Driving from London to Cape Town for charity

by Kraig Becker on

When it comes to epic road trips, it’s tough to beat the one that Mac Mackenney, Chris Rawlings and Steve Mackenney set out on last weekend. The adventurous trio of Brits hit the road in their trusty Range Rover Discovery in hopes of breaking the speed record for driving from London to Cape Town, South Africa. In order to accomplish that feat, they’ll need to reach their destination in less than 13 days, 8 hours, and 48 minutes.

The journey will take the men through three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) and into 21 countries, covering more than 10,000 miles in the process. If they hope to set a new record however, they’ll have little time for sightseeing. The three men will take turns driving, and will barely stop at all along their route.

While they are undertaking their Max Adventure for the challenge of it, they’re also looking to do some good as well. Mac, Steve, and Chris are hoping to raise funds for the Help For Heroes organization, a charity foundation dedicated to offering practical assistance to British soldiers that have been injured in the line of duty. The trio hopes to raise as much as £10,000 (Roughly $15,500) during their trip.

You can follow the progress of the expedition on the team’s website, which includes two clocks, one showing the elapsed time of their drive and another showing how much time they have left to beat the old record. After a week of driving, the boys are in Africa and speeding south, but they still have a long way to go before they reach Cape Town.

This seems like the ultimate road trip to me. Lets grab some drinks and munchies and load up in the Land Rover!

Hello Kitty theme park opens in Tokyo

by Leigh Caldwell on


If you’re a lover of all things Hello Kitty, there’s good news today. Hello Kitty Kawaii Paradise has opened in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.

The 10,000-square foot attraction is being called an indoor theme park, but it’s a pretty small space to accommodate any kind of ride or show. Kawaii Paradise does have a theater with Hello Kitty cartoons projected onto a domed ceiling, a restaurant that serves Hello Kitty pancakes, and that bastion of all theme park values, the gift shop.

There are two other theme parks — Sanrio Puroland and Harmonyland — dedicated to Hello Kitty and other characters in the Sanrio universe. But this is the first park where Hello Kitty does not share the marquee with her friends.

Kawaii (which means “cute” in Japanese) Paradise is in the growing Venus Fort shopping complex. The park’s operator, PleasureCast, says it expects to top 700,000 visitors in the first year of operation.

[Image credit: Flickr user Stephen Hucker]

North Korea: flight attendants redefine customer service

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s no shortage of gripes among both business and leisure travelers about the level of service we receive from the airlines. We’ve all had our shares of miserable customer service experiences, from bad experiences with orange juice to getting bumped by the beverage cart. Yet, nothing compares to what you experience on Air Koryo, it seems.

There’s only one airline that flies in and out of North Korea. From Beijing to Pyongyang and back, Air Koryo takes care of everything you need. Yet, unique characteristics of the hiring process lead to a vastly different experience from that found here in the United States. The planes are described as “rickety,” and one can assume there will be little more than the basics (well, this part is just like home).

%Gallery-105693%Randy Schmidt, cameraman and editor for CBS News, recounts his recent exchange with a flight attendant on Air Koryo:

“Where are you from?” the North Korean flight attendant asks me.

“I’m American, but I live in Japan.”

“I hate America! I hate Japan! What would you like to drink today, sir?” she said.

Perhaps it was because the flight was international, but at least the guy got a beverage!

Schmidt further observes:

The comment is not personal. North Koreans are schooled to believe that America and Japan are enemies, but that hatred is directed at the governments of those countries, not at individuals.

[photo via Wikipedia]

Discovery Adventures announces new trips for 2011

by Kraig Becker on

Discovery Adventures, the Discovery Channel’s foray into the travel industry, announced a number of new destinations last week, offering travelers several new adventurous options for 2011. Sticking to the themes of their previous excursions, these new itineraries offer cultural and historical immersion in some of the most exotic and spectacular places on the planet.

The company has partnered with Gap Adventures, one of the top adventure travel companies in the world, to help deliver some amazing new trips to such destinations as Japan, Kenya, Greece, Italy, France, Turkey and Indochina. The trips range in duration from 8 to 15 days and include comfortable accommodations and a selection of amenities to choose from, as well as some unforgettable experiences that can’t be found anywhere else.

The new trips include Classic Japan, during which travelers will have the opportunity to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park, explore an ancient Japanese castle, and visit the famous Geisha District. The new Kenya Wildlife Safari visits the Great Rift Valley and the Masai Mara Game Reserve in search of lions, elephants, and the rare black rhino, while the Historic Footsteps Through France tour takes visitors to the beaches of Normandy and the wine country of the Loire Valley.

Additionally, Discovery Adventures has also teamed with the Planterra Foundation, a non-profit organization that looks to have a positive impact on destinations around the globe through a series of voluntourism opportunities. These trips allow travelers to visit some distinct, and often remote, destinations, while working on important community building projects. These trips deliver an amazing cultural experience unlike any others, as travelers get to see the direct and immediate impact of their work on the places that they visit.

For a complete list of these new adventure travel options, as well as their existing catalog of trips, go to DiscoveryAdventures.com, and start planning your adventures for 2011.

Flight attendants find dead Filipino passenger in Gulf Air lavatory

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The cause of death – including suicide – still isn’t clear, but the facts are. Gulf Air flight attendants found a 36-year-old Filipino passenger dead in the plane lav today; he was flying home to Manila from Bahrain. Attempts to revive him using CPR were unsuccessful.

The event occurred on Gulf Air flight 154, and is the second strange lav event in as many months. In September, according to the Associated Press, an abandoned baby was found in the trash bin after a Filipino maid gave birth in the lav. This time, however, the outcome was life, as airport doctors were able to save the child.

The passenger‘s wife and relatives had traveled to the airport to meet him.

[photo by advencap via Flickr]