Destination: Asia
The Heat Seeker: Eat, Sweat, Love
by Alison Stein Wellner | 05.11.09 | 11:12 AM ET
iStockphoto Alison Stein Wellner likes her food hot and spicy. To find out how hot and spicy, she searched the world for heat. Part one of five: Currywurst in Frankfurt.
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Yahoo! BuzzMy Worst Hotel Rooms
by Alexander Basek | 05.11.09 | 10:59 AM ET
Lists are in the air lately, so I decided to get in on the action. Herewith, my four worst hotel rooms, lifetime. I won’t name names, because I’m a gentleman. And also, because the parties in question might hunt me down and throw tiny bottles of shampoo at me.
Singapore: I was at the edge of Singapore’s Chinatown, which, as it turns out, is also the edge of Singapore’s red light district. Not that I caught on—I thought all the scantily-clad women peering out from cracked front doors were zealous about saving the environment and keeping that AC indoors. My hotel room here was easily the darkest I’ve ever stayed in: a deep red and purple color scheme lit by one dirty window overlooking an airshaft. The only outlet was in the middle of the wall above the bed.
Yangon, Myanmar
by World Hum | 05.08.09 | 11:33 AM ET
REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun Devotees crowd the Shwedagon Pagoda during the Kason watering festival in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
Magelang, Indonesia
by World Hum | 05.07.09 | 12:20 PM ET
REUTERS/Dwi Oblo Indonesian Buddhist monks collect holy water ahead of a Vesak Day procession in Magelang, central Java. Vesak Day honors the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha more than 2,000 years ago.
Expat Tales: Wanderers, Starving Artists and Dissolutes
by Julia Ross | 05.06.09 | 3:10 PM ET
Novelist Malcolm Pryce rounds up his top 10 expat tales with heavy representation from Asia and the Pacific: novels and journals on Vietnam, Thailand, Tahiti and Sri Lanka make the cut.
Eurocentrics will appreciate Pryce’s inclusion of the Thomas Cook European Railway Timetable, but, for Asia travelers, the money quote can be found in his description of Bangkok: “The city is, in fact, a combine harvester for the ex-pat male heart.” Something tells me that line will come to mind next time I’m walking through Patpong.
Sichuan, China
by World Hum | 05.06.09 | 12:02 PM ET
REUTERS/Stringer Students practice playing musical instruments in preparation for a performance to mark the first anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake, at a temporary primary school in Qingchuan County, Sichuan. China will mark the anniversary on May 12, 2009.
A Flight From Kathmandu to Tumlingtar
by Rob Verger | 05.06.09 | 11:22 AM ET
It’s been gray and drizzly for a few days now in New York City, and this dreary weather gives me a kind of itchy wanderlust. The airport beckons. It makes me nostalgic for what was perhaps the most adventurous flight and trip I’ve ever taken, now almost a decade ago.
I suspect that many travelers out there have such a trip in mind—the kind that, while it may have been grand and seminal for you at the time, might live on even larger in your mind in the years afterwards.
I was studying abroad in Nepal at the time, and we had reached the point in the semester when we all were required to pursue independent study projects. I had decided to venture out and try to collect legends about something called the Khembalung Beyul in northeastern Nepal, which is a Shangri-la-type “hidden valley” that exists more in story than in actuality.
Travel Warnings: What’s So ‘Non-Essential’ About Travel?
by Eric Weiner | 05.06.09 | 11:14 AM ET
REUTERS/Jorge Dan On the intersection of place, politics and culture
Don’t Forget to Splurge!
by Eva Holland | 05.05.09 | 2:33 PM ET
For me, part of the fun of budget travel is the chance to loosen the purse strings once in a while and drop some cash on a worthwhile splurge.
Whether that means a night in a plush hotel room after weeks of hosteling, a spa day, or a way-out-of-my-price-range meal, I generally find some way to treat myself once during any budget-conscious trip—and, I figure, I appreciate my reward that much more than if I’d been pampering myself all along. It doesn’t have to be about spending a lot of money, either. My favorite travel splurge of all time cost just $15.
Things I Didn’t Know About the Dalai Lama
by Julia Ross | 05.05.09 | 1:25 PM ET
I dropped by a lively discussion last night on all things Dalai Lama, by World Hum contributors Eric Weiner and Pico Iyer, and learned a few things about His Holiness’s travel habits: he always flies business class; is addicted to the BBC World service and feels out of sorts when he can’t tune in; and prefers to spend his downtime on trips visiting local high schools.
Dhani Tackles Poetry: ‘Visions Unwritten’
by Dhani Jones | 05.04.09 | 4:29 PM ET
Picture: Red Line Films NFL linebacker and Renaissance man Dhani Jones hosts the Travel Channel show, Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Like any good Renaissance man, he’s writing poems inspired by the travel experiences featured on each show.
The topic of tonight’s journey: Cambodia.
Eight Great Funny Travel Stories
by World Hum | 05.01.09 | 2:23 PM ET
To mark World Hum's eighth anniversary, we've collected eight favorite travel stories from our archives that see the humor in travel
Sneeze Your Way to Savings?
by Alexander Basek | 05.01.09 | 1:33 PM ET
Remember when I told you guys how many deals there were to be had in Thailand? Well, the Practical Traveler now reports they’re even better thanks to the unrest there. If you don’t mind a little protesting, then run for the savings! The Anantara properties Michelle mentions, particularly at the Golden Triangle, are some of the nicest in the country.
Same goes for travel and the SCHWEINE-GRIPPE—I use the German term for swine flu because it sounds much scarier that way.
Eight Great Family Travel Stories
by World Hum | 05.01.09 | 11:33 AM ET
iStockPhoto To mark World Hum's eighth anniversary, we've collected eight favorite travel stories from our archives that explore the family vacation in all its forms
Cheap Airfares! Buy Now!
by Rob Verger | 05.01.09 | 10:30 AM ET
There is an amazing multitude of low fares for air travel out there right now. Want to fly cheaply to Australia? Shanghai? Las Vegas? I’ve rounded up some great travel deals below.