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Shanghai
World Expo 2010
This
month sees the opening of the Shanghai World Expo which
is said to be the most expensive one yet and its size is
twice that of Monaco! It runs for a staggering 6 months
from the 1st of May until the 31st of October. This year
they are expecting some 70 million visitors! Well one should
hope so, considering that is only about 5% of the population
of China!
The
effort put into the pavilions is outstanding! One can only
hope in this “times are hard” economic crisis
the effort put in equates to the benefit put out! Here are
some of my favourite pavilions with their awards after an
internal vote:
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Dandelion
England Pavillion
Award: Funkiest Design |
Maldives
(do you even need to go there now)
Award: Best Virutal Picture |
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Heilongjiang
Pavilion
Award: I can’t pronounce your name but the ice
looks cool |
Madagascar
Pavillion
It’s nice but where are all the limas? |
The
show is looking great and definitely seems worth a visit. Why
not check it out and then take one of our tours to get to
know a bit more of China...
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Interview
with Local Transport Tour Leader – Shauna Quirk
What
aspect of tour leading do you like the best?
Being outdoors & the challenge that comes with the job. I
love interacting with the locals and seeing some pretty amazing
sights. Most importantly the best part of this job is the passengers!
I am able to share some amazing moments with my groups, and being
a part of that and having opportunities to make it extra special
really makes me feel alive.
What
is your favourite thing about being in South America?
The locals. They are always so hospitable and friendly. That is
why I love being a tour leader on Kumukas’ Local Transport
trips so much, because every day you have the opportunity to learn
from them.
The
best experience in South America so far?
The Amazon. Our local
transport tours spend 5 days at the Shangrila Lodge (Ecuador)
and include a variety of activities. Treks up river beds and waterfalls,
swinging on vines, canyoning through caves, visiting local villages
and my absolute favourite, seeing tucans & anacondas. After
a day of exploration we spend the evenings relaxing in hammocks,
or the more adventurous can let a tarantula crawl up their arm
and onto their face!
If
you could invite 3 famous people on tour with you, who would they
be and where would you take them?
1. Nelson Mandela on the Inca Trial. I could use his inspirational
words whilst trying to conquer dead women’s pass, plus I
think that man is absolutely inspiring.
2. Channing Tatum to the Amazon, so I could get him to take off
his shirt & whisk me from vine to vine.
3. David Attenbourgh, sometimes I feel that what I see in life
is like a documentary... it would be cool to have his voice overs.
If
you could travel on any of Kumukas’ tours outside South
America which would it be and why?
Africa! I think Africa is majestic in every possible way and always
full of surprises. It changes you. A continent has never captivated
me in every possible way like Africa. Africa offers incredible
landscape, amazing diversified cultures and a variety of wildlife.
Moments that are etched in my memory forever have to be Africa’s
people with their bravery and human spirit through adversity,
being woken by hippos, watching the migration at sunrise on a
hot air balloon over the Masai Mara, coming across a pride of
lions chasing and killing a wildebeast in Ngorongoro Crater, swimming
in Devils Pool on top of Victoria Falls looking down a hundred
meter waterfall, climbing some of the highest sand dunes in Namibia
and riding an ostrich in South Africa. If that isn’t enough
once you witness the exquisite colours in the sky at sunrise &
sunset you will always want to return to Africa. Click
here to visit Africa with Kumuka.
Lastly
what advice would you give to a client who is booked on a tour
to South America?
I would say bring a fantastic camera, bring double the money and
pack half of what you think you will need. Be open minded and
say "yes" to every opportunity because then you will
get to know the unknown. Be flexible and patient and learn about
the cultures. If you do that you will have the most rewarding
time and get the most out of your holiday with Kumuka.
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The
Proof is in the Pudding
Good
morning Lara,
Well 3 days back at work and I am struggling…
I can’t
thank you enough for recommending this tour, we had the most fantastic
holiday. The night on Halong Bay was unreal, Craig and I did hire
a Kayak, what a spectacular way to see this place. We survived
the night on the train, that was fun. We ate some amazing food
and so cheap and saw so many amazing things. The bike ride in
Hoi An was terrific and so was the shopping. We snorkeled off
Na Trang, wow what a day, Cable car in Dalat… I will stop
ranting now.
