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• Gallery: Songkran's water fights, parties and old school traditions
• Mario Batali in Hong Kong, obsessed with century egg
• World’s 10 rudest countries for travelers
• 10 Titanic sites for travelers
• Gallery: A year in the life of a travel photographer

Gallery: Songkran's water fights, parties and old school traditions Posted: 12 Apr 2012 11:15 PM PDT Nationwide water fights, traditional Buddhist rituals, parties, parades and plenty of alcohol.  The Thai new year, better known as Songkran, is now officially under way.  Running from April 13-16 this year -- some cities stretch the celebrations out for a full week -- Songkran marks the beginning of the new solar year and the summer season in Thailand.  Though Songkran is more famous for the huge water fights that rock the streets of Chiang Mai and popular Bangkok tourist zones like Silom and Khao San Road, there is a traditional side to the event.  On the first day of festivities, families and friends celebrate Songkran by visiting temples and pouring water on each others' hands as a blessing, to start the year filled with good luck. People also pour water -- seen as a way of washing away bad luck -- over Buddha statues.  Over the years, those traditions have evolved into a nationwide water fight, a welcome form of relief given that April is the hottest month of the year. read more

Mario Batali in Hong Kong, obsessed with century egg Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:12 PM PDT by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor Mario Batali: "Century eggs are so beautiful."Mario Batali was really bothered about the bread at Lupa, his new restaurant in Hong Kong. He took a slice of the bread they were serving that day and made me smell it, looking at me expectantly. I detected a nice anise scent and wanted to eat it. "Caraway seeds! That has no business here!" says Batali, snatching it back. It just doesn't go with his sauces and meats. I get it. It's like having char kway teow made with egg noodles. It's practically an insult to a food lover. Batali came to Hong Kong and discovered a city of kindred spirits. "People talk about food like religion here," he says. It's his kind of place. read more

World’s 10 rudest countries for travelers Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:34 PM PDT by CNNGo staff Travel search site Skyscanner recently released a list of the world's rudest nations for visitors, naming the countries whose smiley and friendly natives are apparently confined to their promotional videos. The result, which lists 34 countries, is based on Skyscanner's online poll, which received more than 1,200 responses from Europe, North America and Australia. France, the champion of impoliteness La Belle France was declared the champion of impoliteness, garnering nearly 20 percent of the total votes. French people are known for "their abrupt and curt nature," especially while facing foreign tourists,  Edinburgh-based Skyscanner told International Business Times.  Russia took second place with 16.6 percent of the votes, followed by the United Kingdom (10.4 percent), Germany (9.93 percent) and a puzzingly labeled "Others" (miscellaneous countries). read more

10 Titanic sites for travelers Posted: 12 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT by Anthea Gerrie When the "unsinkable" 52,000-ton RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and slid to the bottom of the ocean on her maiden voyage on April 15, 1912, you'd think it would be a night to forget, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. But not a bit of it -- the Titanic centennial will be a worldfest of commemorations, re-enactments, auctions and other special events taking place on both sides of the Atlantic, plus a couple of less likely sites around the globe. Here's a rundown on where to see the fixtures, fittings and other artefacts which survived, relive the voyage of those who didn't and buy into the atmosphere of the world's most advanced steamship of the times, doomed forever to the deep by pride, folly and human error. 1. Belfast, Northern Ireland Even the chippie is getting on board in Belfast. In the city where the fated liner was built, £90 million (US$143 million) and three years have been invested to create a "Titanic Experience" on the old Harland and Wolff ship-building yard. The show -- the world's largest such experience -- opened on March 31 with full-scale reconstructions, rides and a bevy of special effects to tell how Titanic was conceived at the dawn of the 20th century prior to sailing out of Belfast on April 2, 1912. read more

Gallery: A year in the life of a travel photographer Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT by Frances Cha, Seoul Editor Seoul-based travel photographer Julie Mayfeng, 29, has one of the coolest jobs in the world -- taking pictures for Monocle, the United Kingdom-based lifestyle magazine that covers everything from politics and business to fashion and travel.  At Monocle's fifth anniversary party in Seoul last year, Mayfeng would interrupt conversations by pointing her camera and shooting quickly -- without a flash in what was a very dark bar -- then resume merrily talking and laughing while barely missing a beat.  The photos she took that night turned out to be stunning. Mayfeng manages to infuse voice and style into the most seemingly bland of scenes, and it's astonishing to see what she captures at her favorite shooting spots.  After seeing those photos, we knew we needed to talk.  read more

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