December 2007 Archives

This has been a big year for travel, and for IT. We relaunched the blog in June with a sustainability and authenticity focus, and have loved bringing you travel news, destination guides, and fun tidbits from our magazine's writers, editors, and readers in the time since. And since Traveler  worked hard bring you the World's Islands Rated in our year-end issue, we decided to root through the best of the Web's year-end travel offerings as a resource to our readers.

Hotels

• Trip Advisor travelers chose the Ten Most Luxurious Hotels. Hotel Chatter got the scoop on where to find WiFi on the road, while Forbes previewed "Ten Must-Visit European Hotels."

Reading

• Travel books reviewed by World Hum, Chicago Tribune, and the Times Online's "50 Best Travel Features of 2007."

Websites

• CNN, the Times, and Transitions Abroad, and Travel-rants all highlight the best of the Web.

Geekery

• Pierce Mattie and CBS.com checked out hot gadgets and Vagabondish took a hilarious look at useless gadgets including the Pillowig and the wearable sleeping bag.

Video

• Neat site Travercial scoured the Web and posts the top ten streaming travel videos of the year on their homepage.  

• Matt Brisbane continues to be a YouTube traveling sensation, with his "Where the hell is Matt?" video topping 8.5 million views.

Our annual Photo Issue, now on newsstands, features the World in Focus contest winners drawn from over 27,000 entries. The Grand Prize went to Mark Unrau of Ontario, Canada, for this haunting image. Unrau snapped this image on the train that runs from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet. The rail line—one of the world's highest railroad routes—had been completed just a month earlier. Many Tibetans feel the train is bad for their people and culture, but the Chinese have hailed it as a major technological achievement and said it will promote tourism. Unrau wanted to document the controversial new train. He took the photograph early in his 26-hour journey. "The woman was sitting in front of me for the duration of the ride," says the photographer, "and was glued to the window staring out at the expansive scenery."

Visit our website to see more winners from this year's contest. And add your own photos to our Flickr pool to have them featured on the blog.

Photo: Mark Unrau

The Shaolin Temple in central China, recognized as the birthplace of both Zen Buddhism and the martial arts, doesn't give up its secrets easily. American photographer Justin Guariglia made repeated visits over five years just to get permission to photograph the monks who live there. Watch Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows' One-on-One interview with Guariglia now:

Frontiers North Adventures offers guided tours to the most remote destinations in Canada.

At the Elu Inlet Lodge, located just south of Victoria Island in Nunavut, Canada, a knowledgable guide takes guests in a five-passenger skiff to explore islands in the Elu Inlet, and on nature hikes to see archaeological sites of ancient tent rings, kayak stands, and fire pits. Guests will also have a chance to learn about the cultural arts from local Inuit artists.

What we like about the tour is that the Elu Inlet Lodge is owned and operated by Inuit, which means your money is going to help locals. (Frontiers North Adventures was nominated for Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award in 2006 for its efforts to encourage appreciation of Canada's cultural, natural, and aesthetic heritage.) The tour price includes two nights at Cambridge Bay, five nights at Elu Inlet Lodge, most meals, and round-trip airfare.

Frontiers North has many other tours around the far reaches of Canada, including tours to the Hudson Strait, Igloolik (to see walruses), and Cape Churchill (to see polar bears). "We've got the best access in the world to wild  polar bears," John Gunter, Frontiers North general manager, told IT. Because of that, they're able to provide one of their Tundra Buggies, as well as lodging and a wireless transmission to the cameraman for National Geographic.com's live Polar Bear Cam -- check it out!
 

Image: © Frontiers North Adventures

Check out some of the amazing new photos we just put up online in the My China Photo Gallery like this shot of Mongolia herders on camelback by Adam Wong. The slideshow accompanies the cover feature for this month's issue.

Photo: Adam Wong

The January/February issue of Traveler is now on newsstands. Our sixth annual photo issue features a portfolio of pictures taken throughout China, and the winning entries from the World in Focus photo contest. It also has a bounty of great new online goodies for you to enjoy, which we'll be showing off this week:

• Check out the My China slideshow, featuring pictures from photojournalists with strong ties to the country and the stories behind the shots.
  

• Watch Keith Bellows' video interview with Justin Guariglia, a photographer who got amazing access to the monks living in the Shaolin temple. His pictures also appear in his new book Shaolin: Temple of Zen.

• Laura Morelli's newest column for The Genuine Article, where she explores the ancient art of Chinese silk.

• Test your geography skills in the latest WorldWise quiz.

• Stay classy with San Diego's Destination Guide.

• Check out our latest Free City guide to Seattle.

And if you're desperate for a last minute gift - don't forget a subscription to Traveler this year. Our two for one deal means you can give one and get one for yourself!

Happy Holidays from National Geographic Traveler and the staff at Intelligent Travel!

Contributing writer Cathy Healy was in Amsterdam this year to see some of the festivities that surround the arrival of Sinterklaas - or the Dutch Santa Claus.

If you’re naughty, not nice in the Netherlands, Santa’s helpers will stuff you in a sack and take you back to Spain. This is a threat? A free trip to Spain in December! But why Spain, I wonder? The real St. Nicholas was a bishop in Turkey and his bones are buried in Italy. A holdover from when Spain ruled Holland, during the Elizabethan era? But that’s another mystery to search out.

Today's mystery lies in the Sinterklaas traditions, experiencing which, on a scale of 0-10, hovers around 7 for culture sleuths. If Sinter and Santa started out as the same saint, how did they end up so different?

Sinter is welcomed to Amsterdam in mid-November, before our Thanksgiving, and leaves on his birthday, December 6, after his helpers have spent the night, climbing down chimneys to leave gifts. The Dutch separate Sinterklaas and gifts from Christmas and Christ. (I like that. Why should we bundle everything into one single day?)

My Dutch friends think they have the answer. They believe that Santa Claus was created by Coca-Cola, while Sint was a real man who is widely emulated for his gift-giving. Coca-Cola? Nope, that’s an urban legend, I tell them. They laugh and we sip our hot chocolates. It is December 3 and we're at Corlaer College near Nijkerk, where a crowd of good little boys and girls of the staff are greeting Sinterklaas and his helpers, who are called Black Piets. We’re fascinated.

I learned at a young age that starting international or multicultural holiday traditions can be fun (and delicious). Every Christmas, my Russian great-aunt, who taught high school French in New York City for years, used to bake a bûche de Noël, the traditional French "Yule log" cake. Starting back in the 12th century, the French burned a hefty Yule log all through Christmas night on the fire. As stoves were popularized, the French kept the tradition going by placing a candle-lit log on the table for decoration. Today, it has become a log-shaped cake eaten after the traditional Christmas meal, or réveillon. 

As cakes go, it is pretty easy and lots of fun to decorate. Here are two recipes for the bûche. A tip from my mother, who carries on the tradition, is to use angel food cake mix. She says:

(1) Take two pans with half-inch sides (a jelly roll pan) and line them with tinfoil. Grease and flour the tinfoil. (2) Make a package of angel food cake and pour into the jelly roll pans and bake. (3) Turn the baked angel food cake onto a moist towel and carefully pull off the foil. (4) Frost the entire flat pieces of angel food cake (with your choice of chocolate frosting) and roll them up like a jelly roll. If you want, you can cut the "log" at an angle to make it look like a piece of cut wood. (5) Cut your second log into pieces for the branches that come off the cake. (6) Ice the entire cake, and streak it with a fork to make the frosting look like bark. You can also create knotholes by making a circular design with the fork. (7) Shape marzipan into mushrooms and dot with cinnamon or cocoa powder to look like dirt. (8) Place them strategically on the log.

Apparently Austria and Germany have their own versions of the bûche, called a baumkuchen, or "tree cake" that is roasted on a spit over the fire. Chances are you don't have a spit or an open fire, so here are two more recipes we found for a more practical version. Bon appétit, and have a wonderful time making those marzipan mushrooms -- I think my aunt loved this part the best. She used to pick wild mushrooms and actually eat them, much to everyone's shock! As these Flickr photos show, the bûche allows you to get really creative.

Happy Holidays from IT!

Photos:  distopiandreamgirl, bredlo 

Those of you still lamenting the demise of the Elvis is Alive Museum take heart, as you can always head across the pond to get more of the charismatic crooner. The International Herald Tribune reports that the Elvis My Happiness boutique, located not far from the Louvre, offers up a variety of objets for fans of "Le King." The store is run by a French fan club, and it's proprietor believes that Elvis' European fans are more passionate than their American counterparts, in part because he never performed in Europe (though he visited Paris on a tour with the U.S. Army). Check out this video for a slice of that passion.

Cathy Healy's post on her favorite Amsterdam hotel reminded me of my favorite Dutch photographer, Jurjen Drenth, whose work has appeared in the Dutch edition of Traveler. I discovered him while fact-checking a story about Delft a while back. When he's not doing his commercial photography, Drenth hunts down the locations of famous paintings of the Dutch masters, and reproduces them, with a modern twist, in his photographs. On his website, Drenth explains that he "concentrates on the almost forgotten or hidden parts of Dutch culture." The photo above is take from his Vermeer series, and shows some of what's left of Vermeer's View of Delft landscape. 

Drenth also reproduces Dutch landscapes and interiors from the paintings of Van Gogh and Rembrandt. If you want to see the real Dutch masters, note that the main part of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is closed for renovation until 2010, but a wing of the musuem remains open, with highlights from the permanent collection. It will not, however, include this Photoshopped portrait of Marge Simpson as The Girl With the Pearl Earring.

I grew up in Charm City, the town in which many of director John Waters' ingenious films are based. Anyone that's ever visited Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood (the self-proclaimed "home of big hair") will tell you the area's brimming with characters. Never is this more evident than during the holiday season.

For as long as I can remember, the houses that line 34th Street in Baltimore have made a big to-do about Christmas. From late November to January 1, this tight-knit community transforms itself into a marvelous wonderland of kitsch and lights, where residents invite you onto their stoops and into their homes to see more model trains, dolls, Santas, and blow-up grinches than you thought existed in the universe. It's like a block party. In the middle of winter.

