Direct China-Taiwan travel now possible

by Iva Skoch on

Believe it or not, China and Taiwan held their first formal talks in 10 years and, productively enough, decided to allow direct weekend air travel between the two destinations as a result, BBC reports. Previously, direct flights were only allowed during four holiday periods each year. Otherwise, travelers had to fly through Hong Kong or Macao.

The weekend passenger flights will begin on July 4 and there will be 36 flights each week, with China and Taiwan operating 18 flights each. From July 18, each side will also allow in 3,000 tourists per day – a move that triples the number of mainland Chinese who will be allowed into Taiwan.

How progressive! China must really want to attract as many people as possible for the Olympics…

Tiger wine illegal (but available) in China

by Iva Skoch on

While it is still possible to buy tiger wine in China just by asking for it, it will probably not be possible for long, BBC reports. Tiger bone wine has been popular in China for centuries and, recently, it has become popular with tourists trying to sample something “authentically Chinese.”

It is supposed to be a health tonic to treat conditions from arthritis and rheumatism to impotence. (How could you not cure impotence with anything that has the name Tiger in it!)

Here is the problem with tiger wine. It is made from tiger carcasses soaked in rice wine. Although, officially, they are made from tigers “killed by other big cats,” pretty much everyone assumes that the tiger population has been decreasing partly because of the popularity of tiger wine. Experts believe that there are just 2,500 breeding tigers left in the wild (compared with about 100,000 at the start of the 20th century). The rest (about 5000) of them are held in “tiger farms.”

Do you feel bad yet? Good. When in China, stick with beer.

Is four days too short for a trip to Shanghai?

by Grant Martin on

So my Fourth of July plans recently fell through, which is a bit of a disappointment because I had a free place to stay in Paris and found award tickets to get me there for free.

When given lemons though, one should make lemonade, so I started searching around for tickets to other places. Turns out, my friend Jarod is going to be in Shanghai that weekend, and there is also award availability.

But is four days too short of a trip to go from Detroit to Shanghai? Transit is nearly 16 hours each way and I’m going to be on the other side of the world in reverse-o time. I also have to get a visa (130$) and deal with the ruckus of Shanghai airport, transfers and a language I don’t know.

On the other hand, it is China. I have a free place to stay, a guide (so to speak) and a unique opportunity to get a quick look at the developing country — all for a 130$ visa and 36$ in award ticket taxes.

Help me decide. I’m going to pull the trigger at noon tomorrow.

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China releases Olympic visitor “do and don’t” list

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Visitors planning a trip to the Beijing Olympics have had a lot of information to absorb in recent weeks. Between the tragedy of the Sichuan earthquake, the ongoing controversy surrounding the Olympic torch and somewhat inevitable construction blunders, there’s been no shortage of China-related news. And if you weren’t already on China Olympics information overload, the Beijing Organizing Committee saw fit on Monday to release a list of 57 “Do’s and Don’ts” for foreign Olympic visitors.

The rules run the range from the fairly obvious (best take your Opium smuggling elsewhere) to the practical (how to file a complaint to the health department if you get food poisoning) to the more draconian (no materials detrimental to China’s politics, economy, culture and moral standards). While I can understand the need for visitors to be conscious of local cultural customs, this list oversteps its bounds. Aside from the fact it reminds everyone of all the ongoing controversy, it does nothing but serve to frighten your potential visitors. What kind of host would do that?

Headed to Beijing for the games? Don’t let travel bogeymen like “Do’s and Don’ts” lists or potential controversy scare you away. Like any unknown travel situation, the rumors often overshadow the true story on the ground. By the time that opening ceremony kicks off you’ll remember why you showed up in the first place.

Africa: How big is huge ?

by Jamie Rhein on

A few years ago, I was asked to be a guest speaker at a conference geared towards teachers. Each session had to do with either Japan, Germany and Africa. So, there you have it. A vast, diverse, complicated continent with the same billing as two countries. I narrowed my topic down to comparing Nigeria and The Gambia.

To really see Africa’s impact all one needs to do is see which of the world’s countries can fit inside it.

The statistics are staggering. Africa’s square miles are hard to wrap ones mind around. The first time I went there, I thought it would be easy to country hop from The Gambia to Kenya. Yeah, right. Going back to the U.S. was easier. What other countries could you add into the 29,843,826 of the countries represented here without going over? Singapore for sure. [via A Welsh View]