Indonesia Travel 04

Friday, May 3, 2013

CNNGo.com

Posted: 03 May 2013 04:41 AM PDT

Turkish Airlines has defended its recent move to ban flight attendants from wearing brightly colored lipstick and nail polish, such as pink or red.

A statement from the airline to CNN Travel said colors such as red and dark pink are unsuitable as they "impaired the visual integrity" of the Turkish Airlines uniforms.

"According to the generally accepted practices, personnel who work in the services sector are preferred to be artless and well groomed with a make-up in pastel tones," the statement said.

The airline believes pastel colors give "a natural presence" which in turn "has a more gentle and attainable effect in communication."

Nail polish in the same shades is also banned.

The airline did not respond to questions about when the ban would begin or how it would be enforced.

Staff attire and appearance together with standards of service are a major part of airline branding and the lipstick move does not appear too out of line with similar policies on other airlines.

However, an opposition government official called the ban a "perversity" and some flight attendants reportedly protested the ban by sharing images of red lipstick on social media sites such as Twitter and wearing it on flights, according to media reports.

Within Turkey, the announcement received mixed reviews.

Comments on Turkish news website Hurriyet have been varied with some offering support to the airline, stating that plainer make-up is often a standard in the service industry, while others claimed they will refuse to fly Turkish Airlines.

An opinion piece on the same site said the airline's administration is "confusing corporate management with being a school principal."

"We will not be surprised if soon they ban high heels, eyeliners and the appearance of 'one strand of hair uncovered,'" wrote Mehves Evin, quoting an earlier statement from the airline.

The airline has been refining its dress code in recent years including implementing restrictions and guidance on things like hair dye and eye make-up colors.

It also recently altered its drinks policy. The airline no longer serves alcohol on international flights to/from nations whose flag carriers do not serve alcoholic drinks.

On some domestic routes, Turkish Airlines will only serve alcohol in business class. On several other domestic routes, alcohol service has been discontinued with the airline citing lack of demand and "logistical considerations."

Also on CNN: 'Skirts only' rule lifted

What do you make of the lipstick ban? What's more important to you – appearance of airline staff or airline service?

Snap! The 6 most clichéd Bangkok tourist photo ops of all time

Posted: 02 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT

Any city has its unique snapshots, those pictures that instantly represent the soul of an urban personality. Bangkok especially so.

And few cities can have as many single photo opportunities that let you know instantly: "Hey, that dude is in Bangkok."

Some are taken so often they've become clichéd, appearing on any given Facebook or Instagram stream relating to Bangkok travel.

But we're not mocking. We've taken these photos too. Hundreds of them.

We've managed to narrow our favorites down to six, so that you too can enjoy the best tourist photo clichés Bangkok possesses.

1. Munching on bugs

Tastes like chicken. But better. Some Bangkokians eat bugs, many don't. No big deal.

But for a first-time traveler to Bangkok they're a delight, something to shock and awe your friends back home with when you show them pictorial evidence that you mustered the courage to eat a fried scorpion.

More on CNN: Micro livestock: The fried bugs keeping Thailand's tourists nourished

Buddhist monks buying mobile phones? Now that's a photo op.

2. Buddhist monk in an unlikely setting

Tourists love to take photos of Bangkok's saffron-robed monks, especially when they see them venturing away from the temple grounds to do something "normal."

Maybe he's topping up his mobile phone at Pantip plaza, or perhaps riding the Skytrain. The possibilities are endless.

These photos will usually be captioned with something pithy or philosophical, along the lines of "tradition meets modernity."

More on CNN: The monks and I: Teaching and learning in Thailand

Not the nicest ride, but few tourists can resist taking at least one tuk-tuk ride during their Bangkok visit.

3. Sitting in a tuk-tuk

When you think of Bangkok, you probably think temples, tuk-tuks and nightlife.

So what could better depict your visit here than a shot of you actually sitting in of one of these wacky Thai vehicles that we all love to hate.

Better yet, get into the driver seat and pose, pretending you're the one commandeering the three-wheeled annoyance down Bangkok's traffic-filled streets.

More on CNN: Bangkok tuk-tuk driver confessions

Bangkok and ladyboys go together like Tokyo and sushi.

4. One night with a ladyboy

Usually found in a Facebook photo album cleverly titled "One Night in Bangkok," most tourists have snapped at least one picture of a sultry ladyboy.

Even the American hit TV show "Glee" paid tribute to Thailand's world-renowned acceptance for the GLBT community, with the beloved Sue Sylvester saying: "Are you an Eve who was born a Steve? Because if you are, I think there's a special school that would better address your needs. And I think that school is in Thailand."