For 17 years (although residents have been stringing lights here for 60), thousands have traveled on foot (you can drive through, but hoofing it's more fun) through the tiny street of traditional rowhouses, resident "Mayor of 34th Street" Sharon Burke told the local television station in this video. Last year, 45,000 visitors came through, said Burke. This year, no less than 25 homes are lit up and plastered with holiday cheer. From the Christmas tree made out of hubcaps and angels made of National Bohemian beer cans, you're sure to find some holiday cheer in true Baltimore style.

While you're in the area, Hampden is also home to the cheeky, flamingo-covered Cafe Hon, where they sell all manner of tongue-in-cheek Baltimore memorabilia. They've even compiled an online dictionary of the Baltimore accent known as "Bawlmerese." After seeing the lights, warm up with a pastry and coffee at the New System Bakery, another Hampden institution, open until 10 p.m. all December long.

Photos: The Skipping Hippy, manahanwill

I spent last week in Norwich, Connecticut visiting my sister, niece, and nephew. I soon learned that Norwich often lives in the shadow of its more glamorous neighbor, Mystic, about 30 minutes to the south. And though my two-year-old niece adores the belugas at the Mystic Aquarium, my sister and I were hoping for activities a little closer to home. 

Norwich, long known as the "Rose of New England," has its own unique history to offer the visitor. Here is where the Yantic and Shetucket rivers combine to form the Thames (locals pronounce it Thaymes). Most people might know the town for its proximity to the Mohegan Sun casino. But even if you're just in town to play the slots, a visit isn't complete without delving a little deeper into Norwich's rich Native American and Colonial history: Two notable tribal chiefs are buried here, and Benedict Arnold was born in town.

Here's a useful tool: Friends of World Heritage has a list of community tour operators in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America that have been approved by the UN World Heritage Foundation.

Tour operators include the Shampole Community Trust in Kenya (offering eco-friendly, luxury accommodations which we wrote about here), the Talamanca Initiative in Costa Rica (a biodiversity conservation group that focuses on reducing poverty) and the Bunaken National Marine Park Management Advisory Board in Indonesia (which offers homestays and eco-friendly lodging on Bunaken Island).

One hundred percent of funds raised through the Friends of the World Heritage Fund will go to World Heritage projects. Likewise, Expedia and the UN Foundation frequently match and triple the amount already raised.

The Japanese temples in Kyoto are holy places, so it makes sense that they try to "illuminate" us with a "higher power." OK, forgive the puns for a moment to appreciate the fact that the Japanese, recognizing that their temples are major tourist attractions, have begun replacing lightbulbs, both inside the temples and outside for evening displays, with LED bulbs and implementing solar generating systems to help to power them. The Daily Yorimuri reports:

"Kodaiji temple in Higashiyama Ward, founded in 1606 by Nene, the wife of the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, recently introduced a solar power generation system to illuminate the premises during evening opening hours this year. Solar panels installed on the back of a truck parked at the temple generate electricity during the daytime that is stored and used to power the evening illuminations."

The Kodaiji temple managers say that their efforts will cut carbon dioxide emissions by about a ton, or the amount 77 Japanese cedar trees absorb in a year. Since the fall foliage is a major reason why people come to visit the temples, it's good to know that both the trees and the holy spaces are working together to save the planet.

Thanks to Jaunted for the tip!

Photo: horsenbuggy via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool.

Traveler's Hotel Central editor Susan O'Keefe whets our appetite for some new meal options at Vail Resorts.

The next time you pull off the slopes for a juicy hamburger served at one of Vail Resorts 40 mountain dining venues, it will feature all natural hormone- and antibiotic-free beef. Rob Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, has partnered with two neighboring companies, Coleman Natural and Horizon Organic, to bring "Good Food on a Grand Scale" to its five resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone (in Colorado) and Heavenly (in California and Nevada). Starting this season, Vail Resorts is purchasing 90 percent of its fresh meats—beef, poultry, pork, and deli meats—from Coleman Natural, and 87 percent of its fresh dairy (butter, cheese, milk, and yogurt) will be organic, with an increase in organic products planned for the following year. This month, they began serving organic cheeses on sandwiches, pizza, and burgers. Katz adds that the initiative, being called the largest resort undertaking to offer natural meats and organic dairy in North America, is about "the investment we are making in our guests, particularly kids, to ensure that we are doing our part to make our dining experience as healthy, clean and natural as the activities that happen every day on our mountains.”

IT applauds Vail Resorts commitment to sustainable menus, and loves the idea of green skiing being extended from the slopes to the plate.

Photo: Vail Resorts

When it comes to taking a journey, half the fun can often be planning the trip: daydreaming about where you'll stay, the people, foods, and culture you'll encounter, and getting recommendations from everyone you know about the inside secrets.

That's why we're glad to have found Travbuddy, a new social networking site based exclusively around travel. As the name suggests, Travbuddy aims to put you in touch with fellow globetrotters to swap stories through photographs, forums, blogs, and interactive maps.

The City Park Ice Rink in Budapest

Nothing gets us IT staffers in the holiday spirit like a few spins around the ice rink. And while I'm certainly no Michelle Kwan, skating is one of those seasonal sports that always brings back a sense of childhood. I used to go with my grandfather when I was a kid, and even though I used double-bladed skates, I could still barely keep up with him. This year, I have plans to check out the outdoor rink in the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery of Art. But if you're traveling abroad this holiday season, the Telegraph has a great roundup of where you can strap on your skates. Here are a few of our favorites:

Budapest: Skate in the shadow of the Vajdahunyad Castle as long as you like, as there are no appointed sessions. The rink is credited with playing a huge role in the advancement of Hungarian ice sports.

Cambridge: Opening for the first time this year, the outdoor rink in Cambridge will offer night skating sessions and is open seven days a week. And watch out not only for renegade skaters but bumper cars on ice! The 10 joystick-controlled devices glide across the rink and spin 360 degrees.

Vienna: A 400 meter "dream pathway" which connects two ice rinks, creates a fairy-tale like effect in front of City Hall. It's no wonder the locals call it the "Viennese Ice Dream." Curling sessions are also available.

Photos: Budapest, Wikipedia; Ice Bumpers, cambridgeonice.co.uk; Vienna, Viennese Ice Dream 2008.

We're loving Laura Morelli's new column for Traveler's website, The Genuine Article. This month, to tie in with our China-centric issue, Laura guides us through the process of buying traditional Chinese silk. She writes:

Many travelers to China are overwhelmed by the choices for silk fabrics, garments, and smaller accessories. The number of silk shops in Shanghai and Beijing alone is staggering. For the most authentic shopping experience, head to one of the regions known for silk. The city of Suzhou, west of Shanghai, for example, developed a reputation as a silk capital because its silk-makers turned out imperial garments from the seventh to the early 20th centuries under the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. At the Suzhou Silk Museum, you can view silks dating back to the seventh century, and train your eye for the many silk shops and factories that lure travelers across the region.

We had no idea, for example, that the Chinese still use a "burn test" to determine whether their silks are authentic. But we think it's best to let the experts handle that, for fear of singeing your souvenirs.

Photo: Mark Thiessen/NGS

Writing in the International Herald Tribune on December 12, Ian Fisher examines the current Italian paradox: While tourists bask in Italy's beauty and history, its citizens are in a funk. With a stagnant economy, paralyzed government, euro-driven high prices, and a society dominated by old people, unemployed 20-year-olds continue to bunk with their parents and are despondent about the future. In fact, despite the way they're often portrayed abroad, the Italians rank themselves the most unhappy people in Europe. A few entrepreneurs are trying to revive the economy by bulking up on the "Made in Italy" brand, promoting the work of Italian-designed products. But is it too little, too late? Fisher writes:

Now [Italy] is essentially an exquisite corpse, trampled over by millions of tourists. If Italy does not shuck off its comforts for change, many argue, a similar fate awaits Italy: blocked by past greatness, with aged tourists the questionable source of life, the Florida of Europe.

Does every country need a Florida of their own? What can Italy do to turn things around? And are we doing enough as visitors to help support Italy's growth?

Photo: Bill in STL via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool.

Traveler Contributing Editor Andrew Nelson is home in Texas for the holidays, and offers up a round of new restaurants for those of you planning to visit the area (or him) this season.

In the Big Bend of Texas winter clarifies the night sky, turning the stars to blazing diamonds. To keep warm, residents gather around fire pits filled with mesquite logs, exchanging shots of fiery sotol and gossip. This December the sotol's as potent as always, but the talk is about two just-released movies filmed here. "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" use the romantic, empty land as both character and canvas. Travelers wandering the region will find spiritual nourishment in the region's beauty. But physical nourishment is also needed. Luckily the region is welcoming three new additions.

South of the Union Pacific railroad tracks on Murphy Street in Alpine's historic adobe neighborhood is Texas Fusion BBQ (200 W. Murphy St.; +1 432 837 1214). A classic barbecue joint run by Mark Scott, the Fusion's surrounded by parking spaces wide enough for your Ford F350 (a popular pick up). Diners can sit down or take out mounds of smoky pulled pork heaped on bbq sandwiches. And don't forget the sweet tea. Many locals agree with longtime rancher Ted Gray.

"That boy's got the best food in town,"  says the respected 84-year-old.

Since it's increasingly hard to step inside the White House for a tour, we offer up two presidential homes just outside Washington, D.C. that have festive holiday tours every year.

Visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, Virginia, just two hours south of the District. The guided Holiday Signature Tour will take guests through the main house (designed and built by Jefferson himself) and includes a peek at the third-floor Dome Room, which is excluded from regular house tours. Construction on the mansion began in 1769 and was completed in 1809. Tours begin at 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on select Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays throughout December ($40 per person).

George Washingon's Virginia home (16 miles south of D.C.) can also be toured during the holiday season. Tickets for evening "candlelight" tours (hosted by "Martha Washington") of the Mount Vernon mansion sell out quickly, but visitors can still enjoy a tour of the house and grounds during the day. Enjoy hot cider and cookies, listen to stories about how the Washingtons celebrated Christmas, and take the stairs up to the usually closed third floor. Be sure to bring home the first First Lady's Great Cake recipe, which calls for 40 eggs, four pounds of butter, and four pounds of sugar. (The recipe has been adjusted for "modern" tastes, but still includes ten eggs, one pound of butter, and one pound of sugar.)

Holiday tours of Mount Vernon run everyday through January 6 (adult/child $13/$6; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). When you need a bit or warming up (the 18th-century mansion does not have central heat, after all), check out the estate's new $24-million Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center, which has 23 gallery and theatre exhibits, and also serves as Washington's presidential library.

