Stop in Taipei, Save $100

by Catherine Bodry on

Good deals abound for the traveler willing to take a Taipei pit stop. Not only will the usual $100 landing fee surcharge be lifted, but if you stay two nights you can get a $79/night deal at participating hotels. The “I Land Paradise” promotion (which applies to any Asia-bound China Airlines or EVA Airways flight departing from a U.S. airport) starts Oct. 1 and runs until June 30.

The main problem with the promotion is that there are no direct flights from Taipei to China’s mainland except during the Lunar New Year. So if you’re on your way to China and want to take advantage of the deal, you’ll need to go through Hong Kong and then catch a flight to the mainland. I’ve stopped in Taipei several times en route to Southeast Asia, but I’ve never left the airport. The lifted surcharge could certainly convince me to lengthen my stay.

Attractions include the Shilin Night Market (see The Kozy Shack’s photo) and the National Palace Museum. For more stuff to see and do, check out AOL’s Taipei site.

What NOT to Wear on Halloween When Traveling

by Catherine Bodry on

Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. I get so in to it, I win contests. (Seriously, I am the best Mary Katherine Gallagher you will ever meet. Maybe even better than Molly Shannon. See photo). So I’m not going to let traveling with a small pack keep me from creating a costume.

In 2004 I was in Vietnam over Halloween in the town of Nha Trang. The U.S. presidential elections were days away, and I often felt under attack from questions and accusations of other travelers about U.S. foreign policy. Needless to say, I did not meet one single traveler (except for one American) who supported Bush or the war in Iraq. So I thought it might be funny to poke a little fun at all the political tension surrounding the U.S.

I bought a plain white t-shirt and used my travel partner’s red and sliver sharpies to decorate what would be my costume: a Stupid American.In red block letters on the front we wrote “Proud to be an American” and decorated it with silver stars. But the back was the best. We giggled and hooted as we wrote “I heart oil,” I heart Big Macs,” and “I heart Texas.” We made circles with slashes through them for “Gay Rights,” and “Universal Health Care.” Inside big hearts we wrote “SUVs in L.A.,” “Britney Spears,” and “capital punishment.” We went on and on.

We thought we were clever and funny. We were wrong. I have never, ever felt so hated in my entire life as I did that night. I nearly got in a brawl with an Irish girl who told me that even if I thought I was joking, I was still 33% serious or some such nonsense. In a fit of desperation I pulled the “But I’m Canadian!” line, and people visibly relaxed and maybe even laughed a bit, until they realized I was lying. Apparently it’s okay to make fun of Americans if you’re not American — but if you are a U.S. citizen anything you say and do will be held against you. I learned the hard way.

I tried turning the shirt inside out, but the letters bled through. Eventually, a British guy suggested that if my guesthouse was close by, I should just go back and change. In tears, I did.

So, what’s the lesson to be learned here? First, I discovered just how much the rest of the world (at least Europe and Australia, which is where the bulk of the other travelers were from) really, really disagree with U.S. politics. Enough that they were willing to throw punches at me for what my citizenship represents — even though I didn’t vote for Bush nor do I support his policies. I don’t eat at McDonald’s and I don’t feel like I have a right (or a need) to drive a huge SUV. Second, I learned that no matter what my political leanings are, I’ve still got to answer for my country — and that’s no easy task. In the end, I really was a stupid American.

And finally, I learned that wearing kitty ears, which my friend Jen always travels with (see photo), is a much safer way to celebrate Halloween abroad.

Big in Japan: Robots Give the Best Facials

by Matthew Firestone on

Let’s be real for a second – with 100 hour-plus work weeks, crowded city streets, cramped apartments and a frightening absence of vacation days, sometimes it can be really tough to be Japanese.

Sushi, green tea, sake and cherry blossoms aside, modern Japan can be an extremely lonely and isolating place.

Fortunately, the Japanese have their own series of stress relieving rituals to take the edge off. From bathing in hot springs and walking in the park to drinking a hot carafe of sake or dining with friends, the Japanese are masters at finding their own personal slice of zen.

Of course, nothing soothes the mind and relieves your tension like a good facial, which is why the Japanese love to head to the spa after work. Since a good masseuse can be hard to find, the Japanese think nothing of spending their hard-earned yen on a quality facial.

With that said, it may be only a matter of time before tipping your masseuse isn’t necessary, especially since the new Waseda Asahi Oral Rehabilitation Robot 1 or WAO-1 robot probably gives the best facials you’ve ever had.

Early this week, researchers at Tokyo’s Waseda University unveiled their rather frightening looking robot to the general public. With two steel arms connected by a spidery web of cables and wires, WAO-1 will soon be deployed to hospitals and spas across the country.

Although Japan already has some incredibly advanced massage chairs, the facial bone structure is much more fragile than the back and spine. As a result, engineers needed to start afresh and create a new type of technology.

