Apparently you can’t strip in airports

by Mike Barish on

You’re late for a flight. Your clothes are wet and filthy. You have a change of clothes with you in the airport. What do you do? If you said, “find the closest restroom and put on your fresh duds,” then you are well on your way to staying out of jail in Salvador, Brazil.

It seems that two German tourists decided to just strip down and change their clothes in the middle of the Salvador airport. The two travelers said that they thought it “was normal” to change clothes like that in Brazil. Because it’s always Carnaval in Brazil, even at the airports.

Surely they must have had a good reason for attempting to get out of their clothes so urgently. Well, “one of them got wet during a boat trip and the other felt sick and vomited during the same trip earlier in the day.” Wait. He didn’t think to change his clothes immediately after vomiting? Did he spend the rest of the day in the vomit-covered shirt and only think to change when he got to the airport? How chunky was the vomit?

They have been charged with obscenity and could face up to a year in prison, where stripping down will have even worse repercussions.

No word yet on whether they continued to wear their German uniform of wool socks with sandals.

[Via Sydney Morning Herald]

UPDATE: Tokyo’s tuna auctions open to public again

by Mike Barish on

Back in December, I wrote about how the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo had closed its famous tuna auctions to the public over concerns that tourists were creating hygiene issues and distracting the workers. Well, after reconsidering the month-long ban, the powers that be at the fish market have decided that tourism is important enough that visitors will be allowed to enter all areas of the fish market, including the early morning tuna auctions.

Security guards will monitor the scene at the auctions to ensure that no one hugs, licks or rides the giant fish. And visitors will receive information sheets when they arrive at Tsukiji outlining the rules of the fish market. It’s a sad commentary on the state of humanity when people need to be explicitly instructed not to lick or ride dead fish, but if that’s what needs to be done to keep this amazing place open to the public then so be it.

Tourists can view the tuna auctions from 5:00AM until 6:15AM and can then wander around the other areas freely throughout the day. And who knows, you may be able to witness the next tuna that sells for $104,000.

As for the morons who can’t help but mount dead fish: We’re on to you, Firestone, and we think you have a problem.

How safe is that romantic horse-drawn carriage anyway?

by Jamie Rhein on

Last night, as I drove through downtown Cincinnati to take in the lights at Fountain Square, I passed several horse drawn carriages. Admittedly, they looked festive and romantic. I imagine that they are quite the tourist draw. Downtown Columbus has almost nothing going on at night. Cincinnati looks hopping. A horse drawn carriage might pep things up around the State House was my thinking.

Then a few hours later, after I arrived home, I caught a few minutes of a TV show about horse drawn carriages in New York City. They’ve been a fixture around Central Park as long as I can remember. Carriages have been featured in movies and have made it on TV. I’m thinking of that scene where Mr. Big took Carrie to the hospital to help deliver Miranda’s baby in Sex and the City. The horse lopped along transporting its star-crossed lovebirds through traffic. Therein lies the problem.

Everyone featured in the show about the horse-drawn carriages is against the carriages. One emergency medical technician talked about the hazards of trying to get emergency vehicles around them. Others talked about the medical issues horses have as a result of doing their jobs. Disaster stories where horses were hit by cars and died as a result of the accidents peppered the commentary. Also mentioned were the lack of safety features for passengers. There’s nothing holding passengers into the carriages, for example. One quick gallop down a busy avenue and you could be thrown out in no time.

A quick Google Search for info about the issues with horse carriages did turn up articles that address the same concerns covered in the show. As for me, I’m thinking about the cyclo and trishaw drivers in other parts of the world who have similar issues and hazards to their livelihood.

Although, I can see the point of the hazards of the carriages, on the other hand, they employ people and horses (horses need to have some way to get fed). The New York City carriages, according to this article I found, have been around as a business for 137 years. At the time of the article, there were 293 drivers and 220 horses who work in New York City. That’s a lot of carriage rides. I’m wondering about the percentage of accidents and incidents that actually happen. How many people have a lovely ride without any incident vs people who are not so lucky with their I Love New York experience?

If cities didn’t have carriages, I wonder how that would impact the economy of downtowns? Without carriages, downtown Cincinnati at night might look like Columbus. And what would happen to the Hollywood version of romance?

Thai Protesters Shut Down Bangkok’s Airport

by Josh Lew on

Anti-government protesters in Bangkok have ramped up their campaign against the the party of prime minister Somchai Wongsawat. Early yesterday, supporters of the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy) stormed past police lines and entered Suvarnabhumi International Airport. When they reached the departure areas, airport officials decided to shut the airport down. Several thousand tourists and travelers were stranded in the airport while more than a dozen flights had to be diverted to Bangkok’s old international terminal at Don Muang Airport.

Over 14 million tourists came to Thailand last year. Violence between the pro and anti-government groups had done little to dissuade tourists from visiting because foreigners have not been targeted. However, the situation seems to finally have spilled over into the country’s tourism industry.

Top Thai army generals have called for the government to step down. Despite promises to the contrary, it seems that another coup is possible (even likely). Meanwhile, things don’t look good for those stranded at Suvarnabhumi. PAD supporters have vowed to “close Suvarnabhumi Airport to send a final word… to Somchai and his cabinet: resign immediately and without conditions.” But the government is not budging. So looks like those trying to get into or out of The Land of Smiles are in for some frustration.

[related story]

Tourist Dollars to Pay for Warplanes in Dominican Republic

by Josh Lew on

The Dominican Republic will use a $20 entry tax charged to foreign visitors to pay for 8 turbo-prop Super Tucano combat planes. Lawmakers in Santo Domingo have been working on a plan to fund their air force’s expansion for almost two years. However, it was not until this week that the plan was approved. The overall cost of the order is $93.7 million. Last year, 3 million tourists came to the Dominican Republic. Similar numbers in the coming year will mean $60 million in revenue from the entry tax.

The Super Tucano is used by many Caribbean and South American nations. It is used extensively in Brazil to patrol the Amazon rain forest and to train combat pilots.

What does this mean for tourists headed to resorts like Punta Cana or to Santo Domingo? Their wallets will be $20 lighter. As far as having any qualms about funding the military, don’t worry, unless you like your cocaine. The government has been struggling with drug smugglers who use the D.R. as a stopping off point on the way to more lucrative destinations in the US. The new planes will probably be used for anti-smuggling purposes and to patrol the border with Haiti.

[Via Dominican Today]