Travelogue… with Bob Nicolaides

Student confessed the hoax bomb alarm to easyJet flight

 

The Bomb was a Hoax

A student has admitted making a hoax phone call claiming there was a bomb on an Hatji Ioannou’s easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Turkey.  Muhammet Demir, 20, of no fixed abode, called police shortly before 4.30pm on Tuesday September 9 and said he has seen a bomb on the flight destined for Izmir. At the time, the flight was taxiing on the runway with 170 passengers on board.

It was recalled and met by armed police. Police officers, Gatwick and airline staff, traced the call to 20-year-old Demir, who had been due to board the flight. Although they established it was a hoax, the incident still delayed the flight by three hours. Police forces around the country were notified and Demir was arrested as he tried to board a flight at Luton Airport.

The Turkish national admitted making the call but did not say why. At Brighton Magistrates' Court this week, Demir pleaded guilty to a charge of communicating a false message to cause a bomb hoax. He was remanded in custody and is due to appear before a crown court for sentencing on a date to be set.

Where Myths Come Alive
You want enchantment? Take the Venice to Istanbul 11-day Enchantment cruise onboard Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam and stop at Katakolon where you can be transferred by bus to Olympia, on to Nafplion and Athens, continue to Kusadasi, then on to Mykonos,  Rhodes, and Santorini before you head for the Dardanelles and end up in Istanbul.

Ancient Olympia

In ancient Olympia see the birthplace of the original and true Olympic Games, presided over a 40-ft satue of Zeus. The statue is gone but the temple ruins remain, along with the original marble starting blocks. In Delos, an isle adjacent to Mykonos reached by boat, you’ll see the mythical birthplace of Apollo and his sister Artemis (Diana) both children of Zeus and Leto.  Leto sought refuge on the island from the jealous Hera, Zeus’ consort, who was pursuing her. Poseidon anchored the floating island for the birth. Delos was declared sacred and ikt was forbidden for any mortal to be born or die on the island, which remains uninhabited today, occupied only by extensive ruins.

This  and many more sights on this trip the savings fare will cost you $1,999 with free cruise fares for third and fourth guests.   

 Hello Kitty Flights Now Headed To Paris Thanks To EVA Air

 

While the world wrestles with shock from the recent announcement that Hello Kitty is not a cat, a happier piece of news comes our way from EVA Air: cat or not, Hello Kitty planes will begin flying routes to Paris next month in celebration of Hello Kitty's 40th birthday (due to Kitty's youthful appearance, we assume this birthday is in cat years).

Kitty's Paris

EVA currently operates Hello Kitty flights between Taipei and Los Angeles -- besides featuring adorable Kitty scenes on the outside, the jets are tricked out to the Kitty max on the inside.

 Think Hello Kitty luggage tags for every passenger, Hello Kitty headrests and drink coasters, Hello Kitty soap in the lavatory and in-flight meals where every last melon slice, cheese piece and dessert cake is shaped like Hello Kitty's adorable head.

The new Paris flights will add in new Hello Kitty silverware, new Hello Kitty placemats and a new Hello Kitty menu (cat croissants, perhaps?). They'll fly from Taipei to Paris three times per week starting on Oct. 29.

According to the London Daily Mail, Sanrio reps say they designed the Hello Kitty flights to "make flying fun and spread happiness among passengers all over the globe."

 

Jet-ski crash killed a newly-wed on Greek Island

A British man, reported to have been two days into his honeymoon, has been killed in a jet ski crash on the Greek island of Santorini. Kingston-upon-Thames estate agent Jeremy Hope, 39, is reported to have collided with another jet ski driven by a friend, who had been at his wedding.



Jet ski kills groom

According to latest reports, the newly-wed continued sunbathing after the accident was later airlifted to hospital in Crete when he started to feel unwell. He died of severe head and chest injuries on the way. The friend, 29, was detained at Athens Airport as he tried to fly to visit Mr Hope in hospital. He was arrested, along with the owner of the jet ski hire company, and both are due to appear in court today, when they may be charged with negligent homicide.

Mr Hope and his bride Sarah Greaves, 29, were believed to be staying at four-star Antinea Hotel, a short walk from the beach.

 

Google to help small tourism business in Greece

 

Internet giant, Google, has done it again. This time, they have extended a helping hand to Greece's tourism industry, by initiating management courses for 3000 tourism related businesses. In an attempt to promote tourism in the dainty island of Crete, Google has made it a point to help small businesses flourish in the city.

Google help

Google has proved that nothing is impossible, especially when there is a will to accomplish a certain task. In order to help small companies setup their business successfully, Google will launch the mission in September. Depending on the success of the program, the methodology would be rolled out to benefit other prominent sectors.

This way Google is expected to help the Greek economy, which has been struggling to break free from the iron clad chains of recession. Industry union, Sete, reported that the whole economy is hoping to finally be able to move on after the bitter episode of economic reforms and recession. Google is said to make full use of their Google My Business and Google AdWords program in order to bring visibility and power to the companies struggling to leave a mark on the Internet.
What’s in it for Google? Google is one of the biggest Internet search providers in the world currently. The company has also been known to invest heavily in its philanthropic initiatives all throughout the world. Given the mutual interest related to the growth of the Greek economy, Google hopes to expand its horizons as the Greek economy flourishes over the oncoming years.

