2007 July | First Time Visitors

Archive for July, 2007

Jul 28 2007

First time visitor in Switzerland

Published by First Time Visitors under EUROPE, Switzerland

As a first time visitor to Switzerland about 15 years ago, I was a young woman embarking on my first overseas holiday and naturally was very excited. I heard so much about Switzerland and the beautiful countryside so I was full of anticipation.

We were a group of secretaries that came together from all over the world and the holiday was partly sponsored by Swissair. We visited Zurich and Lucern and saw the usual tourist spots but what stuck in my mind for a long time was my first “encounter” with snow.. (by the way, I live in hot tropical Malaysia ). It was very cold but I was totally taken in by the white landscape and charming little villages.. guess you have all heard it before.

Well, I wont say the Swiss people are very friendly – infact I found them rather unfriendly and not warm like the sunshine back home!

No responses yet

Jul 24 2007

Air Travel in China

Published by First Time Visitors under ASIA, China

If you are a first time visitor in China and you want to cover the whole country (which might as well take you a year: my "hometown Hainan Island" already has the size of a country by itself…), air travel in China is the fastest and most ideal way to cover China.

Domestic air travel in China is well developed. The best way to overcome the language barrier when making bookings is:

calling your hotel’s travel desk to get your tickets or
getting the tickets at the airport itself.

Air travel in China is organized by 3 major domestic airlines. Apply for an air mileage card if you foresee a lot of air traveling.

No responses yet

Jul 20 2007

Traveling to Antarctica

Published by First Time Visitors under ANTARCTICA

traveling to antarctica I was a first time visitor to Antarctica a few years back..It was a trip of a lifetime although at that time when I was "summoned" to go by my boss as it was a company sponsored trip, I was not too thrill to learn that I was going to get seasick and the dates were going to clash with Chinese New Year celebration.

Anyway, we made the necessary bookings with Quark Expedition and we chartered the entire vessel for our entire group! It was pretty cool and well, costly too I must add..We were on Kapitan Khlebnikov a converted Russian research vessel designed for Antarctica conditions. We flew to Ushuaia and from there we boarded the vessel.

Once we were out in the Drake Passage, hell broke loose literally..The seas were very rough and there was no way we could stand up straight at any time..We all got sick -pretty sick I must add and since the journey via the Drake Passage was going to take all night, sleeping was no easy feat. My luggage bag and water bottles were rolling from one corner of the room to the other but I just did not have the energy to get up from my bunk to get them . I was literally tied to the bunk to ensure I don’t roll off the bed! It was a rough night but the next morning, we were greeted by the most serene of environment all white and peaceful. I remembered looking out and feeling very alone…(in a good way that is..)

The next days were spent in calm waters, getting close to the famous Antarctica penguins, landing on icebergs, helicopter rides and having a BBQ on the open deck of the Russian vessel..

The food that were served were excellent and we ate to our hearts’ content due to the cold except when the ship is rolling , we have sandwiches sent to our bunks and where we eat lying down ..going to the toilet when the vessel was rolling was another experience altogether..

We got back to Ushuaia safely and in one piece and my advice to first time visitors is not to take the cruise ships that is not really built for Antarctica conditions as the ship can only go to limited places and as such, you can only see so much stuck on a ship.