Photos: Dining room at Mount Vernon (above) and Martha Washington's Great Cake (right); Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Who doesn't need a little Marilyn in their day? Welcome to Marilyn's Miscellany.

• Pie in the Sky: Between now and December 21, you can have mince pies and mulled wine served to your guests in your private capsule of the London Eye high above the city, if you're willing to spend $900 for the capsule and $33 per person for the wine and pies. Prices go up after January 1.

• Rainbow Bright Night Cycle: If you insist on biking in the dark, you can put your mom's mind at ease by outfitting your bike with the Down Low Glow kit, which creates an eerie neon cloud all around your bicycle that drivers can't miss. Make Magazine says: "A rare instance where something unimpeachably cool also enhances safety." They're made by the Rock the Bike shop in Berkeley, California, and available in Ice Blue, Envy Green, Hot Pants Pink, Fossilized Amber, Plush Red, and Royale Purple ($99 U.S.).

• Sonoran Lights: For great stargazing, try the Kitt Peak National Observatory, which is located on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in the Sonoran Desert 90 minutes southwest of Tucson, Arizona. They have a three-hour Nightly Observing Program (includes a box dinner) where they let you look through their dome-mounted telescopes. From Tucson, take Highway 86 west for 40 miles, turn left at the Kitt Peak sign onto Highway 386, drive 12 miles up the mountain until you see the giant concrete donut with the mural painted on it, where you turn left and park. Dress warmly! If you want to stay overnight, consider the nearby Paca de Paja B&B, a cozy, adobe-covered straw-bale house run by a former park ranger and visited by wildlife such as this cute little javelina.

Photo: Down Low Glow bike, Chugrad McAndrews

Now, we may not have had as many issues with the New York Times travel section's list of 53 Places to Go in 2008 as some of our peers, but the article that accompanied the piece,  which discussed trips for tourists "who want to see the effects of climate change for themselves" did seem to be a bit off. We at IT have had a lot of conversations about the paradox that exists when attempting to visit endangered places (as exemplified in the sinking of the Explorer last month), but something about this piece seemed less about experiencing a place and much more...voyeuristic. Check out this excerpt about trips to Greenland:

The most popular destination for Americans is the Ilulissat ice fjord, a 45-minute flight from Kangerlussuaq and the site of the fastest retreating glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. A few years ago, the fjord was 25 miles long, but the melting of the glacier has lengthened the fjord to 31 miles, a change that has made it one of Greenland’s most visible examples of climate change.

The fjord is full of icebergs, calving from the bordering mountains of ice, and cruises to see the ice crack and fall are popular.

Now, we try not to frame everything in the context of carbon offsets, and certainly don't promote reining in your travel to avoid contributing to global warming, but the piece does little to acknowledge the ways this newfound tourism is impacting the area – and helping to further the climate change along.  In fact, it goes on to quote Dennis Schmitt, an American explorer who discovered Greenland's Warming Island, and whose view on the subject is slightly depressing.

“People sense the Arctic is going to change,” he said. “There is something in human nature that likes to watch things die, a morbid curiosity of human beings."

In all honesty, more often than not it’s the trivial details that impress us most here at IT. So when we heard about the Grand Canyon Railway’s giddiness-inducing plan to host a pajama-wearing, hot-cocoa-drinking trip with its Polar Express train rides, it was almost more than our inner kids could handle.

Based on the popular holiday book by Chris Van Allsburg, the Polar Express evening train rides depart from Williams, Arizona, en route to “North Pole City." As the train journeys through the wilderness landscape, pj-clad children snack on cookies and cocoa while listening to a storyteller read the classic tale. And to top off the wholesome good time, once the group arrives at the Grand Canyon, Santa boards to deliver a token gift to each child.

You can find Polar Express-themed train rides around the country, and let us know in the comments section if you know of any more worth mentioning.

Photo: Grand Canyon Railway

We know dealing with airports can often be drudgery, unless you have some cool stuff around to entertain you (and especially if you're trying to sleep in them). But we couldn't help noticing that there are some new innovations making fliers' lives a bit better.

• Gadling reports that Continental Airlines is now allowing passengers to board some of their flights using their cell phone or PDA. A code is sent to the device, and you simply need to the show ticket scanners the screen, which includes a barcode that can be scanned for the passenger's information. Bonus: You save paper (and don't have the mini-panic attack I always seem to have when I become convinced I've lost my reservation once I arrive at the gate).

• Why does my iPod always seem to run out of batteries as soon as I reach the airport? Luckily, Jaunted got the scoop on a new device from SmarteCarte (the people behind those wheelie luggage carts) – the ChargeCarte: "The way it works is that you plug your cell phone (any brand), iPod or MP3 player into the machine and it will rapidly charge it for 30 minutes for $3 while you wait out the delays at the gate." You have to stay close to the machine to make sure your stuff doesn't get stolen (hopefully they have seats nearby), but we have to agree that this idea is pretty Smarte.

• Long wait at the gate? Do yourself a favor and get a flu shot at the airport: They're being offered in Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, Newark and San Francisco, right after you go through the security checkpoints. The shots cost between $15 and $35, and over 15,000 have already been given out this year. Thanks to Winging It for the tip!

Chicago was recently named the most caffeinated city in the country. In light of this, we figured they must know a thing or two about coffee. Plus, why should Seattle get all the props? We conferred with the Traveler staff and scoured Citysearch and Urbanspoon for some of the best java joints in the windy city. Here they are, from north to south on the map, starting with a café based on a subject near and dear to us:

Kopi, a Traveler's Cafe (5317 N. Clark St.; +1 773 989 5674) Order a drink at the full espresso bar and have a seat on the plush pillows on the floor. If you've got some extra cash, the boutique in back sells global wares.

Julius Meinl (3601 N. Southport Ave.; +1 773 868 1857) Grab a coconut macaroon mocha or linzer torte latte at this cozy spot, an offshoot of the lauded Viennese coffeehouse founded in 1862.

Intelligentsia (3123 N. Broadway St.; +1 773 348 8058) has been importing raw coffee to its vintage roasters for more than 10 years. Aside from donating time and funds to various community organizations, it's also incredibly hip; the Silver Lake branch just won a design award from the American Institute of Architects.

Bourgeois Pig Cafe (738 W. Fullerton Pkwy; +1 773 883 5282) offers different flavors of drip coffee daily. "There appears to be no rhyme or reason as to what we will pick next," says the owner on his quirky website. Try the Italian Lavazza Grand Espresso, for "a golden sweet coffee liquor, with caramel crema," and, oh yeah, a huge jolt.

Where do you get your favorite cup of joe?

Where in the world have we gone this week? It's time for the IT Friday roundup.

We checked out new advancements in green skiing, and how resorts are bulking up their activities off the slopes.

With the election approaching, we looked to Des Moines not only as a caucus capital, but a trendy city that's starting to come into its own.

While we love our online travel library, when we're away from home it's nice to know where we can find great bookstores abroad, and the best kind of books to bring home as souvenirs.

We quizzed know-it-alls Peter Sagal and Mischa Berlinski, and reveled in our favorite know-it-all Marilyn and her own brand of Miscellany.

Not one to sleep in, Hotel Central editor Susan O'Keefe kicked off her Hotel Confidential column with a post about a new kind of Early Bird Special in Florida.

And speaking of hotels, if you're a couple that happens to be named Mary and Joseph, there might be free nights stay in it for you if you plan to visit the UK over the holidays.

Thanks for reading this week!

We gotta hand it to the folks at Travelodge, (the people behind the naked sleepwalking study we wrote about in October, and who now offer a "Cuddillow" pillow to solitary travelers). To get into the holiday spirit, they're offering free rooms at their properties to UK couples who are named Mary and Joseph. We have to appreciate their tongue-in-cheek appraisal of the hotel industry:

The 'gift' of a free night's stay is to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve over 2000 years ago when the original 'Mary and Joseph' had to settle for the night in a stable.

Today's Mary and Joseph will stay in a spacious Travelodge family room which can also cater for a baby and a manger. A free car-parking space will be provided for the donkey and there are plenty of £29 rooms available for the Shepherds and Wise Men to book. The couple can stay anytime from Christmas Eve to the Twelfth Night.

Travelodge says the promotion applies to all 322 hotels, but be wary, as it is currently up for debate in Ireland, where it has upset people in the past. Rules specify that couples must be UK residents and show valid marriage licenses. Registration for rooms ends December 17.

Photo: Donkey Parking Available; moschos via Flickr

As host of NPR’s Chicago-based news quiz show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” for the past 10 years, the hilariously clever Peter Sagal has hopscotched across the country to tape countless shows, from Beloit, Wisconsin, to Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and everywhere in-between. Sagal draws fans as he goes, amassing 2.5 million listeners who tune in each week. IT quizzed him recently on his favorite haunts, both in Chicago and on the road.

How does being based in Chicago affect the show?

Ultimately, being in Chicago is a great thing. It has disadvantages, sure, but even the disadvantages are advantages. Big disadvantage: It’s not New York or D.C. or L.A. Because we’re here, we don’t have the same access to the celebrities and news and gossip, because we’re not in the same circuit. But that’s kind of a good thing, too. We’re on our own, doing our own thing, pleasing ourselves.

Being outside of the circuits of politics and entertainment frees us up a bit…There ain’t no cocktail parties here, or at least we’re not getting invited to them, so we have this freedom to do what we want. We’re just these guys in Chicago.

We recently covered the rise in debauchery tourism. What surprised you while doing research for your new book, The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them)?

Writing my book, I became aware that this is a part of the tourism industry and am now strangely aware that there are a lot of things I could do if I wanted to anywhere, all there lurking under the surface.

Somebody told me in Las Vegas that in Vegas, they’re selling a commercialized version of hedonism. But the city in America with the biggest number of sex workers per capita is not New York, or Vegas, but Portland, Oregon. My wife and I went to Mary’s Club, the oldest strip club in Portland, which is this family-run business. The owner’s daughters run the place, and we’re chatting with this woman who works there—who looks like a Starbucks barista and is talking about how great the place is—and meanwhile while she’s telling us this a stark naked woman is displaying her innermost mysteries to some guys drinking beer.

