Ricky Gervais’ travel show “An Idiot Abroad” hits US TV

by Meg Nesterov on

Fresh off his Golden Globes controversy, British comedian Ricky Gervais’ latest project has hit US television. An Idiot Abroad is a travel show for non-travelers, featuring radio producer and comedy savant Karl Pilkington visiting the seven wonders of the world. If you’ve seen HBO’s animated podcast The Ricky Gervais show, you’re already familiar with Pilkington’s moronic and occasionally brilliant insights. After expressing little interest in global travel, Gervais and his comedy partner Steven Merchant decided to send Karl around the world (Merchant hopes to expand his horizons, Gervais just sees it as an elaborate practical joke).

In the first episode, Karl travels to China and expresses bafflement with Chinese street food, toilets, and even the Great Wall. The show’s funniest moments come when he experiences moments of culture shock and weirdness common to even the most seasoned travelers. I’d love to see Karl’s take on general travel problems – airport security, flying, and getting lost – as well as more of his interactions with local people around the world. He seems curious and open to the world, and has written a companion book for the series, which will culminate in an eighth episode with his thoughts and impressions about his travels.

An Idiot Abroad airs Saturdays at 10pm on the Science Channel and is available for download on iTunes. The next episode takes Karl to India to see the Taj Mahal.

Photo and video courtesy of The Science Channel.

Bank of China offers expanded yuan service

by Sean McLachlan on

The Bank of China has begun offering its customers in New York City and Los Angeles services in yuan, Bloomberg reports. Services include deposit, exchange, remittance, and trade finance. Business customers may access these services in New York City and Los Angeles, while at the moment individual customers can only access these services at the New York City branch.

What does this mean for travelers? Not much, yet. If you’re one of the many English teachers in China you can send money home more easily, but that’s about it.

It’s the long-term view that’s interesting. China is obviously trying to expand the range of the yuan (also called the renminbi) beyond its borders. In fact, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said as much last year when he expressed worry over how much China’s international assets are dominated by the dollar. This move allows international trading in yuan, which is sure to attract more investment and, if it’s successful, bolster the currency’s strength. It’s already at an all-time high against the dollar. The New York branch’s general manager says the move will eventually lead to the yuan being fully exchangeable with the dollar.

This will encourage further investment in China and could lead to more foreign businesses opening up shop there. It would also make it easier for international travel businesses to have offices in China. A yuan that’s strong against the dollar, however, will make trips to China more expensive for Americans.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Chinese economy. More and more Chinese are traveling abroad, and with greater access and use of their currency, those numbers will only increase. The World Trade Organization says if current trends continue, China will have the largest share of the world’s tourism industry by 2020, with 8.6 percent of global revenue.

Could yuan become another international currency like the dollar and the euro? Could we see money changers accepting them in more destinations? Only time will tell.

[Photo courtesy user Polylepsis via Wikimedia Commons]

Capsule hotels come to China

by Melanie Nayer on

Following in the footsteps of Japan, China has introduced “capsule hotels” – a cheap, convenient and possibly claustrophobic option for travelers on a budget.

If your travel plans take you to Shanghai, you could enjoy a night at a capsule hotel for as little as $10 (68 Yuan). The 68 “room” hotel opened next to the Shanghai Railway Station, making it easy accessible for travelers on-the-go. The concept of capsule hotels — small pod-like spaces complete with a narrow bed, tiny TV, reading light and “shade” that you pull down for privacy — originated in Japan and book up with business and budget travelers needing a quick nap and cheap hotel option before their next stop.

The Shanghai capsule hotel imported the miniature hotel rooms from Japan, and each room is complete with a power point, clock, light, television and wireless internet. Each of the capsules is 1.1-meters (3 feet) high, 1.1-meters (3 feet) wide and 2.2-meters (7 feet) long. The hotel also has a public lavatory, shower room, smoking room and shared guest room.

As of right now, the hotel is for men only. Prices start at 68 yuan ($10) for 10 hours or 88 yuan ($14) for 24 hours.

Our friends at AOL Travel have more information.

Chinese tourists watch in horror as Siberian tiger kills their bus driver

by Scott Carmichael on

A bus full of tourists visiting a Siberian tiger breeding base in Harbin, China got a more impressive display of what the tigers are capable of than they had bargained for.

When their bus got stuck in the snow, their driver got up and went outside to check how bad the damage was – something that violated park safety rules. As he tried to enter his bus, one of the parks Siberian Tigers attacked him and dragged him into the forest, as the bus passengers watched in horror.

When park officials arrived at the scene, the set off firecrackers to scare the tigers away, but by then it was too late – bus driver Jin Shijun was found dead in the woods.

The attack took place at the Dong Bei Hu Siberian Tiger park in Harbin, China. The park is home to over 1000 tigers, many of which were bred in captivity. Back in 2009, the park called in local police to kill two of its tigers when they pounced on a zoo worker.

Still, one can hardly blame the tigers for this incident – you’d expect most tiger park bus drivers to understand the dangers of the animals, and stay inside their bus when things go wrong.

Competition heats up for world’s tallest hotel

by Melanie Nayer on

First was the Armani Hotel in the Burj Khalifa, then the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, and now, one Shanghai hotel group says they’re on track to build the world’s tallest hotel.

Interstate Hotels & Resorts will manage Shanghai Tower J-Hotel, which they claim will become the world’s tallest hotel upon its completion in 2014. The building stands 121 stories and 2,073 feet, making it the second tallest hotel in the world. The hotel portion will occupy floors 84 through 110 and offer 258 guestrooms.

In Hong Kong, the Ritz-Carlton is currently planning their opening of the next tallest hotel in the world, which is slated for March 2011. The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong takes over floors 112 to 118 of Hong Kong’s International Commerce Centre, but according to the Interstate Hotels & Resorts group, the actual height of the J-Hotel is taller. The Ritz-Carlton is said to stand at 1,588 feet while the J-Hotel tops out at 1,781 feet.

Having seen The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong first hand on a recent visit to Hong Kong, I can attest to its height and superiority.

Seems we may have to get a few rulings on this one when the time comes to open the J-Hotel in 2014.

[via HotelsMag.com]