The best place to see Thailand's drag queens in action is at the Calypso Cabaret, at Bangkok's riverside Asiatique shopping and dining complex.

More on CNN: Insider Guide: Best of Bangkok

The bright lights of Khao San Road, where many a traveler has laid their beer-soaked head.

5. Wasted nights on Khao San Road

Perhaps the most clichéd photo of all is the picture of a wide-eyed tourist standing below the bright lights of Thailand's backpacker hangout Khao San Road with a goofy grin on his/her face, maybe clutching bottle of Chang beer. We've all been there.

Extra cliché points if you're actually wearing a Chang beer t-shirt in the photo.

More on CNN: Street fashion on Khao San Road

Sawadee krup!

6. Show Ronald some respect

Hardcore backpackers love to mock their counterparts who cave and slip into McDonald's for a cheeseburger fix after dining on pad Thai for 30 days straight.

But whether or not they decide to stop in for a taste of home -- sometimes with an Asian twist -- few can pass up the chance to take a photo of the ubiquitous "wai'ing" Ronald outside many a Thai McDonald's.

Best captioned with "East meets West" followed by a comment lamenting globalization.

More on CNN: 10 easy ways to look like a tourist in Bangkok

Do you have a favorite Bangkok photo cliché? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

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Egypt hotel goes alcohol-free, creates women-only floor

Posted: 01 May 2013 09:18 PM PDT

Egypt's first 'dry' hotel has been unveiled in the popular Red Sea city of Hurghada, according to news site Al Bawaba.

Les Rois, a 183-room three-star hotel, has been voluntarily alcohol-free since Saturday when it held an official ceremony that involved pouring alcohol away and smashing bottles. A video posted on YouTube shows the event.

Earlier this year, the Egyptian government announced plans to curb alcohol licenses in parts of the country.

Hurghada, about 400 kilometers southeast of Cairo, is the second largest city on the Red Sea coast and is very popular with tourists.

In the wake of the proposed licensing restrictions, some tour operators have expressed concern a ban would negatively impact tourism in Egypt.

International tourism has long been a mainstay of the Egyptian economy, with United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) figures showing it generated $10.1 billion in 2012. Though UNWTO data showed a 17% increase in tourism arrivals to 11.2 million in 2012, the sector has been struggling to prove the country is still safe to visit in the wake of the 2011 revolution.

The Luxor balloon flight accident in February did not help tourism efforts.

More on CNN: Luxor balloon flights resume

Les Rois' management hopes the hotel's new alcohol-free status will draw international visitors that are more in keeping with Egypt's Islamic values.

"The idea of launching a hotel without alcohol is not to adhere to any particular movement but rather to provide a new kind of tourism," Yasser Kamal, the owner of the hotel, told MENA (Middle Eastern New Agency).

Kamal added the hotel remains open to all visitors regardless of their religious affinity.

The hotel's website hasn't been updated to reflect the change, saying it still boasts two bars and an English pub.

In addition to the alcohol ban, the hotel has also designated the entire top floor, including a swimming pool, as a female-only area.

The top floor will be patrolled by female security officers.

The hotel has not responded to requests for additional comment.

Les Rois, El Hadaba El Shamaleya Road, Hurghada 84111, Egypt

Hitting the swells with one of Sydney's most legendary Bondi riders

Posted: 01 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT

Gnarly sunrise. South Bondi's cranking. Southerly swell's kicking in with a three-foot pulse.

Then, caught by surprise, surfers start paddling further out, as if a pod of dolphins. It's a five-foot bomb; the day's biggest.

And amid the rumbling saltwater, someone's screaming, yelping like a teenager.

Cutting left and right through the messy break, arms outwards like he's gliding, looking at everyone he passes and making lots of noise, is 59-year-old philanthropist, youth worker and die-hard surfer Tony Spanos. Smiles all 'round.

That messy, crowded surf off "Scum Valley" is where Aussie surf culture began. And Spanos, along with scores of local surfers who make up the Bondi Board Riders, have since taken it around the sunburnt country -- all in the name of philanthropy.

They've driven a revamped, spray-painted Mercedes Benz bus (aka the "Peace Bus" and "Graffiti Hall of Fame on Wheels") across the island.

They've thrown beach parties wherever they've landed, rolled into environmental protests and ducked hundreds of kilometers inland -- bringing the beach to indigenous communities that aren't on a map and otherwise forgotten.