In order to combat rising costs, a number of cruise lines recently announced a fuel surcharge of at least $5 per person per day. Different companies are rolling out their programs between now and February 2008, with some fees applying to trips already booked. Great Escape Travel Services provides a handy list of cruise lines implementing fuel charges (Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Carnival, and Celebrity among them).

At Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line, prices for fuel have gone up 140 percent in the last three years, according to their website. "Unfortunately, we cannot continue to shoulder this huge cost burden and now find it necessary to implement a supplement to partially offset a portion of soaring fuel costs."

Soaring fuel costs? No kidding. You'd burn a hole in your pocket too if, like many cruise liners, you generated more emissions than 12,000 cars each time you pulled into port. That fun fact is courtesy of a primer put out by the Blue Water Network, which adds:

Most large ships use the dirtiest and least expensive diesel available. Known as bunker oil, this fuel is the collection of residue from the production of higher grade fuels and contains significant concentrations of toxic compounds banned from use in most other industrial and consumer applications. It is thick as asphalt and must be heated to be burned.

Carnival uses "mostly bunker fuel along with some distillate, and the bunker fuel we use is an intermediate fuel," said Carnival Cruise Lines spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz. Cleaner, marine distillate fuel drastically reduces the amount of emissions. It also happens to cost $100 to $200 more per ton than bunker fuel, according to the network.

So cruise passengers in the new year will be charged for the privilege of bobbing along on the high seas. But shouldn't they also be getting the satisfaction that their money is going toward a cleaner, more eco-friendly fuel, rather than subsidizing the sludge cruise ships normally use?

Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line

• Writing on the Wall: While I was trying to verify the price of silk at the South Bund Fabric Market in Shanghai, I came across the excellent blog Mad About Shanghai, and this funny sign taken on the Great Wall.

• More Bang for Your Buck: The L.A. Times and the Washington Post ran stories recently about which countries give you more for your devalued dollar (hint: avoid the EU). The Post highlighted Croatia, giving me another reason to love the kuna.

• Greening Antarctica: WorldChanging blog reports on plans to build wind turbines in Antarctica, the world's windiest continent, to replace/augment the generators using dirty aviation fuel. Josie Howitt of WorldChanging explains:

Antarctica is one of the most vulnerable parts of our planet to environmental change. And yet, paradoxically, electricity at New Zealand’s Scott Base is produced by two fossil-fuel powered generators, using 380,000 litres of aviation fuel annually. Hardly an ideal choice for sustaining the needs of scientists studying pristine natural systems and climate change impacts.

• Getting Things Done in Vegas: Scott Adams' Dilbert blog suggests how casinos can make things a lot easier for their customers.

Want more of Marilyn? Be sure to subscribe to this blog's feed.

Photo: David Tan, Mad About Shanghai

Welcome to Traveler's newest column, Hotel Confidential. Traveler's Hotel Central editor, Susan O'Keefe, is just back from St. Petersburg, Fla., where she attended the Historic Hotels of America annual meeting at the salmon-colored Don CeSar Beach Resort on St. Pete's beach. You'd have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat the deal she found while she was there.

The Don has a wonderful incentive program to get people to check out of their hotel room early, especially great when you have to make those early morning flights anyway. The "Back to the Beach" program asks guests to vacate their room before 10 a.m. on the day of departure so housekeeping can get in there and clean it for the next guest (and who doesn't hate waiting around the hotel lobby for their room to be ready?).

Guests who depart before 10:00 a.m. can enter into a weekly contest to win a return two-night complimentary stay at the oceanfront resort. If you're a morning person, there's even more incentive to be an early riser: Early birds who check out before 8 a.m. receive three entries, before 9:00 a.m. receive two entries, by 10 and you receive one entry. One stay per week is given away. The return stay certificate is valid for two nights in a standard room (based on availability, valid Sunday through Thursday).

And while IT loves to sleep in, knowing that getting up early means you could be back for a return visit is enough incentive to set the alarm.

Flying the Rails by Elizabeth Marx

Photographer: Elizabeth Marx, France.

Getting the Shot: This was shot in the Sultanganj Railway Station in Bihar, North India. It was 4 a.m., [and we were] getting off the Farakka express coming from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The Details:  The train was crowded with orange-clad pilgrims, as every year during the month of Shraavana (July-August) devoted to Shiva. The pilgrims come to bathe in the Ganga River, fill pots of water, and pursue their journey on foot up to Babadam, 108 km further, where there is a famous Jyotirlinga [a shrine to Lord Shiva].

Want to see your own shot in Global Eye? Add it to our Flickr Pool. 

Last Sunday night on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper took us to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to cover the sad story of a family of highly endangered mountain gorillas that were executed in July in Virunga National Park. There was no sense in the killings: the gorillas weren't threatening anyone, they weren't killed for meat, and the babies were not kidnapped to be sold on the black market, as has happened before. 

WildlifeDirect, one of the nongovernmental organizations monitoring the situation, suspects the gorillas were killed by people involved in the multi-million-dollar charcoal trade who are operating illegally in the national park. Since July, the situation has grown worse, as rebel militia groups have moved into the park and kicked out the park rangers who were tracking and protecting the gorillas there. For the past several months, all contact with the remaining gorilla families has been cut off (there are only about 700 of them in the wild, and half of these live in Virunga National Park). Before the July massacre, Virunga National Park operated a successful gorilla tourism program, where very small groups of travelers were permitted to view the gorillas in their natural habitat under strictly controlled conditions for a limited amount of time.  Revenue from tourism helped pay the rangers' salaries and gave them a way to support their families, who lived with them in the park.  The rangers got to know the gorillas personally, and were devastated by the murders.

Virunga National Park is a World Heritage Site, and UNESCO is monitoring the situation closely. In their news report, they stress that the killing of gorillas also has an impact on the local population:

The current fighting has also added to the human suffering of local communities around the World Heritage site and the humanitarian crisis is starting to take on catastrophic proportions. Already an estimated 425,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, including 70 park ranger staff. As a result of the conflict, a number of makeshift camps of displaced people has sprung up right next to the park, adding further pressure on its natural resources due to people desperately looking for food, firewood and building materials for temporary shelter.

National Geographic magazine scooped this story two weeks ago on their website, posting a video about the gorilla massacre and a page on How To Help, which lists the websites of non-profit organizations that are helping to equip and protect the rangers as well as the gorillas. Please visit their site to learn more about how you can help.

Traveler staffers Marilyn Terrell and Janelle Nanos were lucky enough to get a visit from travel writer and Vagabonding blogger Rolf Potts the other day for lunch. Naturally, given our shared interest in writing and travel, the conversation turned to books. We asked Rolf to suggest a few favorite bookstore he's come across during his travels to round out our bookstore coverage this week.

In 15 years of near-constant global travel, I've found bookstores to be both a psychic sanctum and a destination in themselves in faraway places. I seek out bookstores not just to find more information on the host destination, but to take a "time out" from that destination, and enter into a more cerebral zone. Below is a very subjective list of some of my favorite bookstore locations and destinations around the globe:

1) Powell's Books – Portland, Oregon

I've never seen a bookstore anywhere in the world quite so extensive and fascinating as this "City of Books," which takes up an entire block in Portland. I went to college in Oregon, and spent many hours on weekends wandering the stacks here, or attending author readings.  Powell's also has an excellent online bookstore if you're just interested in shopping, but visiting the physical store is an experience in itself. Wandering the extensive corridors of books can easily burn off the better part of a day.

2) Shakespeare & Company – Paris, France

This bookstore isn't in the same Left Bank location as its legendary Lost Generation-era namesake, but it does uphold its legacy as a first-rate bookstore that attracts the English-speaking literary community in Paris. I teach a creative writing workshop at the Paris American Academy each July, and our annual readings at Shakespeare and Company are a highlight for students. One interesting side note is that literary travelers are actually able to sleep in a makeshift dormitory inside the store in exchange for working in the shop a couple hours each day (see photo).

3) Book Passage – Corte Madera, California

I can hardly speak objectively about Book Passage, since I've been a panelist at their Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, and since the store hosted a terrific author event for me on my Vagabonding book tour in 2003. Still, even an objective literature lover would fall in love with this San Francisco-area bookstore, which has a huge selection of books, and A-list author events happening almost daily.

There's nothing worse than discovering your tour is just a series of pit stops on the Souvenir Express. But unfortunately your options are primarily limited to staying on board until journey's end, or forfeiting your cash and detaching yourself, unsure of how exactly you'll get home. But some Chinese tourists have had enough. Traveler columnist Daisann McLane sends along this report from China:

Yes, tourists really are rioting in China. The booming economy has created a huge market for low-end travel among Chinese from the working classes. And that's created a new shady economy of unscrupulous low-end tour dealers. They offer packages at unbelievably low prices, like three days in Macau, all-inclusive for $60. It's only after you get on the bus--and these tours are always on a bus--that you discover you've signed on for more than you expected. And that the "sights" you'll be seeing are mostly the insides of shops where shoddy goods are sold for many more times than they are worth. That's how the dealers make their profit on these cut-rate tour packages.

The Chinese tourist on one of these scam-o-tours finds him or herself practically a prisoner of the tour company from hell. But one group of tourists from Henan province rose up in anger, and decided they couldn't take it anymore. Here's a dispatch from Hong Kong RTHK radio:

The authorities in Macau have defended the deployment of riot police, to mediate a dispute between a large group of mainland tourists and their guides. About 100 members of the tour group from Hebei returned to the mainland this morning, but two men and three women accused of assaulting police officers remain in custody. Scuffles broke out last night between the police and the tourists, who were angry at allegedly being overcharged, abandoned, and forced to shop by their Macau tour guides.

Is this the future of (un)sustainable tourism?

The U.S. Department of Transportation just released several reports detailing January-September 2007 on-time data of 20 major U.S. airlines. And since IT's getting ready to head home for the holidays, we thought we'd check out which one of us has a better chance of making it home on time.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics' "Airline On-Time Data" reports that as of September, there have been 5,595,132 flights to and from U.S. airports this year. Of those flights, 1,361,569 were late arrivals and 1,192,945 were late departures. And we haven't even hit the holiday rush, yet.

According to the report, some of the best airports to fly in and out of are Salt Lake City International Airport, which had the most on-time arrivals in 2007, along with Oregon's Portland International Airport, which topped the list for on-time departures. San Diego International Airport ranked third for both on-time arrivals and departures. If you can, avoid LaGuardia, Newark (both rated poorly for on-time arrival), and O'Hare (rated worst for on-time departures).

