Language barrier be gone: guide makes it a point…to point

by Alison Brick on

Chances are, you’ve been there–that awkward moment in another country when you don’t speak the local language, and the person across from you doesn’t speak English. Try as you might with a smile and game of charades, you’re at an impasse. Game over.

Or else, maybe you tried one last attempt: drawing it. That’s the premise behind Me No Speak.

The mini-guide takes the words most likely to come out of a traveler’s mouth, and puts them in illustration and writing–both English and the local language (Chinese, Japanese, or Thai). That way, the only thing you have to do is point.

Without pronunciation keys, and the urge to wade through rounds of trial and error in speaking the language, you cut to the chase. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try learning or practicing a language, but this guide is more for emergencies–the first thing that comes to mind is ordering at a restaurant or finding the nearest toilet. But it’s been said to be useful for everything from reporting a stolen camera to police to getting a leaky shower fixed in a hotel bathroom.

The passport-sized guides are divided into color-coded sections: general help, food, transportation, accommodation, shopping, and health & safety. They’re largely sold on the Me No Speak website ($9.95), but also at a few retailers such as Flight 001.

Word is, they’re working on iPhone applications as well, starting with their China guide. Other guides that are coming down the pike are for Korea and Turkey.

Amazing Race Elimination Station: When losing can be sweet

by Jamie Rhein on

Losing the Amazing Race early in the competition isn’t all that bad, particularly for anyone wanting a sweet deal of a vacation. As soon as a team loses, the disappointed pair is taken to the Elimination Station, a villa in a lush location where they hang out until the end of the race. This season’s losers get to hole up in Ko Samui, Thailand.

Unfortunately, the two teams that have lost so far: Jennifer & Preston (last week) and Steve & Linda (this week) are still whining about losing, so they’re not enjoying where they are to the fullest. Hopefully, they’ll snap out of it and seek out a Thai massage before too long. If they had one hour massage a day, maybe the vision of losing would fade. Even a Thai hand or foot massage is sublime.

Here’s the link to the first video where Jennifer and Preston decide which room should be theirs. Check out the digs. Isn’t that furniture exquisite? Plus, there’s tropical fruit and people who will drive you where you want to go.

Your guide to luxury rail travel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Trade a plane for a train, and experience genuine luxury. Hitting the rails in style has been gaining steam around the world, according to the Wall Street Journal, in Asia, Europe, Russia and Africa. In a sense, this is becoming the new “cruise,” without the worry of being pinned on a boat by that insurance salesman who’s intent on saving your financial life.

Many of the luxury train excursions seek to offer upscale accommodations with incredible cuisine and constantly changing scenery. Here a few ideas to get you started.

The Ghan (Platinum Service) connects Adelaide and Alice Springs in Australia and is named for the camel drivers that once used the same route (the rail service was extended to Darwin five years ago). In September, the upscale version of the trek was offered. You’ll have plenty of elbow room and privacy, but it will set you back close to $4,000 for three days. And, you have to get yourself to Australia to take the trip.

On the Thai Explorer, a route of the Eastern & Oriental Express, you can relax in a Presidential Suite or the lesser but still comfy State Compartments, or enjoy the open air section of the observation car at the end of the train. You’ll track through northern Thailand, with plenty of time to explore the stops along the way, but you’ll pay for the privilege. Four days for two guests in the state department costs $5,120.

If driving in India’s Karnataka state intimidates you (and it should), give the Golden Chariot a try. You can ride the train from Bangalore to the beaches of Goa. Launched early in 2008, this luxury rail alternative features massage rooms, gyms, comfortable beds and wireless internet access. Of all the alternatives reviewed by WSJ, this is the most cost-effective. Eight days costs approximately $4,000.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

A Scorpion Queen is crowned in Thailand

by Brenda Yun on

Imagine finding a scorpion in your bag on your trip through customs. That’s what happened to my friend on her way from Oaxaca back to the States. She had thought her boyfriend had planted a fake scorpion when she found a real one sitting atop her clothes during the bag checkpoint.

Now multiply that scorpion by 5,000 and live with them in a glass-enclosed showroom of a mall for 33 days. That’s what 39 year-old Kanchana Kaetkaew, a Thai scorpion handler, accomplished this new year. She didn’t walk away completely unscathed though; she was stung 13 times in that month’s time, but she has built up an immunity to the venom. Enduring that pain is enough for this Scorpion Queen, however, who In accomplishing this broke her own Guinness Book of World Records.

Tough year ahead for Asia travel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Hotels, airlines and other hospitality companies in Asia are moving into the “brace” position. With tough economic conditions hitting every corner of the map, fewer visitors are likely to make the long trip to destinations such as Hong Kong. According to a report on MSNBC.com, some expect drops of at least 30 percent. A continent of diverse cultures, it seems, is facing a consistent challenge.

Hong Kong, for example, had 29.5 million visitors last year. This year, the city is expecting a slip of 1.6 percent, with visits by non-Chinese tourists likely to drop 9.2 percent. Singapore is down 2 percent with nothing but pessimism in sight, and Thailand and Malaysia are readying themselves for 9 percent declines. Overall, hotel occupancy rates in Asian fell to 66.7 percent in November – from 76.4 percent for the same period a year earlier (STR Global).

According to the U.N.’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Asia-Pacific region’s financial performance (for tourism) is “deteriorated most rapidly” compared to the rest of the world. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that airlines around the world are staring down the worst crisis they’ve seen in 50 years. Many are at risk of collapse. IATA’s director-general puts the number of travel and tourism jobs at risk at 300,000 to 400,000 worldwide, out of a total job market of 32 million.

Even with all the doom and gloom, plenty of people will touch Asian ground this year, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Even with a difficult 2009, the organization expects the regions arrivals to grow by 4 percent to 5 percent over the next three years, putting the region well ahead of its 2008 baseline of 280 million arrivals.

[Via MSNBC]