South Africa

[Ron Weasley]

Jaimito,

How is it not true?? I use my U.S. passport to enter the U.S. They do not stamp citizens passports. If they did that we would need new passports every year. I don't know where there're stamping your passport and for what reasons if you have a U.S. passport they shoudn't stamp anything. They only stamp your U.S. customs landing card and they take that from you in the second line. That's it. They do scan your passport though. Now if you don't have a U.S. passport they will stamp an entry stamp in your passport and stamp the visa.

They do however stamp and do the eye thing to NON-U.S. CITIZENS traveling on a NON U.S. Passport.

This is not hard to understand people. I use My U.S. passport to leave and re-enter the U.S. and I only use My South African Passport to Enter South Africa that's it. Not that hard to understand.

[AfAsia]

mates,

durban. a city of two and half million soles and not one a member of the isg. you chaps cannot hide all your women from myself in the closet. never mind, when i arrive, i`ll ask the proverbial taxi driver where all the heat is. for a few rand i`m sure they will smile and be most helpful.

speed13

[Jaimito Cartero]

Screwed up:

In response yo your question: U.S. customs does not stamp a U.S. passport upon leaving the U.S. They also do not Stamp U.S. passports upon arrival. They basically use any stamps or stickers you may have gotten on your trip to verify where you have been(To see if your story checks out!).

Not true. For about 3 years I never got stamped by the US coming in, but this year, I've gotten two stamps. It's hit and miss, of course.

[Jaimito Cartero]

I didn't come for any mongering, but am always open to options. If anyone is intown, or has some reasonably priced suggestions, I'm always happy to get them! I'm in Bantry Bay now, and will probably be moving over to the V & A Waterfront in a couple of days.

[Easy E]

And here is Jennifer from Sex Trader site. Saw her last week 1st time. Seemed a bit "spaced out" and glassy eyes but quite pleasant and wouldnt stop chatting until I got Mr Happy out. Price was R600 short stay. Well, off to Indonesia next.

[Easy E]

Ahh. Finally got my resizing program working. Thanks Screwed Up. Here is Xena from Sex Trader. Highly recommend. J'burg part of site. Unfortunately last time I saw her she said she trying her luck up Londn for awhile.

[Frankie44]

Any suggestions on places or girls in Cape Town? I have found the best young coloured girls out in the suburbs. But lately all the places I know have been disappointing. Lookiing for suggestions!

[Vittu]

Leeuwen -- Come to think about it there was an Interflug bucket shop right at the East Berlim end of S-Bahn, the Berlin light-rail system. Of course, to reach it, you needed a visa (strictly, maybe not because that was before passport contro), but I never tested that) which may or may not have been easy to arrange. When I got to West Berlin the first time, no one at one ofr the city's top hotels could tell me how to get to East Berlin! (Just to familiarize myself, which turned out to be unneeded, I took a commercial tourist tour of East Berlin.

When I finally reached East Berlin, an acquaintance said he knew more about Mars than about West Berlin!

It turned out that I had been issued a Dienst Visum, meaning it was roughly comparable to a diplomatic status This enabled me to spend the dayi in East Berlin and then go and see the greener pastures of West Berlin at night.

I did my share of hunting (in non-predatory sense, because of security concerns) in East Berlin as well. The carnal pleasures, however, again because of security concerns, I left for West Berlin.

In one Scandinavian book I had read a description of the two Berlins in the late 1950s. One chapter said that there was a big dance hall on Friedrichstrasse. the llocation of Hitler's foreign ministgry that was at the east-west divide. On the basis of that book, I started walking away from the U.S. Checkpoint Charlie. The streets became more and mor ill-lit. Fkinally I got to my destination: Ballhaus Berlin.

It was jampacked and I was told no more tickets were avaialbe. On the strength of some official correspondence I had with me, I was finally admitted.

The scene was straight out of "Cabaret." Each table had a numbered globe. So if a guy at one table thougjt that a blonde at table No. 27 held any promise, he would use a telephone at his table to telephone her. Some of those calls may have produce eternal bliss, most assuredly did not.

[Vittu]

Leween -- Come to think about it, there was an Interflug office at the East Berlin terminal of S-Bahn (light rail), selling cut-rate air tickets.

To make this meaningful, let me explain: West and East Berlin in those days were two separate worlds. "I know more about Moon," said an East Berlin ac

[Vittu]

Leeuwen,

Interflug was definitely a niche player. Two reasons: (1) It undercut everyone's prices, if you paid in dollars or other hard currency. I remember seeing $100 round-trip tickets advertized in West Berlin crica 1987. (2) Interflug had an extensive route network, even though it might only have one flight a week -- or even a month! -- to some destination. It was a favored airline of lots of Third World people. I remember having a good time with a Thai ***** in West Berlin who told me she had flown over on Interflug. I can't remember the details but the East Germans also had a streamlined shuttle service from West Berlin to the airport in East Berlin that avoided all bureaucratic nonsense.

I only flew on Interglug once, from East Berlin to Moscow. As I recall, the service was marginally better than Aeroflot's. But, then, I was assigned to the Soviet Union so long that I thought that even Aeroflot was fine. It got me from point A to point B in a state that offered no alternatives.