The Greek authority is currently expecting to welcome around 21 million tourists by the end of the year 2014. With the advent of the tourist season, the Greek Government can expect a whopping increase in the number of jobs available in the market over the oncoming months.

Manu, Peru: Is tourism harming remote tribes?   A pressure group is urging tourists to refrain from unsolicited contact with un-contacted tribes around the world, following reports of increased encounters with tribes in Peru. Visitors to the rainforests of the Manu National Park in Peru are being urged not to take part in “human safaris” aimed at providing voyeuristic sightings of members of the country’s last surviving un-contacted tribes. The call for restraint comes from Survival International, a pressure group fighting for the rights of tribal peoples worldwide. And it follows hot on the heels of disturbing reports of an increase in encounters between outsiders and the uncontacted Indian tribes of Peru. Last weekend, a missionary travelling in a tour company’s boat along the Madre de Dios river bordering the national park left clothes and food on the banks intended for members of the un-contacted Maschco-Piro tribe. At the same time, news emerged of an incident in May involving six Maschco-Piro women who entered a tourist lodge deep in the national park itself and removed metallic cooking pots. “We are very nervous about these developments and are urging all tourists to remain clear of the affected areas,” said Rebecca Spooner, Survival International’s campaigner for Peruvian tribal people. “These people have no immunity to diseases we take for granted such as flu and measles – diseases that can be contracted through wearing our clothes. Such gestures may be well intended, but there is a real risk that through unsolicited contact, an entire people could be wiped out.” The Manu Biosphere Reserve in the western part of the Amazon is one of the world’s greatest primary rainforests and home to more than 1,000 birds, 15,000 plants, countless types of trees and rare mammal species such as the jaguar and the giant river otter. Most visitors are more than happy to spend their time enjoying the spectacular scenery and the extraordinary scents and sounds of the forest. But there is an inevitable frisson about knowing that deep within that rainforest there are a number of “un-contacted” tribes, peoples who, while not wholly oblivious to the world around them, have chosen to keep themselves apart. The main threat to Peru’s estimated 15 un-contacted tribes comes from illegal loggers and miners wanting to exploit the resources on their lands. But there is a huge danger from curious tourists too – encouraged by companies that offer trips in which, they suggest, there may be a sighting of loin cloth-wearing tribes-people. “Two years ago we first started getting reports of companies seeking to 'sex-up’ their tours by offering possible sightings of tribes-people and we made a huge complaint,” said Spooner. “The laws were tightened forbidding publicizing such tours or using images of the tribes people on websites. Operators were also instructed not to stop if tribes-people were sighted along the banks of the Madre de Dios. Survival International is concerned that “human safaris” in Peru could escalate to the level of the extremely damaging tours through the Jarawa reserve in the Andaman Islands of India and is urging a temporary halt to tourist activity in the Manu National Park – and the affected neighboring areas until the situation stabilizes. Responsible tourist companies in the region are already heeding many of the guidelines and advising clients that itineraries may have to change at short notice should further tribal sightings be reported. “We are very aware of the dangers to un-contacted tribes of diseases visitors from the outside world may carry and if we are asked not to take our groups into the national park then we don’t,” said Quinn Meyer, the founder of Crees, a wildlife research centre in the Manu which aims at promoting a sustainable future for the region, and which last year started running tours. “If one of our boats did spot some un-contacted tribes on the river bank we would immediately turn around. We would never treat it as a photo opportunity. “Besides there is also a danger issue for us. The last thing we’d want is for one of our guests to be shot at by a bow and arrow.”

Archaeologists Return to Zante for Philip II of Spain shipwreck

 

The Shipwreck

A 16th century shipwreck that had been located in the eighties two kilometers off the port of Zakynthos island will be again in the focus of Culture Ministry's archaeologists studies. The 20-meter-long, vessel that shipwrecked near the port of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea most likely participated in the 1571 Naval Battle of Nafpaktos, one of the most important sea battles in world history.

The shipwreck, the only one discovered in Greece that dates back to the era of Philip II of Spain, was found in the 1980s by local speargun fishermen and in the 1990s it was studied by Greek archeologists in cooperation with Oxford University scientists. The part of its hull that was pulled out of the sea has been covered by geotextile to protect it from being eaten away by worms within the framework of an innovative method created by the Athens’ technological educational institutes (TEI).

However, the research has been interrupted four years ago. The archaeologists will stay on Zakynthos for approximately a month while in the research team participate divers that will dive in the area of the shipwreck in order to find and reveal the other part of the ship that is still under tons of mud.



Archaeological finds

Byzantine Grave Unearthed in Thessaloniki

A grave dating back to the Byzantine period and human remains were unearthed during works for the installation of underground waste containers along Thessaloniki's downtown Agia Sofia Street, it was announced on Wednesday.



The findings were located after workers dug a hole that was just one meter deep. According to deputy mayor Thanassis Pappas “the working crews found traces of a Byzantine wall, a Byzantine grave and a small vessel, most likely dating back to the 14th century AD. A second grave, partially destroyed by underground utility networks, with a human skeleton in it, was also found”.

The works for the installation of underground waste containers are carried out in the presence of archaeologists.