CNNGo.com

Torrential rain wreaks havoc in Seoul and beyond
Best Singapore rooftop bars
China’s green beach: Fancy a dip?
This isn’t about you, it’s about us
Best work vacations, amazing toast art, SG's top roof bars
跳水运动员们的搞怪表情成为了本届上海世游赛亮点
新加坡最佳背包客旅館
Vietnam's kids sing for their supper
Andre Vltchek: Why I hate traveling in Japan
No men allowed: Seoul subway's new plan to thwart perverts

Torrential rain wreaks havoc in Seoul and beyond

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 12:19 AM PDT

Seoulites who thought the monsoon had come and gone and were making holiday plans this week have been shocked by rainstorms and landslides which left dozens dead nationwide.

Some 400 millimeters of torrential rain hit Seoul this morning, swamping city roads and causing massive landslides throughout the country. The rain is forecast to continue until Thursday, and central regions will likely get up to another 300 millimeters of precipitation, according to weather reports from the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Best Singapore rooftop bars

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:53 PM PDT

Never mind Singapore's heat and humidity or the risk of heavy downpours, the recent boom of rooftop bars has tipplers and teetotalers eager to risk the weather to drink in the view: pink and orange sunsets over a sea of skyscrapers, the day winding down in busy Chinatown, night lights and laser beams painting shapes and figures in the sky.

Here are the best al fresco spots to enjoy Singapore's spectacular skyline.

1-Altitude

Hands-down, 1-Altitude has the most comprehensive view of the city.

At 282 meters above sea level atop the OUB Building, this world's highest al fresco bar has an unobstructed view of the city from the heart of the financial district.

China’s green beach: Fancy a dip?

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 09:55 PM PDT

Tourists make the most of the algae attack on Qingdao's coast, while fishermen and officials face a real headache

Qingdao (青岛) city officials would agree with Kermit the frog: "It's not easy bein' green."

Once regarded as the best beach city in China, Qingdao is dealing with its seasonal headache once again this month: raking up an enormous carpet of florescent green algae from the Yellow Sea (黄海).

This is the fifth year in a row that the Shandong Province city has suffered an algae attack.

The North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center of State Oceanic Administration has stated that about 19,050 square kilometers of the Yellow Sea has been infested with algae while some 500 square kilometers are densely covered with the plant, reports the China Daily.

This isn’t about you, it’s about us

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 09:35 PM PDT

Ever have one of those days when you look inside your closet and decide every piece of clothing you own looks like it belongs to a very boring, older person who makes a living removing impacted staples from voided legal documents?

When the only path to salvation lies in shedding that mysterious layer of fat you've accrued over the winter and putting on some muscle at the gym?

When a decent haircut might just get you that promotion you so richly deserve?

That was us a few weeks ago. Not exactly ready to sell the house and relocate to a foreign country -- just in need of slight modifications.

The makeover you see on CNNGo today is the result of opening our closet, looking in the mirror and deciding we needed a bit of hotting up.

Best work vacations, amazing toast art, SG's top roof bars

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 07:59 PM PDT

跳水运动员们的搞怪表情成为了本届上海世游赛亮点

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 05:00 PM PDT

当大多数人的目光都集中在金牌上时，其他一些人正为一些更加有趣的事情津津乐道。

当为期16天的国际泳联(FINA)世界锦标赛进入到第二周时，它已经登上了世界各地新闻的头条。

在月亮湾室外跳水池结束的男子10米单人跳台决赛也代表着跳水项目的完结，这可是中国的拿手项目。黑马选手邱波以585.45的总分将金牌带回了家。

这位18岁四川小将的胜利，不仅打破了四年来中国队在这个项目上拿不到金牌的诅咒，同时也将中国跳水队的金牌总数增加到了十枚，这意味着中国在第十四届国际泳联世界锦标赛上包揽了所有跳水单项的金牌。

CNNGo相关文章：中国"发明"的新泳姿

当国内媒体争相报道跳水队的空前纪录时，这些跳水比赛也在世界各地的人们心中留下了深刻的印象，不过是以出人意料的方式。

过去几天里，一组抓拍跳水运动员们面部表情的照片让人们炸开了锅。

新加坡最佳背包客旅館

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 04:53 PM PDT

不久以前，新加坡只有少數廉價住宿供背包客選擇。

現在除了宏偉誇張的五星酒店外，還有些便宜又好玩的青年旅館。大部份位處中心地區，乾淨又安全，吸引各類旅客入住。

以下新加坡五大最佳背包客旅館。

Beary Good Hostel

撇開老土名字不說，如果你不介意到處放滿毛毛熊公仔的話，Beary Good Hostel提供的住宿絕對物有所值。受保育商用住宅的外觀裡，隱藏著像家一般的寫意環境，裝潢採用的原色色系不但不讓人討厭，還出奇地給人活潑的感覺。位於牛車水寶塔街，到處遊覽拍照或品嚐正宗中菜也十分方便。

推薦入住的原因： 「位置方便，免費上網，舒適的睡床連床鋪，還有免費早餐」住在旅館的印度人 Amar Naik 說。「這些都讓我住得舒適，但我最喜歡的是這裡職員的用心。」

價格： 所有房間均設有空調，並提供免費 Wi-Fi。房間分 10 人房和 12 人房兩種，每人每晚新加坡幣 $26（約 170 港元）。收費以每日計算。

評分： 3.5 / 5

寶塔街 66 號，+65 6222 4955

Vietnam's kids sing for their supper

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:58 PM PDT

Ho Chi Minh City is known for its street vendors. Hawkers with pushcarts or simple shoulder poles travel from street to street selling roast chestnuts or mangoes or noodle soup.

But here it's not only food that comes to you -- music does too.

In many parts of the city formerly known as Saigon, especially in the poorer, traditionally blue-collar areas like Districts 4 or 8, "xe keo-keo" are a common sight.

Young men, either in pairs or alone, pull up in front of restaurants and fire up the basic karaoke machines that are strapped to rickety old bikes, then sing, roaming tables to sell cheap peanut candy for about VND 3,000 a stick.

"I like this job, my brother showed me how to do it," says one who didn't want to give his name.

Andre Vltchek: Why I hate traveling in Japan

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:55 PM PDT

I have to confess: I am increasingly scared of traveling in Japan, especially when I am condemned to use "premium services." My fear is so strong that sometimes I can't sleep for several nights before departure. But why?

Sure, I have quite a few platinum hotel cards and gold airline cards -- not because I am a snob, but simply because I spend more than half of my life in hotels and in the air, covering war zones and conflict areas as a filmmaker, writer and journalist.

For years, Japan was my favorite place on earth to rest, regain strength, to "lick my wounds" and to reflect.

No men allowed: Seoul subway's new plan to thwart perverts

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:46 PM PDT

Women who have been groped or had a cell phone pointed up their skirt on the Seoul subway may want to sound off at the city government.

Seoul City announced plans last week to turn the last car on the No.2 line into a women-only compartment, with the commendable intentions of protecting women from sexual predators. However, the City's plans have drawn flak from both men and women's groups, who say that the scheme is weak and ineffective.