tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:39:47 +0000http://www.southpacific.org/blog/David StanleyBlogger301125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-1670993768436824904Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:38:00 +00002008-04-25T12:39:47.938-07:00 This short film in the Pacifica series by British traveler Simon Bradfield introduces the mysterious moai or living faces of Easter Island. Around 1,000 of these giant stone statues remain on Rapa Nui today, nearly half of them in the quarry at Rano Raraku. All were toppled by the islanders themselves soon after the arrival of Europeans, but many have since been re-erected by archaeologists.http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/moai-of-easter-island.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-4159902868417119343Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:37:00 +00002008-04-25T12:38:25.193-07:00Between 1998 and 2005 whale watching activities in the South Pacific grew 45 percent and the sector now brings in $21 million a year. In 2005 over a hundred thousand visitors went whale watching. The region’s best known venue is Vava’u Tonga, where the whales are present from June to October, but whale watching trips are also offered in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands. Thus http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/south-pacific-whale-watching.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-2601981509202378962Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:28:00 +00002008-04-25T12:36:27.295-07:00A thought-provoking article by British author George Monbiot, Selling Indulgences, discusses the current fashion of using carbon offsets as an excuse for business as usual. Travel agencies and airlines often give you the option of buying a carbon credit with your ticket to offset the carbon emissions resulting from your flight. The money is allocated to projects intended to reduce carbon http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/carbon-offsets-for-sale.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-9084985998005156724Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:49:00 +00002008-04-13T22:57:15.514-07:00I’m in the process of posting all 119 maps from Moon Handbooks South Pacific on MapSouthPacific.com. Considering that a new version of the 2004 edition of South Pacific will not be published, Avalon Travel has kindly supplied me with electronic copies of the maps, which we’re redrawing and adapting for internet use. With each map, I’m providing descriptive text to walk viewers around the island http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/map-south-pacific-update.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-3022103329373269463Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:47:00 +00002008-04-13T22:49:12.497-07:00 The largest marine mammal slaughter in the world is currently underway on the ice flows in the Gulf of St Lawrence off Newfoundland, Canada. As many as 275,000 harps seal pups are being clubbed and skinned in a disgraceful “hunt” heavily subsidized by the Canadian government to win votes in Atlantic Canada. On April 12, 2008, the protest vessel Farley Mowat owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservationhttp://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/canadian-harp-seal-hunt.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-2526949221707230477Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:51:00 +00002008-04-14T09:53:54.803-07:00Amazon.com lists nine Lonely Planet guides to Latin America and the Caribbean associated with one Thomas Kohnstamm. On April 22, 2008, Three Rivers Press will release a new book by Kohnstamm titled Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism. I haven’t yet seen this ironic tome but media reports say that Kohnstamm http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/lonely-planet-author-unmasked.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-6520951092886111507Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:22:00 +00002008-04-07T22:27:39.072-07:00 This short film by British traveler Simon Bradfield introduces the final home and resting place of Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. The novelist bought the Vailima estate outside Apia, Samoa, in 1889, and lived there until his death in 1894. He and his wife Fanny are buried on the hilltop you’ll see in the film.http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/stevenson-samoa-home-vailima.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-3790180282732324821Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:21:00 +00002008-04-07T22:22:12.400-07:00A young woman from Easter Island named Marcela Rex Tuki, currently living in Houston, Texas, has founded the Merahi Rapa Nui Foundation to help the community on Rapa Nui in the areas of health care and education. There’s a lack of medical equipment and specialized personnel on Easter Island, and the island’s remoteness makes it hard for the inhabitants to access the superior health care http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/merahi-rapa-nui-foundation.