TRAVEL, MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT

2022-04-01T23:30:00.000-04:00

Exploring America's Main Streets on a motorcycle

2013-11-08T12:00:00.004-05:00

Brothers Brant and Dylan Ozanich and Wyatt McCall were at a motorcycle shop in Hamilton, Montana, ordering a part for Dylan's bike when they met two old bikers from Texas and talked with them about their trip across the country.

Although they had no treasurer, Brant pointed to McCall to answer the question. "You guys are going to need this, trust me," said one of the older men, handing him $200 in cash.

The three friends, all in their early 20s, admit they looked a little raggedy at the time. "It was straight kindness," said McCall, and typical of the generosity of the bikers they met across the country. And it turns out, "we did need it the next day for more bike repairs."

The generosity of strangers repeated itself during the two-month summer journey of three young men on the cusp of adulthood to find and document Main Street culture and people across the United States. And making the trip on motorcycles connected them not just to the towns and people they visited, but also to the country's biker community.

An exploration of biker culture

Contributing their own money and raising funds from family, friends and Kickstarter, the trio started a blog, raised over $10,000 to fund the trip and pay for the pre- and post-production costs of documenting their journey. They documented the journey on theirblog and the reddit online community, and they hope to have adocumentary and book out sometime next year.

Traveling on motorcycles turned out to be key. Dylan rode a 1982 Yamaha XJ 750 Seca ($500 cost); Brant rode a 1980 Yamaha XJ 650 Maxim ($500); and McCall rode a 1985 Honda V65 Magna ($1500 cost). "On Maxim, On Magna, On Seca" was a mantra they picked up for the trip.

"We didn't know motorcycles were going to be that much of a connection between people, but they were," said McCall. "Every time you get to a new place, you're part of this new community."

"With motorcycles you feel the scenery and the microclimate change and smell the fields you drive through," said Brant. "Besides, it's just plain badass."

Finding their first Main Street

They packed up their bikes and left around noon on July 6. They planned to head north, turn east to get to New York, south to Mississippi and then through Texas and the Southwest to return home to California, But they decided not to keep to a strict schedule, allowing for fellow travelers to guide them on their way.

It didn't take long to hit pay dirt. A few hours after they hit the road, they found their first Main Street in Point Arena, a small town north of San Francisco.

As they hopped off their bikes, the locals they met convinced them to come back the next day for a parade marking Independence Day. "The whole community came out and let us be a part of it and accepted us into the community," Dylan said.

That serendipity set the tone for the rest of the trip.

The best sandwich in Idaho, or anywhere

The travelers only had a guarantee of places to stay (and eat) in New York and Los Angeles. Everything else would be an exploration, local recommendations and possibly, information from their not-guaranteed Internet connections.

The road led them to a Mennonite deli in Clark Fork, Idaho, that "made the best sandwiches we've ever tasted," said McCall. They bought sandwiches and drove a mile down the road into Montana near a bridge to picnic and more. "We jumped off the bridge to swim," Dylan said. And the drive through the Bitterroot Mountain range that cuts Idaho and Montana wasn't too shabby either.

They also explored the source of their food, working for five days atEcho Valley Farm in Wisconsin in exchange for room and board. "It was some of the most gorgeous, breathtaking American looking farmland I've ever seen, with rolling green hills and grain mills," Brant said. "It felt like what we were looking for the whole time -- true America heartland."

The farm's kindness was typical of the people who gave them shelter on their journey. "We pulled up, three dirty bikers, to this nice sustainable farm," he said. They "showed us a nice place to park the bikes, took us on a tractor up around the whole property and told us about everything they were doing."

A willingness of strangers to share their stories was also typical. Shortly after they crossed the Mason Dixon Line into Maryland and found a good campsite at Catoctin Mountain Park, they heard music coming through the woods. "Was it a violin or cello?" said McCall, so they went to explore it.

They discovered two older Korean men playing songs about Korea on their saxophones. "We found the coolest guys on the whole trip," said McCall.