The DOT also reported that September saw fewer reported cancellations (1.1 percent of scheduled flights) than the previous month as well as fewer mishandled bags from the previous September (down to 5.45 from 8.26 for every 1,000). Either way, IT suggests playing it safe and packing what you can in your carry-on.

Be sure to check out the full year-to-date Major Airport On-Time Arrival and Departure stats for the airports you'll be traveling through. By the way, Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines were both rated in the top three for having the highest airline arrival rates for 2007. We think that's a good enough reason to start packing our bags for Hawaii.

Photo: Aloha Airlines

Last week, the New York Times reported that ski resorts across Europe are making their lodges into more attractive destinations, so that skiers have something to do when the inches aren't piling up. Ski resorts and high-altitude hotels all over Europe are turning into year-round destinations, adding spas (like the 43,000-square-foot, $30-million spa at the Tschuggen Grand in Switzerland), restaurants, and even shopping centers.

In Zermatt, the new Hotel Matterhorn (opening June 2008) will have a Wellness Oasis. The InterContinental Resort in Davos, Switzerland, still being designed by Matteo Thun, plans to be eco-friendly (it will be built with some local material), and, according to the Times, will have 186 luxury rooms, apartments, shops, and a spa. The resort, which Thun calls "a new planet," is scheduled to open in 2010.

The Fire Dance, by Grete Howard

Photographer: Grete Howard, England.

Getting the Shot: The shot was taken on Christmas day, 2006. The Fire Dance was held in a clearing in the small village of Tinadou, just outside Kparatoa, some miles from Sokode in Togo. There was a large sign at the roadside advertising the dance. Villagers from many nearby settlements came to witness the show, as well as us. The dance takes place round about a month after the festival of cutlasses. The dancers will attempt to prove their prowess by various daring stunts. We were sitting on little wooden benches around a small clearing in the village, so the dancers were about a metre or two away from us. It was quite an intense experience. 

When Intelligent Travel contributing writer Cathy Healy decided it was time to divulge her favorite hotel—and hotelier—in Amsterdam, we leaped at hearing the scoop...

Long, lanky Mark Bakker is dangling out of the window of my room, helping hang the repainted Hotel Prinsenhof sign. I'm in the south-facing breakfast room with its wall of windows bright with silvery November light. Do I look like a Vermeer painting as I read my e-mail? 

The rippled glass in the tall panes of the hotel windows are from the 1820s. Vermeers hang in the Rijksmuseum, alongside the Rembrandts and other Dutch masters, about a ten-minute walk to the left. The Van Gogh Museum is three minutes beyond. The Amstel River flows two minutes to the right. Straight ahead, across the Prinsen Canal (Prinsengracht), is Rembrandt Square, a heart in a multi-hearted city that is a masterwork itself.

A former radio journalist, Mark is my interpreter of Amsterdam and the Dutch. He is the manager of the one-star hotel which has ten rooms, some of which overlook the canal, some with bathrooms down the hall. I have a canal view and a bathroom in my room. Price: 84 Euros.

Oz was one of the first places to have a city with a green building program.

We've got great news from our pals at the American Institute of Architects, who recently came out with a study showing that the number of cities with green building programs has gone up more than 400 percent in the last five years. A few highlights:

• Austin established the first green building program in the country. The city plans for its entire municipal operations to be carbon neutral by 2020.

• Chicago has more LEED projects than any other city in the country. Their succesful Green Roof program gives grants toward green space; as of 2006 about three million square feet of green space were underway.

• Scottsdale, Arizona, was first city to mandate LEED standards for publicly owned buildings. In 2005, one-third of the city's new single-family permits adhered to green building standards, reports the AIA.

I've always been enchanted by Central America, so when two of my friends returned from Lake Atitlán raving about the magic it held, I knew it was a place I had to check out.

Traveler's assistant photo editor Krista Rossow and I headed to San Marcos La Laguna, a serene village in Guatemala's Highlands populated by indigenous Mayans and New Age hippies. For just $5 apiece, we were whisked out of Antigua, a European-esque town about a half-hour drive from Guatemala City, and dropped off in the dark four hours later. "Oh, just follow that path to your hotel," said our driver, pointing us down a winding dirt road. So Krista with her rolling suitcase and I with my backpack started off down the path with no flashlight and a lot of wild dogs. We arrived at our hotel white-knuckled and ready for an evening of sleep.

Waking up in our gorgeous, treehouse-like Hotel Aaculaax the next day, we felt rewarded for our efforts. The hotel is just a short stroll to Lake Atitlán's shores and is built into the living rock of the hillside using adobe, recycled glass and plastic. Off our room was a flower-lined terrace, perfect for watching the sun rise over one of Atitlán's three volcanoes.

The latest in Britain’s ever-greening roadways: Astucia SolarLite “smart” road studs, in-road lights outfitted with a tiny solar panel, an LED light, and reflective surface said to improve visibility tenfold after-hours. Eco-friendly and safer? We’re in.

Dotting U.K. roadways in Scotland, Wales, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, and Oxfordshire, the studs store solar energy during the day and automatically illuminate up to half a mile (900 meters) of visibility for drivers from dusk to dawn.

According to a news release issued by Astucia Traffic Safety Systems, the “road stud extends driver reaction times from 3.2 to over 30 seconds, when driving at 60 mph.” Plus, local authorities have reported a 70 percent reduction in nighttime accidents since the installation of the SolarLite studs.

The release also cites research by the Transport Research Laboratory, which shows that when the smart studs are used, drivers are significantly less likely to cross the center white line or to speed into the corners in addition to braking earlier and more consistently.

Such eco-friendly light studs could do wonders for the pitch-black back roads of my native Iowa, not to mention the sanity of worrisome mothers.

Thanks to EcoGeek for getting the scoop!

Photo: Astucia Limited

Dazzle Me! by Tai Chau

Photographer: Tai Chau, Melbourne, Australia.

Getting the shot: I had seen many photos of the Eiffel Tower at night with flashing lights. All these photos didn't express the wonderment my wife and I felt the first time we saw the glittering lights. By using a handheld slow exposure I wanted to capture the raw beauty of the icon of the "city of love."  The result is much more captivating than I imagined. This was our first time in Europe, and we felt Paris would be the one city we had to visit. Paris never disappointed, day or night.

The Details: The photo was taken with a D70 and 18-35 at 18mm. I usually carry a tripod for night photos. I wanted to express the flashing lights to greater effect by hand holding. The multitude of lights help to shape the monument. I tried a few at different shutter speed and this was the best of them.

IT loves this photo for the way the Tower seems alive with light. Got your own photos that could use some exposure? Add them to IT's Flickr pool. And be sure to subscribe to this blog's feed for more of Global Eye!

I’m fresh from a five-year stint living in Des Moines, Iowa, so needless to say, my attention was piqued by a recent travel article in the New York Times extolling the capital city’s new downtown boom, just in time for the Jan. 3 Iowa presidential caucuses. “There was a time when being told that I would be spending New Year’s Eve in Des Moines would have, well, sobered me up in a New York minute,” wrote Adam Nagourney, chief political correspondent for the Times. “…I’m not sure I would go so far as to say that Des Moines has become a vacation destination. But it has most certainly become cool.”

Now, I don’t need someone from New York (especially not a political junkie) telling me my former home is suddenly hip, but I was intrigued to hear his rendition of what I’ve been trying to convince my new East Coast friends since moving to D.C.

And to Nagourney’s credit, he hits many of the highlights of this so-called new, tony Des Moines, from renowned British architect David Chipperfield’s copper mesh and grass-roofed Central Library to upscale 801 Steak and Chop House (“a classic Iowa steakhouse with New York prices”).

Even so, he missed a few killer spots, so if you find yourself in Des Moines—whether it’s for the caucuses or not—be sure to try out a couple of my favorite downtown experiences that just might convince you that the rumors are true: Des Moines is on its way to becoming a real city.

Indonesia is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, right after the U.S. and China, according to the Associated Press. Eighty percent of the country's emissions come from forest degradation and deforestation. But President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has devised a plan to save Indonesia's diminishing forests, and the AP has the scoop:

Indonesia, which is losing its forests at a faster rate than any other country, launched a campaign on Wednesday [November 28] to plant 79 million trees before it hosts a critical conference next month on climate change. Environmental groups have called the planting program well intended but say it will mean little if the government does not immediately impose a moratorium on deforestation.

Around 300 football fields worth of trees are destroyed every hour in the archipelago due to illegal logging, mining, and slash-and-burn land clearing for highly profitable palm oil plantations.

"We will show Indonesia's strong commitment and action to preserve the environment and save our planet," Yudhoyono said as he planted some of the project's first saplings with members of his government.

Yudhoyono himself helped to plant over 1,000 trees in Bogor, West Java. Last week, world leaders from 80 countries met in Bali to discuss new plans for the 2005 climate-treaty Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012. So far, the U.S. has not yet ratified the treaty.

Photo: Balinese Sunset #3, Fredrik Nyberg

I recently found myself entranced by an article by Mischa Berlinski, a 34-year-old novelist who traveled to India with his fiancé last year and ended up in a gripping adventure following Bimbala Das, a woman in a remote village who had married a snake because she thought she was cursed. The result, a thoughtful take on a much publicized, greatly misunderstood event, is “Woman marries snake: A peculiar Indian love story,” published in the November 2007 issue of Harper’s. Bimbala, who changed her caste in order to marry the reclusive reptile, became one of those strange news items that fade quicker than you can say “snakes on a plane.” But Berlinski had different ideas. He had just penned his first novel, Fieldwork, (which was a finalist for the National Book Award) and had notions of becoming a cultural anthropologist. So he hired a translator, and drove into a place so humid that his glasses fogged over. He answered a few of our questions about his adventure:

Why did you seek out Bimbala Das after reading her story in the news?

I think part of traveling in India is being confronted every single day with so many mysterious things. You're always asking yourself: Why does he dress like that or act like that? I wanted to try and get to the bottom of just one strange Indian story. That this story caught on in the West made the story even more interesting.

Where is Atala and how did you get there?