Kumuka
were brilliant, our guide from Hanoi to HCMC was delightful I
can’t rave about him enough. Hoi was his name, he was full
of history, funny, welcoming and went out of his way to make sure
we were all having a great time. He ate with us often and walked
the streets with us. I did shed a tear saying good bye to him.
The Mekong extension was fantastic too, our guide Qong was great
too. Loved the home stay. If you can pass this on to Kumuka that
would be great.
Vietnam
is a very vibrant country and all the cities come alive at night.
Well Bali July 2011 with the family so I will be in touch.
Thanks
again Lara, Regards
Peta Lunt
Peta
travelled to Vietnam on the Vietnam Discovered tour.
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Travel
Industry Shakes!
The travel
industry has been and still is, taking a big knock with the flight
bans erupting from the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland,
sporadically shaking her rather robust body, and is clearly feeling
a little unloved. Kumuka decided to make lemonade out of the lemons
and made the following initiative to combat her cries:
Kumuka
Ash Cloud Guarantee For Future European Tours:
In response
to the delays caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano
in Iceland, Kumuka Worldwide is pleased to offer all clients intending
to book a European tour a guaranteed 100% refund if they cannot get there due to a recurrence of the volcanic ash
cloud.
Brett
Wendorf, Head of Sales and Marketing, Kumuka Worldwide Asia Pacific
said: “This is a great guarantee for travellers worried
about making future bookings, especially if they planned on booking
a tour soon, given the uncertainty around when it will be safe
to fly again. It gives our clients and travellers greater flexibility
and peace of mind.”
This guarantee
applies to Kumuka’s Central Europe and Mediterranean Tours
only and is for bookings made up to and including 31 March 2011.
- Tours
to Turkey are excluded.
- Kumuka
Worldwide must be advised by travellers prior to the tour departing
if they will be unable to attend the tour.
- No-show
passengers will not be entitled to a refund.
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Plan
Ahead!
I
recently met a group travelling independently through the Middle
East while I was on tour with Kumuka.
Interested in how
difficult it is to travel solo in such a location, I got chatting
to them. I was astounded to discover that they had spent more
than double the time planning the trip than actually doing it.
They said the planning was still underway when they left! I asked
if they felt as if it was accurate, they said, "If I we had
more time we could have been more prepared".
They said
"There is only so much you can learn by reading, you really
find out what works and what doesn't when you actually get there,
we have found we missed so much due to lack of preparation".
For many
the endless days and nights of preparation and just hacking their
way through a destination is enjoyment enough? Kumuka Worldwide
started out that way back in 1983, we planned, we ventured, we
discovered. Then we went back, discovered more, ventured a little
further and soon became the experts in the area. Now over 27 years
later we offer 600 exciting journeys through 7 continents.
So if
you want to get into the heart of a destination minus the disappointments
then travel with the experts and let them do the planning for
you...
Vist
The Middle East with Kumuka.
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| Travel
Inspired Poem of The Month |
And
I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power
to give it physical expression, go out and explore... Some will
tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, "What
is the use?" For we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper
will look at research which does not promise him a financial return
within a year.
And
so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge
will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a great deal. If you march
your Winters Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all
you want is a penguin's egg.
By
Apsley Cherry-Garrard
To
find your penguins egg why not partake in one of our Antarctica
tours.
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Read
Kumuka's Brochure Online
Remember
you can read Kumuka's travel brochures online and not have to
wait for the post to arrive!
We’re
looking for the ultimate employee to join our team in Sydney…
do you know them?
We
don’t just hire anyone, we want proven winners
in the industry and we’re looking for a Kumuka Travel Specialist
to join our young and dynamic team.
Recommend
someone you know for this position and if they become a part of
the Kumuka crew then a AU$500 Westfield voucher is coming your
way!
Our tours
range from cooking tours in Thailand, yoga tours in Greece, expeditions
to Antarctica, through to adventure overland tours in Africa so
we’re looking for someone who lives and breathes travel!
Do
they have…
• At least 2 years retail industry experience
• A passion for travelling the globe
• Awesome customer service
• Excellent communication skills
• A go get ‘em attitude and driven to sell
• Friendly and fun personality
Then we
want to hear from them! And quickly because applications close
Friday XX June (please make this the Friday following when the
K-News goes out!) ! We’ll reward with a great pay packet
with uncapped commission in our fantastic team environment!
Click
here to download an application form.
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