Thursday, June 21, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


Traveling alone is the only way to travel

Posted: 21 Jun 2012 09:10 AM PDT

by Brent Butler

Paris may be for lovers, but the best days I ever spent there were spent alone.

Without anyone to make me go to the Louvre, or stand by the Seine, or agonize over which patisseries to visit, I did exactly as I pleased: I wandered to the Latin Quarter, ate cheap bouillabaisse for every meal and spent most of the afternoons reading on the floor of second-hand bookstores -- which anyone else who I might have traveled with would have deplored.

After a few similar trips, I decided that traveling alone is the only way to travel.

I now avoid companions and fellow tourists the way Belgians avoid closed-toed shoes and adequately sized shorts.

That way, I can change itineraries at any moment -- if something looks exciting I don't need to consult "the group," I just do it. The less people, the faster decisions can be made. Just the prospect of choosing restaurants in a group every day is enough to make me shudder. Imagine the horror of traveling with a picky eater, or that culinary abomination -- a vegan. Not for this omnivore. 

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27 sights that will remind you how incredible Earth is

Posted: 21 Jun 2012 09:10 AM PDT

by Anthea Gerrie

Temples are OK, but they're truly amazing when they tower out of a jungle cloaked in mist.

Spotting a lion is great, but even greater are the millions of wildebeest trekking across the African plains on an annual migration.

There are some things you can see around the world that have the potential to give you photo-showing rights for decades.

We haven't got them all -- in fact we barely scratched the surface. But we have picked out a few of the scenes that, if you're lucky enough to witness them, will invariably leave you spellbound. 

1. Borobudur at sunrise, Java, Indonesia

Watching the sun rise over the hundreds of stupas and Buddhas before the public descends in droves to disturb the peace is one of the world's most rarefied experiences.

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5 reasons to stay at a hanok while traveling in Korea

Posted: 21 Jun 2012 04:31 AM PDT

by Violet Kim

Britain has its cottages, France its gîtes, the United States its ranch houses; in South Korea, the iconic -- to say nothing of charismatic -- house is the hanok.

As a traveler, why would one put up in a hanok, as opposed to a beachfront condo, a mountain cabin, a moldy bed-and-breakfast or most of all, a high-rise hotel? 

Sure, there are inconveniences to staying in one for an extended period of time. 

"Although our bathroom is modern, it can be uncomfortable as it is in a separate building," says Lee Gyeong-hak, who lives in Hyangdan, a hanok in Yangdong Village, Gyeongju, that has been in his family for almost 500 years. Hyangdan welcomes travelers as long as they make reservations in advance. 

Joanne Lee, another member of the Lee clan who often stays at Hyangdan, agrees, warning that you will of course have to "give up convenient shower facilities." 

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Hello Kitty jets: 5 cutest airplanes ever

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:50 PM PDT

by Hiufu Wong

Forget the YouTube videos. If you want a real dose of cute cat, book a flight with Taiwan airline EVA Air.

The carrier has recently added two more Hello Kitty-themed aircraft [Chinese language] to its fleet, taking the total to five, on which everything from the fuselage to the flight attendants to the food is kitted out in the kawaii cat brand's images. 

The fourth was launched in May and the fifth will launch on June 22 this year.

Passengers have been purring with delight, according to Anna Wong, an EVA Air public relations officer in Hong Kong. 

Also on CNNGo: The dating site for mid-air lovers

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The perfect plane: Beds, cocktails and no kids

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:25 PM PDT

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Forget speed dating, it's a singles section seat on one of these fantasy planes that you need to book.

Planes should no longer be mere transportation tubes. The ideal airplane should also be a source of entertainment and relaxation. 

That's what a survey from flight-search company Skyscanner found, when it asked 1,000 travelers what features they would like to see on their fantasy perfect plane. 

One-fifth of respondents said they wanted capsule-style bunk-bed units for a completely flat snooze.

A close second was a soundproof section for kids. Anti-kick seats and massage chairs were also popular.

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A Dumb White Husband's guide to packing

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT

by Benjamin Wallace

Benjamin Wallace is the author of the "Dumb White Husband" series of short stories and comedic novels "Post-Apocalyptic Nomadic Warriors" and "Tortugas Rising." Here the main character of his "Dumb White Husband" series gives his tongue-in-cheek advice on packing.

I love to travel. It gives me something to do besides sitting at home complaining about the cable being out.

It broadens my vision and inspires new thoughts.

On the other hand, a lot of places don't have peanut butter. What's with that?

Every civilization in the world is older than my own and they have yet to embrace peanut butter?

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iReport: 5 great Phuket dishes and where to try them

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT

In a recent CNNGo iReport assignment, we asked iReporters to share their favorite Thai dishes. Phuket-based Willy Thuan, 51, submitted the following photos and article on where to enjoy some of the southern Thai island's most delicious seafood specialties. 

One of the most enjoyable parts of traveling in Thailand is trying out some real local specialties, not the bland dishes nicely illustrated on your hotel menu, but the real stuff –- things you can barely pronounce or even identify.

And to make the journey really worth it, it's best to go to places where Thai people go. Don't just run to the local shack next door -- you just might get some very average food.

The key is to find places that Thai people travel long distances to eat in, even coming all the way from Bangkok.

When you find an anonymous and remote (but packed) place, you know you are onto something special. So to make your life easier, here are five Phuket seafood specialties, and five great places to find them.

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Pro tips: How to shop like a Michelin chef

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 09:10 AM PDT

by Melinda Joe

At 6 a.m. on an overcast morning in late May, I found myself fumbling with the pink shell of a raw amaebi shrimp at the Tsukiji fish market in central Tokyo.

Unlike the seven chefs I'd accompanied there, I'd stabbed my fingers repeatedly on the crustacean's spiny carapace before exposing its translucent flesh and popping the tail -- tiny black eggs and all -- into my mouth.

How to shop like a Michelin chefToine Hoeksel, Erlantz Gorostiza, Luca Fantin, David Faure, Ismael Alonso (just about) and Miguel Gimeno (left to right) ride a Tsukiji wagon.David Faure, of the Michelin-starred restaurant Aphrodite in Nice, France, plucked a fat specimen from the Styrofoam bin and nodded his approval. "Very sweet," he said.

"I'd prefer it with a little olive oil and some salt," quipped Tokyo-based chef Luca Fantin, whose restaurant, Bulgari Il Ristorante, earned its first star this year. "But I usually have cappuccino at this time of day."

Faure, together with his wife and business partner, Noelle, and three chefs from Spain -- Erlantz Gorostiza, the talented young chef of M.B in Tenerife; Ismael Alonso, second-in-command at Sergi Arola in Madrid; and line chef Miguel Gimeno -- had come to Tokyo to shop for culinary inspiration.

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