Photo of the Day 3-30-2008

by Catherine Bodry on


This photo was taken in Jaisalmer, India, by Flickr user arunchs. Although I’m not certain if the structures in the lake are ruins, I do get an Ozymandias feel from them, as though they’ve sunk over time.

And are the only primary colors in the photo from paddle boats?

Have any travel photos you’d like to share with the world? Upload them to Gadling’s Flickr pool and we’ll consider them for our Photo of the Day feature.

Cathay Pacific’s 2008 All Asia Pass

by Jamie Rhein on

If you have 21 days between now and May 15 and August 20 through December 1, Cathay Pacific Airways has the All Asia Pass that gives travelers a chance to visit Hong Kong and up to four more cities in Asia. Prices range from $1,099 with two additional cities; $1,399 for three cities, plus Hong Kong; to $1,699 for the four cities and Hong Kong. With San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York as departure cities, you could probably snag an inexpensive flight to any of them if you plan early enough.

If I were going to take advantage of this ticket, I’d head to Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Cambodia. The first three, because I’ve been to each of them and have people I’d like to visit. Cambodia is a place I’d love to go. None of them are far from each other which would help maximize my time in the countries and not going from place to place. In Vietnam, I’d head north to Sapa, a place I haven’t been and see friends in Hanoi. In Thailand, I’d spend a day or two in Bangkok and then head to a beach somewhere. Taiwan would mean revisiting places I liked when I lived there, particularly Beipu and eating all the food I’ve missed since I left. Cambodia would mean new discoveries.

But, since as with most great travel deals, the summer is excluded and that’s when I would have the 21 days to spare, I can’t take advantage. Hopefully, others can. Except for Taiwan, it’s possible to travel in the other three on a shoestring. Hong Kong is good for a day or two, but I’d head to cheaper locations ASAP.

Japan to home-grow new jet

by Abha Malpani on

It is said that a country’s aviation industry is not complete unless it can produce its own aircraft — hence the importance of “home-grown” jets. I have to add here that that is the most blah term given to a domestically manufactured plane that strengthens the nation’s economy and technological prowess, but hey who am I to make judgment?

Japan announced today that it would have its first home-grown passenger aircraft ready by 2013 and has a $1 billion plan in place. The 70-90 seater planes will be “grown” by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and will target the short/medium-haul regional market. According to AP: this will be the first nationally funded, “made in Japan” passenger aircraft in three decades.

Surprisingly, China beat Japan to it by unveiling their first home-grown jet in December last year.

Big in Japan: Tokyo’s top cherry blossom spots

by Matthew Firestone on

Spring fever in the air here in Tokyo…

While countries and cultures the world over have their own ways of ushering in the spring season, perhaps none are as famous as Japan’s spectacle of cherry blossom viewing. At present, the normally gray cityscape of Tokyo is awash in bright shades of pink as sakura (??????, ??; cherry trees) trees are beginning to reach the climax of their annual spring bloom.

While modern Japan is seemingly unconnected to the whims and nuances of the natural world, the Japanese still retain a strong sense of seasonality. Indeed, cherry blossoms are revered as the harbinger of spring, and the opportunity to have a hanami (?????; flower-viewing) party is not to be missed.

For those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of being in Tokyo during cherry blossom season, hanami is the traditional Japanese way of admiring the sakura. While other Japanese arts such as the tea ceremony and karate can take lifetimes to master, hanami essentially boils down to a picnic in the park.

However, before you can indulge in copious amounts of alcohol, a veritable feast of seasonal foods and the obligatory impromptu haiku, first you need to pick your spot. And that, my loyal audience, is why I am bringing you this clear and concise guide to Tokyo’s top cherry blossom viewing spots.

Before you can polish off a few tumblers of seasonal sake, first you’re going to need to find some cherry blossom petals worthy of adoration. Indeed, Tokyoites such as myself are keen on keeping our secret spots to ourselves, though the following list of ‘classic’ spots should get you started:

Ueno Park (上野公園; Ueno-kouen) Considering to be the granddaddy of cherry blossom viewing spots, Ueno Park is home to literally thousands of cherry trees, which create a veritable canopy of luscious pink petals. Although it’s certainly not the quietest spot to appreciate nature, hanami parties here are of rock star proportions.

Shinjuku Gardens (新宿御苑; Shinjuku-gyoen) Regarded as having the most beautiful gardens in all of Tokyo, this private park is where you should head if you’re a fan of classic Japanese landscapes. Sakura petals blowing in the wind is a sight in itself, but the scene becomes all the more surreal when they land on perfectly manicured bonsai trees.

Yoyogi Park (代々木公園; Yoyogi-koen) Start your hanami party off with a slow and steady walk through Meiji-jingu (明治神宮), one of Tokyo’s most beautiful shrines, and then wind things down over a bottle of Kirin Ichiban and a rice ball or two in this sprawling urban retreat. Yoyogi attracts a diverse cast of characters, so bring your camera and get ready for some great people-watching.

Sadly, sakura blossoms are as ephemeral as life itself, so don’t waste any time – head to the convenience store, stock up your cooler and start composing those spring haikus.

Sakura petals
Are a divine sight to watch
While sipping beer.

Happy spring!

** All photos were taken by yours truly in Shinjuku-gyoen **

Should travelers lament the change of favorite destinations?

by Catherine Bodry on

It seems that every traveler laments the discovery by other travelers of a favorite destination: Alex Garland’s The Beach made millions on the story of a fictional tribe of backpackers disillusioned with the influx of travelers to Thailand’s once-pristine islands, and I think it was so successful precisely because many of us understand the desire to witness cultural authenticity. This theme is omnipresent in travel-writing, and I often come across travel articles written by middle-aged travelers who remember a place the way it “once” was, and who sadly recount their most recent visit, which is sure to be filled with banana-pancake stands and 7-Elevens.

I came across one such article this morning, by a writer named Denis D. Gray who discusses with disappointment the influx of tourists to once-rugged Asian destinations. He remembers Luang Prabang as is was in 1974. Now, he writes, the peaceful, intact culture he witnessed has been overrun by “guesthouses, Internet cafes and pizza parlors. There are fewer monks because the newcomers no longer support the monasteries.” Like Garland, he damns Lonely Planet’s Joe Cummings to an imaginary hell for exposing Thailand’s once “exotic” Pai. And he criticizes the massive increase of tourists to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, about which he wrote in his journal in 1980: “Siem Reap may be one of the few spots that still clings to the remnants of the old Cambodia, before the war, before the slaughter.”

While Gray’s article does infuse the sense of loss anyone might feel as places change, he doesn’t offer any solutions to the problems he so sadly observes.

I’m as guilty as Gray in my search for an authentic cultural experience and in my hopelessness at irreversible changes and losses. But unlike Gray, I recognize my own contribution to these changes. As travelers, we’re all voyeurs, and we all contribute to the problems Gray points out. Even Gray himself.