By the Way 23 Jul 2012
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Quirky travel news to help ease in your Monday morning…
‘Package’ scares airport security
Thanks to gapyear.com which made us aware of this story last week. A man thought to have the world’s largest penis started an airport security scare recently when staff became suspicious of his ‘package’. Authorities at San Francisco International Airport thought actor Jonah Falcon’s bulge was a weapon and he was then taken through a thorough examination including X-rays and tests for explosives. Luckily Falcon, who has appeared on documentaries about his penis on Channel 4 and the USA’s HBO channel, found the whole incident amusing. If you’re that interested in finding out more, head to gapyear.com’s news page for a video…
London landmark could be turned into penguin
Visitors to London could be greeted by a 180-metre-tall penguin later this year. London Zoo has unveiled ambitious plans to turn one of the city’s most famous skyscrapers, the Swiss Re Tower (more commonly known as ‘The Gherkin’), into a giant into an enormous Humboldt penguin.
The Zoo’s Head of Communications, Emma Edwards commented; “We don’t want anyone to miss our penguins, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to miss this one looming over the capital. We think ‘The Penguin’ would be a striking addition to the London skyline and serve as a perfect reminder to Londoners and tourists alike to visit ZSL London Zoo and Penguin Beach this summer.
“Let’s be honest – penguins are a lot more interesting than gherkins!”
Buffalo forces plane to abort landing
A Vietnam Airlines passenger plane was forced to abort its landing after buffalo wandered on to the runway. According to Thanh Nien News, the aircraft was carrying 50 passengers from Danang to Haiphong on 4 July when the incident occurred. Having requested permission to land at Haiphong, the crew were informed that they would be unable to land as there was an “unidentified object” on the runway at Cat Bi International Airport.
The “unidentified object” turned out to be a buffalo, which had evaded the airport’s perimeter security and was grazing close to the runway. The aircraft was forced to circle for several minutes before security guards were able to shoo the buffalo off the runway.
Airport authorities said they are investigating how the buffalo entered the airport.