If you can’t afford a first class or business class ticket on your flights this is one way to get yourself a horizontal experience on board an aircraft – although it won’t enable you to join the mile high club as it is permanently located on terra firma!
In December 2008 a converted Boeing 747 opens as the Jumbo Hotel on the tarmac next to Stockholm’s airport as a solution for cheap airport accomodation. It will contain 85 bunks in 25 rooms – plane seats have been removed – all 450 of them. Rooms range from basic / dorm-style with 3 bunks per room at £22 up to the luxury suite in the cockpit priced at £171. The controls are left in (but disengaged). All rooms have wireless internet and flat screen tv’s. Generally toilet and washing facilities are shared, apart from the more luxurious suits upstairs and of course the cockpit suite.
The Cockpit Suite
There is a small café / eating area were you can get snacks or heat up food – not that different to being up in the skies then. The plane has been named called Liv after the owner’s daughter.
The perfect gift for a plane spotter perhaps?
Photo’s courtesy of JumboMotel.com
Horror nights at Orlando Florida’s Universal Studios theme parks are meant to be the ultimate place for ‘grown ups’ (?) to enjoy a spooky Halloween themed evening. They take place on quite a number of evenings every October. Actors in all manner of costumes mingle and interact with the ‘guests’ in addition to several special Halloween only shows. I will be going to this year’s event and will post up a review early November when I return.
As this an adults only thing (really not suitable for kids) there are no discounted kiddy tickets available. Many of the tickets available are multi-night tickets (called frequent fear passes) and cost around $70 / £40 – but these do not let you in on Halloween evening itself – for that evening you have to pay extra. I I have found a couple of good deals if you are willing to do on a night other than Halloween itself:
Tickets for two adults for one horror night entrance (Sunday through Thursday) and hotel accommodation for 2 nights for $79 through Orlando-Florida.net
Single adult ticket for one horror night (Sunday through Thursday) for $45 through Orlando Fun Tickets
Many people are aware of The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, but did you know there is now one in Macau, South China? With China’s huge population, their national interest in gambling, belief in luck and the fact that Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal it was a pretty obvious place for Las Vegas Sands to locate the largest casino in the world. It opened in August 2007 (on a Chinese ‘auspicious’ date), and the developers state that the building is the second largest building in the world; others say it’s the third largest. But whatever – you get the idea….its big! A helpful comparison might be that you should be able to fit 90 747 jets inside.
Like its sister hotel in Vegas – no expense has been spared in the $2.4 billion project. Walls and ceilings are adorned with golf leaf, fresco’s and murals, floors are marble, there are countless statues and the ceiling above the shopping mall and canals is painted with a realistic sky effect that even darkens towards the evening. You can catch a Cirque du Soleil show while there or a concert or two.
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And you thought that radishes are only added to salad, - think again!
I must admit that on occasions I have been known to cut through the small round radishes we get in the UK, paring them into small segments – but not quite to the bottom, then putting them in a bowl of iced water and wait for them to open into ‘flowers’. Cookery lesson over for today…..
My artistic efforts are absolutely nothing by comparison with what you will see on ‘La Noche de Rabanos’ – night of the radishes.
This event is held on 23rd December every year, its origins are unknown, but researchers do know that on Christmas Eve in the 19th century markets sold varieties of vegetables and dried fish. Vendors vied for trade by decorating their stalls with sculpted radish figures that were further adorned with onions, turnips and flowers. The most interesting ones were purchased to the festive tables of homes on Christmas Eve.
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Tue 30th September 2008 at 03:11 AM, Filed in November
Here are trip inspiration’s recommendations for places to go and things to do in November before Christmas Madness really starts...!
For Nature &Wildlife:
Tysford Fjord, Norway – to see killer whales (orca’s) gathering in their hundreds before winter sets in.
Chitiwan National Park, Nepal - single horned Asian Rhino (numbering around 400) and Tiger (numbering 150) spotting. The weather is perfect at this time of year, although Feb to May is also good because the grass is shorter. The best way to travel through the park is by elephant
For a Family Holiday:
London – see the Lord Mayor of London Parade which is a great fun day out. - OK this is not necessarily a reason to plan a visit UK just to see this if you live elsewhere, but if you happen to be there at the right time…. especially if you get grandstand seats!
This is a pretty good time to visit Orlando, USA for the theme parks as they are not too crowded (although you may want to avoid Thanksgiving!). Arguably the best time to visit Orlando is October when American kids aren’t on holiday and the weather is ideal.
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