Atala village is about 15 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa State. We came by train from Tamil Nadu, in the deep south. I don't know if you've ever taken an Indian train, but it's a wonderful experience. We rode second-class AC, and shared a compartment with a Mr. Aggarwal, Mr. Aggarwal's old college friend, and their families. (It was Mr. Aggarwal's theory that Bimbala married the snake "just to be famous," which as it turns out wasn't so far from the truth.) The children, as I recall, were very noisy, and like to jump from bunk to bunk. Outside the window, there were low flat rice paddies and sometimes a glimpse of the sea and little villages and always another crossing, with motorized rickshaws and motorcycles and bullock carts lined up waiting for us to go by.

Did you tell the people in the village that you were a writer? An anthropologist?

I told them I was a journalist. But I'm not sure that the distinctions between a writer, a journalist, and an anthropologist would have been meaningful at all to the people in Atala, and certainly not to Bimbala or her Guru. The thing that the people of Atala understood chiefly about me was that I was a foreigner, and white, and outside of the caste system. They organized me mentally first by this fact, then by my religion, and then by my marital status, far more than my profession.

When we did our literary roundup a few weeks ago, featuring the books that transplant us to other places, Senior Editor Sheila Buckmaster noted that for her, it's often the opposite case. Wandering through a country, she says, she's apt to pick up books as part of the journey and read them once she returns home. Intrigued, we asked her to elaborate:

I love books, though I rarely head off on a journey with one (or more) tucked into my purse or suitcases. In part, this is because traveling light—without wheels attached to my bags—is crucial to my identity. I like the feeling of strolling through the airport with a leather duffel over each shoulder. To me, that spells travel. That's how I've traveled for more than 30 years, so going this way makes me feel like the bent-on-adventure 20-year-old that still hangs out within.

So along with rolled-up black clothes, some shoes, and a small collection of silk scarves, I'll pack photocopied pages of guidebooks and magazines, and sometimes a lightweight paperback picked up at a library book fair for 25 cents, which I never plan to take back home with me. While at my destination, I might seek out newspapers and magazines for my time-outs at cafés or parks. An afternoon espresso with the company of that day’s International Tribune has become an Italy ritual. As for that sacred 30-minutes-prior-to-bedtime reading session, I'd rather watch some local TV or peruse the museum brochures gathered that day.

I read all the time when I'm home—for work and for pleasure—so I don't mind giving it a rest on the road. But even though I'm loathe to pack books before a trip, there's always room in my bags for books bought en route. I know of no better souvenir—or gift for soulmate bibliophiles—than a good book bought abroad.

While scanning the Chicago Tribune’s recent list of gift ideas for travelers, we discovered a nifty gem: Rand McNally’s fabMap. Made of “tear-proof, wrinkle-proof, waterproof micro-fiber fabric,” the map still does its job after being crumpled into your carry-on and even doubles as a lens cleaner.

The maps measure 8 by 11 inches and showcase the major sites of tourist hot spots like Hollywood, the Las Vegas Strip, the San Antonio River Walk, Miami’s South Beach, and Honolulu’s Waikiki, with several city maps that will be available Dec. 14. Available online for $5.95 each or at select big-box retailers like Barnes & Noble, Borders, Target, and Office Depot.

Though the maps might not be particularly comprehensive, we imagine the serenity gained from the lack of map-folding crises is worth its weight in gold.

Photo: Rand McNally

You don't truly know U.S. travel until you've been aboard a Greyhound bus for more than five hours. Sure, I'd much rather be sitting aboard a train watching the fall foliage rushing by, but when I'm tight on cash, onto the bus I go – carrying some noise-reducing headphones and hand sanitizer. So I was glad to hear that the buses (and stations!) are in the midst of heavy-duty facelifts.

According to USA Today, Greyhound has spent $60 million over the last three years attempting to give their stations a more cosmopolitan (and less crime-scene) look and feel. USA Today writes:

The company has refurbished more than 900 buses with new seats and paint jobs and spruced up 125 of its roughly 940 terminals by repainting, renovating restrooms and adding plasma-screen televisions in waiting areas.

"Greyhound has earned its status as an American icon," a spokesperson told the paper. "But when you're 93 years old, you have to remind people who you are and what you stand for. We're trying to tell them the look and experience of Greyhound has changed."

So keep on the lookout—the company will soon be launching an ad campaign targeting Gen Y-ers in an attempt to grab the attention of new riders and bring back the old ones. We just might be willing to make the trip.

This year's ski season isn't as focused on the white stuff, as it seems everyone on the slopes is now thinking green. The New York Times reports that "snow guns are using oil-free air compressors, mountaintop restaurants are being powered by solar panels, and carbon offsets can be purchased as part of your lift ticket." In their roundup of some mountains that are starting eco-initiatives, here are a few that we thought stood out:

With surprisingly little fanfare, Jiminy Peak, a small resort in Hancock, Mass., recently flipped the switch on a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine that reaches 386 feet into the air — making it, Jiminy Peak says, the first mountain resort in North America to install a wind turbine to generate power. The wind turbine will meet 33 percent of its electrical demand, the resort says.

[W]ith the 2002 Winter Olympics under its belt, Park City Mountain Resort is now training its sights on the environment. Its heated walkway at the base plaza [was installed] with a new boiler snow-melt system that is 98 percent more energy efficient. Also, to offset the walkway's carbon output, the resort is considering planting more trees.

[I]n Jackson Hole, the new Hotel Terra Jackson Hole might make other ski lodges green with envy. The 72-room, eco-boutique hotel is set to open [Feb. 1] with energy-efficient windows, custom mattresses fashioned from organic cotton, chemical-free cleaning products, and a rooftop hot tub where you can sip fair-trade coffee.

We also got word that Kirkwood Mountain Resort in California's Lake Tahoe region (which didn't make the Times' list) has overhauled their energy consumption at the lodge by replacing light switches with motion sensors, adding high-energy efficiency snow guns, and even creating a carpooling program to help shuttle lodge employees and skiiers to the resort. In all, they say they plan to save enough energy to power 300 homes and take 1,000 cars off the road.

Now, all you have to do is strap your green skis or snowboards onto your hybrid, and you'll be on your way to having a sustainable day on the slopes.

Photo: Jiminy Peak

Every year like clockwork, monarch butterflies in Canada pack their bags in September and head to Mexico for their winter break. The annual migration is a huge tourist attraction, and Mexico is working to further support it by expanding their nesting areas and curbing illegal logging in the region. The AP reported:

President Felipe Calderón pledged 4.6 million U.S. dollars toward advertising and equipment for the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, which covers a 124,000-acre (50,000-hectare) swathe of trees and mountains that for thousands of years has served as the winter nesting ground to millions of orange-and-black-winged monarch butterflies.

Calderón said the plan would encourage tourism to an impoverished area where illegal logging has been rampant.

The logging has depleted the foliage where insects – a.k.a. butterfly food – reside. Fortunately, a staff of rangers "equipped with assault rifles and body armor," have been searching for gangs of lumber thieves, and their work has helped decrease logging in the area by 48 percent.

We at IT are glad to hear that tourism was the trigger that inspired Calderón to protect the forests - and the butterflies as a result.

We have to hand it to Cardiff, Wales, and Kansas City, Missouri, for their innovative way of promoting their libraries. The residents of Kansas City were asked to pick books that represented their town, and the winning selections were then put up on the facade of their library's parking garage.

And in Cardiff, Wales, the books are meant to serve as a temporary cover for the new library building while it's under construction, but we think it's kind of spiffy and should stay that way.

The interesting thing is whether it actually represents what people read in the towns. Because then everyone in Kansas City would be reading Rachel Carson while Cardiff folks curl up with Dan Brown. Perhaps if there was a huge billboard in every city touting the most-read books in the area, it would inspire people to be a bit more literary. What books represent where you're from?

Thanks to deputydog for the link!

Photos: Above wcb0028, below Ben Bore via Flickr

We applaud those who choose to walk or ride bikes over driving emissions-emitting cars, but no one can argue that riding sustainable bikes is even better. Recently the Washington Post reported more and more sports equipment companies are experimenting with sustainable material—from bamboo to organic cotton to hemp fiberglass—often making balls, boards, and bikes more durable than leading brands.

In 1996, bike designer Craig Calfee (Calfee Design) introduced a line of bamboo-made bikes, and told the Post that bamboo is “tougher than carbon fiber in terms of impact resistance.” Bamboo absorbs road vibrations well, which, the Post reported, allows cyclists to ride longer without getting tired. (Calfee also recently launched the Bamboo Bike Project, a project that aims to build better bikes for poor Africans living in rural areas.)

Other eco-responsible sporting goods companies are surfacing as well. Darryl Hatheway, co-founder of the Washington chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, has eight Surftech boards that “stand up to bangs and scrapes,” unlike normal polyester resin boards. Although the Surftech boards cost 10-20 percent more than polyester resin boards, Hatheway says these eco-friendly boards last “ten times longer.”

Perhaps you're gearing up to watch Todd Haynes' biopic "I'm Not There," which portrays the life of Bob Dylan with a varied cast of actors (male and female) all playing his role. Or maybe you've considered buying the soundtrack to the film, which pulls together various artists performing Dylan's iconic songs. It seems like every day there's a new way to appreciate the creative works of Mr. Dylan, so why not put aside his lyrics for a moment and look at his art instead?

It seems that that was the premise of the Art Museum Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, in Chemnitz Germany, in their exhibition of 120 of Bob Dylan's paintings in their current "Drawn Blank" show. It's the first time that Bob Dylan, artist, is in the context of paint, not music.

The story behind it is even better. When museum director Ingrid Mössinger bought her first Dylan album last year, she was inspired by the artistry in his lyrics. Intrigued, she tracked down his biography and learned that he'd published a book of drawings in the early nineties. At the time, he wrote that he hoped to "eventually complete" his sketches, so she reached out to him and encouraged him to finish. Within two days he responded, surprised at her interest. He writes in the museum's materials:

"I was fascinated to learn of Ingrid's interest in my work, and it gave me the impetus to realize the vision I had for these drawings many years ago. If not for this interest, I don't know if I even would have revisited them."

So earlier this year, Dylan copied the drawings and used them as the backdrop for watercolor and gouache paintings. He created some 322 works in two months' time, many of which are variations on the same pencil print.

Tourists have been flooding to small city in Saxony to check out Dylan's paintings (you can see a slideshow the works online at the Wall Street Journal, or check out the audio tour at the Guardian Online) and are searching for secret links to his lyrics. Theory has it that the painting "Woman in Red Lion Pub" is the same bewitching female from the famous song "Just Like a Woman" (1966). Take a look at the gallery, and let us know what you think.

