Green markets, farmers’ markets, fresh markets, wet markets — whatever you call them, these are the places that make Walmart, Tesco and other supermarket chains look like crimes against cuisine. Often centuries old but full of freshness, markets are usually packed with dozens of vendors and worth visiting even if you have no intention of cooking anything yourself on your vacation. [Read more...]
5 Best Fresh Markets In The World
Green markets, farmers’ markets, fresh markets, wet markets — whatever you call them, these are the places that make Walmart, Tesco and other supermarket chains look like crimes against cuisine. Often centuries old but full of freshness, markets are usually packed with dozens of vendors and worth visiting even if you have no intention of cooking anything yourself on your vacation.
1. La Boqueria: Barcelona, Spain
Believed to have originated in the 13th century as a pig market, the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria has grown into one of the finest outdoor markets in the world. It’s home to fishmongers, butchers, cheesemongers, greengrocers and dozens of small charcuterie shops specializing in Spanish hams and cured meats. With an entrance off busy La Rambla, La Boqueria is a popular spot to stop for lunch. [Read more...]
Cities Where People Spend The Most For Business Travel
Which city do business travellers spend the most time? According to Concur, a provider of travel and expense management services, London tops the list, followed by Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing and then Toronto. The Concur survey also shows that business travel is getting more expensive due to increasing airfares, pricier hotels and costly ground transportation such as taxis.
London
Contrary to popular belief, the city ranks sixth on the list of the world’s most expensive cities, but only Sydney beats London when it comes to the average amount spent on a hotel room — it’s even more expensive than Dubai.
Shanghai
Located on China’s prosperous eastern shoreline, the city is the gateway to the country’s manufacturing heartlands. While lodging, dining and entertainment tend to be less expensive than in London, business travellers spend slightly 16% more on car rental in Shanghai.
Singapore
In the English-speaking financial hub for Southeast Asia, now a gateway to booming, resource-rich Indonesia, it is fairly economical to get around either by taxi, car rental or public transport. Yet business travellers to Singapore tend to spend slightly more money on dining out than travellers to London.
Beijing
“Many clients have long established business relationships here that must be nurtured by regularly making sales visits,” said Peter Muller, chief operating officer for Europe at ATPI, a travel management company. In Beijing, car rental is more expensive than London, but lodgings are nearly half the price.
Toronto
As the gateway to North America’s natural resources industry (mining, energy, oil and gas), Toronto has been getting increasingly popular as a place to do business. Pricewise, accommodation is competitive, but when it comes to entertaining and dining out, Canada’s financial hub is even more expensive than London.
Have you conducted a business travel to any of these places? Tell us of your experience!
Source: BBC News Travel
Image: Reuters
Sleepy Air Canada Pilot Mistakes Planet Venus For Oncoming Plane
A sleepy Air Canada pilot first mistook the planet Venus for an aircraft, and then sent his airliner diving toward the Atlantic to prevent an imaginary collision with another plane, an official report said on Monday.
Sixteen passengers and crew were hurt in the January 2011 incident, when the first officer rammed the control stick forward to avoid a U.S. plane he wrongly thought was heading straight toward him. The incident occurred at night on board a Boeing 767 twin engine passenger plane flying from Toronto to Zurich in Switzerland with 95 passengers and eight crew. The report said the first officer had just woken up, disoriented, from a long nap, when he learned from the pilot that a U.S. cargo plane was flying toward them.
“The FO (First Officer) initially mistook the planet Venus for an aircraft but the captain advised again that the target was at the 12 o’clock position (straight ahead) and 1,000 feet below,” said the report.”
The first officer, whose young children often interrupted his sleep at home, had napped for 75 minutes rather than the 40-minute maximum laid down by airline regulations. This meant he fell into a deep sleep and was disoriented when he woke up. The report is yet another problem for Canada’s largest airline, which has faced prolonged labor unrest.
Air Canada, expressing regret that passengers were injured, said it had taken steps to prevent a recurrence, reminding pilots to follow the rules for napping during flights and increasing efforts to heighten crews’ awareness of fatigue and its effects. The Air Canada Pilots Association has long pressured authorities to take the stresses of night flying into account when setting the maximum hours a pilot can work. Canada’s regulations were last changed in 1996, when the longest duty day was cut to 14 hours from 15 hours.
Should pilot’s duty hours be shortened to reduce fatigue? Share your opinions to us!
Source: Yahoo News
Image: Time
