Talks have resumed between Royal Mail and postal union leaders today with a view to stopping official strike action planned for next week. Despite the talks unofficial strike action is continuing in Liverpool with all 21 delivery depots walking out. This will cause further delays to deliveries in this area. If talks between the two sides fail there are due to be further postal strikes next week.

If you are looking around for a last minute getaway you might want to go to Madrid. HotelClub currently have a number of good deals on Madrid accommodation, some of which start at only 59 Euros a night. All the rates shown on the website are also inclusive of all taxes, so there are no hidden costs.

The same website also has a useful guide to Madrid hotels which recommends which hotels you should stay at to be close to some of the main attractions like the Debod Temple and the main museums. If you are looking for some hotel news you might also want to have a look at their blog which has a number of useful articles including taking your pet on holiday and the top five spring destinations. It also has interesting articles about the best and worst European food, it is certainly worth a read.

Unofficial strikes have continued today in some parts of the country. Postal workers in London and Liverpool took part in a second day of unofficial strikes with the action spreading to Merseyside. The rest of the country’s 1,500 delivery offices were working normally today clearing the backlog from last week’s strikes. However, these unofficial strikes will cause further delays to mail in some areas.

Despite the organised strike action by postal workers finishing this morning there have been reports of some unofficial strike action continuing in some regions. Staff at more than 20 delivery offices including parts of London, Glasgow, Merseyside and Lancashire have continued to strike in protests related to their working hours. Some reports suggest that staff continued to strike after turning up for work only to be told that their workings hours had been changed without prior agreement. Mail posted to the affected areas will be subject to further delays.

Although the current postal strike is now over and mail will now be posted daily as normal, we would like to remind customers to expect a delay in delivery times. Mail is likely to be delayed whilst Royal Mail staff work hard to clear the backlog. During this time we cannot guarantee delivery times.

This weeks PC2Paper travel log of the week is Stuck In Customs a blog filled with some of the most spectacular photo's taken by its author Trey Ratcliff on his various travels, using a photography technique called HDR of which he provides a tutorial.

One of the most amusing photos is as Trey refers to it "The Kwik-E-Mart in the Backstreets of Beijing" featuring a Chinese equivalent of a 7-11 store.

I heartily recommend a visit to this blog just  to browse through the stunning photographs, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. 

We would like to remind customers that due to the current postal strikes in the UK any mail sent from Thursday 4th of October to Tuesday 9th of October will be delayed. There are now no postage collections or deliveries until Wednesday 10th of October. Any letters received during this time, will be processed on Wednesday 10th of October. There may also be delays to postage times in the days following the strike as postal workers work to clear the backlog of mail. All US bound mail is unaffected.

If you are looking at booking a last minute break to avoid some of the British winter you might want to have a look at hotelreservations.com. They specialise not only in Hotel Reservations but also in flights and car hire. With a choice of 70,000 properties worldwide they have a lot of options. You can also book a vacation package that includes everything. If you prefer something a little more flexible the website also has vacation rentals.

The website is searchable by destination as well as check in and check out date and the number of people who are travelling. An important feature of this website is that you can view it in your own language and currency which is always useful. You also have the option to search the website using a map. This is quite useful if you want to go to a certain region but are not really bothered about which resort you go to.

If you are unsure where you want to go you might want to have a look at the destination guide on the website. It has useful recommendations for holidays based on your interests. It highlights the best beach holidays, the best family destinations, the best bed and breakfasts, the best spa destinations and even the best destinations for golf and gambling. The guide also has lots of useful information about all the destinations offered including useful tips on where to stay, when to go, money and currency and what sort of food and drink you should expect. It also includes information on the local culture and entertainment, postage and even maps of the area. I found a lot of useful background information on St Lucia where I am thinking of going in the new year. I also found some good deals on vacation rentals in the area.

There will be some disruption to our service this week due to the planned postal strikes. There are currently no collections on Thursday 4th, Friday 5 and Monday 8. Any mail sent on these days will be processed as normal but will be delayed until the next available collection.

For customers sending mail shots during this week, we recommend sending them before the close of business on Tuesday of October, so as to ensure a printing slot for Wednesday and avoid delays to your letters.

This week's travel blog of the week is Corporate American Runaway by Sherry. She has been travelling around the world since the 8th of October 2006 after deciding to quit her job and take some time out. The blog starts with Sherry setting out on her journey bound for Kenya and details all the anxiety that comes before setting off on an adventure. It then charts her travels through Zanzibar, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Greece and Italy, to name just a few of the places she has been to date. The most recent entries are about her time in India but this blog has so much content that it is really worth reading through the older posts if you are new to it.

One of my favourite entries talks about her mission to find some goats in trees in Morocco. Having heard stories of these tree climbing goats Sherry was determined to track some down and get some pictures. After a long taxi ride and much searching she is rewarded by seeing a group of goats that climb into the trees and hop from branch to branch looking for food.

 

Another interesting article is about her visit to The International Toilet Museum in India. She describes it as "toilet heaven" and finds that rather than being simply a museum full of toilets it is also part of a programme to provide sanitation solutions for India. The work they do includes building public toilets and educating people on the importance of sanitation. It does also have a number of toilets including toilets through history, royal toilets and even toilets disguised as chairs. This is probably one of the most obscure but nevertheless interesting posts I have read recently.

 

My favourite post on this blog is about driving in India. Sherry has lots of useful tips on driving in India such as "NEVER try to drive yourself in India. it's suicide". She talks about how the system of lanes works. Basically there are three lanes painted on the road but there is enough room on the road for five lanes with an inch of space between vehicles, so it's ok to pretty much drive anywhere you want. She also notices that the horn is very important when driving in India. According to Sherry the steering wheel is the most important equipment in the car, followed by the horn. It is generally used for changing lanes near trucks. The trucks have no side mirrors so it's the responsible of other drivers to honk their horn to signify they are there, otherwise they get hit. Another interesting point about Indian driving is that stop lights are optional. Once again the horn plays an important function here, simply speed through the intersection, ignoring the red light, honking the horn to announce your presence. This article is well worth reading all the way through for its tips on buses and crossing the street, truly brilliant.