Monday, March 26, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


Bon voyage: Queen Mary 2 steams out of Hong Kong

Posted: 26 Mar 2012 12:23 AM PDT

by Hiufu Wong

Amateur and professional photographers have been prowling Kwai Tsing container terminal for the past two days for just one reason -- to get the quintessential shot of Queen Mary 2 whilst in Hong Kong waters.

The 345-meter, 17-deck, 151,400-ton liner was the largest passenger ship in the world when she was launched nine years ago this month. 

Although no longer the record holder, Queen Mary 2 -- which can carry 2,620 passengers --  is still dearly loved by many cruise goers because of her classic and luxurious facilities. 

The liner's round-the-world voyage started from Southampton in January, and has taken in ports in Africa, Australia, Japan and China before docking in Hong Kong early yesterday.

Queen Mary 2 The biggest ballroom at sea.

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7 of China’s coolest outdoor activities

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 09:01 PM PDT

by Jade Bremner

China is not famous for adventure tourism, but it's actually one great destination to seek a new adrenaline high.

And here are seven ways (in no particular order) to travel the Middle Kingdom with a new heart rate.

1. Kiteboarding, Fujian

ChinaSee China's minority region, Lance Armstrong-style.

One of the rides of your life consists of a challenging climb up to 1,900 meters on two wheels.

Cycling around 40 kilometers per day on varied terrain, from cobbled streets, tricky dirt tracks and sheer cliff faces, you'll snake past incredible sights such as the ice-capped Jade Dragon Mountain and one of the world's deepest river canyons -- Tiger Leaping Gorge. 

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'Weird Japan' blinds tourists to the real Nippon

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 07:00 PM PDT

by Andrew Pothecary

Andrew PothecaryArt-gallery-worthy kaiseki banquets, startlingly obese celebrity sumo wrestlers, hour-long tea-making rituals, boiling baths without soap and many more seemingly unique aspects of Japan have long been a draw for visitors, but is there a chance the "weird Japan" obsession hides a far more interesting reality?

If you've ever been to Japan, you'll have heard all about how strange, bizarre and even downright alien to Westerners it all is over here. Usually from locals, of course, who typically add the somewhat ambitious qualifier of "unique" for good measure.

As a long-time resident who's heard the spiel more than a few times, I suspect, however, that this obsessive navel-gazing is more about wishful thinking and less about anything particularly odd about an entire country.

More precisely, I believe it's a relatively small Japanese cultural twist and focus on formality -- or fetishism, if you prefer -- that creates an impression of huge cultural differences and that's what I'd like to explore.

And before you page down to the comments section, ready to bash the keyboard a new one, let me assure you, this is not another article about how "alien" Japan is -- in fact, it's quite the opposite.

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Calling all voyeurs: Google Street View hits Thailand

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 05:40 PM PDT

by Richard S. Ehrlich

For the first time, Google is exposing gorgeous, hedonistic and possibly even embarrassing photos of people, beaches, entertainment zones, hotels, homes, temples and other scenes in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket via its Street View maps.

Anyone in the world can go online and, for free, gawk at Google's pictures, which are "digitally stitched" together to offer a movable journey through Thailand's three famous tourism hotspots -- including countless shots of Thais and foreigners unaware they've been photographed.

Google hopes its newest Street View portal will emphasize the paradises and delights of Thailand, and lure more tourists to enjoy the lusciousness this Southeast Asian tropical land offers.

"We drove Phuket, Chiang Mai and Greater Bangkok and we got 95 percent of those areas, and have images that are 360-degree panoramas," says David Marx, global communications and public affairs manager for Google Asia Pacific.

"Tourists within Thailand and outside of Thailand can use this as kind of a tool to plan their trips and to virtually explore Thailand." 

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How to disappear for a year

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 10:24 AM PDT

by Jini Reddy

Bored of the rat race? Hopelessly addicted to travel? Or maybe you're simply craving new (and fabulous) scenery, a life change, an adventure or a time out.

Whatever the motivation, unless your pockets are lined with gold you'll need cash to fund your year out. If you don't want to waste a minute, here's how to earn it while on the road.

Click on your preferred great escape:

Scuba instructor, Malaysia  |  English teacher, Thailand 

Cruise ship worker, Caribbean  |  Ranch wrangler, U.S.  

Farm worker, Sierra Leone  |  Yacht hand, France 

Ski instructor, Austria  |  Tour guide, Africa  

Bartender, England  |  Massage therapist, Seychelles  

Rafting guide, Zimbabwe  |  Bollywood extra, India

1. Scuba instructor in Malaysia

dive instructor jobsCoolest office ever.Few things take you out of the "real world" as well as an hour's swim 10 or 15 meters below an ocean surface. So if you're a confident swimmer, training to be an accredited scuba dive instructor could be your calling.

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Insider Guide: Best of Delhi

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PDT

by Isha Singh Sawhney

The best of Delhi is where the new Indian cool is being born.

Once dismissed as a town of bureaucrats as inspiring as a damp sock, India's capital city is slowly but surely shedding its frumpy image.

Delhi has the basic hallmarks of a buzzing world city: posh new hotels, glam restaurants and a huge and growing population (16.7 million, by one estimate).

To entertain the new throngs, amped-up venues are cropping up in Delhi like green grass after a monsoon. 

And if Mumbai has Bollywood, Delhi has high culture. Performing arts, book launches and tons of art galleries make the best of Delhi an Indian culture homebase.

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