More good work by Led by Donkeys

thick as :poop: would serve equally well…

Gareth

7h

My worst experience with airports has been … and Oliver Tambo, Joburg.

You didn’t used to be able to get there by public transport - private car or taxi (but I think Limoges still has that problems, so one shouldn’t be to critical of OT) Mind you, finding on airport parking can be difficult, but if you do it’s cheap.

Ah, I’ve only ever transited through Joburg on my way to stay with friends in PE. Cape Town is next on my list to visit, along with Knysna.

I was warned about the people in Oliver Tambo who’ll spot the tourists and offer to carry their suitcases… and then expect to be paid when you arrive at check-in. However during my first trip, just after passing through immigration, I felt this hand on my shoulder and was ushered to one side by a smartly dressed gentleman… I thought I had perhaps brought something with me that I shouldn’t have. After a while I was pushed into a seat, at which point the guy got out a rag, spat on it and then started cleaning my shoes :grin:

No of course we don’t because we have damn all else to think about but people from the septic isle, jeeeeeezzzzz.
They aren’t the centre of our world you know they really aren’t.
Really.
Yes really.

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The ‘Mother City’ is one of my very favourite top five ,cities, whereas Knysna’s a bit chi-chi, but still worth a stop-over.

An essay of mine on CT written for a friend’s exhibition catalogue:-

(27) Imagine the City | Mark Haywood - Academia.edu

However, the much touted Knysna warm water Indian Ocean oysters don’t compare to the cold water Namibian oysters you’ll get in Cape Town.

Just looked at an aerial map, and the booths that were shown on tv were the check-in booths. The frontier posts are quite a way away from check-in. The frontier post is about 1/3 the size of the check-in area.

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Fair enough. Thanks for your honest view. As a consequence I suppose that I’d best make a start passing the word around to tell them not to bother.

If this survey is anything to go by, France prefers to attract American tourists because they spend more.
Or Germans.
Brits are cheapskates.
I wonder why the Dutch were not included in the survey. They enjoy their holidays.

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But they hate spending money. In my experience, money trumps everything (loyalty, friendship, trust, reason, common sense) for the Dutch

I think it would be logical to attract American tourists as those who have spent the most on making their journey, are likely to have the most to spend once they arrive. No doubt the American habit of proffering a 10 to 15% tip for service is also well appreciated.

Yes I’ve always heard that the American and Chinese tourist markets provide the bulk of French tourist income.

Probably the main factor here is that it costs Americans a lot more to get here - so those that visit are likely to be of a wealthier market segment. Visiting Brits are not so likely to be super-wealthy.

Generalising a relatively small sample into a national characteristic is myopic - and similarly generalising the problems at Dover as off-putting all Brits is typically London-centred. We’ve been talking to all this summer’s UK guests - informing them that guests so far have had few problems crossing from other ports. The general view is not ‘avoid France’, but simply ‘avoid Dover’.

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There’s a village near us where the holiday homes are predominantly owned by Dutch people. The local commercents often complain that they contribute very little to the local economy. The even bring their groceries down with them, they say :roll_eyes:

A large extended Dutch family run a gite complex in our commune and the majority of their guests are from the Netherlands, the guests never leave the complex because the owners have created a mini ‘holiday camp’ with a bar/cafe and shop (all hush, hush). OH and I are friends with the couple who run it and as the husband says ‘it’s a business and the main purpose is to make money’.

Don’t forget Addo…

Oh yes, I went there during my first visit to SA which was for my 40th birthday. For someone coming from Swindon it was absolutely stunning!

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