"We set up workshops all over the country," says Spanos, flicking his saltwater bleached hair back.

So why promote surf culture? Spanos says he's offering a healthy alternative to the dark, inner city circles many of today's disadvantaged youth get wrapped up in. A sense of community, of spirit, of loving life and the nature around us.

An urban collage of graffiti, hip-hop, activism, beats and beach culture, they're now planning to take Bondi to Hawaii -- and the world.

More on CNN: Where to surf in Sydney

How the traveling surf circus formed

Spanos used to catch the 322 bus from Vaucluse to South Bondi as a kid. Back in the sixties, rival surfing "ramp gangs" dominated the beachscape.

Bondi surf club "In The Nude" soon rose to prominence and promiscuity, but when Bondi Board Riders emerged in the 1980s promising inclusiveness and unity, it gathered steam and -- of the hundreds of surf clubs around Australia -- a reputation.

Spanos was a driving force. He'd inherited some money from his old man's meatworks, but unlike some people with a buck, he decided to give it back.

Though the Bondi Board Riders 'Peace Bus' continues to rack up travel miles, it parks at South Bondi every month for their regular surf competitions.He first set up a Graffiti Hall of Fame in inner city Sydney -- "47 raids and no drugs or alcohol found" -- and bought the bus for artistic kids to paint.

He moved it to South Bondi in the 1990s and parked near the country's first legal graffiti wall, adorned on the concrete promenade adjacent the one-kilometer stretch of sand.

The road warrior then racked up some protest miles during some key Australian political issues of the past few decades: Gippsland (Ohms not Bombs), Jabiluka (Dig the Sounds not Uranium), Nimbin (Hemp Olympics) and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, wherever it was pitched.

The bus went missing for a few years, before an indigenous Australian on the New South Wales north coast spotted it, allegedly abandoned in a creek. The irrepressible vehicle was dragged out of the water and towed back to Sydney.

"Then we had a vision," says Bondi Board Riders president, Beau Sevastos.

"Bondi Board Riders versus the world. We turned the bus into a travelling circus with deejay booths and color to restore it back to its former glory."

In addition to her travels, the bus is now spotted every month at South Bondi, providing a musical stage that jams out tunes during surf competitions and hosts free barbies for all.

"It's all about the kids who have a really fun day. And the waves -- just being in the now and feeling spiritual. Nothing else on the planet comes close to that feeling."

More on CNN: 4 super swell surf towns (even if you don't surf)

Developing a surf culture in Bondi

To understand the surf culture of Bondi and Spanos' belief that it can help promote a healthy lifestyle among disadvantaged youth, it's worth looking at the way locals are raised.

It's mid-morning off South Bondi, but it's hardly postcard stuff.

Early summer heat has turned late summer rain. The ocean's been dredged up by a northerly cyclone and a few blue bottle jellyfish are lingering about.

Apart from a couple of unsuspecting swimmers caught in the "backpacker's rip," there's not a tourist in sight; they're sticking to the cafes, or still in bed.

But being any given day, hospitality worker and Bondi Board Rider former champ, Luke Muffet, 36, is paddling his board into the sets. He had his saltwater birth aged two when his old man threw him in and has been surfing since six.

Today, he surfs twice a day and prefers the gentleman's shift (9-10 a.m.) when the suits leave.

"Surfing just feels right," Muffet says. "So much of what we do nowadays, being hooked into technology, isn't natural. But surfing's pure. Out there are real bonds and real friends -– and we bring that back onto the land."

It's a culture that starts young. Many begin with lessons from Barney Quinlan, 31, who runs a Surf Squad off Bondi Icebergs, teaching kids (and adults) how to survive in rips and understand the ocean environment.

Bondi Board Riders president Beau Sevastos, right, joins another club member in the swell. "This is Bondi, the most urbanized Australian beach," says Quinlan.

"And there are crossovers. The kids skateboard to swimming lessons, dodging cars. And that's where the energy of Bondi Board Riders comes from –- from a shared space, a coming together of cultures and a shared love of the ocean."

Luke Kennedy's another true blue local and Bondi Board Rider. He's also the editor of "Tracks", a 42-year-old mag that's the self-proclaimed "Rolling Stone of Oz surfing."

"Surf culture's become a bit mainstream, conservative –- much like Bondi itself," Kennedy says.

"But 30 or 40 guys on a bus that doubles as a rave party venue –- it's a different bent on life. It recreates that irreverence and fuels counter culture."

