Photo: Uryah

You’re thousands of feet above the ground and had a little too much to eat, and to make matters worse, you’re a dude.

If you’re a frequent flier with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and happen to have an XY chromosome, then you wouldn’t be happy to know that Japan’s largest domestic carrier is introducing women-only lavatories.

The new rule, which will take effect starting on March 1, will cover ANA’s international routes, excluding those points serviced by its Airbus A320/ Boeing B737 planes.

The women-only lavatory will be placed at the back of the passenger cabin and will be available for women passengers from all classes. continue reading…

Another city World Cup visitors are bound to tour is Pretoria. Now this city has lived in the shadow of the economic capital, Johannesburg, despite being South Africa’s capital—and unfairly so. It has a foothold on many of South Africa’s historic monuments and landscapes, and it’s quite a relief FIFA officials had it in good authority to distribute the football matches across several of the country’s cities. If they didn’t, South Africa would have lost another chance to show off Pretoria.

The uniqueness of Pretoria as a city lies in the fringes, and not so much in the center. There are several townships that flank its border, as well as nature reserves that bring to life the most basic imaginings about Africa. continue reading…

Candies and confectionery should not be taken lightly. Connoisseurs of gourmet sucettes (lollipops) must have a moral obligation to make their products more palatable than cigarettes. They’re the go-to institutions for relatively harmless oral fixations. And unlike pubs and bars, they’re not driven out of business by prohibitions and public condemnation. If only their status as a vice could be elevated more, their presence might rejuvenate the Parisian night life.

And in the case of most traditional confectioneries, they are a part of civilization, in the reverse way that other hedonistic commodities (such as cigarettes) are refused their place. So one can fully understand why Le Succès Berckois is a revered purveyor of sweets. Not only will it easily appeal to children’s fascination for colors, swirls and anything sweet that might have come from a fairy tale, but adults, specifically tourists, are also bound to be taken by the artistic intricacies involved in pocket-sized goodies such as candies. continue reading…

Just one month after it opened, the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa has to close due to a yet-to-be-determined electrical problem.

The silvery, needle-like skyscraper in Dubai disappointed tourists when authorities said that the tower’s 124^th-floor sky deck will close for an ‘undetermined time.”

As for the tourists who were due to visit the tower, their tickets to the floor observatory deck will be refunded. There is also an offer to rebook their tickets once the tower reopens.

Apparently, the closing was attributed to the high numbers of visitors over the past month prompting managers to close for maintenance and upgrades. Thousands of tourists and local residents have flocked to the tower since it opened. Since its opening, tickets to the observatory deck had been sold-out.

The 828-meter building was opened on January 4, 2009 after five years of construction. Although it is known to be more than 160-storeys high, the official record is yet to be disclosed.

The observatory is located approximately two-thirds of the way up the tower; it is only the part of the gargantuan skyscraper open to the public. A hotel is meant to open in March in addition to condominiums and offices.

Meanwhile, visitors get to enjoy the breathtaking view up the $1.5 billion Dubai skyscraper for a fee of  $27. There is also a ‘fast track’ option wfor higher-paying tourists.

The builder of the gigantic tower, Emaar, said that “technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and sub-contractors and the public will be informed upon completion.” (Duane D)

Source: Yahoo News

Let’s face it—for people not making that much, buying a business class seat is a pain in the wallet.

Those who are not willing to shell out a ridiculous amount in exchange of a premium seating must swallow pride and fly inside the noisy, crowded, and movement-restricting economy class cabin.

Well, this is not the case anymore, at least with Air New Zealand. Removing an inconvenient custom in airline travel industry, Air New Zealand has just announced changes in their Economy cabin layouts and presented a new feature called the SkyCouch—an option wherein passengers can turn 3 seats into a bed big enough to lie flat and stretch out. continue reading…

More than anything else, Hong Kong is a shopper’s paradise. Stores, shops, malls, and other retail businesses are found in almost every street corner in the former Crown Colony. Langham Place, one of the city’s trendiest and busiest commercial complexes can be found in the Mongkok district. Mongkok has the highest population density in the world (130,000 per square kilometer).

Opened in 2004, Langham Place consists of a 15-level shopping mall, a five-star hotel and a 59-story office tower which is regarded as the 100th tallest building on the planet. The mall, in particular, is one of only two vertical-type shopping malls in Hong Kong, which due to limited land space has a multi-platform design instead of the conventional flat shopping mall. continue reading…

In world affairs, the mere mention of Myanmar (the country otherwise known as Burma) is almost always synonymous to Aung San Suu Kyi, its military regime, and sanctions from the United Nations.

But harsh political realities aside, Myanmar, as one devoted gourmet of its cuisine proves, frequently does not receive due praise for other more tasteful aspects of its culture.

For starters, the world’s perceptions of Myanmar have rarely gone beyond the confusion between its former appellation and its current name. But Page Bingham, a resident of Cambridge, Massachussetts, penetrated the enclosures of this relatively silent country and got the country’s history unveiled through her heartfelt documentation of its food. continue reading…

Tintin making it to Hollywood was already surprising. Previously the sole darling of Francophones, the well-traveled boy reporter who inspired a live action movie directed by Steven Spielberg is now making his way to China and drawing Chinese-speaking followers.

The surge in popularity is attributed to Chinese translations of Hergé’s creation, which rakes in about three million in sales every year. The much awaited film version of the comic book, which will star Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig upon release in 2011, might have also whetted interest in the boy reporter and his trusty dog, Snowy. continue reading…

Photo credit: Andre Lettau

Sure, you’re thinking of sparkling sunny beaches and swaying palm trees amidst the snow and sub-zero temperatures. And you must be imagining an island in the Bahamas or a secluded cove in Tahiti. But have you ever thought of Vietnam?

That’s exactly what the country’s travel agents want travelers to think for Christmas–and beyond–when thinking of a great vacation. At a recent presentation to French tour promoters in Paris, the Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Nguyen Manh Cuong, presented the “Impressive Vietnam” program which could help bring in more tourists to the once war-ravaged but now booming country. continue reading…