Weekend travel media top five

by Alex Robertson Textor on

This weekend’s most interesting travel stories include a look at Egypt’s seldom explored coast west of Alexandria, a long weekend guide to Singapore, a travel guide to solar eclipse runs, a profile of Boracay, the Philippines’ popular holiday island, and a 12-day Great Australian Aircruise.

1. In the Guardian, Belinda Jackson takes a road trip from Alexandria to Marsa Matruh and on to the border town of Sollum. Highlights include the beaches of Marsa Matruh and friendly coastal Bedouin villages.

2. In the West Australian, Veronica Matheson outlines a three-night Singapore visit, full of good restaurant and neighborhood tips.

3. In the San Francisco Chronicle, April Orcutt describes her decades-long interest in solar eclipses, detailing eclipse-chasing trips to Hawaii, Chile, and Curaçao and closing with a calendar of five future total solar eclipses.

4. In the New York Times, Lionel Beehner writes about Boracay in the Philippines (see above), wondering if the island might be morphing into the next Phuket.

5. In the Australian, Judith Elen does an Australian Aircruise over the course of 12 days, exploring the awe-inspiring natural beauty and cultural eccentricity of Australia’s “Red Centre.”

[Image: Flickr/~MVI~ (surviving on globe tattoo)]

Beyoncé’s Pimpin’ Private Tour Jet

by Andrew Evans on

What? You think Beyoncé has her own special private airplane with black velvet seat cushions and a bedazzled fuselage all covered in blingetty-bling (with a ring on it) and with bottles of Vitamin Water lined up like a rainbow in her mirrored mini-fridge? Well, she doesn’t. No doubt, girlfriend could afford it, but being the smart, sensible artist that she is, Beyoncé just chartered a plane from OpenSkies, the transatlantic all-business-class airline that flies nonstop between Washington, DC, New York City, and Paris.

Beyoncé and her entourage chartered the plane in February 2010 for the two-week South American leg of her recent “I AM… SASHA FIERCE” tour, beginning with a week of show dates in Brazil, followed by appearances in Argentina, Chile, Peru and finishing off with a last-stop carnival hurrah in Trinidad capital Port-of-Spain on February 18th. The Boeing 757-200 charter jet that carried her from gig to gig is compact but with long-range capacity and lots of luggage space for all those crazy stage sets and costume changes. The all-business-class layout offers two cabins, one with 24 BIZ BEDS (seats that convert into a 180° fully flat bed) and another 40 BIZ SEATS (which recline only to 140°). Of course, Beyoncé slept up front in one of the BIZ BEDS, while her hairdresser and makeup team were most likely hanging out in the back of the plane. Flight attendants reported that “Beyoncé’s really nice” but “not as tall as you think she is.” (Yeah, you already knew that.)

OpenSkies is known for its spectacular French gourmet meals (in spite of its affiliation with British Airways) but most suspect that 28-year old Beyoncé chose the airline for its signature color, which is vivid lavender (expressed inside the airplane’s lush interiors.)

So there it is. For all you Beyoncé fans who wonder how the Queen Bee travels from one sweaty stage to the next, that’s it.

Daily Pampering: Carmenere wine bath in Chile

by Melanie Nayer on


This dose of pampering is not to be taken lightly. It can, however, produce some very intoxicating results.

Carmenere, one of Chile‘s finest grapes, is not only delicious to drink but it’s full of antioxidants that are beneficial to your health (in moderation). So, how do you consume the grape and reap the benefits? The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago, found a way to make a good thing even better.

The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago mixed with mineral water and oats with Camenere wine to produce a luxurious Carmenere Wine Bath. You’ll be surrounded by candles and offered a glass of Chile’s finest wine as you literally submerge yourself in a pink, frothy concoction. The results? Smoother, softer skin (and you’ll likely feel a bit more relaxed after that glass of wine, too).

The ultimate in Chilean pampering is put together by the Bath Butler, who arrives in your guestroom to prepare the Carmenere bath at your request.

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk 008: Chilean drinking game, inside Loopt for the iPad, & ‘Bring Your Own Big Wheels’!

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 8 – Click above to watch video after the jump
Bring your own big wheels! Join in this week for a San Francisco flashmob tradition that involves steep wet streets, plastic tricycles, and a need for speed.

We’ll look into the origins of legal drinking ages on airplanes, temporary marriage in Shi’ite Islam, protests against the protests in Thailand, top-secret Russian ships turned airplanes, and why most of U.S foreign aid might not be going where you would expect.

If you’re looking to get social in South America, tune in to see Vanessa teach us how to play a Chilean drinking game and then relax with some spiced Chai in Tea Time. We’ll also take an exclusive look at Loopt’s brand new iPad application with the company’s co-founder, Alok Deshpande.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
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Links
Loopt – Discover the world around you.
Going to Russia? Check out the locations of these ekranoplans!
Brush up on your Pyramid rules before you play…

Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special Guests: Alok Deshpande & Vanessa.
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea


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Music:

Tea Time
“Tint of Fusion Sitar”
Gokul Salvadi
myspace.com/gsalvadi

Travel Tech
“Pipe Dreams”
Addamantium
myspace.com/addamantium

Pyramid
“All We Need Is Love (Remix)”
Dominic Balli & Mark Suhonen
myspace.com/marksuhonenproduction

Adventure of the Week
“Tech Romance”
Her Space Holiday
herspaceholiday.com

“Dancefloor Lover”
Electrobuddha
myspace.com/electrobuddha2

Photo of the Day (3.30.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
This stunning Photo of the Day comes from the heights of Chile’s Vulcão Villarica, in the city of Pucón. Villarrica is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes – and at 9,340ft, is classified as a stratovolcano. Hikers that dare to summit in the summer months can peer into the volcano crater’s active lava lake – a rarity since Villarrica is one of only four volcanos in the world that has an active lava lake.

Check out tripAconcagua’s photostream for more great photos of South America, and if you have a picture from an exotic place that you’d like to submit – send it in to our Gadling Flickr Pool! It might just be our next Photo of the Day!