26 January 2010

Irish attraction in Lismore

Jacobean gardens, heritage villages and 17th century old cathedral are the attraction of the small village of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland. For the more active visitors, Lismore has a horseriding centre and a golf course or cycling routes and for foodies out there the place has many eateries, local markets and pubs.
The city of Waterford is the home of a famous crystal factory so it is worth visiting it as well.

The Granary is a pet-friendly cottage in Lismore on a working sheep and cattle farm where visitors can make friends with Rosie the donkey. The Granary accommodates four people (plus pets) who want to spend a few days in this beautiful place.


20 January 2010

Help Dan Appeal

Cali is considered one of the most prosperous cities in Colombia. Located southwest of the country, the city is well known for its agricultural products: sugar and coffee industry has helped the city prosper. The city is also known for its rich heritage which is not based only on the colonial period where beautiful churches where built in the city. Pre-Colombian architecture can be found in Parque Arqueológico De San Augustín as well as Parque Arqueológico De Tierradentro.
Because of the economic standing of Cali, reaching the city is very easy for tourists. The city has an international airport and road network from various cities in the Colombia is also available. Tourists from other cities can easily reach the city by bus or through domestic flights.

The city was recently featured in the news because of Daniel Eley, a volunteer teacher in Cali working with street children who recently had an accident which left him with serious spinal injuries. His activities for human rights in Colombia and the rest of South America are praised by many which is why support for medical assistance and rehabilitation was made everywhere. Groups set up donation channels as they try to raise £90,000 which will be used to airlift to Daniel Eley to England for medication and rehabilitation.

If you want to support this noble cause please join the Facebook group HELP DAN.

07 January 2010

Ryanair’s New Payment Policies

From the start of the new year, the latest changes in Ryanair payment policy have immediately provoked more criticisim and blasts, which seem to have become a common reaction towards the Irish low cost carrier. Those who have found out that Ryanair used to apply to all credit cards except Visa Electron a £5 handling fee, per person per flight, only right after proceeding their payment because the total end price would not clearly appear at the end of the payment transaction, might have already raised complaints about the unexplicable £5 (given the fact that standard debit cards processing fees are usually £1, according to the UK Cards Association).

But those who have learned from their mistake and now pop out their Visa Electron cards, confidently thinking they are avoiding extra charges, have all the best interest to know that this does not apply anymore, since Ryanair have made new arrangements and have switched to MasterCard Prepaid as the only method payment without processing fees surcharges.

Of course, Ryanair was prompt to declare this is actually for the customers’ benefit as MasterCard Prepaid cards are widely available. Leaving this questionable matter on the side, what is pretty straitforward to see is that the low-cost company will be able to continue advertising their cheapest fares excluding the handling fees when, in reality, most of the passengers buying tickets will see a whole different story.