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-5568536853978002307Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:19:00 +00002008-04-07T22:20:51.997-07:00Effective April 1, 2008, the hotel turnover tax charged in Fiji has been increased from three percent to five percent. This tax is in addition to the 12.5 percent value added tax (VAT), bringing the taxes charged at hotels up to 17.5 percent in total. The less expensive hotels often include these taxes in their quoted rates while the more upscale resorts do not. To avoid a 17.5 percent http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/04/fiji-hotel-tax-increase.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-6217712523403972564Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:42:00 +00002008-03-30T11:47:40.156-07:00 This four-minute trailer previews a documentary series about the South Pacific by British traveler Simon Bradfield. It’s a good introduction to the mysteries of Vanuatu, Fiji, and Easter Island.http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/pacifica-pilot-trailer.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-8335356058964069770Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:38:00 +00002008-03-30T11:41:32.569-07:00A new volunteering and jobs website has been launched for the Pacific and Australia. Pacific Island Jobs aims to encourage international participation in the sustainable development of the region and the sharing of skills and experience within and between the Pacific Island nations. Users can search for positions by country or sector. The listings include a job description, the renumeration (if http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/pacific-island-jobs.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-8783777606641152899Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:35:00 +00002008-03-30T11:38:03.359-07:00I’ve heard from Noah Thomas, a Peace Corps volunteer living at Lamap on the island of Malekula in Vanuatu. Noah told me about a project in South Malekula which he says was partly inspired by reading Moon Handbooks South Pacific: “We are currently working on a hiking trail connecting Lamap, Malekula, to Lembinwin, South West Bay. Currently we have marked about 44 miles of the trail with yellow http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/malekula-vanuatu-hiking-trail.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-778568736721447365Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:19:00 +00002008-03-21T11:20:51.237-07:00Air Pacific has enhanced its website with the introduction of online schedules, an interactive route map, and a new booking system. Visitors to AirPacific.com can now view the airlines schedules through the online schedule function. The choice of flights available for a seven day period including the option to view schedules for the previous or next seven days, with departure and arrival times http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/air-pacific-enhances-website.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-2618457976728201958Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:14:00 +00002008-03-21T11:18:34.165-07:00The Beat of Hawaii Blog carries allegations of censorship by the popular travel website TripAdvisor which purports to provide “unbiased hotel reviews, photos and travel advice.” In Can You Trust TripAdvisor? Rob and Jeff write: “I’m having a difficult time wearing the free hat that Trip Advisor sent me with its, “Get the truth, then go,” slogan. The problem is I no longer feel that I can alwayshttp://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/tripadvisor-censorship.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-88660235323219510Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:10:00 +00002008-03-21T11:13:47.250-07:00Julianne Bell of Outriggers in Paradise reports from Vavau that Chathams Pacific will be launching domestic flights around the Tongan islands on April 14, 2008. The airline will be using a Convair 50-seater between Tongatapu, Haapai, and Vavau. Service to Eua and the Niuas is scheduled to begin in May, 2008, when their Islander aircraft arrives. This will be a boon to Tongans and travelers alike http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/flights-to-vavau-tonga.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-1190666230608115826Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:08:00 +00002008-03-21T11:10:09.233-07:00Air Pacific has announced that it will double its flight frequency and seat capacity to Honiara, Solomon Islands, from April 4, 2008. Air Pacific will add a second 160 seat Boeing 737-800 return service each Friday, flying Nadi – Port Vila – Honiara to the existing Tuesday B737-800 flight which operates on the same routing. The revised schedule also increases flights between Nadi and Port Vila http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/air-pacific-doubles-honiara-flights.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-3405894859148532100Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:56:00 +00002008-03-09T10:00:39.009-07:00In 1991 the Fiji Times sponsored the first Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards, and since 1997 the Fiji Islands Visitors Bureau has carried on the tradition of recognizing outstanding companies in their fields. This year were 1,607 nominees in 23 categories, and some familiar names are among the 2007 winners announced at a gala function at the Sofitel Fiji Resort on Denarau Island, Nadi, on http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/fiji-excellence-in-tourism-awards.