everyday operations supported by a dedicated Green Team who meet regularly to measure environmental outcomes, stimulate discussion of initiatives and monitor all current items.  In addition, as a way to give back to the community; employees donate their time to actively participate in environmental initiatives several times a year.

'We are very proud of this achievement, the entire team has worked diligently from day one of our opening to ensure the hotel has considered the environmental impact within all of our business practices'. 'The Westin Auckland is committed to making a positive contribution and providing a sustainable environment for future generations by being globally conscious and locally active' says Marcus Reinders, General Manager.

The Westin Auckland ends the year on a winning note having also scooped Best Accommodation Hotel at the 2009 Hospitality Association of New Zealand Awards, New Zealand's best city hotel in the 2009 Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards, and Best New Zealand Hotel in the 2009 HM Awards. The Westin was also named in the Top 100 World's Best Hotels in the Expedia Insiders List.

Fiji Boutique Cruise: A picture of beauty

Serafina Silaitoga, The Fiji Times

IT can almost blind you. If you're not careful about screening the beauty of Albert Cove and Ringgold Atolls with your naked eyes, then you'd certainly go blind.

It sits behind Taveuni and Rabi islands in the northern division.

The blending colours of the blue skies, crystal clear shallow waters, white sandy beach with a backdrop of green is breathtaking.

That's just how stunning and powerful nature portrays itself through the picturesque setting of trees, birds, coconut trees and mountains.

There is no village or people on the Ringgold Atolls, except wild goats while four families occupy Albert Cove.

The surroundings of both areas have been left untouched. Neither logging of trees, burning of bushes or digging for gravel and sand has ever been done in these areas.

The Albert Cove bay sits on the northern tip of Rabi Island where the families live in typical Banaban built bure.

Upon arrival, while on the Tui Tai Expedition cruise ship, I noticed two men walk out from their bure with a mat, which they spread under a tree while another walked towards them with a basin.

Grog session was the first impression I had and this is their normal Sunday routine after a prayer session in the morning.

With no church at the bay, the four families who belong to the Methodist church have prayer sessions every Sunday morning as part of their church service.

The group sat with their basin of grog on the beach and waited for the arrival of tourists on board the Tui Tai Expedition ship.

Although no special welcome ceremony was accorded for the guests, the villagers, some of whom travelled from Wallis and Futuna said the weekly visit by special guests was like a breath of fresh air.

"It's just us here with our children and wives and having visitors is like breathing fresh air, a different kind of air that comes from the town area," said Bill Naka'u, a villager at Albert Cove.

"Sure we live amongst beautiful scenes tourists come to see. When they come to see and breathe the fresh sea breeze, we get to meet new friends and know more about their countries and that's life for us."

The villagers have also seen financial benefits as guests buy bu (coconuts) and other fruits the villagers sell.

Mr Naka'u said at times the cruise company buys baskets of bu, pawpaw and bananas from them.

"We are happy to have them over at the bay every week because we want to meet new friends and they also help us financially by buying fresh fruits from our gardens," he said.

The clear blue skies on this sunny afternoon tempted a few guests on board to go out for romantic lunches on the beach.

And this is not new for the crew of Tui Tai who on every visit to Albert Cove set up tables at different spots on the beach for couples to have lunch.

Program administrator Losefati Ligairi said Fiji's nature particularly in the northern division is what tourists look for.

"This is paradise for them. It is exactly this beauty that we have in our own country that has attracted tourists from overseas and being involved in the tourism industry for 20 years, this is what I have seen," he said.

"Every trip to Albert Cove there is always lunch on the beach especially during beautiful sunny days and we have to prepare ourselves to cater for their needs."

Listening to our conversation, a group of tourists who were relaxing and sunbathing behind us nodded their heads as I searched for their thoughts.

"Yes, you people of Fiji are so blessed," said Enric Onzak, an American first timer to Fiji.

"You all don't realise just how special your place is until we come and tell the locals how indescribably beautiful your country is.

Onzak, 18, said he has heard a lot of locals are migrating overseas, for greener pasture.

"I understand people move for better living but when it comes to nature, I think Fiji just has it because this is not a normal sight back in my country although we have spots of natural beauty but not as good as what you have here in Fiji," he said.

"This is just so natural and the people of Fiji are so blessed."

The writer was a guest of Tui Tai Expedition Cruises

Blue Lagoon offers 30 per cent early bird’ discount on 2010-11 cruises

Fiji's iconic Blue Lagoon Cruises is offering huge savings on all three, four and seven-day Yasawa Islands cruise programs with the release of a 30 per cent "early bird" discount.

The offer applies to all 'Club' and 'Gold Club' programs booked for travel from 01 April 2010 until 31 March 2011.

The boutique cruise specialist's only stipulation is that all bookings must be made before a 31 December 2009 cut-off date to qualify for the 30 per cent discount.

The discount means prices for the 'early bird' start from just AUD318.00* per adult twin share for a three-day/two-night 'Club' cruise.

All Blue Lagoon Cruises programs include all meals and cruise activities ranging from daily shore excursions and snorkeling (complete with free snorkeling equipment) safaris to fish feeding, fishing and glass bottom boating.

Cultural experiences include a 'Lovo' feast, visits to remote villages, Kava ceremonies and a day spent at Blue Lagoon Cruises' private island of Nanuya Lailai.

*Conditions apply. Please note cruise prices do not include international airfares or beverages (other than tea and coffee).

See www.bluelagooncruises.com for all pricing and full itineraries.

For cruise reservations telephone Blue Lagoon Cruises in Lautoka, Fiji, on +679 666 1622, facsimile +679 666 4098 or via email on reservations@blc.com.fj.