Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge

Another box ticked on my bucket list, or anyone's bucket list for that matter. Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge is a must do experience if you ever travel to Sydney and want to see probably the best view of this stunning harbour as you could ever get.
This is a three and a half hour adventure where time simply whizzes by. I can honestly say there wasn't one moment when I felt in the least bit concerned for my safety, although the onesey you have to wear may not be too flattering.
The climb can be done during the day, or at night when a whole new dimension takes shape.
You don't need any climbing experience, it's not physically demanding and you are attached at all times to the bridge structure.
Take it from me, this will be one of the biggest thrills you'll ever get.
www.bridgeclimb.com

Flying with Cathay Pacific today

Taking a flight with Cathay Pacific for the first time today. Voted best business airline last year, Cathay Pacific has been quietly rising up the ranks of the major carriers which comes as no surprise to many people in the airline industry.
The London to Australia route is one of the busiest in air travel and competition for passengers is fierce. Cathay's impressive Hong Kong base gives it something of a advantage over say Emirates who have to fly via Dubai.
Does the cathay service live up to the billing. We'll find out soon enough!

New Year's Eve in Istanbul

With over 120 years of history behind it, the Tarihi Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi , Istanbul's oldest tavern has celebrated quite a few New Year's Eve's in its time, nevertheless, the live Ottoman music, the great food and the non stop raki and wine ensured a night to remember for me.

Tucked away in a tiny street off İstiklal Avenue Istanbul's famous pedestrian thoroughfare in the Pera district, Cumhuriyet offers everything you would expect from an historic Raki Tavern, and by the number of locals packing out the place, it was clear to me i was in for an authemtic Turkish experience.

A hot and cold meze was followed by a choice of meat or fish for a main course with copious amounts of raki and wine inbetween. All this for 120 TL.

It was quite something to be in the middle of a throng of people all singing along with the band who were knocking out seemingly popular Turksh numbers, each one as incomprehensible as the one before. This was clearly a band who knew exactly what their audience wanted, weaving between the tables in a collective celebration of life together on the banks of the Bospherous.

At 2am we bid a sad farewell to our hosts and joined the rest of humanity strolling along Istiklal Avenue towards Taksim Square.

 
 

EasyJet switches to assigned seating

In a move I welcome wholeheartedly, easyjet has abandoned its first come first served seating policy (speedy boarding aside) and now assigns seats automatically to passengers who decline paying an addiditional fee to choose their own.

You can now buy the first and exit rows for £12 per passenger, rows 2 -6 for £8 per passenger and £3 for any other. Speedy boarding will now be reserved only for passengers buying £12 or £8 seats.

This is an entirely reasonable and dare I say it - professional move from an airline that has steadily grown up in stature since the appointment of Carolyn McCall as Chief Executive, a lady I know very well from her days at The Guardian senior management.

Whilst Ryan Air continues to forge its own path clearly intent on providing a service (which it does very well in my opinion) without a hint of customer service  (which it shouldn't in my opinion), easyjet has quietly raised its game considerably in the budget flight market.

At last we can kiss goodbye to that dreadful easyjet gate experience, where some passengers almost camped out in an effort to be at the front of the line, and speedyboarding got you on the bus first!

Full marks easyjet, for doing something for the passengers for once.

www.andymossack.co.uk

Samsonite Cosmolite. Can suitcases get any better?

First they told me it was almost bullet proof. Apparently it's made from Curve technology, which is used to make bullet proof vests. Then they told me it could withstand over 25 continuous drops from a great height, and temperatures of minus 12. Not wishing I’d have to endure any of those situations, I was much more interested that the Samsonite Cosmolite was one of the lightest hard cases on earth.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

 

With baggage weight even more critical in these days of budget airlines’ rules and regs, getting a case that doesn’t take up half your allowance before it’s even had anything put in it is pretty handy.

 

This is though, a case that’s in the premier league as far as baggage hierarchy and price is concerned, but you do get a lot of case for your money.

 

There’s four wheels for a start, so you get the option of wheeling it alongside you, or dragging it if the terrain is dodgy. The collapsible long handle is very robust, I mean how many times have you had to pull up your case by its long handle to see it break in front of your eyes? There are two more handles, one on the side and the other on the end so you’re covered whichever way up you want to be. There’s a combination lock built in to the chassis, and the muscular zip looks strong enough to contain your clothes and the kitchen sink if needs be.

Inside is a tale of two halves, on one side a zipped net ensures all your stuff stays packed away neatly, and at the same time protecting the other half from any potentially dirty objects. The other is left bare save for a small pouch for toiletries and a sturdy strap to keep everything in its place.

 

To complete the package, the case comes in a range of sizes and particularly striking colours, easy enough to pick out on the baggage carousel from miles away.

 If you’re looking for a hard case that will stand up to the rigours of travel for a long time, then the Samsonite Cosmolite ticks all the boxes for me and in the long term would certainly return your investment. Just remember though, extra durability is a balancing act between the potential additional space you won’t have for jamming in those last minute extras.

 Samsonite Cosmolite Spinner £340
 

 www.samsonite.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Valencia. Time to come out of Barcelona's shadow.

I was in Valencia last week and the city caught me completely by surprise! Not only does it have a charming old town dating back to the Roman and Ottoman periods, there's some stunning modern architecture, the City of Arts and Sciences is extraordinary and in particular Oceanographic, where I was a dolphin trainer for a morning!
It seems the economic downturn has meant many of the fashionable restaurants there are promoting very affordable menus, so visitors from the UK can reap some very tasty meals at rock bottom prices.

Introducing Panama: Much More Than a Canal | Fly.com Blog

Introducing Panama: Much More Than a Canal | Fly.com Blog  from Andy Mossack