RedPanda Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 14 hours ago, CyberJoe said: http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/ZA/AU (If Australia were your home, instead of South Africa....[Based on stats]) you would be: be 96.55% less likely to be murdered 1.10 in every 100,000 people are murdered annually in Australia compared to 31.90 in South Africa I must say, that is one of my favourites! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 22 hours ago, Skapie said: On a lighter note, my daughter's nickname is Lilly Pilly. And last night, while my husband was watching YouTube videos of Qantas flights (quite normal for an aircraft fanatic...), this one video of a flight from Hong Kong to Sydney, showed the detail on a menu. Where they offered Lillypilly dessert wine. I didn't believe my husband when he told me. He had to go search for that video again so he could show me. My mouth was ajar. I said to him, if that's not a sign, I don't know what is... I have had the privilege of flying to many destinations on many airlines and I can honestly say that the best service I got was on Qantas flying to Sydney. Not sure if it was just that flight but they literally came around every hour to check if we wanted blankets or water or juice. The hostesses were also very friendly and helpful. Stark contrast to SAA which I will never ever fly again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skapie Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 @tcmiller, did you fly economy or business? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skapie Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 @rozellem, that information regarding Lilly Pilly is so precious, I still find it so unbelievable. I will tell her that story one day and I tell you now, she will also not believe me. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 I have flown economy with Qantas often, especially long haul flights and can honestly say, I have never been disappointed. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreR Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 @KirstenT I can't begin to tell you how liberating and empowering it is to live in a country where personal safety is the least of ones concerns. Its a huge burden off your shoulders and allows you to concentrate on the things that really matter. I am 2.5 years in and every morning on my walk to the bus stop, at 6am, with no one around and in the pitch black, I breath this huge sigh of relief and have this overwhelming sense of freedom. Its a wonderful feeling and I am grateful to be able to experience it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Everyone has that line in the sand in regards to everything in life. For some it is further than others. Listen to your gutt and do what's right for you, when it's right for you. Don't be scared to face the unknown - we would not all be sitting here today if we did not face our fears. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 20 hours ago, Skapie said: @tcmiller, did you fly economy or business? Economy. I wish I could afford business, with my long legs, flying is really uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 4 minutes ago, tcmiller said: Economy. I wish I could afford business, with my long legs, flying is really uncomfortable. I assume that you know about the exit row options, and have tried the seats close to the back where they narrow, but before you're up against the wall and can't recline? (I'm short, but my family are tall, and they have tried a load of 'tricks') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skapie Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 I've never flown with Qantas, really looking forward to it. I'll be taking my two, very busy, babies with me, aged 1 and 3, so quite nervous about that. And we're going all the way to Brisbane for our first leg of the trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Just now, RedPanda said: I assume that you know about the exit row options, and have tried the seats close to the back where they narrow, but before you're up against the wall and can't recline? (I'm short, but my family are tall, and they have tried a load of 'tricks') Yeah, depending on the aircraft, the ones close to the bulkhead also sometimes offer more legroom. To be fair, Lufthansa were also really excellent but a little more curt in that typical German way but that was expected. I felt more "pampered" on Qantas if that makes sense, like they actually cared if you had a pleasant flight and tried everything they could to ensure it. The new A380 is insanely quiet, like driving in a car, its actually a little disturbing at first until you get used to it. And the take off and landing (Lufthansa) were exceptionally smooth, I was very impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreR Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 On 16 March 2016 at 7:25 PM, tcmiller said: To be fair, Lufthansa were also really excellent but a little more curt in that typical German way but that was expected. I felt more "pampered" on Qantas if that makes sense, like they actually cared if you had a pleasant flight and tried everything they could to ensure it. At a previous company we used to use Lufthansa when flying to Germany, except we used