Destination: Asia
World Travel Watch: Chile Earthquake Aftermath, Rallies in Bangkok and More
by Larry Habegger | 03.03.10 | 11:01 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
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Yahoo! BuzzInterview With Ted Conover: Traveling ‘The Routes of Man’
by Frank Bures | 03.02.10 | 11:39 AM ET
Frank Bures asks the author about the role of roads in the world -- from Ladakh and the Peruvian Andes to the West Bank
Why Tourism is Not a Four-Letter Word
by Eric Weiner | 03.01.10 | 12:47 PM ET
iStockPhoto On travel snobbery -- and why paying 30 bucks to get pummeled by a guy named Mustafa isn't such a bad thing
From Beijing to Vancouver: A Very Different Olympics
by Eva Holland | 02.22.10 | 2:22 PM ET
REUTERS/Shaun Best It’s been nearly two years since I blogged from the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, and—as I thought I might—I now find myself on the Olympic travel trail again, in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games. I’ll be honest: The two host cities couldn’t feel more different.
I stepped off the train from the airport and surfaced in downtown Vancouver this weekend, expecting, perhaps, to feel some uniquely Olympic vibe in the air, familiar to me from my brief time in Beijing. But the scene on Vancouver’s streets has almost nothing in common with the one I encountered two years ago. My memories of Beijing are all broad boulevards, empty except for uniformed Chinese volunteers offering directions to clusters of wandering foreigners, and subdued subway cars full of commuters. Vancouver, in contrast, is a non-stop maple-leaf-painted street party—flag-draped young people careen through the streets, impromptu break dancing circles pop up on corners, and buskers work the crowds. The brightly-dressed foreigners that I remember from Beijing are here, too, but they’re wildly outnumbered by the revelers in red and white.
I suppose there are plenty of economic reasons for the contrast. The 2008 Games probably weren’t as accessible to the average Chinese citizen as these Games are to most Vancouverites, while the expense and difficulty of visiting China could explain why the many young Olympics visitors here were absent in Beijing. (The local high school students I rode the bus home with last night, for instance, weren’t likely to make a transcontinental Olympic trek.) But economics aside, I still feel like there’s a fundamental difference at work: Beijing’s Games, to me, were clearly aimed outward, at the world, while Vancouver’s, so far, feel more like an essentially Canadian party to which everyone else has also been invited.
How I Got My Chinese Driver’s License
by Peter Hessler | 02.18.10 | 11:23 AM ET
In an excerpt from his new book, "Country Driving," Peter Hessler -- aka Ho Wei -- recalls his Beijing driving exam
Interview With Peter Hessler: Behind the Wheel in China
by Frank Bures | 02.18.10 | 10:23 AM ET
Photo by Darryl Kennedy Frank Bures asks the New Yorker writer about his new book, "Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory"
World Travel Watch: Strikes in Belgium and Greece, Bombing in India and More
by Larry Habegger | 02.17.10 | 11:38 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
Photo You Must See: Dancing the Fire Dragon Dance in China
by World Hum | 02.16.10 | 11:36 AM ET
REUTERS/Christina Hu Chinese men perform a fire dragon dance in Beijing in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Video You Must See: Tokyo Sky Drive
by Eva Holland | 02.15.10 | 11:02 AM ET
A mirroring effect turns a nighttime ride on Tokyo's raised monorail into something more
Photo You Must See: The Sadhu’s Hand
by World Hum | 02.11.10 | 11:04 AM ET
REUTERS/Reinhard Krause A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, sits near the banks of the Ganges.His followers say he has not moved his arm or cut his fingernails for 32 years.
World Travel Watch: Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Closed, Alternate Routes to Machu Picchu and More
by Larry Habegger | 02.10.10 | 11:38 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
Photo You Must See: Flocking to Geumgang Lake, South Korea
by World Hum | 02.09.10 | 10:32 AM ET
REUTERS/Office of Gunsan City A flock of teals fly over Geumgang Lake in Gunsan, about 168 miles south of Seoul.
Photo You Must See: Operatic Eyes in Guangzhou, China
by World Hum | 02.08.10 | 11:41 AM ET
REUTERS/Joe Tan A passenger walks in front of a giant poster featuring Chinese opera near a railway station in Guangzhou, China.
New Travel Book: ‘China: Museums’
by Eva Holland | 02.05.10 | 12:21 PM ET
This illustrated guide to China’s many lesser-known museums is due out in April. The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos has a thoughtful Q&A with co-author Miriam Clifford, on her favorite spots and the way China presents itself, to visitors and to its own citizens.
Don’t Mess With My French Toast!
by Eric Weiner | 02.04.10 | 8:11 AM ET
iStockPhoto On the meal that grounds us in our home culture, even on the other side of the globe