If only I can earn $4.7m a year!

A bit of trivia, did you know that incoming Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will be earning $4.7m a year plus plus plus incentives! He is the new head of Australia’s flag carrier, and I am sure he would be inheriting a lot of head ache caused by the current financial crisis, as well as other quality issues that plague the company. I am sure he’s got a whole bunch of big responsibilities that would have come together with that big, fat (excuse my politically incorrect term) paycheck.

Cuban taekwondo athlete kicks referee

Oh my goodness! When we saw this, I thought we were watching some Hollywood movie where tempers flare everywhere. This Cuban taekwondo athlete would be banned permanently in all World Taekwondo Federation competition. Angel Valodia Matos, together with his coach would be banned, that is. I've read here that all details/records of this athlete will be deleted from the Beijing Olympics! Imagine all his hard work lost because of him and his inability to cope with his temper.

Bird's nest soup

Do you know what Bird's nest soup are made of? Do you like eating them?

This Chinese delicacy actually comes from cave swiftlets' saliva! Yickie if you think of it. But they really are yum! I've seen a video of how the swifts create this nest for days, only to be taken a few days by the harvesters. And these harvesters do such an amazing job! They lower themselves onto the cave (mostly in South Asia, Northeast Australia, and some Pacific islands) and then use a steep ladder to reach the edible nests. A 'craft' that has been around for hundreds of years, birds nest soup has high levels of potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, and is said to reinforce the human immune system.

Did you know that our very own El Nido in Palawan is one of the places where they do harvest bird's nests?

And, did you know that a kilogram of white nest can cost to about US$2000! And a kilogram of "red blood" nest (treated with red pigment) can cost up to US$ 10,000!!

Next time you eat bird's nest soup, think about the effort that has gone into making this amazing delicacy. 1. The swift bird doing their thing, making the nest. 2.The cave harvesters who risked their lives to "plow" the nest. 3. Cleansing of the bird's nest, 4. Selling the birds' nest to the restaurateur 5. Transporting the ingredient to the restaurant 6. Chef cooking it up. 7. Serving the birds nest soup to your table.

Random Facts about, around, within the Travel Industry

.. Did you know that a Pilot and a Co-Pilot could never be served the same type of meal while onboard? If there was something wrong with the meal, the Flight cannot afford to have both pilots' suffer from bad tummy ache. Guess who gets to choose whether its chicken, beef or fish??

.. Did you know that flight attendants get paid really well, especially for the working period that they are flying? More than double than if they were ground attendants. Imagine all the other perks flight attendants get: makeup allowance, hotel accommodation at the destination,etc! But then again compared to the risk..Plus, the time away from family..