He says of Spanos, "He's a man who walks with kings and stays in touch with commoners. He came into money and everything he does is with a view to helping people."

Next, Spanos wants to take Bondi Board Riders offshore. This year he has plans to set up an Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the island of his descent, Cyprus; and he'll establish a headquarters for Bondi Board Riders in Hawaii.

"It's a cultural exchange for the kids," he says. "They won't have to pay any rent and they can live a little."

Spanos is now contemplating his legacy. The bus will still be parked on South Bondi every month and the highway beast will still cruise the coast and chug inland.

"It creates visual and sonic waves," he says.

But in the end, Spanos says it all starts in the swell.

"It's a meditation that grounds you," he says. "Clears the sinuses, cleans the lungs. It depolarizes and it's my religion -- the tides chart my bible. The greatest highs in life are natural highs."

More on CNN: World's 50 best surf spots

Surfing in Bondi

If reading about Spanos and the Bondi Board Riders has inspired you to get out there and hit the 'Scum Valley' swells, you can read more about the group via their website, www.bondiboardriders.com. The next event takes place May 19.

For Surf Squad lessons by Barney Quinlan, who teaches surf safety and the basics of the local environment with a focus on efficient swimming, call +61 (0)40 369 5295. Or contact him through Bondi Icebergs.

Another company offering board lessons on Bondi Beach for all abilities is Lets Go Surfing. Their two-hour beginner course is A$89 (US$92).

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

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Freaky weather over Hong Kong

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:11 PM PDT

Looking like Hollywood special effects wizardry, two weather fronts smashed together on Tuesday over Hong Kong to create a stunning scene over the city's famed Victoria Harbour.

The view from CNN's Quarry Bay office on Tuesday afternoon. Dark clouds rolled in from the northwest in the afternoon ahead of the storm that brought winds gusting to 80 kmh and rainfall in some parts of Hong Kong of up to 30 millimeters.

Despite its apocalyptic appearance, the storm passed quickly and local media reported only minor incidents and no major casualties among residents or fishermen.

A Hong Kong Observatory official said the storm was the result of a trough of low pressure forming in neighboring Guangdong province because of a collision of warm and cold air, according to the South China Morning Post.

The SCMP posted several impressive images from readers.

Horse reiki and bull sperm hair masks: 9 bizarre spa treatments

Posted: 30 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT

I hate to knock anything that might make me look younger or feel better.

Thanks to what's known in the business as "signature local treatments," spas today massage and wrap customers in things like cherries, sugarcane, barbecue sauce and chocolate -- each ingredient said to add something to our undernourished bodies.

While it's one thing for an oceanside spa to offer thalassotherapy (naturally salted seawater), a nightingale poo facial is something quite different.

The more unusual spa treatments below suggest that mashed avocado and a couple of slices of cucumber are barely able to scratch the surface.

Snake massage

Just lie still. Very still.
Snakes in the small northern Israeli village of Talmei Elazar give people massages.

Ada Barak's Carniverous Plant Farm is a breeding station for plants that eat rodents, insects and small mammals.

On the sidelines, the farm employs a tangled team of non-venomous king and corn snakes to slither and wriggle away knots on clients' naked bodies.

According to one regular, they're especially nifty at relieving migraines.

Ada Barak's Carniverous Plant Farm, Talmei Elazar; +972 4 637 3473; $250

Equine reiki

Works best if you use your hay-scented deodorant.
In the Japanese art of reiki, healing energy passed from practitioner to client corrects physical and emotional imbalances.

At Free Rein Australia, the 12 four-legged practitioners sometimes snort, roll or even relieve themselves while clearing energy blocks.

These reiki workers have no emotional "baggage" (they roam freely on 90 acres when not dislodging and releasing aforementioned energy blocks) and can replace clients' low-level vibrations with their higher electromagnetic field, according to the ranch owners.

Clients lay on a massage bed in a secure yard and the horses decide among themselves who will perform the treatment and where to find the blocks. It's not unusual for the whole team to get involved.

Free Rein Australia, 231 Grossmans Road, Torquay, Victoria, Australia; $145

Bull sperm hair treatment

A male-order treatment.
At upscale Hari's salon in London, customers couldn't get enough of a bull sperm hair mask that owner Hari Salem called "Viagra for the hair."

Although no longer offered, it was made from organic bull semen imported from Scotland, mixed with Iranian katera root and, because it was refrigerated, allegedly didn't smell.

Hari's also liked to penetrate hair follicles with caviar and a blow dry treatment that used diamond dust and powdered meteorites.

