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• Best of Boeing: 10 revolutionary aircraft
• Norwegian wood: Oslo's coolest bar hits Tokyo
• Ritzy China wants to treat you right with new hotels
• Island hopping in Thailand
• Insider Guide: Best of Paris
• Eating, laughing, sleeping: Holidays for every basic human need

Best of Boeing: 10 revolutionary aircraft Posted: 04 Jun 2012 02:40 AM PDT by James Durston It started with a seaplane made of wood, wire and linen in 1916. Most recently, Boeing opened the latest chapter in its aviation innovation with the 747-8 Intercontinental's maiden commercial flight. The Lufthansa flight flew from Frankfurt to Washington D.C. last week. The world's longest passenger jet, the 747-8i also reduces the noise footprint of its predecessor, the 747-400, by 30 percent according to Boeing. And it's not the first time Boeing has played a role in altering the commercial aviation landscape. Here are 10 of the company's greatest planes, with thoughts from Tom Ballantyne, award-winning aviation journalist and chief correspondent at Orient Aviation magazine. read more

Norwegian wood: Oslo's coolest bar hits Tokyo Posted: 03 Jun 2012 06:01 PM PDT by Nicholas Coldicott Fuglen's Kenji Kojima is explaining why he uses coffee beans picked in Africa, roasted in Norway and flown to Tokyo to be squeezed in an AeroPress -- a fast-brew filter gizmo in the shape of a vacuum pump. "Norway's roasts are the lightest in the world," he says. "They keep lots of acid, which makes the coffee fruity." He then expounds about the peaking point of roasts, the cracking point of coffee beans, the volume of gas emitted by the beans and all kinds of other minutiae you don't need to know about on the drinking side of the bar. Norwegian café culture on the backstreets of Shibuya. The point is this -- Kojima's AeroPress coffee is unlike anything you've tried. read more

Ritzy China wants to treat you right with new hotels Posted: 03 Jun 2012 03:04 PM PDT by CNNGo staff It's fair to say that Chinese hotels haven't always enjoyed a pristine reputation for four-star service. But a new venture is aiming to reboot the concept of customer care in the world's fastest-growing travel market. A new luxury hotel concern, Ahn Luh Hotel Management Company (安麓酒店管理有限公司), launched operations in Beijing in late May, according to China Travel News Agency (in simplified Chinese). The launch marks China's first foray into direct competition with international luxury hoteliers. Ahn Luh (which may be translated as "peaceful mountain") is a joint venture between Beijing Tourism Group (China's largest tourism company), Singapore-based General Hotel Management Holdings Ltd. (GHM) and the Great Ocean Group, a Chinese private investment company. read more

Island hopping in Thailand Posted: 03 Jun 2012 09:17 AM PDT by Tina Hsiao and Jules Kay Volumes have been published about Thailand's palm-peppered islands and sugar-coated beaches, their writers waxing lyrical about pillow soft sand and crystalline waters.  But with so many coastal choices, it can be a challenge to pick the perfect stretch of sand. Seasonal weather definitely has a bearing on destination decisions. The best bet for sunshine on the west coast (Andaman Sea) is November to April; while on the east coast (Gulf of Thailand), it's January to September. Veteran Thai travelers always check ahead before heading to lesser-visited destinations -- many hotels, resorts and restaurants in non-A-list places close for the low season. read more

Insider Guide: Best of Paris Posted: 03 Jun 2012 09:02 AM PDT by Barbra Austin We'll always have Paris, goes the line, but it's easy sometimes to feel like Paris is having you. Lines at the major sites are long, the coffee you just drank cost €6 and some grown men refuse to take advantage of the free public toilets that dot the streets. Still, there's no denying the beauty of the best of Paris, with its elegant monuments and gardens, ornate shop displays, gastronomic traditions and artistic heritage. Almost every one of the 20 arrondissements in this city of just 2.2 million provides visitors with something to see or do. Or at least something good to eat. More on CNNGo: 15 romantic European castle hotels read more

Eating, laughing, sleeping: Holidays for every basic human need Posted: 03 Jun 2012 09:01 AM PDT by Jane Leung Was Mel Brooks' notion of selling air in his 1987 movie "Spaceballs" all that ridiculous? Not if you look at some of the vacations on offer around the world today. While not quite as simple as air in a can, tour agencies and holiday retreats are tapping a trend for back-to-basics R and R, where biology is turned into the central premise of a break. 1. Laughter retreats Fake or real, laughter works. It's been scientifically proven that a burst of face-aching laughter can lower stress levels, which is why there are workshops dedicated to learning to laugh even when there's nothing funny going on. read more

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