According to project leader Atsuo Takanishi, “The robot’s arms are fitted with ceramic spheres the size of golf balls, and the spheres roll over the skin. The arms’ movements are controlled by a complex set of algorithms designed to emulate massages, while six sensors at the base of the arms measure and adjust the pressure applied by the spheres.”

Originally designed to give deep tissue therapeutic facial massages, WAO-1 was intended to help patients with jaw-related medical problems. However, after another research team member, Ken Nishimura, said the robot could be adjusted to give beauty and relaxation massages, everything changed.

“This technology can be applied very widely,” Nishimura said. “I’m looking forward to a time when this robot will give beauty facials at spas.”

Currently, robots are not uncommon in high-class spas in Tokyo. At present, there are already robots that shampoo and rinse your hair, though it’s probably going to be some time before you can count on a robot to give you a good hair cut or a close shave!

For more information on the future of elder care, check out my prior posting on how Japanese Robots Will Care of Us When We’re Old.

For more information on the crazy robots coming to a future near you, check out my prior posting on how Japanese Robots Will Take Over the World.

** Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press (AP) **

Don’t Poo-poo Pu-er Tea

by Iva Skoch on

Who cares about the price of tea in China? More and more people globally. A recent article in the WSJ says that there’s been a run on China’s most popular tea, pu-er (aka pu-erh, or pu’er, or Bolay tea). A recent sale netted the seller almost $40,000 . . . for a single 3.5oz cake that was 60 years old.

Like all true teas (as opposed to fruit “tea” or herbal “tea”), it’s made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Pu-er tea is only slightly oxidized, like green teas, has a smoky taste, and is sold generally in bricks or cakes, which are usually round, discus-like objects, looking like large cow-patties. It comes in “raw” or “cooked” form.

Unlike most teas, it’s meant to be aged, even for many years, and, supposedly, it gets better with age. 150-year old cakes go for over $13,000 sometimes. And collectors are drinking this tea up.

According to people we met in China, this was the most prized and most typically drank tea (not the oolong tea you usually get in Chinese restaurants in the West). Further, the black tea we typically drink in the West is fairly rare there. And you sure won’t see a tea bag.

In fact, while sampling and discussing the relative tastes and benefits of various teas, the owner of a small tea shop laughed off the fact that we enjoyed black teas, told us that the caffeine would surely kill us . . . and then offered us a cigarette.

Big in Japan: Robots Will Take Care of Us When We’re Old

by Matthew Firestone on

Robots are all the rage here in Japan, which is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’ll probably take care of us one day when we get old.

At a home care and rehabilitation convention in Tokyo this week, commercial buyers were given a demonstration of all the latest in care-taking robot technology.

A full-body robotic suit developed by the Kanagawa Institute of Technology is powered by twenty-two pneumatic pumps, allowing the user to hoist people off their feet with ease. Sensors attached to the user’s skin detect when their muscles are straining, and subsequently signals pumps to activate, thus providing support.

Considering that nurses sometimes need to lift a heavy patient off the bed to take care of them, the numerous applications of this technology are immediately apparent.

During a demonstration, a volunteer was quickly lifted off a table. “It doesn’t feel at all like I’m being lifted by a robot,” she said. “This feels so comfortable and very human.”

Since Japan’s population is rapidly graying, the elderly care industry is starting to boom. According to economists, the care technology market is estimated to be worth over one billion dollars. Hoping to capitalize on this lucrative niche, robotics companies have been rolling out some impressive contraptions.

For instance, consider Secom Co.’s My Spoon feeding robot, which helps elderly or disabled people eat with a spoon- and fork-fitted swiveling arm.

In a demonstration, developer Shigehisa Kobayashi operated the joystick with his chin, yet was able to finely slice a block of tofu and maneuver the piece to his mouth.

“It’s all about empowering people to help themselves,” Kobayashi said. “We want to give the elderly control over their own lives,”

With a price tag of US$3,500, clearly it’s also all about cashing in.

Of course, the incredible innovation doesn’t stop there.

A muscle suit developed by the Tokyo University of Science consists of just rubber and nylon, and can easily be slipped on like a life jacket. However, since its powered by air pressure actuators, the suit allows the user to enhance their strength.

Considering that the elderly lose a great deal of strength in their bodies, an invention such as this would greatly increase a person’s ability to lift objects and subsequently better take care of themselves.

Finally, the convention also saw the release of the intelligent wheelchair, dubbed TAO Aicle by Fujitsu Ltd. and Aisin Seiki Co.

This remarkable device has an onboard Global Positioning System (GPS), which allows the chair to identify its position and navigate between destinations. It can even respond to voice commands, automatically travel to present destinations, stop at traffic lights and maneuver around obstacles.

Amazing. What will they think of next?

For more information on the crazy robots coming to a future near you, check out my prior posting Japanese Robots Will Take Over the World.

** Photos Courtesy of the Associated Press (AP) **