The great scrawl of China
OFFICIALS are to set aside a section of the Great Wall of China, on which tourists who feel the urge may etch their names without fear of being called a vandal.
According to The Telegraph, a section of the wall near the No 14 Fighting Tower building in the popular Mutianyu area has been set aside as a graffiti zone in the hope that it will deter tourists from scribbling and etching their names elsewhere on the wall.
Much of the vandalism occurs around the No 5 Fighting Tower and officials said there were plans to set up more graffiti zones there and at the No 10 Fighting tower soon.
Warning signs and anti-graffiti patrols had done little to deter vandals.
■ STAY IN BARACK’S GARRET
BARACK Obama’s old college digs are one of the current listings on rental website Airbnb, the Daily Mail reports. Staying at the little two-bedroom apartment in New York will set you back $135 per night. His digs are
one of many places listed on Airbnb that were once lived in by famous people. Rooms once occupied by people such as Ava Gardner, Charlie Chaplin, George Washington and Jimi Hendrix can be rented for as little as $85 per night.
■ TOURIST SURVIVES ON INSECTS
A GERMAN backpacker who went missing in Australia for three weeks survived by eating flies and bugs.
According to The Telegraph, Daniel Dudzisz was on a walking tour across a remote part of Queensland when he became disoriented by floods and got lost. The hapless traveller spent 10 days stranded on a patch of grass in floodwaters and survived by eating flies.
Police and farmers used helicopters, horses and quad bikes to search for him. He
eventually waded out of the floodwaters and was picked up by a passing motorist.
■ HOTEL SWAPS BIBLES FOR KINDLES
THE Hotel Indigo Newcastle in the UK is the world’s first hotel to replace the iconic Gideon’s Bible with Kindle e-readers loaded with electronic versions of the text.
Travelmole reports that guests will also be able to download their preferred religious books via the hotel’s free wifi.
■ MSC’s NEW FARE SYSTEM
MSC CRUISES has launched a new fare structure on its international cruises — not in the SA market — that links rates to facilities instead of the type of cabin occupied.
Passengers on the Bella package will pay extra for facilities such as room service and fitness classes, while those on the Fantastic
option will have 24-hour room service, free breakfast in their cabin, priority choice for dinner sittings and a 50% discount on fitness classes. The Aurea option includes a spa package, priority embarkation and unlimited drinks with meals. The top-flight Yacht Club Experience provides access to a private restaurant, lounge, pool and sun deck and 24-hour butler and concierge service.
■ AIRPnP RELIEVES THE PRESSURE
TWO New Orleans locals have launched a website to help visitors find relief during the Mardi Gras. AirPnP matches users with bars, restaurants, offices and homes where they can pay to use the lavatory, usually $5 or less, The Telegraph reports.
Mardi Gras is known for copious drinking but with few public conveniences at hand, visitors are often reduced to letting go in public — a criminal offence in that city.
AirPnP users can browse pictures of the amenities before plunking down their $5.
■ RUGBY CUP TICKETS GO ON SALE
TRAVEL packages for next year’s Rugby World Cup in England are on sale, The Telegraph reports. Packages from England Rugby Travel (englandrugbytravel.com) start at £179 per person, rising to £1 799.
■ GAUTRAIN EXPANDS
THE Gautrain network could be extended to areas that include Soweto, Sunninghill and Fourways, Travel Buyer reports.
The extensions, which will take more than two years to build, will include rail links from Park Station to Westgate; Sandton to Randburg and Honeydew; from Rhodesfield to Boksburg; and from Naledi to Mamelodi, with stations at Blue Hills, Sunninghill, Fourways, Cosmo City and Ruimsig.