to call them 'Luftwaffe', for those reasons you mention. "You sit there Ja, and you don't move" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanH Posted March 18, 2016 Report Share Posted March 18, 2016 On 2016/03/15 at 10:46 PM, tcmiller said: I have had the privilege of flying to many destinations on many airlines and I can honestly say that the best service I got was on Qantas flying to Sydney. Not sure if it was just that flight but they literally came around every hour to check if we wanted blankets or water or juice. The hostesses were also very friendly and helpful. Stark contrast to SAA which I will never ever fly again. We flew on the Qantas 747 from Joburg to Sydney in cattle class and our experience was very different. The plane was full and the air staff just couldn't keep up. Dirty plates were sitting on tray for almost an hour and they ran out of all but one item on the menu within minutes. Not a great experience and I'd certainly avoid it in future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmiller Posted March 22, 2016 Report Share Posted March 22, 2016 Sounds like a nightmare! Luck of the draw I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldenlily Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 @KirstenT On 2016/03/13 at 7:16 PM, KirstenT said: @Sweepea how I wish our visas had already been granted. Alas, we are at step zero. First, my hubby wants to get a feel for Australia. That's the thinking behind a two-week LSD. He accepts that we need to leave Cape Town, even if he's struggling with it, and knows this is the most logical place to go (we have family in Sydney, and I love the place: New Zealand is a close second for me). My unabridged birth certificate has just popped out of Home Affairs after a few months (though I see it's no longer a requirement for adults). However, I looked at the tourist visa checklist today and my heart sank, as there's a check box for the certificate. My hubby applied in July last year for his: still nothing. And our marriage certificate is also going nowhere slowly (we have the short-hand version and a copy of the longer one from the minister, but wanted an 'official' one, too, just in case). Is it REALLY a requirement for an adult wanting a tourist visa, not just kids? :/ Not sure if anyone has replied to this yet, but I didn't have my unabridged birth certificate when I applied for my tourist visitor visa and it was still approved. I got a affadavit from my parents saying they are my parents and used my old birth certificate, as well as a letter from home affairs stating my unabridged birth certificate is being 'processed'. Later on I got so fed up with home affairs I used Karin's services from Documents express (Found the recommendation here on the blog somewhere) to expedite my unabridged birth certificate for my PR visa, I got it within 4 days. Good luck with your decision! We just came back from our LSD trip and it was such a wonderful feeling jogging (without pepper-spray and my big Rhodesian Ridgeback for protection) and feeling totally safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterthe1 Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 15 hours ago, Goldenlily said: my big Rhodesian Ridgeback for protection You'll still have your Ridgeback here, but as your best friend. Mine goes everywhere I go (accept work, unfortunately). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitchie Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 On 3/31/2016 at 2:50 PM, Goldenlily said: @KirstenT Not sure if anyone has replied to this yet, but I didn't have my unabridged birth certificate when I applied for my tourist visitor visa and it was still approved. I got a affadavit from my parents saying they are my parents and used my old birth certificate, as well as a letter from home affairs stating my unabridged birth certificate is being 'processed'. Later on I got so fed up with home affairs I used Karin's services from Documents express (Found the recommendation here on the blog somewhere) to expedite my unabridged birth certificate for my PR visa, I got it within 4 days. Good luck with your decision! We just came back from our LSD trip and it was such a wonderful feeling jogging (without pepper-spray and my big Rhodesian Ridgeback for protection) and feeling totally safe! Just on this topic too. We got our tourist visas mid 2015 without unabridged birth certificates. You need them for PR, but don't think its required for tourist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 13 hours ago, vitchie said: Just on this topic too. We got our tourist visas mid 2015 without unabridged birth certificates. You need them for PR, but don't think its required for tourist. I think EVERYBODY should just get themselves unabridged birth certificates and keep it safe. You never know when you will need it down the line. My mum just told me about Mr and Mrs XYZ (that I am supposed to know...) and how they had to postpone their flights to Aus, because they were asked to produce unabridged birth certs for their tourist visa applications (visiting their son) and had to order them from scratch. My parents have never needed them for their tourist visas, so things change all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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