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-1565925504945513721Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:55:00 +00002008-03-09T09:56:17.191-07:00It used to be that Solomon Airlines was the only show in town but more airlines are now flying to Honiara. For several years Our Airline, formerly Air Nauru, has been calling at Honiara twice a week between Brisbane and Nauru. Air Niugini arrives in Honiara from Port Moresby, and Air Pacific just announced a twice weekly service from Nadi. The new kid on the block is SkyAirWorld, an Australian http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/flights-to-solomon-islands.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-5508930951544749098Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:53:00 +00002008-03-09T09:54:29.977-07:00I’ve contributed an article about the Top Things to Do in Tahiti and French Polynesia to the Viator.com travel blog. It summarizes the main sights of Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea, and Huahine, plus the Tuamotu, Austral, and Marquesas islands. Links are provided to Viator’s activities pages to provide an idea of how much things cost. As I say in the article, “French Polynesia is not an http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/things-to-do-in-tahiti.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-5380219602272760495Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:29:00 +00002008-03-01T09:34:18.230-08:00Pacific Magazine has published Just Pretend It Isn’t Me... Thirty Years As A Guidebook Writer , by David Stanley. The article explains how I got into guidebook writing in 1978 with the help of Bill Dalton, and relates a few of my experiences, including the time when I coincided with Pope John Paul II in the Solomon Islands, creating big problems for myself. I also touch on the economics of http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/my-thirty-years.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-711497797420426230Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:27:00 +00002008-03-01T09:29:17.317-08:00The internet travel portal Triporati went live yesterday. I’ve been involved with Triporati for several months and have provided much of its Pacific Islands content. Triporati offers viewers keynote introductions to travel destinations worldwide with fast facts, events, and interest and activity profiles. Must sees, avoids, and the best time to visit are clearly capsulized. There are links to http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/triporati-takes-off.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-1865724388813446234Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:23:00 +00002008-03-01T09:26:45.602-08:00Air Pacific has obtained the rights to fly between Fiji and Funafiti, Tuvalu. Since Air Marshall Islands stopped flying to Funafuti a decade ago, Tuvalu Government-owned Air Fiji has enjoyed a monopoly on air services into Tuvalu. This has led to extremely high airfares ($1,300 Fijian roundtrip from Suva), effectively striking Tuvalu off most peoples travel itinerary. Air Pacific hasn’t yet said http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/03/air-pacific-to-funafuti.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-3921818827291088716Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:23:00 +00002008-02-25T18:52:18.439-08:00Le Rubis Wine Bar mentioned on page 52 of Moon Tahiti has closed and the same location below Papeete’s Vaima Center is now occupied by the Mango Café. White walls with mirrors and backlit curtains have replaced the dark décor of Le Rubis, and bright new furnishings have been installed. The huge glass atrium façade on rue Jeanne d’Arc is strikingly modern. The French gourmet dishes with local http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/02/mango-caf-papeete-tahiti.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-7907583423046100220Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:18:00 +00002008-02-25T16:23:11.321-08:00I’ve prepared a report on the Top Things to Do in Fiji for the activities and sightseeing website Viator.com. The article provides suggestions on how to plan a trip beginning in Nadi and taking you to the Mamanuca Islands, the Yasawa Islands, the Coral Coast, Suva, Northern Fiji, and Eastern Fiji, or at least a few of the above. There are links to Viator’s activities booking services which will http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/02/viator-and-planeta-pages.htmlDavid Stanleytag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19018490.post-1174817372793967693Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:02:00 +00002008-02-25T16:09:19.366-08:00The construction of two large resort hotels will begin soon next to the new Moorea Green Pearl Golf Course near Temae Airport on Moorea. Warwick International is to build a five-star, 150-room hotel, while a 130-room residential hotel is planned by local investors. Until the opening of the Moorea course, the International Golf Course Olivier Breaud on the south side of Tahiti was French Polynesiahttp://www.southpacific.org/blog/2008/02/moorea-golf-resort.htmlDavid Stanley