Image: Man on a Bridge (2007), Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz museum  

If you aren't already familiar, please give us the chance to introduce Marilyn Terrell, Traveler Chief Researcher, whom we like to call our "human blog." Since it's almost physically impossible for us to get all of Marilyn's suggestions up online, we've asked her to pen a new column, highlighting some fun stuff found on the Web. Welcome to Marilyn's Miscellany.

• The Wall Street Journal had an article last week about the famous beer-brewing Trappist monks at Belgium's St. Sixtus monastery, and how their celestial beer and deliberately limited production provokes covetousness among beer fanciers, who rate their brew called "the 12" as the best in the world. Traveler scooped this story in our May/June 2006 issue, but this one's online.

• Among the 2007 Preserve America Presidential Award winners, I liked knowing about the Downtown St. Louis Revitalization project, where two private companies bought four historic buildings that were slated for demolition and restored them, creating new urban residential space and bringing economic vitality to a previously depressed downtown. And in Louisiana, Preserve America recognized the efforts of the Natchitoches-Cane River Region Heritage Tourism project, which has brought $47 million in private and $1 million in public investment for historic preservation and infrastructure improvements to the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District, while preserving the history and living traditions of the French, Spanish, African American, American Indian, and Creole people who settled the area.

Natchitoches isn't pronounced the way you'd expect; it's NACK-uh-tish. The town is known for its Festival of Lights and for Natchitoches meat pies, which are traditionally served on Christmas Eve.   

• Lastly, our friends down the hall at NG KIDS magazine are trying to set a Guinness Word Record for the world's longest chain of shoes. You can help them win (and clear your closets at the same time) by sending them your old athletic shoes, which will later be recycled by the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program to make basketball and tennis courts and running tracks, which is better than ending up in a landfill. Postmark deadline January 22, 2008.

Want more of Marilyn? Be sure to subscribe to this blog's feed.

Photographer: Janine, London, England

Getting the Shot: I was traveling in Australia throughout much of the spring of 2004, and this photo was taken from the river in Launceston. I'm afraid there's no special story, just taking a walk through the city and saw a beautiful sight.

The Details: My lasting memory of the place was how both the mountains and the bottoms of the clouds were purple. I only wish the photo could have done it justice.

Purple or not, we love this shot for the way the many colored roofs contrast against the blue of the sky.

Got your own shot for Global Eye? Add it to our Flickr pool.
 

In many major U.S. cities, you'll find a cultural hub we all know as Chinatown (unless you're in Seattle, where it's the politically-correct "International District"). As many people flock to Chinatown for its cheap eats, the history and cultural aspects of these places often get forgotten.

That's why the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco offers guided Chinatown Walking Tours through one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia. San Francisco's Chinatown was settled in the 1860s along what is now Grant Avenue. The tours begin at the Cultural Center (750 Kearny Street) and may stop at the Tin How Temple (the oldest Chinese temple in the U.S., founded in 1852), the Chinese Historical Society of America, and churches, schools, tea shops, and food markets, along with other interesting historical sites.

The two-hour tours cost $18.00 and are available Tuesday-Saturday. Don't miss the Cultural Center's Chinese Culinary Walk, which visits the poultry market and fortune cookie factories, and also includes a dim sum lunch. The Culinary Walk is temporarily unavailable, so be sure to check with the Cultural Center before planning your tour.

If you'd rather brave Chinatown on your own, be sure to check out our Places of a Lifetime walking tours of San Francisco, which include Chinatown, Union Square, and Telegraph Hill.

Photo: Heather Allamon

They can lead you on a trek through the Himalayan mountains, but can they navigate through Manhattan traffic? Outside Magazine reports that there's growing population of Sherpas now behind the wheels of New York City taxis:

Though roughly 150,000 Sherpas still live in Nepal, northern India, and Bhutan, perhaps more than 5,000 have left—heading to England, Australia, and Germany (where one, Ang Jangbu Sherpa, flies a Boeing 767), but mostly to America. Over the past decade Sherpas have been streaming to the U.S.—to San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and above all New York. The city's Sherpa community has become the largest outside of the Himalaya, with around 2,500 members, most employed legally through yearlong work visas, harder-to-get green cards, or rare lottery visas, 50,000 of which are awarded randomly to applicants from developing countries each year.

The taxi drivers say the mountains and the traffic both require Zen-like patience, so it's not that difficult a transition, but writer Christian DeBenedetti told ABC News that they struggle to adapt to their new home. "They're caught between two worlds," he said. Fortunately, there's a growing community of Sherpas in Queens (the most diverse county in the country), and we love the description of their neighborhood in Jackson Heights.

Look out, Florida. Iconic pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) is coming your way.

Beginning December 8, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida; +1 305 667 1651) will host ten of Lichtenstein's 8- to 30-foot-tall sculptures on the garden's grounds. The exhibit, titled Lichtenstien at Fairchild, will be the world's largest sculptural exhibition of the artist's pieces in a natural environment. Pieces will include Coup de Chapeau II (1996) and Galatea (1990), both of which were recently on display at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

Lichtenstein is most famous for his comic book-like drawings and oil paintings, like Whaam! (1963), on display at the Tate Modern museum in London.

Lichtenstein's sculptures will be on display at the Fairchild until May 31, 2008 (daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; adult/child $20/$10). If you can't make it to Florida before then, check out other Lichtenstein sculptures in New York City, Switzerland, Tokyo, Madrid, and Washington, DC.

Photo: House II, 1997, Painted fiberglass, 123 x 166* x 60*  inches © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

Ever wished you could go back to school and get a second degree, but you weren't sure in what? How about the tourism industry? Beginning next April, Christmas enthusiasts around the world can become a certified elf. That's right. The Helsingin Sanomat reported that the Lapland Vocational College is offering a one-year course in "elfing" to prepare the region for the Christmas tourism boom. Lapland, the northernmost province of Finland, is reportedly where Santa keeps shop. And in a land where there are more reindeer than people (200,000 reindeer; 186,443 people), this seems somehow appropriate.

Wondering what it takes to be an elf? Check out Santatelevision.com. The "Elf School" clip explains elf life in detail, including the most important elf characteristics: bravery, bright ideas, a good sense of humor, and of course, a warm heart.

Even if you do not have time for the year-long program, fear not—a two-week crash course is also offered to those seeking seasonal work. The year-long elf academy is geared toward people who are looking for a permanent career in the elfing business. The school also notes that after the Christmas holidays a professional elf could act as a regular tour guide, which seems like a good idea, providing they have the spare time in between making toys.

If you don't have an affinity for pointy shoes, or just want to see elves, reindeer, and all things Christmas, you can visit Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland province, for other festive sights, like the Santa Claus Village or his post office, where some 700,000 letters are sent each year.

Photo: Timo Lindholm, Rovaniemi Tourism

If you find yourself checking your Facebook news feed more often than the actual news, you're in luck. National Geographic Traveler is now hosting a group on the networking site, where you can chat with fellow readers of the magazine, learn about our many contests and photo seminars, and get updates on what's new in the issue and online. Got ideas for us - or everyone? - then put them in writing on the Wall.

Our book critic Don George is back this month with a review of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. (And no, author Eric Weiner wasn't seeking out the Disney properties.) Weiner, a former NPR foreign correspondent, traipsed from Norway to Thailand, Moldova to Bhutan (where they measure Gross National Happiness) exploring the theories behind what makes a country smile. George writes:

Weiner is a perceptive traveler, and he enlivens and deepens his narrative quest by seeking out knowledgeable locals and expats wherever he goes, allowing him to create an illuminating anecdotal topo map of each country's psychographic landscape.

I finished The Geography of Bliss feeling like I had just taken a whirlwind tour of the world with an engaging and well-informed guide, utilizing an important and too often overlooked compass: happiness.

IT would like to see a copy of that "psychographic landscape" map, as it'd be nice to know where to avoid bumping into international grumps. Read the rest of the column for holiday shopping tips, and other must-reads this month.

Fumbling through the phrasebook of any guidebook can be frustrating when all you want to do is find out where the nearest bathroom is in Beijing. That's why IT is interested in Lingolook Flashcards. Each deck of passport-sized flashcards includes more than 75 cards with illustrations, keyword translations, a "fan-out" design (so your cards don't go flying when you try to sort through them), phonetic translations, and a reference section with other useful information (travel tips, menu readers, numbers, country map, etc.). The cards are also color coded by category (Essentials, Lodging, Food and Drink, Help, Travel and Transport, Leisure, Shopping, and Services), making for easy searching when looking for the right card.

The big bonus is that once you buy a deck of flashcards, you gain access to electronic versions of the cards as well (for Pocket PCs, iPhones, BlackBerrys, and PDF).

Currently, the only available flashcards are for China, France, and Japan, but look for Lingolook Spain, Mexico, and Italy in the fall of 2008. Buy online for $11.95.

Thanks to Jaunted, for keeping us posted.

Ever wonder what happens to Olympic parks once the medal ceremonies have ended and the Olympic flame goes out? Salt Lake City (home of the 2002 Winter Games) has turned its snow-covered Olympic Park into a tourist attraction, and the park has some cool features we just had to tell you about.

Admission to the Utah Olympic Park is free, and just getting into the park allows visitors to take a self-guided tour of the Olympic competition sites, as well as access to the Winter Sports Center (which houses a ski museum as well as the 2002 Eccles Olympic Winter Games Museum). Visitors can also watch Olympians-in-training and frequent competitions throughout the park. If you'd rather have an expert lead the way, you can take a guided tour of the park's facilities (adult/child/family $7/$5/$25).

To feel like a true Olympian, you can also speed down a bobsled track at 80 m.p.h. (IT tip: Eat your lunch after you ride "The Comet.") A trained driver takes three passengers at at time to experience one of the Winter Games' signature sports. Participants must be over 16 years old, and tickets cost $200 per person (in summer, tickets are only $60 each).

For a less expensive thrill, adrenaline junkies can experience the World's Steepest Zipline. The Xtreme Zip ($20, meant for riders over 100 lbs.) speeds 50 miles per hour along the K 120 ski jump hill, while the Ultra Zip ($15, meant for riders over 50 lbs.) takes riders down the winter freestyle hill.

