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Traveling Through South Africa

September 3rd, 2009 No comments

A vibrant and diverse land, South Africa is home to dreamy beaches, exciting wild grasslands, awe-inspiring deserts, and even some rather impressive vineyards. The tragedy of Europe’s invasion and exploitation of the land has evolved since the fall of apartheid into a rich melting pot of both European and African culture. On a simple drive you may find yourself torn between the contrasting sights of white and black architecture and culture, from Paris to Delhi and back again. For those who are unaware, Indians are a significant portion of the communities of South Africa that have a great impact.

Best time to visit South Africa: Normally, anybody can visit South Africa year round, as the climate is pleasant and warm. The climate is exactly the opposite of the climate in North America or Europe. South Africa enjoys winter during the month of July.

In South Africa, June to September is the best time for safaris and wildlife observation. Because of dry season or dryness, animals come out near to the watering places. It is the best time to watch and observe them. Krger national park and in the protected game areas of KwaZulu Natal, are the noted parks of South Africa. Temp is around 25deg C. during day. As compare to the day, nights are cool. South African summer is warm on the east coast. Its Indian Ocean plays very important role in maintaining pleasant role for whole year. Some times summer is very bad and tough. Temperature goes up and very difficult to live. This could make bearable by extreme dryness. The autumn has usually pleasant temperatures. Some time its rains in autumn. Occasionally Cape Town goes thru unpleasant southeast winds. This usually abates from March to April.

Autumn normally has good temperatures with a little rain, and during this season the unpleasant winds in Cape Town begin to come to an end. In spring there are cooler temperatures with a medium amount of rain. This season is a treat for flower lovers. During August and September, visitors to Namaqualand in North Cape and the western areas of West Cape can enjoy the highly praised and anticipated “Miracle of Flowers.”

Following care is a must while traveling in Johannesburg and in the capital Pretoria: 1) Preferable travel in group. 2) Don’t carry much cash while site seeing. Keep cash in your room only. 3) Get full information in detail about tour / program and follow strictly. 4) Never drive with unlocked windows and doors. 5) It is advisable to go for rent a car. 6) If feels danger of attack, drive off immediately.

While special inoculations aren’t necessary, if you’re visiting during the rainier season, you should acquire a malaria shot. Don’t underestimate the mosquitoes; pack long-sleeved shirts and mosquito nets. The hospitals are quite competent and the pharmacies have a wide variety of medicines, but you must pay for these things locally, so you’ll want to get health insurance before you travel.

Customs Allowances: Each person may bring a liter of liquor, two liters of wine, 2 packs of cigarettes and 250 grams of tobacco as well as 50ml of perfume. The unit of currency is the South African Rand. As exchange rates vary, you will need to check the rate when you are booking hotels or making travel arrangements. The major, international credit cards are accepted in all states. With your own credit card and pin number you can get cash at many cash machines problem-free. The FIFA Football World Cup takes place in South Africa in 2010.

Graham McKenzie is the webmaster for a leading South African Flight Comparison portal, to book a flight, simply visit our website at: http://www.saflights.co.za

KLM: National Airline of the Netherlands

February 26th, 2009 1 comment

The flagship carrier of the Netherlands is KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines, hosting a main hub at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and headquartered in nearby Amstelveen. Offering both domestic and international service, KLM-Royal Dutch airlines serves over 90 destinations, and is also a member of the world’s second largest airline alliance, SkyTeam.

KLM-Royal Dutch is part of Air France-KLM and also has an operating partnership with Northwest Airlines of the United States. The entire KLM group carries almost 75 million passengers annually, operates a fleet in operation of 607 aircraft, and serves 258 destinations worldwide. Air France-KLM recently purchased a 25 percent stake in the Italian airline Alitalia.

KLM-Royal Dutch is the world?s oldest airline and was founded in 1919. KLM-Royal Dutch operated its first flight in May 1920 from London to Amsterdam. The airline stopped operating during World War II. KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines has been accused of helping Nazi war criminals flee Germany after World War II, a charge the company denies.

Air France and KLM announced their plans to merge in 2003, marking the end of the oldest independent airline in the world. However, the merger did not impact KLM’s long time partnership with United States based Northwest Airlines, as both companies joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2004.

KLM gifts its long-haul first-class and business passengers with small Delftware, blue-and-white porcelain reproductions of old Dutch canal houses. The houses are filled with Dutch liquor. This practice started in 1952. There are now 88 Delftware houses as of 2008 (the airline?s age that year). A new Delftware house is added each year on October 7, the anniversary of the airline?s founding.

KLM?s frequent flyer program is called Flying Blue. Flying Blue members can earn and spend mileage points on flights and services of Air France-KLM, other companies of the SkyTeam airline alliance and assorted other financial, travel, and transportation companies. Flying Blue contains four membership levels ? Ivory, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Level miles are gained by taking any flights with an AF or KL code or flights operated by one of SkyTeam’s airline companies under the code of any other SkyTeam airline, or flights operated by Kenya Airways, which is a Flying Blue partner.

KLM?s past success isn?t protecting the airline from a bumpy future. The airline recently announced it will cut up to 2,000 jobs due to lower ticket sales and lower cargo volumes. The cuts represent three percent of the KLM workforce. KLM also plans to reduce its airline capacity by two percent in summer 2009. KLM lost $653 million dollars in the quarter ending December 31, 2008. Airline officials say they haven?t ruled out future cuts or reductions as they look to stabilize their business and return the airline to profitability.

An airline watchdog group based in Australia, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, announced in February 2009 that it is suing Air France-KLM over price fixing allegations. KLM denies the charges and will defend against the suit. British Airways and Qantas were recently fined $5 million and $20 million over similar price fixing allegations.

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