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• Around the world in 30 dumplings
• Gallery: Vivid Sydney 2012 in full effect
• Don't say we didn't warn you: Korea's 5 spiciest dishes
• 24 of the world's most amazing bridges
• Airlines to tempt travelers with wider seats
• Travel agents: Hong Kongers prefer the real thing

Around the world in 30 dumplings Posted: 29 May 2012 09:01 AM PDT by Hoishan Chan A dumpling may "only" be a pocket of dough filled with some form of savory or sweet stuffing. That, at least, is how we're defining them for the purposes of this article. But they are more than the sum of their parts, a marvel of global cuisine, both simple and complex, local and global, adaptable yet fixed in their home regions as a cheap, tasty staple to snack on.  We're pretty sure that among its various incarnations there are few travelers who will not have found at least one dumpling to their taste.  But if you happen to be among that minority, here are 30 dumplings -- or their near relatives -- from around the world that just might change your mind. 1. Xiaolongbao Served steamed in bamboo baskets, xiaolongbao look different from other types of Chinese dumplings, as the skin is gathered and pinched at the top instead of folded in half.  read more

Gallery: Vivid Sydney 2012 in full effect Posted: 28 May 2012 09:37 PM PDT It's that time of the winter again, as Vivid Sydney hits town and gets the city looking its stunning best in millions of different colors. The annual art, music and light event is currently rocking the Opera House and its surrounds in an after-dark show that runs every day until June 11. Best of all, the light show is entirely free -- check out the gallery above for just a taste of the visual attractions. The Vivid Sydney lights can be seen every day of the festival from 6 p.m. to midnight. See the show for free around The Rocks and Circular Quay, as well as the Opera House, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Customs House. Other events are listed on the official website. read more

Don't say we didn't warn you: Korea's 5 spiciest dishes Posted: 28 May 2012 08:47 PM PDT by Jiyeon Lee My mission: find the spiciest, most lip-burning, tongue-scalding, stomach-scorching dish in Korea. But why? Strange as it might sound, for me and many fellow Koreans, spice is therapy. There's something cathartic about feeling like your brain is on fire; it's a sentiment many Koreans relate to. In a country where extreme spice is considered as basic as salt and pepper, a sensible response to "I'm so stressed out" is "let's go wolf down something terribly spicy." read more

24 of the world's most amazing bridges Posted: 28 May 2012 07:17 PM PDT by Chris Anderson Thousands of tourists have crowded onto and around San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge to celebrate the iconic structure's 75th birthday. Crowds partied across its three-kilometer length, boats cruised on the water below and a finale of fireworks lit up the San Franciscan sky.  It took four years to build, costing US$35 million and finally opened in 1937. It has remained one of the engineering world's most famous poster boys since.  But it's not the only bridge that merits celebration. Here are 23 others (plus San Fran's Golden Gate) that are worth a look. read more

Airlines to tempt travelers with wider seats Posted: 28 May 2012 07:06 PM PDT by Karla Cripps Many airlines advise larger passengers who can't comfortably fit into a single seat to buy two. The biggest complaint among air travelers used to concern legroom. As in, there was never enough of it.  Passengers cried out for more space to stretch out and recline further.  In response, airlines reconfigured their planes to offer options like premium economy, allowing travelers to pay extra for added legroom without having to upgrade to business or first class.  Now, it appears the focus has switched from length to width.  Perhaps acknowledging the global expansion of waistlines, Airbus is giving airlines purchasing its new A320 passenger jet the option of adding extra-wide seats for large passengers. read more

Travel agents: Hong Kongers prefer the real thing Posted: 28 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor While travel agents are trying to make a comeback after more than a decade of waning in the developed world, they never went out of fashion in Hong Kong. The Internet was a travel industry job-killer, particularly in the United States, where the number of agency locations has halved since the high of 34,000 branches in the mid-1990s. Online flight and hotel booking services, such as Expedia, cancelled out the middleman so everyone could be their own travel agent. But while EMarketer forecasts online travel sales in the United States to grow 11 percent to $119.2 billion in 2012, offline travel agents show signs of returning. Nearly one in three leisure agencies in the United States is hiring, according to PhoCusWright, a travel research firm. Travel professionals can thank an improving economy, but also consumers' web-fatigue. It turns out that online booking is not the convenient click-and-fly experience that travelers were hoping for. In one study by the IBM Institute for Business Value Studies, 20 percent of participants said it took them more than five hours of online research before making their booking. In Hong Kong, savvy travelers learnt early on about the opportunity costs in booking vacations online. They never quite adopted Internet transactions for travel. read more

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