Rivers Travel

The Blue Train operates the 27 hour trip from Pretoria and Cape Town. One thousand six hundred kilometres (994 miles) of some of the most diverse and magnificent scenery in Africa. Tourists experience a luxury service on the Blue Train consisting of wonderful food and spacious cabins. It has been operating since 1939 and still has its trademark blue locomotives, carriages and leather seating.

It was started Union Limited and the Union Express, which, from 1923, connected Johannesburg together with the mail ships departing from Cape Town for England. In days gone by once the Union Castle liner docked at Cape Town, passengers could take the Blue Train for their onward journey to Johannesburg.

The new Blue Train is one of the finest rail experiences in the world. In 1947 for the three month long tour by the British Royal Family, the Blue Train received 8 ivory-painted air-conditioned carriages from The UK, three of which were put together to Blue Train sleeping car standards, while the other 5 were unique saloons to be used by the Royal Family.

The suites offer magnificence and splendour. The Blue train brings you to a world of exquisite living, fusing the appeal of rail travel and a grand hotel. Much of the allure is based on its past and it can very easily lay claim to being certainly one of the top three high-class trains worldwide.

An a la carte South African food selection is simply part of the Blue Train service which also features butlers attending your each and every need as well as a deluxe suite. Taking merely 2 days, the Blue Train travels from Pretoria to Cape Town and return.

Menus offer a range of the finest local food, eating on board the Blue Train is a gastronic experience. Choose from Karoo lamb and ostrich fillet to Knysna oysters – alongside award-winning cultivars from the Winelands of the Western Cape. The royal blue menus with their gold twine reflect the district through which the Blue Train guests are venturing.

All this served on the finest bone china in white, cut-crystal and traditional silver utensils engraved with the customary “B” insignia. Fine South African wines compliment a gourment food selection provided in a classy ambiance making dinner a superb experience on the Blue Train. This is a showcase for the wines from the region.

The Blue Train connects Pretoria and Cape Town a couple of times per week but these days is aimed at tourists. Guests are offered an out of the ordinary journey in magnificent style and comfort they will remember for a long time. The romance of the Blue Train  brings first time travellers and returning guests to experience its alluring charms.

The boutique on board is a treasure trove of gems and minerals as diverse as Africa itself. Unique branded gifts are presented to guests at the end of their journey, passengers receive a sherry glass engraved with the Blue Train logo.

 

Backpacks are convenient! That’s why we use them. We all find some situation where a backpack is useful. It may be to help us travel light on a round the world journey, or going hiking for a week along our local coast or countryside.

No need for a heavy suitcase. Some travellers have mastered packing a backpack down to a fine art. It is amazing what you can pack into something so light and small. You can walk anywhere with a backpack on your shoulders – where a suitcase would make things really difficult.

How do you buy the right backpack? There are a number of factors to consider. The first consideration is comfort. You are going to have an intimate relationship with your backpack, it will follow you everywhere.

So, does it fit comfortably around your shoulders? Is the material or fabric right for your use? It is advisable that you try the backpack before actually buying it.

Another point to consider is space. Does the bag have enough compartments? Will you be able to fit your stuff into it neatly? It is obvious that no one wants to carry a backpack, which does not allow the fitting in of necessary items.

Then you need to consider quality. The backpack needs to be hard wearing and durable. You can still look at the price. It is not necessary to pay the top prices which could be a few hundred dollars. But you get what you pay for! What you are looking for is value for money. Does it have what you want for a price you can afford? Superior quality brands might be Samsonite, High Sierra, The North Face, Columbia Sportswear, Dakine, Juice Bag, Adidas, Jan Sport, Nike, Under Armour, and Oakley.

You might want your backpack to communicate your personality and there are many colours and styles you can look for – fresh colours like orange, yellow, pink and red. There is a backpack to suit every taste and budget. Why not join the many travellers who are being converted to this convenient luggage – don’t leave the joys of backpacking just to the backpackers!

Surfers Paradise, a place where the city meets the sand and surf. You can get the best of both worlds.

Walking through the streets of Surfer’s Paradise allows you to experience everything that a big city has to offer; beautiful boutiques, wonderful cafes and restaurants, great entertainment, and art galleries. In short, something for everyone. There are some amusement parks, the region’s largest Gold Coast, as well as for those who want to spend a day at the horses.

