A taxi ride on a holiday

Image via Wikipedia

This is a very simple story, but enough to make you realize that even for a ride on a holiday, it can be enjoyable with things at their simplest.

Read on!
-----

Taxi ride most memorable

One cabbie, two passengers, six days in Western Australia

GOING on a road trip doesn't make one a celebrity, but the Singaporean winners of Tourism Western Australia's Extraordinary Taxi Ride contest, 33-year-old Ong Jing Yi and her brother Jason, 35, got a taste of stardom when a film crew followed them around during their road trip in Western Australia. They even got to meet the mayor and attend a radio interview at Geraldton town.

"No matter where we went, people waved and talked to us. I was really happy. I felt like a VIP," said Jing Yi.

In April, the siblings embarked on an all-expense paid road trip in a taxi driven by gregarious Australian taxi driver Doug Slater, a mini-celebrity himself after he was selected via a nationwide voting contest.

During the six-day tour, they visited destinations including Lancelin, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Monkey Mia and Shark Bay. At the end of each day, they blogged about their experiences and uploaded photos. A highlights video was also posted on the Extraordinary Taxi Ride website, www.extraordinarytaxiride.com.au, at the end of the trip. The siblings talk to Today about their experiences. Terence Lee


What were some of the most interesting places you visited?

Jing Yi: The town of Geraldton is actually the lobster capital of Western Australia. There, I got a chance to go down to the dinghy to collect lobsters.

Jason: The Pinnacles is a very special place. The vast landscape consists of piles of limestone, and over time, the wind will change the surface. A couple of years from now, it might not look the same.

Jing Yi: We even took out a Singapore flag and took a photo with it. The landscape is like the moon!


Was the taxi driver helpful?

Jing Yi: He's like a walking encyclopedia! He knows the country well, having travelled all around Western Australia for more than 20 years. He's wary of kangaroos jumping onto the road because knocking into one could destroy the car's engine. He told us to keep our eyes on the side of the road and look out for places where bushes are sparse, since kangaroos are more likely to jump out of those.


What did you learn about Australia on this trip?

Jason: We try not to drive around at night, especially in the rural areas. Many wild animals come out to roam then, so it's dangerous.



From TODAY, Travel - Thursday, 10-June-2010
Taxi ride most memorable
-----

Related articles by Zemanta

• Extraordinary Taxi Ride delivers passengers to Broome and bookings uplift for WA (mumbrella.com.au)
• Aussie cabbie to take tourists 4,000 miles (msnbc.msn.com)
• Aussie cabbie to take tourists on 4,000-mile drive (sfgate.com)
• Aussie cabbie to take tourists on 4,000-mile drive (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton agree to higher royalties (newstatesman.com)
• An Interview With Flemming Bo Jensen (travelinsurance.org)
• Optus GSM Coverage - Brisbane (slideshare.net)
• BHP, Rio Tinto Agree to Pay Higher Royalties (online.wsj.com)
• Face Of The Day II (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Freak storm hits western Australia (msnbc.msn.com)