Flights have long been the worst kind of dead time. Suspended hundreds of miles above the ground, passengers are usually like cranky cattle forced to endure cooped-up pens and bad food. The logical way to pass the time was in flight entertainment.

The first movie was shown on a plane as far back as 1921 - ‘Howdie Chicago’ on Aeromarine airways. In flight entertainment really started to take off in the 1960s though. Pan Am was the first airline to have television monitors on its flights. In 1975 Braniff International Airways came up with the genius idea of allowing customers to play Atari computer games during the flight.

Sadly in flight entertainment has not got much better over the last 50 years. Virgin used to wow customers with its range of in flight entertainment. But the last couple of times I have flown with Virgin Atlantic the TV channels failed to work properly making an annoying transatlantic flight even more unpleasant. So all the latest developments to allow people to access the internet and plug in their IPods on planes are most welcome.

Alaska Airlines is to put Wi-Fi capability on their flights. Using Gogo’s 3G to WiiFi system, the price of the Wi-Fi will depend on how long the flight is and what kind of internet device is used. If you use a hand-held device such as a Smartphone it will cost $8 per day and this does not depend on how long the flight is. For a Notebook it will cost $5 for a red eye flight (a flight which departs late at night) and the price could go up to $13 for flights that are more than three hours duration.

Initially Alaska Airlines will trial the system on a Boeing 737-800 plane pending Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval. Alaska Airlines will then use it on all planes if it proves to be successful.

Internet and IPod portable music player capability is becoming a strong trend on flights. American Airlines, Air Tran, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada and Virgin America are airlines which already use Wi-Fi. New Zealand Airlines is now installing USB cables, and power connections for PC computers and IPods. This is a comprehensive service. It improves on the fact that some airlines only offer power at one source which forces people to switch off their devices mid-way through the flight.

Living in a developed country a petrol strike is not something that you are prepared for. If you are a foreigner living temporarily in that country and not able to read the local newspapers then it can hit you without warning.

This week most of the major petrol stations in the Mediterranean island Cyprus have gone on strike apart from Lukoil and Hellenic. That means that what is the third largest island in the Mediterranean only has 46 working stations while the other 230 are closed.A Cyprus resident Steph Simpson said on Twitter that the roads in the seaside town of Larnaca were completely empty due to the strike.

The strike is expected to last eight days. It was preceded by a price cap by the Cyprus minister of commerce and industry Antonis Paschalides. His plan was to curb the corrupt ways of petrol stations which are buying first and selling last. That basically means that they are not passing on any savings to the customer and instead are selling petrol at its new higher price, rather than the price they bought it at.
The new maximum price law is intended to put a stop to this.

The government decree has set out what is the most that can be charged for 95 octane petrol, 98 octane and diesel over the next eight days – 95 cents, 97 cents and 87.5 cents respectively. The moves were put in place after the energy ministry complained that the price of petrol was too high. They found that the price of petrol was disproportionately higher than when it had been when imported at the beginning of February.

Stephanos Stephanou, the head of the dealers' association, said: "The decision for a Cyprus petrol strike will be valid until the minister decides to repeal his price cap decree, which we are aware is in effect for eight days. The prices that have been set by the ministry do not make it worthwhile for us to stay open and do business."

Cyprus fuel prices are not regulated and the authorities are relied upon to keep an eye on them. The petrol stations depend on licensing from individual dealers.

You can find out which stations are opening in your Cyprus district by dialling 1492.
Despite the Cyprus Petrol strike Rhino car hire Cyprus is still giving our rental customers a full tank of fuel when they book with us. Prices are low and the weather is lovely at this time of year.

The world's worst roads

Sometimes you've just got to get where you're going, even if the road which stands in your way is not fit enough to hold a swine race. At that point you steel yourself and hope for the best. It's an incredible adrenaline rush if you make it to the other side.
Here's a look at the world's worst roads….

1)    Bolivia's Road of Death.

Never was there a better moment to have sent myself to sleep with a few choice Valium tablets. Our bus was hanging over a precipice in the Andes Mountains and, as my horrified friends contemplated their death on the rocks below, I snored peacefully. Aptly known as the Road of Death or El Camino de la Muerte in Spanish, this road connects La Paz in Bolivia to a smaller city. It has a high fatality rate but some amazing scenery if you make it.

2)    San Francisco's Lombard Street.

Roads in San Francisco need to be built on hills but when the hill is so steep that you have to to double back on yourself you should question the planning wisdom. Driving any faster than five mph on Lombard Street you could come a cropper. Has become a tourist attraction and just adds to the quirky charm of The City by the Bay.

3)    The Calle de Muerte in southern Spain

In terms of accidents the Calle de Muerte is hard to beat. This two lane motorway between Malaga and Marbella is full of people who are driving a lot faster along it than they should. Reckless locals, mopeds which shouldn’t be there and drunken tourists make for a horrible combination. You may even see people running across this road – actually an attempt to get to the other side rather than a morbid game of chicken. Just when you thought things couldn’t be any worse, there are cars which try to merge into 100 kph traffic from a standing start. Rubbernecking at all the accidents also causes more accidents.

4) The Col de Turini in southern France

Another popular road in mainland Europe is the Col de Turini in the south of France. The difficulty of driving this road has been recognised by the fact that it is part of the Monte Carlo rally championship course. Hairpin turns at more than one and a half thousand metres high are sure to have your head spinning. It certainly gave the Top Gear presenters a headache. If you are using car hire France be sure to get a four by four or a car which has a good road grip. The really adventurous may want to get a sports car.

5) The Judge Harry Pearson Interchange in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is notorious for its bad traffic and incomprehensible road systems. The worst of them all is a stack of layered expressways which make Birmingham's spaghetti junction look like child's play. The Judge Harry Pearson Interchange has four levels so make sure you known which way you are going before you attempt it.



 

The Pearl of the Caribbean goes by an even more beautiful name – the Isla Margarita. Although it lies in the Caribbean Sea, the Isla Margarita is considered a part of Venezuela. This small island only has one major city, Porlamar which is a 30 minute drive from Margarita's Santiago Marino International Airport. EU and American citizens will not need a visa to get into Isla Margarita and there are many flights which go from most of the world's major airports such as Frankfurt airport and London Heathrow. It is no wonder that Isla Margarita is so popular with Europeans as the climate stays warm all year around. That makes it great for winter or summer breaks.

Car hire is a great way to see the island and even if you don't speak Spanish like the locals you will not find it too hard to get around. There are also regular bus services though these minibuses tend to get quite cramped and hot. If you do hire a car make sure that it has air conditioning.
Mostly people come here to enjoy beautiful white sandy beaches such as the bay at Juangriego.

Climb the hill behind the bay, where an old fort stands, and you will see the sun dissolve into brilliant pink and orange colours over the ocean. Once the night sets in that's when the island really begins to hum with all manner of beach bars and restaurants doing a steady business. There are also plenty of night clubs.

Prices are cheap on Isla Margarita compared to some other Caribbean islands and you can get a meal for only 10 US dollars while a can of beer might only set you back 75 cents. The shopping is also duty free on Isla Margarita which is a huge draw.








Playa El Agua is the most visited beach on the island and with good reason.
Those who are feeling active may also want to go and do a spot of kite surfing at the Playa del Yaque. Nature lovers can visit La Restina National Park where fauna and flora live in the Mangroves.