Around the World in 21 days

Well I have finally managed to do it. I have been flying in the Aviation Industry both Commercially and now Corporate for 17 years now and have never completed the

Flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo

ANA Business Class

Around the World trip, I have been as far as Los Angeles in one direction,
and as far as Auckland in the other, but have never crossed the Pacific Ocean, so once this trip made it onto the schedule I was very excited. My journey started as a positioning trip from Manchester UK, then to Frankfurt, and then the long flight to Tokyo where I joined the aircraft.

Approach into Ushuaia

As you see from the map, we didn't just go around the world, we went via South America. We flew to Hawaii, crossing the International Date Line.  After a few days in Honolulu and Maui we then went to Tahiti for a refuelling stop, then carried on to Easter Island, where we took a guided tour of the islands and visited many of the 'Head' sculptures. We learnt how they were calved and how they were transported to the various ancient burial sites around the island. 

Then we were off again this time South East to Santiago de Chile, which was a great place, great people and a fantastic hotel. We had 2 nights there, then we headed south, that is 300nm from Antarctica, we went to the Southernmost City in the World called Ushuaia in Argentina, and as you expect it was freezing, it was very hot at home, and there was I, freezing my bits off surrounded by skiers.

Then we were on the home straight, my dream of making it around the World was in sight. We then headed back North to Rio de Janeiro, where I had been to many times, but it is a fantastic place to be. The Atmosphere is electric down there, and it was good to see the Football Stadiums from the World Cup, and the new stadiums being built for the Olympics in 2016.

Our final couple of legs took us to St Maarten in the Caribbean, and then a short hop to West Palm beach for a couple of days R&R before heading back to Europe.

Resort Review Playa de Ingles Gran Canaria

If you are following us on Twitter, then you might have known that we have just returned home from a fantastic break to Gran Canaria. The flight time from here in the UK is approximately 4 1/2 hours, a bit quicker with a tail wind, which isn't far at all. 

Barcelo Margaritas

I had never been to Gran Canaria, we had been to Tenerife earlier in the year, so had a rough idea what to expect. But Wow what a place, we stayed the the 4* All Inclusive Resort of Barcelo

 Margaritas, in Playa de Ingles, which is about a 20 minute bus ride from the airport in Las Palmas (LPA). We arrived mid evening and we could hear the evening Entertainment in full swing, nothing too garish, and we had arrived in time for a couple of night caps before the All Inclusive ended at 11pm, which is good in one way, because the only noise that you can hear comes from the fellow guests, and as this is a genuine 4* establishment, the clientele is slightly more refined, and I hate to admit, but slightly older too. This is not a hotel for Hen Parties or rowdy Stag do's. 

Although the entertainment was below par on a couple of occasion, this would not matter if you came

here on a cycling holiday, there are plenty of bars and meeting up places around the hotel to discuss the days ride or planning tomorrows. Although we were AI we did venture out most nights, the walk down to the beach takes about 20 minutes, which is nice to walk off any aches and pains.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance of the Barcelo, but there are many Self Catering options to be had on the island. I reckon that you could have a fantastic holiday in Gran Canaria at any budget. I found the island safe, I did not see any trouble, and I found the Gran Canarians more friendly then the people of Tenerife, cars stop at Pedestrian Crossings for starters and do not try and mow you down.

Unfortunately we did not get the opportunity to ride this time, but next time the bikes are definitely coming.

So, I know that it is February and my first post of the year, but to be honest, last year was a bit of a Roller Coaster year. Anyway that is behind us, and now it is time to move forward. So here we are with some fantastic new things that we will be rolling out over the coming weeks and months, we are launching the Spa side of the business very soon, so not too long to wait for that. Then we have the clothing side that we are looking into, we are keeping our cards very close to out chest right now, but when we are ready, there will be more fireworks than on a News Years Eve in Sydney Australia. Our Facebook page is gaining 'Likes' and the Twitter page is doing really well. Not forgetting the Cruise that we are planning, and of course the new logo, which I think is fantastic. 

Please keep checking the website, Twitter @velocruise  and our Facebook page for regular updates.

Mike