These more pedestrian days, you can check into Hari's Beehive Bar for a retro do; or the Bun Bar for buns like you've never seen.

Hari's, 305 Brompton Road, +44 (0)20 7581 5211 and 233 Kings Road, +44 (0)20 7349 8722

Moist hay body wrap

Perfect for when you run out of hay-scented deodorant.
Getting shrink-wrapped in hot, moist hay has been a therapeutic spa treatment in northern Italy since 1903.

This unique vegetal straitjacket, perfected at Hotel Heubad, is said to draw out toxins, stimulate metabolism and fortify the immune system.

The hay is harvested from the meadows of Alpe di Siusi in the early morning when it still has all its ethereal oils. It also contains mountain arnica, gentian, thimble and lady's mantle.

The Kompatscher family has been burying people up to their necks in fermented hay for more than a century and claims there's scientific documentation proving the health benefits of hay baths.

However, it was recently stricken from government cure treatment classification.

Hotel Heubad, Via Sciliar 13, Völs am Schlern, South Tyrol, Italy; +39 0471 725020; $42

Beer bath

beer bath spa So, some male fantasies do come true.
Soaking in beer enriches skin, eliminates toxins and exfoliates -- so claim fans of the sudsy new European pastime.

At beer spas in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, customers soak in barrels, wooden tubs and even swimming pools filled with lagers and ales.

The Landhotel Moorhof in Franking, Austria, offers a beer facial with hops, malt, honey and cream cheese. According to proprietor Hedwig Bauer, bathing in beer fights rheumatism, gout, poor circulation, eczema, kidney stones, heart attacks, strokes and stress -- although she didn't mention if that last one had more to do with the pints of Schnaitl's offered along with the baths.

Morhoof, Dorfibm 2, 5131 Franking, Austria; +43 6277 8188; $180

Fish foot spa

Throw away the pumice stone.
Your Labrador retriever can fetch your newspaper, but can he give you a pedicure?

In spas all over Asia, (and some in the UK, U.S. and Canada, although regulations are getting tighter), a species of Middle Eastern carp nicknamed "doctor fish" eat away dead skin.

You can even stock your aquarium with these reddish "log suckers" (another of its many nicknames).

Diane Sawyer, who featured the unique pedicure on "Good Morning America," called the fish nibbles "little delicate kisses," although others have described the sensation as "ants marching over your body."

Said to cure psoriasis and other skin disorders, the treatment is maddeningly ticklish to some.

Sampuoton Fish Spa, B-G-23 Merchant Square, Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1, Petaling Jaya 47410, Malaysia; +60 (0)3 7885 0691; from $5

More on CNN: Thailand fish spas nibble on despite health concerns

Bird-poo facial

Japanese bush warbler -- known to burst into laughter whenever it sees a human.
Japanese geishas, kabuki dancers and, more recently, Victoria Beckham, have been known to smear a cream containing "uguisu no fun" on their faces.

The tonic is made from powdered droppings from the Japanese bush warbler, a nightingale found in Asia.

Besides the fact that I have no desire to look like a geisha, I also don't relish the idea of applying bird doo doo to my face, even if it is dried, beaten to a pulp, sanitized with ultraviolet light and mixed with essential oils. So, this one comes with no personal testimonial.

Ten Thousand Waves, 320 Tesuque Dr., Santa Fe, N.M., U.S.A.; +1 505 982 9304; from $120

Gem stone massage

Never mind the massage, can we just have the rocks?
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but they share billing with amethysts, rubies and sapphires in Trump Spa's Harmonizing Gemstone Treatment.

Massage oil is infused with ground semi-precious gems and larger stones are placed on the body's chakras.

"They're not as big as the rocks we use for the hot rock massages, but they're real diamonds, amethysts, rubies and sapphires," says spa concierge Bridgitte Willis.

"We also have a pearl wrap that uses ground-up pearls to exfoliate."

Trump Spa, One Central Park West, New York; +1 212 299 1000; $195

Criminal spa

Though the receptionist is a uniformed security guard, the Chang Mai Women's Correctional Facility spa -- located in an historic building in Chiang Mai, Thaland -- resembles any other boutique spa, with flowers, soothing music, a gift shop and tea room.

The difference is the massage therapists are temporarily incarcerated at the Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Facility.

When they're six months from release it's hoped the Thai massage skills they master will help them avoid a return to the slammer.

It's a good cause and for $6, how can you quibble?Chang Mai Women's Correctional Facility, 100 Rachvithi Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand; +66 (0)53 706 1041