We just came back from downtown and I even managed to snap a pic of the Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest observation wheel before it started to drizzle. When we got home, we heard from the news that Singapore Flyer was experiencing technical fault and about 173 people were stuck on the Flyer for more than 6 hrs since 4.15pm Singapore time!

Some were being put in safety harnesses and lowered to the ground…Well, you can imagine your feet dangling in the air at a height of over 100m (Singapore Flyer is 165m) and you abseiled to the ground slowly! Scary? Exciting? Eeeks! I wouldn’t want that to spoil my holiday mood! More than 100 who are still stuck have food and drinks sent to them. I heard that some tourists have missed their flights tonight and might not be able to return home on Christmas!

Latest news: Wheel starts moving again at 11pm Singapore time, after around 6 hrs of power disruption.

Update (4 Sept 08): Sigh… I just heard from news that according to the Chinese authority, there may be earthquake that measures at a Richter scale of 7 to 8 at Qing Zhang Plateau. I think we better do our homework first before planning for any trip to Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan.

After the May 12th Earthquake much of Sichuan was closed to organised tour groups. It was officially re-opened at the beginning of last month.

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“Let’s prepare for the worst, pray for the best.” Those are the words from the state governor of Louisiana.

Hurricane Gustav lashed the U.S Gulf coast on early Monday morning, moving toward New Orleans, the largest city of Louisiana. In 2005, Katrina, the costliest hurricane in the U.S history had claimed more than a thousand over deaths. While the affected areas have been going through post-disaster recovery for the past three years, another hurricane threatens the city again.

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03 Sept 2008: Latest Update on Jiuzhaigou National Park Earthquake Report >> Click Here!

Update: 10 July 2008.

Kieran Fitzgerald, Sustainable Tourism and Marketing Adviser from Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan, China, has the following update:

Hi Eunice,

Just a quick update on Jiuzhaigou:

Jiuzhaigou is open to tourists and never actually closed after the earthquake since there was no damage in the area. Flights are open to all independent tourists but I think travel agents still aren’t officially allowed to send groups.

There are buses running from Chadianzi (Chengdu) to Jiuzhaigou every day at 8am arriving at around 6pm. Buses from Xinanmen (Chengdu) are also running 3 times a week.

There are buses running in the park and it is possible to get off and walk if you like. Only some paths are closed now. But it is possible to walk along the roads although this isn’t strictly allowed. If you tell the bus drivers that you want to walk they won’t make you get on the buses.

There are wild flowers in bloom and the sun is shining 9 out of every 10 days. The park is green and the water level is high which means the waterfalls are spectacular. To see Jiuzhaigou with so few tourists in July is something that is not likely to ever happen again!! The chance of seeing wildlife is a lot higher as a result.

Regards,

Kieran Fitzgerald
Sustainable Tourism and Marketing Adviser
Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan, China
kieranjiuzhai@gmail.com

Hey folks! Kieran from Jiuzhaigou has emailed me the earthquake report dated on 15 May 2008 on Jiuzhaigou National Park. Below is his email:

I’d like to provide you information on Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan for your readers. We probably had over 10,000 tourists in the park on Sunday and Monday and there were no injuries reported. Here is a report on the situation…

Jiuzhaigou National Park Earthquake Report

Jiuzhaigou National Park has not been significantly damaged physically. Many staff members have still not been able to contact family members and they are our priority at the moment.

The roads from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou are blocked due to the earthquake of 12th May 2008 and are expected to remain that way for some time. The best way to get to Jiuzhaigou is to fly although the government has warned against any unnecessary travel to the whole region for the moment. Flight schedules have been affected by the disaster however.

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Breaking News:

A powerful earthquake ripped across the mountains and rice fields of northeastern Japan on Saturday, causing six deaths and more than 200 injured.

The quake, which was revised up to 7.2 on the Richter scale, rattled a largely agricultural region. It was strong enough to shake buildings in Tokyo some 500 kilometres (300 miles) to the south.

Photos from Xinhua news.

Goodness, guess my last budget trip was Vietnam trip with Tiger Airways. A few days after I returned home, the news announced that they would charge baggages.

In fact, this is applying to many airlines now. American Airlines is charging its passengers $15 for their first checked baggage, and it’s just the latest of many add-ons tacked onto the price of some tickets. Bringing golf clubs to Florida cost an additional of $25 each way on some airlines. And $25 handling fee in order to redeem reward miles! Changing your itineraries may cost you up to $250! It’s all about extra charges now.

According to the International Air Transport Association, Jet fuel prices were up nearly 98 percent from May 2007. This means that roughly 40 percent of your air ticket goes to the cost of fuel!

Read travel news on Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan after the devastating earthquake.