Kilimanjaro

The main reason for choosing Tanzania out of all interesting places in the African continent was Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro had been in my mind as a must climb since I was a kid when we learned that it was a place on the equator where there was snow. The glaciers are melting today due to global warming and we decided to make the trip before it's too late.

Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport

We flew Singapore airlines from Singapore to Dubai and then Qatar Airways Dubai - Doha - Dar Es Salaam - Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro Airport is close to the cities Arusha and Moshi. We spent the night at Machame village with a local family where we got to know about local culture, food and a bit of history as well. The next day morning starting out at Machame camp we climbed for 4 days to reach the Uhuru Peak. On our way we stayed at Shira, Barranco, Karanga and Barafu camps. Most camps had sufficient space for our tents and for us to take a walk around.

At the Machame gate, all ready to go :-)

 

The way down was much faster, we took the route to Mweka camp and stayed one night there. The next day we reached the town of Moshi. 

 

The climb was rather easy for the most part. There's no requirement of any professional climbing training etc. It's just a walk. But what you need to watch out is altitude sickness. It is important to eat well and drink plenty of water. Our head guide Mussa was very concerned to keep a close watch on any symptoms among us of this.

Me and Mussa our head guide

 

Climbing is great when it's done with a group of friends. In my group were my university friends Gayendra, Dilmini, Gayendra's cousin Sonali and Dilmini's brother Shamintha. We also had a very nice crew supporting us including Head guide Mussa, Assistant Guides Rashidi and others like Bruno with whom we still are in touch. Tanzanians are nice friendly people. Kilimanjaro was definitely a memorable experience and I would recommend to anyone to attempt the climb.



The team at Uhuru Peak!

 

Check Your Hotel Out Before You Check In

Surely a nice view of the harbour bay in Hong Kong would tempt you to book that expensive room. Perhaps the room with a view of the golden gate bridge in San Francisco is ideal for a memorable stay. But many a time we often overlook details in a hotel booking that lead to a lot of stress and possibly ruin a good business trip or a holiday. Here we discuss a few important points that you can check with your travel agent to avoid disappointment.

Amenities Fitting Your Purpose

If you are travelling for business with a packed schedule it could be useful for you to book a hotel with a good gym which is open early morning and late at night. If you are on holiday a nice swimming pool with a Jacuzzi could be more important than a gym. When on holiday if you want to sweat it out it could be best done by jogging where you can explore the city. Some hotels have sauna, steam bath and many more facilities.

 

Breakfast!!!

There are many aspect of breakfast that you need to check when you book a hotel. Firstly it's important to know whether it's included in the booking. Some hotels could charge you anything between $20 to $50 or even more if it's not included and you want to add it later. It is also important to know the start and end time of serving breakfast. Often business travellers have to leave the hotel early and holiday makers wake up late and both miss the most important meal of the day. It's always good to be informed so that you don't miss important things in life

 

 Others

Other miscellaneous points to check include whether the hotel provides wifi as part of your booking or it's additional. If so whether it's for one device or multiple devices. Some hotels in Kuala Lumpur will charge around $25 a day for wifi access for a single device in this information age. Check-out time is also an important point to note before you check in. Additional charges could be imposed on the guest if you don't extend the checkout (if the hotel allows). These minor details make an impact for a worry free stay.  

5 Important Points to Check Before Buying an Air Ticket

Buying an air ticket has become a simple matter now. Gone are the days when a trip to the travel agent was required. However when things become simple we always tend to overlook important matters. Here are some of the most important yet easily overlooked terms of an air ticket.

01. Baggage Policy
Different airlines have different baggage policies. Some allow 20kg of checked in baggage and 7kg of hand carried baggage for economy class passengers. Some allow 30kg checked in and 10kg cabin baggage. In many cases only 2 pieces of checked in baggage is allowed. Cabbing baggage is limited to one. Typically a laptop, ladies handbag, umbrella are not considered as hand carried baggage. That means those will be allowed in addition to the "baggage". However certain budget carriers do not have this policy. That's the reason why sometimes on an apple to apple comparison sometimes budget is not really "budget". It is very important to read the baggage policy to ensure what you take with you to the airport can be carried to the destination without having to pay extra.

02.  Charges for changing your itinerary
Of course we want to cheapest fare for the itinerary we provide to the travel agent. Now a cheap ticket may come with certain restrictions. Changes may be strictly prohibited. In case you want to change it could be as good as buying a new ticket. Some tickets may allow you to change at a fee payable and subject to seat availability. It is useful to check with your travel agent the costs for such changes

03. No show fee
You could miss the flight due to traffic or probably overlook the after midnight flight date and arrive one day after the actual flight date. In such cases a no-show fee could apply. It is useful to find out what that no show fee would be and what's be the cost of a changed ticket. Usually a no show fee will not be applicable if you change the itinerary with the airline prior to the travel date depending on the terms of your ticket.

04. Online Check-in
It is useful to be able to check in online. Most tickets nowadays allow online check-in. If it's allowed it's best to find out the url for online check in. It allows you to arrive at the airport slightly later than those who have not checked in online and gives you a faster queue for dropping your luggage. In cases of overbooked flights which is a real possibility during long weekends and holiday seasons online check-in helps you to have peace of mind.

05. Visa requirements and Passport Validity
It is very important that you have the visa for your destination and the required passport validity (typically 6 months). Some countries require transit visa and if any of the requirements are not met you may not be allowed to board the plane. It's always advisable to purchase the ticket only after all visa have been approved from the respective authorities.

Check these and you'll be on your way to that perfect holiday, family reunion or the business trip that you planned. Happy Traveling!

Switzerland

The holiday in Switzerland was one of the most amazing experiences I had in my life. I spent a few days at Interlaken where a lake, mountains and snow make a beautiful scene that one can never forget in a lifetime. To add to that friendly people and an efficient rail transport service are just what a tourist needs. For those who yearn for spicy food there are Asian, Arabic and a good variety of other types of foreign food outlets.


The Top of Europe is a must visit if you are in Switzerland. It's a high-altitude building located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It overlooks the snows of the Aletsch Glacier from the south side of the Jungfraujoch, at a height of 3,454 metres above sea level.


Train rides on the scenic routes to many locations such as Montreux will give the nature loving explorer a treat for the eyes.


Some scenes can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrMGiFxlGvo 


More to come soon!

New face to airtickets.lk

await!!! airtickets.lk is coming up with a new face, best travel deals and exciting holiday packages...

Tours to Singapore

Guys, some awesome packages for Singapore are coming up. Please keep checking the http://www.airtickets.lk/ for more details.

Chinese New Year

The Chinese new year is around the corner. It is a period of great importance in Singapore. The Chinese zodiac comprises of twelve animal signs and each year is signified by one of them. The new year which is the year of the rabbit is expected to bring good luck and wealth to many depending on the day, month and the year of a person's birth.

Taking a break from my usual Sunday routine of meeting friends, going for a movie etc I decided to take public transport and go to Orchard road to see what's happening.

As expected it was extremely crowded with locals as well as foreigners flocking to all the shops to check out the best bargains. Most shops offered attractive discounts on clothing, electronic gadgets, sports accessories and much more

Orchard road was bustling with people and activity. Places worth visiting are the Ion Orchard, Shaw House, Center Point, Takashimaya and many other shopping malls by the two sides of the road. Some of the shops in these malls offer discounts upto 70% from the standard prices. Chinese new year shopping is definitely a memorable experience to the visitors from different parts of the world.