Although uneven, Aeroflot could fairly sparkle on international routes. Cabin service was spartan but I remember how I got a hot meal once between Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Karachi, Pakistan, and another hot meal on the way to Moscow.One of them was good, the other got me sick, but, hey, shit happens.

I also flew the Ilyushin 86 jumbo jet from New Delhi to Moscow and liked it. Technologically the plane was a mixed bag: It was extremely fuel ineffecient but featured some revolutionary design solutions. Later versions tried to correct the initial problems.

IL 86 was also the perfect jumbo jet for Third World conditions because it did not require much ground infrastructure. Passengers entered the plane right into the belly, which in Western planes is totally dedicated to cargo. Right at the entrace were racks and racks of space for hand luggage. You then took steps up (the Soviets were not concerned about handicapped people) into this cavernous, almost sanctuary-like cabin. It had overhead bins that were larger than in other Aeroflot planes. I thought I had a superb fliight.

But back to Interflug. All of its planes were made in the Soviet Union. But, as I said, I didn't have any problem with that.

Which brings me to one of the most interesting news items I saw during my years in the Soviet Union. To test new instrument landing gear in real-life conditons, the pilots of one Aeroflot flight pasted newspapers over their cockpit windows.

All on board perished.

[Leeuwen]

I can be wrong, but flying Interflug was hardly an option for Westerners, was it? East Germany if possible even more rigorous state than the Soviet Union, and all Stasi spies... Today all relics of former DDR are gone, so is Interflug.

Interestingly, Ryan Air is predicted to become largest carrier in Europe, but I doubt they will ever fly intercontinental routes. Compare to low-cost US counterpart, Soutwest Airlines or asian Air Asia .
Main difference between EU and US carriers is that the former fly more long distance routes, while US carriers rely to a higher degree on domestic routes.
Four largest US carriers (Us Airways, United, Delta and Northwest) have filed for bankruptcy protection last year. This is what I call crisis. British Airways and Scandinavian have not even been close such dramatic circumstances.

Personal preferences? Lufthansa or KLM (lowest fares to RSA). Still like British Airways, but latest events on transatlantic routes made me feel like sitting duck when flying BA.

[Ron Weasley]

Vittu,

The first time I flew over to ZA it was on Virgin Atlantic. Great airline except you have to wait for 11 hours in terminal 3 at Heathrow for the connecting flight to J'Burg.

I flew Klm/Northwest a few times for convience. I found the U.S.-Amsterdam leg O.K. what you would expect from a U.S. airline(Crappy service etc..) This peticular KLM Amsterdam-Cape Town run was the worst flight I have ever been on. Kids jumping everywhere, in-flight service was bad, upset and yelling flight crew. I have to say with Northwest's attitude and KLM's commitment not to care I said I would never fly KLM again.

I will however say that Klm's Cape Town-Amsterdam flight was probably the best flight I have had. I had a nearly empty 777 that I flew on. But that was once. Another reason I don't fly through amsterdam anymore is the harrasing security. I think they need to stop smoking dope before they come to work. They didn't seem to know what a bottle of brandy was and why it's was not boxed up from when I left ZA.(One bottle does not need a box!).

I have flown Lufthansa for the last few times now. Now while the planes are dated and often full, the service is great. And The security at Frankfurt while stern is professional and everyone get's it. I do fly into Boston 99% of the time. New york can be a zoo at 4 P.M. ya know.

As far a SAA is concerned, the no longer fly to Atlanta. Just to JFK and Dulles. I know Delta will be taking over the old ATL-DAK-JBG route. Since SAA is not in skyteam anymore they are in Star alliance. I know you wouldn't be able to coop me up in an airbus for 22 hours non-stop!!.

Thank you for the info.

All the best to you also.

RW.

[Vittu]

Leeuwen,

You are right: Out of the turbulence, a lot of cut-rate airlines emerged. But a lot of airlines that may still exist had a difficult time. Air Lingus, for example, trying to find its place in the Ryan Air world. Ditto for British Airways and Scandinavian.

Let's also not forget a victim of German reunification: Interflug. Like Aeroflot, the East German flag carrier had an extensive route network.

[Leeuwen]

The whole European airline sector has gone through some painful times. Gone are Swissair, another fine airline in its prime, Sabena, the Caledonian (which used to service West Africa) and many others. In fact, when I am sleepless, instead of sheep, I count airlines that went out of business.

Sabena has now been replaced by SN Brussels Airlines.
Caledonian was aquired by British Airways back in the 80's.
Yeah, Swissair was a fine airline company that collapsed after 2001, but more airlines in Europe emerged than collapsed. At the moment I can't recall any major airline company that went out of business than Swissair and Sabena.

[Vittu]

Ron Weasley,

KLM used to be among the best airlines in the world. Until its economic woes and takeover by Air France.

The whole European airline sector has gone through some painful times. Gone are Swissair, another fine airline in its prime, Sabena, the Caledonian (which used to service West Africa) and many others. In fact, when I am sleepless, instead of sheep, I count airlines that went out of business.

There was also this peculiar Luxemburg-based apartheid-busting airline called Luxair that used to fly to South Africa. Its operations were very secretive.

How is South African Airways these days? The 18-hour Joburg-to-New York run was a killer. I had never before or after seen people sleeping in the aisles.

Do they still refuel on Cape Verde?