Tuesday, February 28, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


Biofuel flights: Will 'green' air travel also be cheaper?

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 09:02 AM PST

by Hiufu Wong

It may be impressive that sustainability in aviation starts with its creative use of fuselage. But it is downright amazing that it extends to our used cooking oil as well.

Etihad Airways operated its first biofuel-powered delivery flight recently.

The Boeing 777-300ER flew 14 hours from Seattle to Abu Dhabi on a blend of traditional jet fuel and recycled vegetable cooking oil.

It was the first biofuel-powered flight for Etihad and also the first in the Gulf to be operated using sustainable biofuel. 

This year German airline Lufthansa also completed its six-month trial operating the world's first biofuel-powered route. Nearly 1,200 flights were completed between Hamburg and Frankfurt, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1,471 tonnes.

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7 Hainan hotels for 7 types of travelers

Posted: 28 Feb 2012 08:57 AM PST

by John Coughlan

Touted as the country's only "international tourism destination", tropical Hainan Island (海南岛) is at the forefront of China's hotel boom.

According to the Hainan Tourist Bureau, the 33,000-square-kilometer island currently houses more than 209 starred hotels. At Haitang Bay alone, a 42.8-kilometer beach on the eastern coast, around 30 five-star resorts and 70 luxury hotels are planned to open over the next few years. 

When guidebook author Andrew Dembina first visited Hainan in 1992, the closest beach to Sanya had a handful of hotels and Yalong Bay had just one resort set back from the long beach. Now, both beaches are jammed with resorts.

"The Sheraton at the man-made Holiday Beach, just outside Hainan's capital of Haikou further north, is the only foreign hotel brand to have survived a few years in this lesser visited vicinity," notes Dembina, who wrote the Hainan chapter for Insight Guides' "Southern China" guidebook.

More on CNNGo: Hainan Island: Heaven or hell for luxury hotels?

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Korean government swoops in to help ripped-off tourists

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 08:02 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

The Korean government has leapt into action following nationwide media coverage condemning Korean vendors who rip off tourists.

The Chosun Ilbo ran an exposé earlier this month on scams at pojangmachas (covered street carts) which was then picked up and bandied about by scores of media outlets up and down the country.

One of the foreign victims was Japanese tourist Nakamura Haru, who ordered a single kimchi jeon and two bottles of beer, and was told to pay ₩50,000 (US$44) at a Namdaemun pojangmacha. The standard cost for such fare at most pojangmacha is around ₩16,000.

"I couldn't communicate so I just paid and left, but I didn't know Korea's standards were so low," Nakamura told Chosun Ilbo. He said that he had been "nervous" about entering the pojangmacha, as its menu did not list any prices.

Chinese tourist Qu Fui Han, 31, was also being ripped off at a pojangmacha in Dongdaemun, according to the Korean daily. Qu, who speaks fluent Korean, said the owner yelled at him for complaining when he asked why he was paying four times as much as a Korean customer.

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Joe Louis Puppet Theater: A new home for Bangkok's masters of puppets

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 07:23 PM PST

by Aloha Lavina

Bangkok's Joe Louis Puppet Theater, also known as "Nattayasala Hun Lakorn Lek," was once one of the city's top attractions.

Founded in 2002 by the late master of puppets Sakorn Yangkhieosod, whose English name was Joe Louis, it showcased the remarkable Thai traditional art of puppetry.

Sadly, the curtain dropped permanently for the show in 2010, when its contract with the now demolished Suan Lum Night Bazaar expired.  

Many thought that was the end of the historic Bangkok attraction. But now it's been confirmed that the Joe Louis puppets will dance again at Asiatique, a new waterfront dining, shopping and entertainment complex on Charoen Krung Road.

According to officials, the new theater will open in June. 

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Geoffrey Norman: If Hemingway was there, give the joint a miss

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 06:56 PM PST

by Geoffrey Norman

It took a while for me to establish one of my most firm rules of travel -- 20 years, to be exact. 

The length of time between the honeymoon my wife and I took to the Florida Keys and the second honeymoon we spent in Venice. We stayed in Islamorada in the Upper Keys on our honeymoon. For the fishing. 

But we drove down to Key West one day and went to the usual places and did the usual things. I had it in my mind that I wanted to go to the saloon where Hemingway did his drinking and my wife thought that would be interesting. 

Turned out, it was wretched. 

Sloppy Joe's was loud and overdone with Hemingway memorabilia, including a 119-pound sailfish he'd caught. 

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Come together, right now: Best places for group vacations in the U.S.

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST

by Dana Joseph

You're in the United States for two weeks, with endless friends, family and colleague to meet and greet.

What to do? Instead of running around to try to make all your obligations, why not gather everyone in one great spot. 

All you've got to do is agree on the destination. 

Here are seven solid possibilities to get you started. 

Sundance Resort, Utah

Sundance Resort The Tree Room at Sundance Resort, brainchild of the Sundance Kid.

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Underground in Vietnam: Caves, tunnels and wine cellars

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 09:00 AM PST

by Karryn Miller

Vietnam may be focused on building upwards, but what's happening underground is perhaps more exciting than the latest skyscraper -- think hidden caves large enough for 40-story buildings and wartime tunnels traversing the earth beneath your feet. 

Here are some of Vietnam's unique sites below the surface. 

World's biggest cave


A Manhattan city block, buildings included, would fit quite nicely inside parts of Son Doong cave in central Vietnam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

But you won't find anything remotely urban here. In the world's largest cave passage lofty stalagmites, some shooting as high as 70 meters, stand in for concrete office blocks while shafts of light from above have led to wild gardens taking root on the cave's floor.

Son Doong is one of the many caves underneath the 85,754 hectares of park, which holds UNESCO World Heritage site honors. While the limestone karst landscape on top is impressive, the system of caves, grottoes and underground rivers give visitors a distinct "Journey to the Center of the Earth" experience.

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12 guidebook myths about India

Posted: 27 Feb 2012 08:55 AM PST

by Hilary Fischer-Groban

1. If you see one thing, see the Taj Mahal

No offense to Shah Jahan and Mumtaz, but there are dozens of sites in India that are guaranteed to mesmerize.

If Mughal architecture is your thing, then definitely make the somehow-always unpleasant journey to Agra.

Otherwise, Udaipur, Ranakpur or even Munnar should be the highlight of your journey.

guide to indiaThe art of haggling = don't be a jerk.

2. Unless you're in a government-run shop, you need to haggle 

The first problem with this myth is that it can be confusing how to determine what is truly a government-run shop, if there even are such official things.

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