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• African aviation reaches new heights ... with China’s help
• Ditch the guidebook to avoid Japan's worst tourist draws
• Insider Guide: Best of Madrid
• Mike Leahy's 10 terrifying creatures to make even hard-core travelers wince
• In the footsteps of Graham Greene at the Continental Saigon

African aviation reaches new heights ... with China’s help Posted: 29 Jul 2012 09:20 PM PDT by CNNGo staff One of China's leading airlines is teaming up with a new low-cost African carrier, which is due to take to the skies on September 21. Hainan Airlines (HNA), China's fourth-largest carrier and the first to receive a five-star award from Skytrax, will be spearheading Africa World Airline (AWA), which is based in Ghana. Looking to end travel frustration in Africa News of the fledgling "Chafrican" carrier comes in the wake of the demise of Ghana International Airlines, which ceased operations in 2010. AWA, which has a reported start-up capital of US$50 million, hopes to spell an end to frequent flyer frustration in Africa. "[Currently] to go to Cape Verde [off the west coast of Africa] from Accra, one has to fly to Lisbon in Portugal," said an AWA official. "In some cases, you take off from Accra, fly to Europe and catch a connecting flight, which will see you flying over Accra to get to your destination within Africa." read more

Ditch the guidebook to avoid Japan's worst tourist draws Posted: 29 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT by C.B. Liddell It's no secret that Japan is trying hard to attract tourists. How can it not be, of course, after the industry fell to its knees in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami? Sure, the country has much to offer, but mixed in with the interesting stuff there's also plenty of dross that means first-time visitors can easily end up having a very disappointing time. Especially if they blindly follow the guidebooks ... These often recommend extremely boring activities simply because all previous guidebooks have done so. They also routinely misinterpret key Japanese concepts, like "wabi-sabi," which Western travel-guide writers think denotes an aesthetic of rarified beauty. read more

Insider Guide: Best of Madrid Posted: 29 Jul 2012 11:50 AM PDT by Ian Hawkey With its strident, martial statues peering down wide boulevards, even the best of Madrid can daunt at first glimpse. Look for order, and you encounter bustle, sometimes even brusqueness. This shouldn't be mistaken for discourtesy. Madrileños simply have a reputation for directness, of a haste that contrasts sharply with the pace of life in much of coastal Spain. No offense is intended. It's a proud capital city, fastidious about curating and displaying its national treasures, home of some of the world's greatest art and sculpture and a place that inspires great civic loyalty. The attitude is part illusion. read more

Mike Leahy's 10 terrifying creatures to make even hard-core travelers wince Posted: 29 Jul 2012 11:20 AM PDT by Mike Leahy When traveling overseas most of us would get the relevant vaccinations, maybe take anti-malarial medication, and assume that we are safe. This is potentially a very dangerous and painful assumption to make, because there are plenty of unexpected threats out there that could turn your vacation into a nightmare –- and possibly kill you. Here are 10 you may never even have heard of. Not for the squeamish. 10. Loa loa This disease is spread by the bite of the innocuous mango fly, but can leave you with worms crawling out of your eyeballs. (Google "Loa loa" at risk, the images are rather graphic.)  It's only No. 10 on my list because it won't kill you, and may not even blind you, but it is pretty freaky.  read more

In the footsteps of Graham Greene at the Continental Saigon Posted: 29 Jul 2012 10:00 AM PDT by Adrian Mourby When I opened the French windows on to the balcony of my room at the Hotel Continental Saigon they squeaked and juddered. Windows don't do that at the Park Hyatt or the Sheraton just across the road, but then the Continental is different. It was here first. It opened in 1886 opposite the opera house in what was known then as Place Garnier. The French author André Malraux stayed here in the 1920s when he was founding his anti-colonial newspaper Indochine. The legendary U.S. reporter Walter Cronkite stayed too when reporting on what is known in Vietnam as "The American War."   But my reason for coming to the Continental was to pay tribute to one of the best-known English "man of letters" of the 20th century, Graham Greene, who 60 years ago holed up in room 214 to start work on a novel about the genesis of that disastrous conflict. read more

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