Wild at heart
Cathay Pacific and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups have launched their 10th Wilderness Experience Programme, for which students aged 16 to 18 are invited to take part in a nine-day ecological course (July 27 to August 7) at the Entabeni Game Reserve in Johannesburg, South Africa. The reserve's 10,000 hectares are home to 80 species of mammals (including the Big Five - elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard). Eight lucky participants will join 42 other students from all over Asia to take part in hikes, camping trips and wildlife observation.
All costs, including air tickets, accommodation and meals, will be covered by Cathay Pacific and students need only pay $500 for the training package and travel insurance. Application forms can be downloaded from downloads.cathaypacific.com/ press/hk-wilderness2003_info.pdf or picked up from the Swire Group Public Affairs Office in Admiralty, Cathay Pacific Ticketing Office in Tsim Sha Tsui, Cathay Pacific City at Chek Lap Lok or the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups in North Point (call 2747 5210 or 2561 6149 for more details). But hurry - the application deadline is April 25.
Lingua franca
Savings of up to 60 per cent are available on both sites, and you can search by hotel name or country and star rating. A search on HotelClub of five-star hotels in Phuket mustered seven results including the Amari Coral Beach Resort Phuket for $624 and Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket at $1,225. Meanwhile, RatesToGo offered four options following a search for five-star hotels in Hong Kong, ranging from $500 at the Concourse Hotel in Mongkok to $975 at the Marco Polo Gateway in Tsim Sha Tsui. On HotelClub you can also book car hire.