For those of you planning to stay inside tomorrow to avoid the shopping mall craziness, be advised that there are still some very good deals to be found without ever having to abandon your comfy jammies or leave your home. In my mind it makes good sense that there would be some amazing sales on airfare when everyone is out and away from their computers. Those sneaky airlines!!! Anyway, as I was getting to, STA Travel is having a Black & Blue Friday Sale and they’ll be discounting tickets to Latin America, the South Pacific and more. At least that’s what they claim in their ad seen above, but I’d seriously take the time tomorrow to take a look and see what’s really going on. Perhaps you’ll nab a great without all the headache of being on the streets.
Asia
Travel through Asia by country:
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Travel through Asia by popular city:
Bangkok, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Moscow, New Delhi, Tokyo
Travel through Asia by popular things to do:
Travel through Asia with our writers:
Infiltrating North Korea, Keyhole Into Burma, Band on the Run ... in China, Chinese Buffet, A Canadian in Beijing, Volunteer Vacation: Tajikistan
Word for the Travel Wise (11/22/06)
It was the eve before Thanksgiving and some American was off abroad in a land where people spoke Vietnamese. They searched for turkey, but no one understood; they asked for gravy, but received phô instead and to make matters worse they were dirty from toe to head. If there was one word the poor tourist could remember it was the word for laundry place.
Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:
phòng giat (fom zuht) – laundry place
To continue learning Vietnamese online start with phrase list found at the NY Public Library. This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi, Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.
Past Vietnamese words: Xe Ðap, xinh xinh, cam hut thuoc, tam biêt, bàn dô
Skiing in Japan
A recent NY Times article has peaked our interest. We’ve brought Niseko, Japan’s largest ski area, to your attention before, but the new article does a great job of presenting other skiing opportunities in the country.
As it turns out, Japan actually has many more, perhaps a hundred more, ski areas than the U.S., according to the website Snowjapan.com.
While the vertical drops aren’t quite what some have come to expect in the Alps or the Rockies, due to Japan’s unique climate, with winter winds blowing in from Siberia, ski areas can get tons more snow than comparable resorts in the U.S. For example, Niseko gets over 600 inches of snow, while Vail only averages 348. And the powder is supposed to be incredible.
Americans will benefit from the increased traffic from Australian skiers, who have gone to Japan in droves, blazing a skiing trail. Japanese businesspeople have responded by putting up more signs in English and catering to English-speakers. The Times suggested contacting Australian-run tour operators, like Skijapan.com, for more help.
And an additional feature that really intrigues us: the large number of available hot springs (“onsen“) for apres-ski.
Worldmapper
Here is a very interesting new way to look at the world. A site called Worldmapper allows you to view the various countries of the world in relative size according to factors other than actual geography. Consider, for example, the map I chose here which shows population. Now, everyone knows that India and China are the most populated nations in the world. But in this image you can see how much larger their populations are than other countries like the US by the size they represent on the map.
Wee countries like Panama and Chile and Norway and, well, Guinea-Bissau, just kind of disappear. But population is kind of the obvious one. You can also view countries by private health spending (where the US looks as bloated as a mid-western teen with a fast food addiction) and HIV prevalence. Pretty neat new view of the world, eh?
Mobile Ashtray Museum
Imagine a world where non-smokers and smokers live harmoniously. How do you picture it? What does it look like? Does the smell of cigarette smoke pollute the air or do you only catch whiffs of apple-pie, roses and other delightful scents floating in the air? I do not yet have a clear vision of what this harmonious world looks like, but Japan Tobacco seems to have one or a piece of one at least.
According to this Japan Times article the world’s third-largest cigarette-maker aims to push portable ashtrays so that smokers can place their butts in a safe place until further disposal and non-smokers can enjoy a landscape unblemished by discarded cigarettes. Are you feeling the harmony yet? The Mobile Ashtray Museum (MAM) is a private collection of manufacturer’s products from the past, but also an emporium selling more than 300 portable ashtrays. Other goods for up for grabs include lighters, cig cases, and all the JT-made cigarettes, of course. I mean, after you go check out all these sort-of cool devices to help keep butts off the ground, I mean you’re going to want to puff on something right? From the sound of this piece the smoking tourist might have somewhat of a blast in the so-called quirky museum, but the truly anti-tobacco minded will choke up and probably burst into flames at Japan Tobacco’s attempt to keep smokers smoking and therefore passing on their second-hand smoke, which is always the biggest issue with smokers anyway.
Right?