North Korea Mass Games may happen in 2009

by Tom Johansmeyer on
Rumors earlier this year suggested that the North Korean Mass Games (“Arirang“) were being pushed back to 2012. The magic in that number is that it’s the 100th anniversary of the birth of the deceased but still-serving president, Kim Il Sung. Koryo Tours’ recent newsletter, though, suggests that Arirang my run in 2009 after all. Likely months are August and October-though the specialists in taking westerners to North Korea drive the point home that there has been no confirmation.

Arirang is a 90-minute performance featuring 100,000 coordinated participants in an amazing display of “synchronized gymnastics, dancing and propaganda.” This event, which is held only in North Korea, is the only time when U.S. citizens are allowed to enter the country as tourists.

View photos from the previous Arirang event

Ready to check out North Korea?

German tour bus catches fire, 20 feared dead

by Justin Glow on

Up to 20 people are feared dead after a tourist bus caught fire near Hannover, Germany today. It was headed for Berlin. Reuters reports,

“The bus caught fire near the northern city of Hanover as it headed toward Berlin, forcing the driver to pull over. Some passengers were not able to get off in time but about 10 people escaped, a police spokesman said.”

Some reports are claiming “it was not a traffic accident but a technical fault that had started the fire,” according to The Australian.

Meanwhile, Twitter is abuzz with reaction amidst the U.S. election coverage.

We’ll bring you more news as we hear it.

Rude Parisians? Not with Paris Greeter

by Anna Brones on

We all know that Parisians have a reputation for being smug and snooty. Want to order a coffee? Better pronounce café au lait with an impeccable French accent or you can forget about good service. But stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. And not all Parisians have a propensity to rudeness, at least not those part of Paris Greeter.

Created by a group of locals intent on showing the good side of the Parisian nature, Paris Greeter is a service that provides the traveler with free tours in nine different languages. Groups of up to six are led by true Parisians that have a love for their city and a love for sharing it with foreigners; the organization’s French name, Parisien d’un jour, Parisien toujours is very fitting.

These aren’t trained tour guides working for big companies, they’re just regular locals that want to give their city a good name. In the words of one of the volunteers, “I’ve always heard my American friends say things like, ‘Paris is wonderful – except for the Parisians. And I always wanted to do something about it.”

[Via World Hum]

10 tips for smarter flying


See Antarctica by air on a 12-hour non-stop flight

by Abha Malpani on

I’ve heard of many cruisers offering trips to the Antarctic, but this is the first time I hear of a flight that takes you over the continent in 12 hours. The Boeing 747-400 covers five main spots on the continent’s east coast.

Organized by Croyden Travel, you can board one of these flights from Sydney or Melbourne, and cost between $999(economy)-$5699(first class). The plane doesn’t land, you don’t require your passport to travel, and you get to change seats once on the flight. Meals and drinks are provided too.

The next flight is new year’s eve 2008; if you take this flight you will be the first to see the Sun of 2009!

Although it sounds great and I’m sure the aerial view of the glaciers is mind-blowing, I’m not sure I’d want to pay that much for a trip where I’m couped up for 12 hours. I’d take a week long cruise instead.

10 tips for smarter flying


Chinatown Garbage Tour – Too tough to stomach

by Kelly Amabile on

If taxidermy is your thing, then Nate Hill’s tour through the garbage bins of Chinatown may be something you’ll want to add to your next NYC itinerary. This artist and “rogue taxidermist” is up to some really bizarre stuff — he rummages garbage bins for dead animal parts, which he then uses to create new animals, like the fella pictured here.

If you like this sort of stuff, feel free to join Nate on one of his upcoming “road kill” material-gathering missions. The next tour is scheduled for December 13, and you can see a sneak peek from previous tours on his website. These photos are not for animal lovers. I’m repulsed by all this on many levels, but feel compelled to tell you about it anyway, for art’s sake, at least.

I’m all for art, really. Just last week my own father had an opening for a new exhibit of his artwork, in which he also relies heavily on the use of recycled materials. But he deals in paper – envelopes, scraps from magazines, reusable brown paper bags. A little bit cleaner than the bloodied parts of dead animals soaking in formaldehyde. But art is art, and as much as I find it hard to stomach the work of Nate Hill, I kinda get it. I can stand behind him “making something beautiful out of something ugly.” But I’m sure I won’t be signing up for one of his tours anytime soon.

Hill’s website provides more details about why and how he creates his art, and explains the other projects he is working on. I’ll let you guys check that out on your own. I’m a little nauseous right now.