Afaranwide

NEWSLETTER 51: July 2020

Hi, and thanks for your interest in the Afaranwide travel blog!

Rising Above it All in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, our current home, has been in the news this week for grim reasons, writes Afaranwide’s Colin Simpson. The introduction by Beijing of a national security law led to the return of protesters to the streets. Despite this, Hong Kong remains a great city, and I was reminded of this when I visited the Sky100 observation platform a few days ago.

This offers stunning views of the marvellous skyline, Victoria Harbour, mountain peaks and islands. It is 393 metres up on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre, an imposing skyscraper in West Kowloon. We’ll be publishing a post about it soon with more pictures.

Colourful Times at the FCC

As the editor of The Correspondent, the magazine of Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club, I can honestly say there has never been a dull moment, writes Afaranwide’s Sue Brattle. First came the city’s season of protests, then COVID-19, and now renewed protests – this time against China’s national security law imposed on Hong Kong this week. The latest issue looks at the weird phenomenon of “yellow” and “blue” economies that sprouted up in the city; these are businesses known to support the protests (yellow) or to support the establishment and Beijing (blue). Of course, the new law changes everything. The magazine will be available soon at the FCC’s website.

Track and Trace Travel Bans

Keeping track of all the different travel bans and restrictions in force in countries around the world is difficult. The situation changes all the time as some flights resume and travel rules are altered. Fortunately there are a couple of online tools that can help. Click on a country on the International Air Transport Association’s interactive map and the restrictions in force there appear in a box. Be warned, though – in some cases, such as the United States, the details are long and complicated. TripsGuard, a website set up to advise travellers about restrictions, offers a similar service. Both sites, though, stress that they cannot guarantee 100 percent accuracy. It would probably be wise to treat them as starting points, then confirm the details with official government sites in the countries that interest you.

Well, Dubai’s Telling It Like It Is

It’s no secret I have a soft spot for Dubai, but putting that to one side, I take my hat off to how they are telling the world they are open for business again. A new video leads the charge, urging tourists to return to the desert city. And Emirates airline is sending out emails to prepare potential passengers for what to expect when booking, at their airport of departure, on board and when they arrive in Dubai. I have no affiliation with the airline, except I’ve flown it many times, nor with Dubai, but I like their attitude – clear messages are what we need right now and this one is a good start. – SB

Greatest Wimbledon Championship

In a normal year, this weekend would mark the peak of the English summer social season. Wimbledon at its halfway point, the Glyndebourne opera festival and international cricket season both well under way, Glastonbury a recent joyous memory, and Glorious Goodwood still to come… The coronavirus has taken its toll on all this, of course. Fortunately the organisers of these famous events have risen to the challenge. Wimbledon, for example, is streaming great matches from past years. READ MORE

Helpful Support From Hyatt

Afaranwide has no connection with this hotel group, but we’ve stayed in a few Hyatt hotels over the years so I’m on their mailing list. I enjoyed the email they sent out called Wellbeing At Hyatt while most of us were more or less locked down. It had links to yoga and meditation sessions, recipes for body scrubs and bath salts, tips on working from home, an exercise routine to follow on video and other stuff to keep you sane under pressure. Something useful from a hotel group while you couldn’t stay in their hotels struck me as a way of being remembered in the future.– SB

Thinking Out Loud

Each scrap of news about travel opening up feels like good news, but will we all rush to fly again? There are plenty of deals and packages out there, that’s for sure. Air corridors, bridges or bubbles between countries are a practical solution. However, I think any travel invites an uptick in COVID-19 and recent events in the US, UK and elsewhere have proved that humans can’t be relied upon to exercise common sense. “Safe” destinations could be rendered unsafe very quickly. It’s reckoned that proper comprehensive travel insurance will be about 40 per cent more expensive than usual. Opening up will be a much slower process than we imagined a few months back. And I simply don’t want to sit on a packed aircraft. It’s the post-coronavirus conundrum. – SB

Like Our New Look?

We’ve spent the lull imposed by coronavirus-related travel bans updating and refreshing our existing posts. We’ve improved the look, added information and videos, and made it easier for readers to find other posts that will interest them. Check out a few and let us know what you think.