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Traditional boats get makeover. Better? You be the judge
Air New Zealand to launch 'Hobbit'-themed flights
Run for your lives: Godzilla hits Tokyo museum
Gallery: Sexy flight attendant uniforms of the past
Bugging out: 5 extreme foods at Beijing's night market

Traditional boats get makeover. Better? You be the judge

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:39 PM PDT

by CNNGo Staff

Halong Bay is one of the highlights of traveling in Vietnam.

One of the world's New 7 Wonders of Nature, tourism in Halong Bay is a serious business, which presumably is why authorities there decided they needed to upgrade the look a little: by painting all of the bay's traditional tourist junks in a glaring shade of white.

More on CNNGo: Insider Guide: What to do in Vietnam

So what's our reaction to the makeover?

Hmmm.

Air New Zealand to launch 'Hobbit'-themed flights

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:08 PM PDT

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

The Hobbit on Air New Zealand Wait till you see her big hairy feet.

"The Hobbit" takes to the skies with Air New Zealand's latest Tolkien-inspired flights.

The airline taps into fantasy fandom by partnering with Peter Jackson's two-part film adaptation of the novel "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien.

As Air New Zealand's Mike Tod puts it, "New Zealand is clearly established as the home of Middle Earth."

The fictional setting of Tolkien's stories was created and filmed using New Zealand's natural scenery.

Run for your lives: Godzilla hits Tokyo museum

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT

by Mike Nakada

The first thing on the average Tokyo visitor's to-do list this summer is probably to visit the shiny new Tokyo Skytree. And who can blame them, given the saturation coverage the 634-meter tower's been getting?

But there's another behemoth in town.

Just a few stops away from Tokyo Skytree Station, Godzilla and his pals have taken over the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo for an epic exhibit of rubber-suited carnage over the next few months.

For better or for worse -- other than legendary director Akira Kurosawa's works -- the giant-monster genre is probably what defines the Japanese film industry abroad.

For the first time, fans will get to feel what is was like in a 1960s movie studio with Godzilla about to stomp on the hapless citizens of a miniaturized Tokyo.

Gallery: Sexy flight attendant uniforms of the past

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT

by Max Kim

Flying used to be so sexy.

Back in the days when passengers had to walk across the tarmac to board a plane, they were greeted by "air hostesses" arrayed in knee-high boots, short skirts and white gloves.

In 1971, the now-defunct U.S.-based National Airlines ran a saucy and suggestive ad that featured a flight attendant named Cheryl, smiling affably and accompanied by the seductive slogan, "I'm Cheryl. Fly me."

There was another one, this time with Jo.

Business reportedly jumped 23 percent, despite accusations of sexism.

Bugging out: 5 extreme foods at Beijing's night market

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT

by Clarissa Wei

When I saw the words "night market" on the Beijing city map, my stomach rumbled at the thought of vendors with assorted dumplings and classic Chinese sweets.

But when I arrived at Donghuamen Night Market (北京东华门夜市), a street food landmark in Beijing, the plates were heaped with bugs and unconventional animal parts.

The 200-meter-long food street has been around since 1984 and is a hot spot for daring foodies. Sure, there's the tame candied fruit, lamb kebabs and stuffed buns, but the other end of the spectrum is rather more challenging.

With a selection ranging from scorpions to sea horses, the market carries one of the world's most bizarre food selections.

Here's the six weirdest items.