Indonesia Travel 02: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

CNNGo.com

Sandy travel update: Airports coming back to life
Best day and weekend trips from Seoul, by season
7 of the freakiest places on the planet

Sandy travel update: Airports coming back to life

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:05 PM PDT

Superstorm Sandy's punch has weakened, but its effects are still being felt by travelers around the world.

In the wake of the devastating storm -- which has led to the cancellation of thousands of flights -- battered airports are slowly coming back online, though it will likely be days before many travelers reach their final destinations.

More on CNN: 33 dead, millions without power

Some U.S. airports closed by Sandy will reopen on Wednesday local time, helping ease the backlog of grounded flights.

New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport will open at 7 a.m. Wednesday and offer limited service, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Best day and weekend trips from Seoul, by season

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:05 PM PDT

by Elizabeth Eun

There's just so much to see in Seoul, it may take a few trips to the Korean capital before a traveler's mind turns to seeing places outside the city.

Apart from the terrible traffic on weekends, traveling around Korea is not as daunting as it may seem, with government-launched initiatives such a foreigner-only national bus tours, and convenient high-speed trains from central Seoul.

So when the city's fast pace and crowds get too overwhelming, some time away might be just the thing. Here are nine great day and weekend trips, according to season.

Fall

1. Heyri Art Valley, Paju

The flowers are definitely a lovely respite from Seoul's steel and concrete. Just north of Seoul is a valley officially described as "the loveliest village on earth/all artists are dreaming." It's an ambitious statement that seems believable once you're actually there.

7 of the freakiest places on the planet

Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:50 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Scary sells. Whatever the nature of their flesh, the spirits of the dead rake in very real profits when it comes to sightseeing.

The Haunted House Association in the United States claims profits of up to US$500 million from domestic haunted house ticket sales.

The tourists shelling out are doing so for a giddy but ultimately safe experience.

The places featured on our list below are less about the sort of commercial scare that you can buy at an amusement park.

This is the real deal.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

CNNGo.com

Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights worldwide
Hello Kitty trams: Cute, but won't get you home any faster
Gallery: China's breathtaking countryside

Hurricane Sandy grounds thousands of flights worldwide

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 09:28 PM PDT

by Nick Thompson

Airlines around the world canceled flights to and from the northeastern United States as a massive storm slammed into the coast of southern New Jersey late Monday.

Hurricane Sandy, now rated as a "post-tropical" superstorm, forced the closure of New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports and Newark airport in New Jersey "until further notice" as rising floodwaters washed across parts of the region, while domestic and international flights were canceled at other major airports in the area.

To read the rest of the story, go to CNN.

Hello Kitty trams: Cute, but won't get you home any faster

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 07:40 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

A Hello Kitty spa, Hello Kitty airliners and now Hello Kitty trams.

Banking on the popularity of the mouthless cat in Hong Kong, EVA Air has decked out two of the city's iconic trams in full Hello Kitty kit in its latest marketing campaign.

The Taiwanese carrier, which operates a fleet of much-loved and sickly sweet Hello Kitty A330-300s, has themed a brace of Hong Kong trams -- "Hello Kitty Loves Apple" and "Hello Kitty Happy Music Time."

More on CNN: Hello Kitty jets: 5 cutest airplanes ever

Fans are invited to take pictures of the trams and enter a photo competition on EVA Air's Facebook page (Chinese only) to win return tickets between Hong Kong and Taipei.

Gallery: China's breathtaking countryside

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 09:50 AM PDT

by Tracy You

Photographers make great guides for scenic trips -- they have a knack of finding places with stunning views but minus the crowds.

This is especially helpful when traveling in China.

In the past decade or so, Macanese photographer Melinda Chan has traveled extensively in China with photo tour groups. She considers this a great way to see the real side of the nation.

"Many photo tours are going to the places that are not very common for regular tourists," says Chan, who is an air traffic control officer at Macau International Airport.

From her fat photo album, Chan picked out 11 favorite landscapes in China.

Monday, October 29, 2012

CNNGo.com

World's highest national park opens in Tibet
Singapore Airlines orders more Airbus A380s
How to make a good first impression in Asia
Insider Guide: Best of Los Angeles

World's highest national park opens in Tibet

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:16 AM PDT

by CNNGo staff

China has set another tourism record by opening what it dubs "the world's highest national park" last week in Tibet Autonomous Region, according to China Daily.

Standing on "the roof of the world," the Qomolangma National Park (珠穆朗玛国家公园) embraces five eight-thousander mountains, including 8,848-meter Mount Everest (known in China as Mount Qomolangma), 8,201-meter Mount Cho Oyo and 8,013-meter Shishapangma.

The sky-high attraction also contains 10 mountains rising between 7,000-8,000 meters, as well as glaciers, hot springs and alpine forests.

High, huge and resourceful

Occupying 78,000 square kilometers, the newly unveiled tourist spot is roughly the size of the Czech Republic and is situated in the Xigaze Prefecture (日喀则) in southern Tibet Autonomous Region, near China's border with Nepal.

"The national park will be focused on the protection of the ecology and biodiversity and prevention from illegal resource exploitation or land use," said Sun Yongping (孙永平), deputy chief of the Tibetan Tourism Bureau, reported China Daily.

Singapore Airlines orders more Airbus A380s

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 03:05 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has placed an order for five A380-800 superjumbos and 20 A350-900s, valued at US$7.5 billion. Deliveries are due to begin in 2017.

This is on top of an earlier order of another 20 A350 XWBs (Xtra Wide-Body). The delivery of these 20 aircraft will begin in 2015.

The A350 XWB family's cabin width is five inches wider than the nearest competitor's. It is also said to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent.

On the other hand, the airlines' A380s also offer one of the widest long-haul business seats (34 inches) and one of the widest long-haul economy seats (19 inches).

The Singapore-based carrier currently owns a fleet of 19 A380s, which mostly serve long-haul destinations like Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo and Zurich.

How to make a good first impression in Asia

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 12:05 PM PDT

by Jordan Rane

Any traveler who believes that good behavior is a universal language has never given the "OK" sign in Turkey, patted a child's head in Bhutan or noticed just how widely etiquette codes can vary around the world.

So how do you greet, chat, dine and imbibe with new business contacts in Asia, where one guest's polite belch is another's tableside blasphemy?

Making a good first impression in the following seven places may require some grueling firsthand experience, but here's what to know before you bow.

China

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel knows, a simple handshake will suffice when meeting someone in China. "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." -- Chinese Proverb

It's doubtful this adage refers to the trials foreigners in China with poor name recognition and limited drinking skills face when becoming a polished practitioner of keqi (good "guest behavior"). But it might.

Insider Guide: Best of Los Angeles

Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:05 AM PDT

by Stephanie K Smith

Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the Western world.

But it's also among the world's most diverse metropolitan areas and is the United States' second-most populous city, with roughly 80 interconnected neighborhoods. Los Angeles county has almost 10 million residents.

Or, as Dorothy Parker once called it, "72 suburbs in search of a city."

From the cool-casual vibe of Santa Monica's Main Street to the Mid-City meccas of excess spanning Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip, to the hipster's paradise of the East Side, Angelenos have a wide range of tastes and options.

The catch?