Letters to the Travel Editor
More lobster
I had a good laugh over Winston Aldworth’s latest Flight Check [Travel, September 25] after he chose lobster thermidor while flying with Singapore Airlines.
I fly on a reasonably regular basis on an SQ regional flight which uses the 777-300 and I always choose lobster thermidor. On the 777-300 you can actually see what other people are eating, so when my lobster arrives I often watch as other passengers reach for their menu to see whether they missed the lobster! Good for a quiet laugh.
I’m looking forward to SQ recommencing the midnight flight from Auckland from late-October.
Keep up the good work, Tuesday morning starts with looking at the Flight Check reports.
With kind regards, Andrew Lister
The Travel Editor replies: Did I mention the lobster?
Bid for freedom
Oh, how I applaud Paul Davies’ opinion [‘Our poo stinks, too’, Travel, September 25]. I am not one of the young overseas travellers Paul is talking about but a 71-year-old retiree who exists on basic government superannuation, so freedom camping is the only way I can experience this wonderful country of ours.
I travel in — and sleep in — a very small car, having meals at our lovely picnic areas. I use public toilets 95 per cent of the time but occasionally have to use the great outdoors because there is no toilet within miles.
I recently stopped at 5 Mile Bay Reserve, Taupo. There were 25 campervans there but I was woken up and told to move on or face a $250 fine. Why, I asked. “Because you are not a certified campervan.” There was a bloody toilet less than 50m from where I was parked! It does not make any sense. The two guys were also very intimidating.
I am pleased to hear the Government is to look at this whole issue of tourism and pray they will treat the freedom campers with the respect they deserve. As Paul says they bring a lot of money into this country. We should not just cater for the “rich, fatcat tourists”. We need to cater for the freedom campers, be they from overseas or internal. Richard Parrish
The Travel Editor replies: Totally agree. An English friend of mine travelled through Australia before coming to New Zealand and was struck by the way small Aussie towns were almost competing for freedom campers by providing great facilities.
Altitude adjuster
After reading about Eleanor Hughes’ experiences in Peru [‘The El Nino effect’, Travel, September 18] suffering from altitude sickness, I used to suffer from this on long flights which caused the most horrific headaches and vomiting through lack of oxygen.
The aircrew knew what the problem was and would put me on a small tank of oxygen to breathe, and I would be fine. After speaking to my doctor, who recommended drinking more water on the flights, I consulted an aviation doctor who prescribed Diamox (the medical name is Acetazolamide 250mg) and have been fine ever since. It is a medication prescribed for mountaineers in high altitudes.
You start taking them two days before travel, with half a tablet for the first day. They make my fingers and toes tingle to begin with, but by the second day this has disappeared. I have recently flown on a 17-hour flight, then had a further seven hours of flying the next morning, taking the tablets as prescribed and had no problems. I stop taking them when I land.
I hope this will help you in future; it is so debilitating — and there is a medication available for it.
Bev Wilson