There are good places to stay throughout this region, from basic backpacker hostels to the most elaborate resorts. There are serviced apartments and a variety of hotels. There is something to suit every budget from single travellers to families. Wherever you decide to stay, there will be a great atmosphere.

You may want to build your holiday or time your visit around some of the many events that take place throughout the year. The Indy Races and Surfer Championships are just two. These events draw out the crowds and many flock to this region to take part or watch. Sporting events take on a new life when experienced in this amazing region.

So, be sure to visit The Gold Coast when planning your Australia trip, you won’t regret it.

25 April 2011 Last updated at 20:10 GMT

Volcanic ash air shutdown the ‘right’ decision
By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News

Ash plume from Eyjafjallajokull (Photo Árni Sæberg) The eruption shut down European airspace in April 2010

Concerns about aircraft safety during the eruption of an Icelandic volcano in 2010 were well founded, according to a new scientific study.

Ash particles from the early phase of the eruption were small and abundant, posing a potential threat to aircraft flying through the cloud.

Such particles could have melted inside jet engines, potentially causing them to fail mid-flight.

The work by an Icelandic-Danish team is published in PNAS journal.

“The particles were so small they travelled a longer distance from the volcano and remained in the area where the airplanes fly for a much longer time” – Susan Stipp University of Copenhagen

The analysis also reveals that ash particles from early in the eruption were particularly sharp and abrasive.

The outpour of ash from Eyjafjallajokull caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War II, with losses estimated at between 1.5bn and 2.5bn euros.

Some 10 million travellers were affected by the shutdown.

The latest research was carried out by researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the University of Iceland in Reykjavik.

Senior author Susan Stipp, from Copenhagen University, told BBC News: “I think the really important parts of it are: Number one, the aviation authorities were absolutely right in closing airspace.

“Number two, we have presented a protocol so that, if answers are needed quickly in future, they can be had.

“Then the data that are produced can be put into models to determine how far, how high and how wide the ash will spread that will be based more on fact than on guesswork.”

The researchers analysed the sizes and structures of ash particles using a variety of techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.

They compared ash that was ejected in the early, explosive phase of the eruption with ash from a later, more typical eruption of the volcano.

“There’s no way they could have allowed those aircraft to keep flying when it first happened… The amount of time it took to get going again is debatable” – Stewart John Fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering

The ash ejected in the early phase was light and powdery. The more typical ash thrown out in the later stages was more granular, with the consistency of dry sand.

“The ash that was ejected in the first few days was so fine-grained because it was produced by an explosive eruption,” Dr Stipp told BBC News.

“The meltwater from the glacier on top of the volcano ran down into the crater, chilling the magma and then the pressure from underneath caused an explosion. So the particles of ash were very fine-grained and very sharp compared to normal ash.

“The smaller the particles, the slower they come back down again. Normal ash is usually settled as it moves away from the volcano. But because the particles were so small, they travelled a longer distance from the volcano and remained in the area where the airplanes fly for a much longer time.”

Modern aircraft engines operate at temperatures of around 2,000C. Dr Stipp says the glassy particles in the ash cloud start to soften at about 800C.

“By 1,000C, they are melted. And because they are so small, they melt faster. It’s like when you have a drink with one big ice cube. The ice cube will stay around, but when you crush it, it melts quickly,” she explained.

Stewart John, an expert on aircraft safety and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, told BBC News: “There’s no way they could have allowed those aircraft to keep flying when it first happened. That was absolutely the right, safe decision, because no one knew any better.

But he added: “The amount of time it took to get going again is debatable.”

In 1982, a British Airways 747 flew through an ash cloud during the eruption of Mount Galunggung in Indonesia. The ash sandblasted all the surfaces of the aircraft and caused all four jet engines to cut out when the melted ash coated their interior.

Luckily for the 263 passengers and crew, the pilot was able to re-start three of the engines after they cooled during descent. He was able to land by peeking through a 2-inch strip on the side window that had avoided sandblasting.

“I saw those engines when they were stripped down and it was quite frightening,” said Mr John.

“There is no way you can fly through it if it’s thick and dense. On the other hand, even when you try to avoid it, it’s there in the atmosphere and it causes progressive damage [to the aircraft].

“But you can live with that because you can monitor it.”

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk