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TollTrack for E-Toll iOS app
Toll Track is a FREE mobile app that will help you track and log your toll costs automatically.
All you need to do is press ‘Start’ and let Toll Track do the tracking for you while you drive the route.Toll Track calculates the relevant discounts according to your presets and will build a monthly cost log for Bakwena, E-Toll and TRAC N4 gantries.
Toll Track uses your mobile phone’s built-in GPS receiver to track the gantries passed through
and calculates the relevant discounts applicable, to display and log the net payable amount.
Ideal for individuals who do a lot of business travelling, now you can track your toll expenses and incorporate it into your business billing structure.
ORTAMBO Customer Experience – The Social Media Lesson
On my way back to my car on 16 January 2013 at ORTAMBO Airport this happened when paying for parking to about 5 of us
ORTAMBO responded
Quick Response, they really want to help, I’m thinking, Yeah Right
This is getting serious now, they want to refund the R5
By then I had left the change and the building
Three Weeks Later……
I land at ORTAMBO from one of my business trips and I check-in on FourSquare and send the check in to Twitter
And then this happens!
Howz that for Customer Experience, Use of Social Media. Am still wondering how they remembered after three weeks
Where I stayed in Richards Bay – Feb 2013
How I get to Zululand
N2 to Zululand
First of all when I travel to Richards Bay for business I fly to Durban’s King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) then drive approx 145km to Richards Bay. Why? To chop a long story short, the last plane back to JHB once ran out of fuel and we had to fly to JHB via King Shaka so as to refuel (3hr trip, it was supposed to be 1.5hrs), besides that propeller is something else :).
Lovely road but there is always traffic cops on the road. Especially the Mandeni area. There isn’t much traffic all the way although you lose the two lane system to one lane system as you get closer to Richards Bay. From a scenic perspective there isn’t much worth seeing. You don’t even see the sea all the way to Richards Bay although you will be driving along the coast. There are 3 toll gates costing you R8.00, R9.50 and R32.00 one way. R49.50 in total so you better have R100 for return trip.
Where I stayed February 2013
The Protea Hotel Waterfront! Lovely hotel, very quiet, no outside cars zooming past, no noise in the corridors. Don’t switch on the television and you will understand what I am talking about. This is the standard room. R1161 per night room only. Room only cost suits me fine cause I have a tendency of skipping breakfast. Yeah I know what you are saying. This is what my room looked like (thanks to the iPhone Panorama function)
The bed is very comfortable and I slept well the whole night. The furniture is great and they have a proper office chair with a desk (I felt like I was back at the office!) *maybe even better than my office chair* Hope my boss doesn’t see this 🙂 Below pic shows the view from my window at sunrise
What I ate
First night I had a 250g Sirloin with Giant Hand Cuts with pepper sauce and onion rings. Well done! Yes all my meat MUST be cremated! at least that’s what they say at the office. Dessert was some divine Banana Drama Waffles with hot caramel. YUMMY! I love bananas so yah.. the rest is history. Tip: Order room service they seem to put extra effort in the way the cooking is done and the way its delivered to your room (myView). Don’t judge! The fries make me fat.. at least I had the next meal with veggies.
Next day I munched some Honey Mustard Chicken (grilled!) with mash and a creamy honey mustard. I kindly asked the chef not to add garlic and he said with pleasure! (How does that beat buffet) I tell you, I think room service gets special treatment.
The Problem with this venue
They are charging residents R30 per day for parking! Dude! It’s not even basement parking. Your car gets cooked by the weather outside in the open and you pay them accommodation fees, dinner, breakfast and parking! I’m sorry but that’s absurd, ridiculous!
The Traffic Officer!
Can you spot the speed trap in this 7 seconds video? Why so short, well there is this thing called VINE for smartphones where you post and share 6 second videos (post for another day)’ Check it out
Would I stay there again?
*DrumRoll* Yes ofcourse! Why? It’s one of very few hotels where I actually sleep the whole night without working up 3 times because it’s not my bed. The list number of times I woke up at this hotel was ONCE. So Yes I will stay there anytime. I have had breakfast here once but I was not impressed. P/S you can have a bite with your legs in water 🙂 One of the hot days highlights
Till Next Post!
MyTravel Posts to be published!
Thanks to a Google+ Community called Travel South Africa. I have been invited to write blog articles for TWO websites about my travelling and photography as I travel across South Africa.. I am once again highly honoured! Thanks to Neil Playdon of Where2stay-SouthAfrica and Rob Baker of South Africa Travel Online for the invitation! The two sites that will publish my travels are
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2. http://www.where2stay-southafrica.com/
Love this Baby – CRJ 700
Manufactured by Bombardier, has a cruising speed of 875kmph, travels 2794km in one go at a maximum altitude of 12496m and seats 70 plus two pilots and two crew.
The KLM Social Media Surprise
Last year KLM had been committing little acts of kindness because they wanted to discover how happiness spreads. Have a look to see what happened..
The Most Private Room with a view
If you are ever at the Cape Town International Airport on the domestic departures side, do yourself a favour and go to the Slow Lounge.
When you get there, you must go to the toilet, (the first one on your extreme left to be precise) and the below picture shows the Private Room and the View.
Imagine watching planes land, taxi and take off!
47 000 feet in Mzanzi
Ladies and Gentleman welcome aboard this flight WM211 to a destination of your choice in South Africa. Cabin crew arm your doors and cross check. We will be taking off on runaway 2N in a northerly direction and making a short left enroute to your choice of destination. We will be cruising at 47000 feet (yeah, quite high hey). Weather enroute is all clear. Seat back, relax and enjoy this flight.
Booking
The best way is to book online. I highly recommend that before you book you must check all airlines how much the tickets are. I have seen on many occasions the so called budget airlines being more expensive than the SAA’s and BA’s of this world. Remember to choose meal options at booking otherwise you will get the same old meal if you are a regular traveller. The fruit platter in the morning is a lekker one on SAA.
Check In
If you love certain seats like some of us we love the window seat and as further up the plane as possible you must check in online exactly 24hrs before the flight. With Mango you get lucky at times as they open earlier. How? Simple. Diarize the check in on your smart device to remind you 5min before the 24hr mark.
The best time
The best time to fly out of Johannesburg is the first flight of the day. Any delays that occur normally do after the first flight. Mango Airlines is SA’s most on time airline so now you know who flies you out. SAA has recently up their game on early arrivals. They are boarding passengers earlier than scheduled resulting in early departures and early arrivals. 3 Thumbs Up for you there.
The best time to return to Johannesburg is arriving from 17h30, just in time to miss the traffic unless if you are driving to Pretoria (the four lanes all the way to Tshwane has made travel between the airport and Tshwane quick at any time of the day)
The best parking undercover is Level 3 parking on the domestic side. Everyone goes straight to level 2. Park in level 3 close to the lifts and just take one flight of stairs to the level 2 bridge.
I don’t have a best airline but my worst airline is Kulula. They have massive delays which is extremely bad for business. But if you flying for personal reasons then you can endure the delays.
Security
Oh Yes security is big issue in SA and our airports have a fair share of the load. If at all possible DON’T check in your bag. Pack light. I put all my shirts and suit in a suit cover, the backpack then carries the toiletry bag, laptop, iPad etc. Check in and go through the security gates as soon as you get to the airport. Enjoy your cup of coffee on the other side aka airside. At least on the other side you have fellow passengers.
The Airlines
SAA
Mango
Kulula
1 Time
British Airways
Gautrain
I am not happy that Gautrain at the time of going to print does not start operating early enough to catch the first flight out of Johannesburg. Enough said.
The WeszMadz Rule Number One: Be At The Airport Two Hours Before Each Flight
I have never missed a flight as a result
I am sure I will be writing another article on this topic. So much to say.
People don’t talk to you on flights! Some don’t even greet or answer your greetings.
P/S I wrote this post on board British Airways flight BA6441 to Cape Town 28 March 2012
Migrated to WWW.WESLEY.CO.ZA 