Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport opens. Wow?

by Abha Malpani on

The exclusive Emirates Airline terminal of Dubai International Airport opened its doors yesterday. The airline projects catering to 40 million passengers annually, so an exclusive terminal was a necessity.

With all the crazy developments in Dubai over the last few years, each one outdoing the other, it’s hard to maintain wow factor. Nevertheless, the new airport wing has been fussed about a lot, so here are the details.

According to an article in Gulf News’s Xpress: At a price of $4.5 billion, the terminal has taken 10 million cubic meters of soil (enough to fill 4,000 swimming pools), 33,000 tonnes of structural steel, and 450 tonnes of reinforcement to put the terminal together. It has 157 lifts, 97 escalators, 82 moving walkways and 27 truck lifts and eight “Sky Trains” that can handle 47 people each. Also, 8000 square meters of retail space has been added to the already existing 7000 square meters of the Dubai Duty Free shopping area.

This is the first phase of the 4-phase terminal that begins by operating 40 flights a day. When phase 4 opens in 2011, 269 flights are expected to depart from this terminal daily.

It has 30 self-check-in counters alongside 126 traditional check-in stations. Rumor is that you will even be able to check in from the terminal’s car park!

Dubai International Airport currently handles 40 million passengers a year; this new terminal increases its capacity enough to accommodate the movement of another 20 million passengers annually.

Gulf News has done a video walk through of this new wing which you can see here. You will not be surprised to see that it looks more like a high-tech 5-star hotel.

Disney Cruise Line heads to new waters in 2010

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve never been on a Disney Cruise. I have a couple of relatives who say a Disney Cruise is the best thing since sliced bread. Not really, but they’ve shown me the pictures of their swell time.

Disney is expanding its repertoire of offerings in 2010. Booking starts today, October, 14, for cruises to St. Petersburg, Russia; Tunis, Tunisia; Malta; and Corsica. There are several options.

One of the most involved, the 12-night cruise that heads to St. Petersburg, starts and ends in Dover, England and makes stops in Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Warnemunde, Germany. Each stop involves a day on shore, except for St. Petersburg which includes a day-trip to Moscow if you want.

After watching the video at Disney Cruise’s web site, I’d say that for people who want to travel with their children, but who don’t necessarily want to spend every waking moment sightseeing with their darlings, this type of cruise would be an option–not a cheap option, mind you, but an option.

Activities that are country specific are organized for different ages. Of course, with all the real castles that abound, dressing up like a princess (or a prince) and having a party where real royalty whooped it up is part of the offerings. I’d just as soon duck out of that party and look around on my own, but I bet that’s allowed as long as you make it back to port on time.

Evidently, Mickey Mouse even tags along making appearances at famous landmarks. Not really, but Mikey is in the video frolicking with kids at the Red Square in Moscow.

For the press release that lists each of the cruise options and dates, click here.

Monkey waiters in Japan a hit with diners

by Jamie Rhein on

Here’s a novel approach to providing customer service. At Kayabukiya Tavern, a restaurant just north of Tokyo, two Japanese macaque monkeys, one named Yat-chan and the other, Fuku-chan, fetch drinks and bring people warm towels to wipe their hands.

Dressed in waiter-like outfits, the duo are certified to work here. Customers love them and ply the monkeys with soya beans as tips. Because of animal rights regulations, the monkeys only work two hours a day, but according to this Mail-on line article, there are three more in training. Click on the video to see them in action. Some folks think the monkeys can understand drink orders.

Face to Face with West Africa’s Wildlife

by Josh Lew on

The Penjari Biosphere is a wildlife preserve in a remote corner of the West African nation of Benin. Like many such wildlife areas, it struggles with poachers and environmental problems, but tourism, in the form of photo safaris like the one in the video, is an important source of income for the area.

Even the most jaded tourist, wary of tourist traps and non-authentic experiences, would find a safari like the one in the video exciting. The fact that getting up-close and personal with wild animals is an attractive proposition is nothing new to the African tourism industry, but fully capitalizing on the tourist potential while protecting the wildlife for future tourism is the challenge. But, there are now economic reasons for creating a sustainable tourist model. The more interest in wildlife tourism grows, the more demand there will be for sustainability.

This video was taken in early morning, when the Penjari’s animals all head for the nearest watering hole. Check out the menacing elephant about a minute-and-a-half in.
Video courtesy of Boing Boing

Zipline canopy tour from the comfort of home

by Jamie Rhein on

It wasn’t until I saw this video that I remembered the whirring sound that the pulleys of a zipline make as they zip along the cables, whizzing people from tree to tree.

Although the quality is a bit grainy, the essence of the Hocking Hills Canopy Tour are captured here in just a few minutes. I posted about my personal experience a couple of days ago, but the video is a way to bring you along for the ride.

The people who filmed this, and posted it on YouTube, held a camera at such an angle that it feels as if the viewer is on the trip as well. There’s also footage of one of the rope bridges you walk across during the tour. After the last zipline, there’s a rappel down from the last platform to the ground. That part is also included. Plus, there’s a mix of music and conversation. Nice touch.