Jaunted

Airports

How to Hitch a Ride Through the Airport

November 28, 2006 at 4:01 PM | 0 Comments

We've told you about hitching a ride to the airport, but today we are teaching you how to hitch a ride through the airport.

Now, we've had the misfortune of having a layover in Houston's gigantic airport several times and each time, our connecting flight was in a terminal that was at least a mile away, walking. Or it felt like it was and it took us about 15 minutes to walk it.

On the third time we had such layover in Houston, we decided to hitch a ride on one of those airport trams that go zooming by. Yet when we asked the driver for a ride, he looked at us and fiercely shook his head. This happened to us--no joke--twice.

Recently, we had another layover there and right in front of us the tram stopped to let on some old people and a man with crutches. So we quickly hopped on the back and caught a ride to our terminal.

This video we shot here was actually taken at Newark International Airport and again, we hitched a ride when some grandparent-types stopped the tram.

So if you want to hitch a ride, find some old people or people on crutches and in wheelchairs and you should be able to swing it. Also, the drivers expect some sort of tip after the ride is over, so make sure you have some ones handy.

Insider Tip: Despite what our passenger on the video says about "gliding on air", make sure you hold on tight as these drivers  go pretty fast. We almost fell off the back twice.

Singapore

Thrill, Anticipation and Exhilaration in Singapore

November 28, 2006 at 10:07 AM | 0 Comments

If you decide to head over to Singapore's Underwater World and companion Dolphin Lagoon, there are a few ways to get there, but the most scenic is definitely by using the cable car. The Mount Faber Cable Car wizzes you over the harbor and gives you a great view of the remaining tropical forest sections of Sentosa Island.

It might sound just like a simple cable car ride, but the promoters promise it's much more than that:

Feel your emotions build up the moment you step in the cable car. The thrill of anticipation as your cabin leaves the station. The exhilaration as you glance at the world below ... A ride on a cable car promises all that and more ...

The "more" that we found was a cruise ship docked below us--our thrill was to try to spit into its swimming pool. But everyone gets their thrills in different ways.

[Photo: redpolkadot]

Related Stories:
·Singapore From Underwater [Jaunted]
·Dolphin Handshakes for Nothin' [Jaunted]

Getting Around

The oh-so-confusing London subway

December 5, 2005 at 4:41 PM | 0 Comments

Londonist addresses the pesky problem of the "Oh my God, could this be more confusing?" London subway system, pointing out the daffiness of the refusal to accept pre-paid Oyster cards on the National Rail.  With the intricate fares and the separate rail systems (the National Rail serves much of London, but goes to the outskirts and beyond the city and therefore costs more than the regular tube), it's a wonder that Londoners can get around at all.  The chairman of London TravelWatch, Brian Cooke, recently addressed the commons, saying:

"We tried to stress to the committee two main points: firstly, rail fares are extremely confusing and far too complicated, particularly in London, and secondly, the huge incompatibility of fare prices for very similar rail journeys."

Here's hoping they take notice.

Related Stories
·   Rail Travel "Confusing" - Like, Duh [Londonist]