We had often discussed visiting Russia and decided one of the best options for us would be to cruise there and visit the other Baltic countries on route.

Our ship, Celebration, was due to depart from Harwich on a Bank Holiday Monday.   At that time we owned a small motor home and we decided to use this and stop overnight on route to Harwich to break up the journey.   We stopped at Colchester where there is a major army garrison.  John wanted to look at the barracks at which he was stationed in 1954.  It brought back many potent memories of his time there.


We arrived in Harwich about 11.00am which gave us plenty of time for sightseeing in the town as the ship was not due to depart until about 5.00pm.  Around mid afternoon we made our way to the harbor only to find there was no sign of our ship but just a long queue of would be passengers waiting by their cars.



We were told that the ship had engine problems and was still in Zeebrugge so could we return at 7.00pm.   So off we went for a sandwich and cup of tea and duly returned at 7.00pm but still no sign of the ship.  We were then told the ship was not expected to arrive until the early hours of Tuesday morning and passengers were being taken to hotels for the night.   Unfortunately because it was a Bank Holiday the only hotels which had vacancies were about 60 miles away.   Oh how glad we were that we had brought our motor home!  We spent the night quite snugly in the port car park.   Passengers who had been ferried to hotels were woken up at a very early hour to start the trek back to the port.  

Thankfully when we awoke Tuesday morning the ship had docked and boarding had begun.
So the cruise began.  The ship was good.  We chose buffet style food and we could always find something we liked.  The evening entertainment was brilliant – varied shows each evening.   We had a good amount of time to explore the ports of Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Warnemunde and Copenhagen.  The highlights of the cruise naturally were the two days spent in St Petersburg.  As we travelled into the city as a group with the ship’s couriers we did not have to obtain individual visas.   We fully explored the city and visited the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum and strolled around the Palace Square.  We boarded a small boat and travelled the scenic waterways. Another highlight of the cruise was travelling through the spectacular Stockholm Archipelago islands.  They stretch such a distance that the pilot had to stay aboard the ship for 4 hours which was the time it took the ship to reach the open sea.

 The most disappointing aspect of the cruise was that we should have visited Tallin which Val really wanted to visit but because of the ship’s engine problems and the late departure the captain decided we would not have enough time to visit that city.  In fairness to Thomsons, we did receive a reimbursement for the late departure and omission of Tallin from the itinerary.  But all in all a good cruise and we enjoyed all the ports of call.

John & Val’s cruise to South America on board the QE2

We had always wanted to visit South America but the thought of the long flight from England deterred us Then one day while reading a daily newspaper we saw an advert under the QE2 banner of a 31 day ocean cruise to South America and The Falkland islands.  We looked at the price of the cruise and yes it was within our budget so without any more a do we contacted the cruise company and made a reservation. 

We boarded the ship at Southampton on a grey day in November.  As soon as we stepped on to the ship we received a great welcome on board.  A steward personally escorted us to our cabin.  The cabin was indeed a bonus.  We had paid for an interior cabin but lo and behold we had been upgraded and we had a cabin with a view!  The ship was fantastic and it’s such a pity that it has now gone to ground in Dubai.  The restaurants were magnificent, virtually all the passengers went to a lot of trouble with their evening attire, the waiters/waitresses were immaculately dressed and the meals were superb. Afternoon tea was a great occasion in the ballroom with tea served from silver teapots, beautiful dainty cakes and sandwiches, and all served by white gloved waiters/waitresses. A real step back in time and so much more enjoyable than today’s rushed lifestyle.  An orchestra played every evening in the ballroom for dancing and we enjoyed nightly shows in the theatre.

Crossing the Equator was a great notable occasion.  Passengers jumped into the pools, horns sounded, passengers cheered and all received a personal certification of the Equator crossing.