Ziplines may not be an official Olympic sport, but we'd like to think that if we practice enough, we can start petitioning for the 2010 games in Vancouver.

Photo: Utah Olympic Parks

If you've ever wondered where Frosty the Snowman might have got his corncob pipe, fear not: IT has the answer.

The Missouri Meerschaum Company is the world's largest and oldest manufacturer of corncob pipes. Meerschaum has been making Frosty's famous pipes in Washington, Missouri, since 1869. The company was founded by Dutch immigrant Henry Tibbe. According to legend,

a local farmer whittled a pipe of of corncob and liked it so much he asked Henry Tibbe to try turning some on his lathe. The farmer was well-pleased with his pipes so Henry made a few more and put them for sale in his shop. They proved to be such a fast-selling item that soon Tibbe spent more time making pipes for his customers than working with wood.

By 1925, there were a handful of other corncob pipe manufacturers in Franklin County, but Meerschaum is the only factory that still exists today. The three-story factory is located on the Missouri River on the corner of Front and Cedar Streets, one block from the Amtrak station in downtown Washington. Take a train from St. Louis, or drive 45 minutes west of the city. Check out the museum (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) and buy a pipe of your own.

Photo: Missouri Meerschaum Company

Through the Curtain, Meltem Ciftci

Photographer: Meltem Ciftci, Kurgan, Turkey.

Getting the Shot: On the busy streets of Rome, while waiting for a city bus right behind the bus stop, there was a high old building with nice windows. I was looking and admiring the building, and all of a sudden this girl appeared at the window.

The Details:    It was [taken] last week on the 24th of November, in Rome. I usually do not like to take the pictures of people straight ahead, if possible, I try to communicate with them first. When she appeared at the window, I was already standing there facing the building, unlike all other people at the bus stop. She was kind of sad or unhappy. I first looked at her and smiled. She smiled back to me. This was like a sign of communication for me, so I quickly took her picture when she was watching the street. She stayed there not too long.

We love this photo for the artfully way it's framed, and because the girl looks so wistful. What is she thinking about? Where does she wish she was instead?

Got photos? Then join our Flickr group. Love Global Eye? Then subscribe to this blog's feed so you won't miss a shot.

Finding public restrooms in a foreign country can be difficult, especially once you've been sampling too many local pubs.

Weary travelers, fear not. London's Westminster City Council to the rescue. The city just launched "SatLav" a restroom-locating service for cell phones. Newsweek reports:

Tourists, theatergoers, shoppers, and pub patrons in London's West End can now text the word "toilet" and receive a text back with the address of the nearest public facility.

The system, which covers 40 public toilets, pinpoints the caller's position by measuring the strength of the phone signal. The texts cost about 50 cents, and most of Westminster's toilets are free.

The council said it hopes the service will stop people from urinating in alleyways, saying some 10,000 gallons of urine ends up in Westminster streets each year.         

The Westminster neighborhood includes popular tourist sites such as Big Ben (pictured), Westminster Abby, and Oxford Street.

Thanks for the tip, Gadling!

Photo: Meredith Missroon, via Flickr

"Have you had the bacon chocolate bar?" she whispered. We were strangers in the cafeteria line but we'd bonded over the crispy breakfast food. That's how I found out about Biagio Fine Chocolate in Washington, D.C.'s Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan neighborhood. The next week I trudged there to buy Mo's Bacon Bar ($7) by Chicago-based Vosges Haut Chocolat.

"Four out of five doctors recommend it," said William Knight, one of the owners of the shop after he handed me the bar. He also warned me that some people hate it. Back at the office, some looked in horror at the creamy milk chocolate (41 percent cacao) with crunchy bits of applewood smoked bacon. I just thought it tasted really salty.

"It could use more bacon," said Sean McMahon of the Center for Sustainable Destinations.

"Who would have thunk it," said Traveler Senior Editor Scott Stuckey.

"It's like three different sensations in my mouth," said chief researcher Marilyn Terrell.

Open since 2006, Biago offers an "extensive collection of fine chocolate from around the world." That means chocolate from Utah (Amano), Sao Tome (Claudio Corallo), Spain (Blanxart), France (Mademoiselle de Margaux), Italy (Amedei). We could go on and on. Chocolate with chili peppers, curry powder, sea salt, you name it. And local chocolate, too.

Arlington, Virginia-based Artisan Confections' offers works of art such as salted butter caramels and chocolates flavored with 18-year-old bourbon and decorated in leopard print.

If you're looking for a sweet, exotic holiday gift, Biagio has it covered. And biting into their chocolate can be a bit like taking a trip around the world.

Photo: Katie Knorovsky

Since IT loves food and travel, a recent Washington Times article tempted our taste buds. They featured one culinary tour company in particular, and it sounded so delicious we just had to spread the word.

Culinaria was founded by Omar and Roxana Gonzalez, a Floridian couple with roots in Honduras, France, and Argentina. They currently offer three culinary tours to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, enjoy grilled beef at "one of the best places in town" and get cooking lessons at Manos de la Tierra (Hands of the Earth; chefs pictured, right). Or, visit the vineyards of Mendoza to enjoy a glass of local wine at the famous Bodega Escorihuela and get a private lesson with Federico Ziegler, chef of La Bourgogne Restaurant at Finca & Bodega Vistalba de Carlos Pulenta (pictured, above) with a view of the Andean mountains. Those who want even more fresh air might enjoy a tour in Salta, where guests visit wineries 7,546 feet (2,300 meters) above sea level.

The website also has a detailed page that describes Argentinian food, such as choripan (grilled sausage in a baguette), gnocchi de papa (potato dumplings), and provoleta, "an inch-thick slice of provolone cheese grilled (until soft) as if it were a steak and seasoned with oregano and other spices.  So simple and so good you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it." Yum!

Culinaria is adding tours to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Patagonia, so check back soon for details.

Photos: Culinaria

In an attempt to reduce air travel between Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and eventually the Big Island, the 350-foot Hawaii Superferry took to the seas, offering interisland travelers an alternative option to flying by transporting their cars instead.

But in recent months, the Superferry sparked a huge legal controversy from environmentalists, saying that the ferry could harm whales and increase car traffic on the islands. CNN explains:

The first 350-foot catamaran has been sitting idle in Honolulu Harbor for weeks while Superferry lawyers, the Legislature and Gov. Linda Lingle struggled with environmental objections.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett told the judge he was bound by the new law signed by Lingle this month allowing the ferry to run while an environmental study is being completed.

...Superferry CEO John Garibaldi said outside the courtroom that the ferry service likely would resume in about two weeks with an announcement in a few days on when 250 furloughed employees would be rehired. Its schedule calls for daily voyages to and from Maui and a six-times-weekly run for Kauai.

IT's reached a dilemma. Opt for flying, and you leave a much bigger carbon footprint during your Aloha travels. Opt for the ferry, and you're reducing your carbon emissions, but instead harming the whales and overcrowding the roads with cars. What's a traveler to do? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

For more background, check out World Hum's article about the surfers who blocked the ferry from entering Kauai's Lihue harbor last August.

Photo: Hawaii Superferry

Finding your way to the next bar on a bar-hopping venture through any city can get difficult after a few drinks. But the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation just made our tipsy lives a little easier.

Introducing Philly's BYOB interactive map, a Google map detailing 130 of the city's more than 200 BYOBs (bring-your-own-bottle restaurants). Just select a neighborhood, click on a bottle, and an information bubble pops up that details basic restaurant info as well as the location of the nearest liquor store.

In the Fairmount/Art Museum Area, for example, Figs (2501 Meredith Street; 215-978-8440) appears with the following blurb: "Chef/owner Mustapha Rouissiya's global cuisine and quaint dining room are dressed up with authentic Moroccan accents. Mediterranean, Moroccan. Cash only. Reservations accepted [Nearest Liquor Store: 1935 Fairmount Avenue]." After picking which restaurants you'd like to try during your Philly visit, you can send the information right to your phone.

If you ask IT, you'd think Philly wants us to get drunk!

Photos: GPTMC

Well, not yet. But it will be soon. Bearfire Resort recently announced plans to build a ski resort in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by 2009 (reminding us of Dubai's indoor ski runs). IT's a bit troubled by this, but we'll let Gadling explain:

Texas skiers sporting large belt buckles and cowboy hats will be hooting and hollering their way down the state's first man-made ski resort just two years from now.

That's when investors hope to finish building a 250-foot artificial mountain and 650,000 square feet of skiing area. While moving so much earth around to create the perfect slopes is hardly a challenge, circumventing Mother Nature's 90 degree temperatures is another story altogether.

Unlike other man-made ski resorts, however, the engineers at Bearfire Resort won't be making snow in the traditional way--Texas seasons are far too harsh for this to be possible. Instead, the creators of Bearfire plan to introduce an entirely different type of snow that is actually made from a patented, lubricated plastic known as Snowflex.

According to Snowflex, the plastic substance is "a polymer composite consisting of a monofilament fibre and impregnated carrier layer. This sits on top of a unique shock layer, giving a responsive and reactive feel. Manufactured in tile form, Snowflex forms an homogeneous surface that can be made into complex features and shapes."

We don't really know what that means, but a mound of plastic snow can't be that great for the environment. IT's fond of the classic winter vacation. You know, traveling someplace with real snow. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Photo: Bearfire Resorts

In September, we wrote about South London's Elephant and Castle quarter going green with the development of an eco-residential tower. The trendy quarter's next green initiative? The EcoPod. Inhabitat has the scoop:

A U.K. initiative called ConnectingSouthwark.com is putting the green in public transportation with an EcoPod tram station that provides information and a great teaching tool for environmental responsibility. Made from recycled shipping containers and powered by renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines, the EcoPod is a great symbol of the green principles underpinning both the tram and its recent regeneration program.

As part of the strategy to connect South and North London, the Transport for London [TFL] commissioned U.K. designers at WIRE to develop a new identity for their proposed tram system. The EcoPod is installed in the heart of Southwark’s flagship regeneration area, Elephant and Castle, providing information about the London Cross River Tram and the new Elephant and Castle transportation programs.

The Cross River Tram will service stations between Euston and Waterloo, and will connect neighborhoods Elephant and Castle, Aylesbury Estate, Peckham, and Burgess Park to central London. Thanks, Inhabitat!

Photo: Connecting Southwark