Destination: Asia
Photo You Must See: Prayers in the Yamuna
by World Hum | 11.08.10 | 1:36 PM ET
REUTERS/Jitendra Prakash Hindus pray in the Yamuna River in Allahabad, India, during the Bhai Dooj festival, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters
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Yahoo! BuzzWorld Travel Watch: G20 Alert in Seoul, Volcano in Indonesia and More
by Larry Habegger | 11.03.10 | 3:14 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
World Travel Watch: Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Tsunami in Indonesia and More
by Larry Habegger | 10.27.10 | 12:38 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
‘Hello Kitty’ Gets a Theme Park of Her Own
by Eva Holland | 10.26.10 | 11:33 AM ET
The new park, Hello Kitty Kawaii Paradise opened late last week in Tokyo. “Hello Kitty” creator Sanrio already had two theme parks devoted to Kitty and her friends, but Gadling blogger Leigh Caldwell notes that this is the first one where the famous cartoon cat flies solo on the marquee. So congrats, Hello Kitty, on having top billing all to yourself.
World Travel Watch: Protests in France Turn Violent, Entry Fee in Venice and More
by Larry Habegger | 10.20.10 | 12:56 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
World Travel Watch: Strikes in France, Festival Season Crime in Nepal and More
by Larry Habegger | 10.13.10 | 12:48 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
World Travel Watch: Penalties for Touts in Delhi, Tourist Tax in Lisbon and More
by Larry Habegger | 10.06.10 | 2:36 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
China’s Mandatory Vacation Woes
by Eva Holland | 10.04.10 | 12:53 PM ET
Forget about shrinking vacation syndrome. In China, workers are struggling with a complex schedule of mandatory holidays—followed by mandatory make-up days. The New York Times’ Andrew Jacobs explains:
According to a government-mandated holiday schedule that took effect in 2008, workers were given three consecutive days off last week for the Mid-Autumn Festival, but they were required to make up two of those by working the Saturday and Sunday on either end of the holiday.
This give-and-take arrangement is then repeated for the National Day holiday, with employees enjoying seven straight days off—Friday through Oct. 7—except only three of those are official free days. (The four “gifted days” will be made up over the weekends before and after.)
If you have trouble with the math, you are in good company.
Apparently, an internet cheat sheet has been circulating that aims to help. Here’s its breakdown: “One day off, three days on, three days off, six days on, seven days off, two days on, one day off.” Clear as mud, huh?
The Life of a Hotel Butler in Macau
by Eva Holland | 10.01.10 | 1:54 PM ET
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the growing corps of butlers working at top-end hotels in Macau, Hong Kong and mainland China, offering a level of service most of us probably associate with an aristocratic life that’s now decades or centuries in the past. And yes, there are Jeeves references.
Josephine Ive, the English-born hospitality guru behind Australia’s Magnums Butlers, a school for budding Jeeveses, says there has been a significant increase in demand for butlers across China from both private residences and hotels.
“There are now many more millionaires in China than before. [They] are traveling a lot more and are being exposed to different levels of service,” says Ms. Ive, a former chef and lady butler who once cooked for the British royal family. “It’s very hard to put figures on the growing demand for butlers in China, but almost all the top-end hotels are including butler services now,” she says. Many of Magnums’s graduates go on to work for high-end hotels across Asia; corporations and yachts are also a source of demand.
World Travel Watch: Second Bomb Threat at the Eiffel Tower, Rabies in Bali and More
by Larry Habegger | 09.29.10 | 11:38 AM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
Illegal Pumping Threatens Angkor Wat
by Eva Holland | 09.28.10 | 4:35 PM ET
The Guardian’s Ben Doherty reports from Siem Reap, where the Angkor Wat temple complex is facing yet another threat. Doherty explains:
Unchecked development, and the widespread, unregulated pumping of groundwater throughout Siem Reap city, has raised concerns that the temples, including the world’s largest religious monument, Angkor Wat, could crack or crumble if too much water is drained away.
The temples and towers of the 402-square-kilometre Angkor site sit on a base of sand, kept firm by a constant supply of groundwater that rises and falls with the seasons, but which is now being used to supply a burgeoning city.
With the number of visitors to the northern Cambodian province approaching 2 million a year, increasing pressure is being put on the scarce water resource.
Thousands of illegal private pumps have been sunk across the city, pulling millions of litres of water from the ground each day.
There’s a report in the works that is expected to outline some possible water solutions for the area.
Australian Chef: Thai Cuisine is ‘Decaying’
by Eva Holland | 09.24.10 | 3:43 PM ET
Them’s fighting words. The chef in question, David Thompson, is responsible for London’s Michelin-starred Thai restaurant, Nahm, and now he’s “striving for authenticity” at a Nahm branch in Bangkok, too. The Thai reaction has been predictably indignant. The New York Times explains:
Cooking is profoundly wound up with Thailand’s identity. Many recipes were tested and refined in royal palaces. And Thais often spend a good share of their day talking about this or that dish they tried; a common greeting is, “Have you eaten yet?”
Mr. Thompson’s quest for authenticity is perceived by some Thais as a provocation, a pair of blue eyes striding a little too proudly into the temple of Thai cuisine. Foreigners cannot possibly master the art of cooking Thai food, many Thais say, because they did not grow up wandering through vast, wet markets filled with the cornucopia of Thai produce, or pulling at the apron strings of grandmothers and maids who imparted the complex and subtle balance of ingredients required for the perfect curry or chili paste. Foreigners, Thais believe, cannot stomach the spices that fire the best Thai dishes.
Paris Hilton Channels Paul McCartney in Japan
by Eva Holland | 09.22.10 | 5:15 PM ET
Yep, the heiress followed in some famous footsteps today when she was denied entry to Japan because of a U.S. drug conviction.
As Gawker’s Jeff Neumann points out, she’s now a member of a rather elite travel club: “She joins Wings-era Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones on Japan’s list of druggie deportees.”
I hope she enjoys the moment—judging by this music video, she won’t likely see her name alongside McCartney’s and Jagger’s again anytime soon.
World Travel Watch: Commonwealth Games Concerns in India, Elections in Cuzco and More
by Larry Habegger | 09.22.10 | 12:46 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
The Wired Guide to Road Tripping in Kabul
by Eva Holland | 09.21.10 | 1:54 PM ET
Zach Rosenberg shares some lessons learned from four months of driving in the Afghan capital. The story includes some fascinating observations alongside the practical advice—Kabul’s most popular bumper stickers may surprise you.
High-mileage Toyota Corollas are so ubiquitous as to deserve a place on the Afghan flag. In fact, if you’re in Kabul, you’re probably driving one. Most of them are well-worn imports from Canada, the United States, Germany and other western nations and many bear stickers or flags identifying them as such. They often sport bumperstickers from their homelands. Logos of American universities are common. Less common but endlessly ironic are the occasional “Bush/Cheney ¹04,” “Jesus Saves” and “My Child is a Star Pupil At…” stickers.