Our ports of call included Tenerife, Gran Canaria Dakar, Bahia de Salvador, Uruguay but the highlights of the voyage were the day spent in Montevideo, two days spent in Rio de Janeiro and the day in the Falklands.   Rio de Janeiro is a bustling cosmopolitan city with so many places of interest.  A visit to the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Corcovado Mountain was a must.   We boarded a cogwheel red train at the foot of the mountain to the summit and we were entranced by the size and majesty of the statue and the fantastic view of the city from the mountain top.   Sugar Loaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach were two other highlights.

 The day we were due to dock in the Falklands was a beautiful clear sunny day.   Prior to arrival we had been told that on the last few visits the ship had been unable to dock because of inclimate weather.   But on this occasion the weather was definitely for us and we were taken ashore on the ship’s life boats.  The island was like a step back in time, so very laid back, and with a very small population.  A most enjoyable day was spent there talking to the islanders and hearing about their lifestyle.

Well in all we had the most wonderful 31 days at sea.  The seas were unbelievably calm for the whole duration of the voyage.  We thought we must cruise again and, yes, we have although none have quite met the criteria of this wonderful memorable voyage.


>>>>>>

White rhino Satara usually lives at Monarto Zoo in Adelaide, South Australia. But on Monday, December 8, he broke free of his enclosure and roamed free for a day before he was tracked down.



The 18-year-old male is thought to have become enraged at attempts to breed his former mate Yhura with a younger bull rhino.
Zoo chief executive Chris West said: "Satara is a teenager who can't control himself and in the grip of testosterone, he had to get out and try to sow his wild oats."
Satara was followed by helicopter during a 12 hour chase across the 2,500 hectare conservation park which only stopped when he was shot with a powerful dose of sedatives.
Even then his ranging hormones kept him going and zoo staff had to think about shooting him with more tranquillizers, a move which could have been fatal for the huge beast.

Because Satara had already fathered two calves, keepers at the zoo had brought in the other bull as a preferred breeding option. However Satara was able to smell the suitor and it seems that this provoked a pique of jealously. He only had one thing on his mind when he broke out of his enclosure.
Mr West added: “Clear we think this is to do with sexual urges. We can say what we think it is, but of course getting into a rhino's brain and understanding what level of emotion is there is quite difficult. They're not hugely intellectual."
Satara weighs in the region of three tons and crazed with lust, he was able to smash through a steel fence and electrified perimeter.


The rhino enclosure will now have to be rebuilt and reinforced after the incident which has also caused the zoo to stop their breeding program with his mate Yhura. Other zoos have also been warned about the possible dangers.
Monarto senior curator Peter Clark said: “That area where he broke through looked fine, but they are very strong animals and for some reason he decided to break it. We can't afford to have that happen again.
“We've fixed up the breach but until we get the fence to a new standard for bulls, we won't be keeping bulls out there.”
Satara was brought to Australia six years ago as part of a captive breeding program after he had been captured in Africa's Kruger National Park.

He is now part of the international breeding program for endangered rhinos at Monarto.
Mr Clark said an exhausted and emotional Satara took a few days to settle down and eat and drink normally again after his outing.

Rhinos are herbivores with a good sense of smell but bad eyesight.

Where can travelling take you?




I have always been a travel addict, and 4 years ago I decide to take a road trip around Central Mexico. Little did I know, this adventure would lead to a whole new online business.

I had been to Mexico once before, studying Spanish in the beautiful Colonial city of Cuernavaca, just South of Mexico city, and I had fallen in love with the people, the food and the relaxed lifestyle, so a return trip was a must, but this time I really wanted to see as much of Mexico as I could, and that meant a Road Trip with my Mexican friend Tania.

Being an Irish woman, travelling with a Mexican the trip was a combination of detailed planning on my part, and total chaos from her. We’d agreed the itinerary months before, and I sorted out the hotels and hired a car through an online car hire site in the UK. All she needed to do was to turn up, and get me from a to b to c…

Not surprisingly things did not go as planned...

It started as a well-planned trip for 2, but by the time I got to Cuernavaca and had a night out with Tania and her friends, it had turned into an impromptu trip for 4, which for starters meant a local upgrade on the hire car. Considering my limited Spanish, and a 6 hour time difference with the original booking agency, things actually went remarkably well and we were soon heading off on the first leg of the journey. First stop Puerto Vallarta, up on the Pacific Coast.

A hair raising drive through Mexico City and a 16 hour drive across Central and Western Mexico later (they’d led me to believe it was 8 hours otherwise I would NEVER have volunteered). And we were in Puerto Vallarta where we spent a wonderful few days including a fabulous New Years Eve on the Pacific Coast. Where else can you combine whale watching and fireworks with beautiful beaches and fabulous food?




After a week in Puerto Vallarta we continued our tour, taking in the stunning colonial cities of Guanajuato, San Migel de Allende, Puebla and finally the beautiful silver mining town of Taxco (our last stop before the return to Cuernavaca).







Taxco was beautiful. A pretty hilltop town of tiny whitewashed houses, cobbled streets, a breathtaking Cathedral, and amazing silver jewellery. I was so impressed with the quality and workmanship of the jewellery in Taxco that I bought a selection of designs from a young designer and decided to bring them back to the UK for various friends.



My friends loved the jewellery and after a few weeks of thinking about it, and a few emails back and forward between me and the young Mexican designer from Taxco, I decided to set up a small business selling this beautiful silver jewellery online. Corazon Latino started small, but it turned out to be a huge success. People appreciated the quality of the jewellery, and 4 years on, I am now designing my own exclusive pieces, made for me by the wonderful smiths of Taxco (as well as some fabulous pendants made for me on the shores of the Baltic Sea from natural Baltic amber), and selling them all over the world.

All thanks to that original road trip!

Things are starting to look up for 2009. After what can only be described as a miserable year (I had a great time but the world is in a particularly shabby state, even by our own shabby standards) hope is finally on the horizon.
There will be a tasty start to the New Year in Paphos, Cyprus, where attempts will be made to create a record breaking doner kebab.


Now I know kebabs are not British by origin, but they have certainly been adopted by that green and pleasant land and a greasy doner kebab is a prerequisite to having a good night out in an English city.
Unfortunately for most English people so is downing six pints of beer and a few alcopops so I can only hope things don’t turn ugly in Paphos. The sight of a giant doner kebab could provoke New Year’s Eve revellers to get into all kinds of trouble. You heard it here first.
Not only will your kebabs be super sized in 2009, but there’s a very good chance of finding a great holiday deal if you look in the right places.

According to the senior editor of Travelocity, Genevieve Shaw Brown, "As long as the economic slowdown continues, deals will abound for people who do have discretionary income to travel."
Hmmm, discretionary is an interesting choice of word. When have people ever had good judgement when it comes to spending money? But it hits the nail on the head, whether or not people have money, their yearly vacation will probably be the last thing that they sacrifice. Which is good, because what’s the point in living if we can’t take some time off once in a while to enjoy ourselves?

Apparently 2009 is that time, because of a combination of the lowest petrol prices for years (currently 0.77 in Cyprus) and a scramble by the travel industry to entice customers with deals.
Brown continues to say that travellers should see what they can get out of their hotel stay, whether it is discounted room rates or value-added promotions which are everywhere - free nights, free breakfast, or a free room upgrade.
Of course, should you find a deal one good piece of advice is to get it secured as many travel companies have been going bust recently. If you pay for a holiday with a credit card as opposed to a debit card then you will get your money back should anything go wrong.


Among the good offers an early autumn deal break at the three-star Perola do hotel in the Algarve which starts from £185. The seven night stay is on a self-catering basis travelling between the 1st – 18th October 2009 with Thompson Holidays.
Cheapflights.co.uk has return flights to winter holiday destinations in Europe such as Geneva, Turin and Toulouse starting from around £33.
And Last Minute can get you a stay in a four star Malaga hotel, the Hotel Riu Nautilus on a beach promenade, from £81 including meals at the beginning of January.
So get searching for all the latest deals and with the help of Rhino Car Hire you can look forward to a cheap and convenient holiday.