Busted shocks and other struggles

The trip wasn't without its troubles. Dylan's shocks stopped working somewhere in Montana. "For a few days I didn't know if my bike would be able to make it," he said. But they were able to fix it. "We pulled it all apart in the forest, drained it and put in new fluid."

Brant also had the smallest gas tank, holding a gallon less than the other two bikes. He also had the worst gas mileage. And so he ran out of gas at least five times on the trip, and coasted into gas stations on fumes at least three times. "I learned toward the end of the trip to carry a water bottle or two of gas."

By the time they arrived home in San Francisco on August 28, everyone was glad to sleep in their own beds again.

"For the first six days back, McCall was at his girlfriend's house, and Dylan and I sat on the couch watching movies," said Brant.

'An adult within my society'

Giving up the benefits of home for a couple months was worth the journey. Dylan left San Francisco thinking it would be a way to transition from his youth to adulthood. Along the way, he hoped to learn "what it means to be a man in my society." While he doesn't have any specific answers, "seeing my country and understanding what my country is about ... helped me understand that more."

While Brant has always liked to travel and experience new things, he thought he would graduate college, get a job and save for his next planned trip. Not anymore. "Being out there in America on the road, and roughing it, inspired me to book a plane ticket to South America with my last $400," he said. "I thought, 'If you did this, you can do pretty much anything without a lot of resources.' "

McCall, who had graduated in May not knowing what he wanted to do, thinks travel and video may be his calling.(And he learned how to ride a motorcycle along the way.)

The three friends credit each other with making it an amazing experience. "We did get in fights and have problems, but we wouldn't have been able to do it without each other," said Dylan.

"Every different leg of the trip, there was one pushing, one dragging and one on a stretcher," he said. "It would change every single day."

"We wouldn't have made it across the country and back without the others."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/travel/finding-main-street-motorcycle-journey/index.html?hpt=tr_t2

Best affordable island hotels

2013-11-08T11:58:00.004-05:00

Too often the daydream of lounging under palm trees on some enchanted island is punctured by the reality of sky-high hotel and resort prices.

But there's no need to despair or settle for some landlocked compromise. We've pinpointed affordable island hotels that span the globe, from destinations usually reserved for big spenders to others barely on the radar of most travelers. All of our favorites have room rates that start below $200—some as low as $70. And these hotels have more going for them than price point, whether it's an oceanfront location or cozy charm.

Whatever your idea of paradise, we think you'll agree that every gem on our list deserves treasure island status.

Lefkes Village Hotel, Paros, Greece

Part of the Cyclades, Paros delivers all the archetypal Greek island draws—whitewashed churches, bougainvillea-festooned houses, panoramic Aegean views—without the high prices of neighboring hot spots Santorini and Mykonos. Case in point: this 20-room contemporary hotel in the quiet mountain village of Lefkes, with a swimming pool, a small museum, and a tavern that uses ingredients gathered from the surrounding fruit trees and gardens. From $70.

La Veranda Resort, Vietnam

The island of Phu Quoc (the country's largest) is firmly on the tourist radar these days, yet it still retains the serene small-town essence that first drew intrepid travelers to its balmy shores. This elegant two-story resort radiates French colonial-era charm: airy rooms with net-draped beds with either lush tropical garden or ocean views, a dining room serving Pan Pacific cuisine on a long veranda beneath lazy ceiling fans, and a clubby lounge bar with scarlet walls. From $140.

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Copamarina Beach Resort & Spa, Puerto Rico

Copamarina occupies prime oceanfront real estate on Puerto Rico's less-explored southern coast, complete with a palm-fringed beach and 20 acres of tropical gardens. It's a setting that more than makes up for any style shortcomings. Take advantage of the recently updated on-site spa, two seafood-oriented restaurants, and several pools, or venture farther afield. The historic seaside town of Guánica is within walking distance; nearby adventures include bird-watching in Dry Forest Reserve and snorkeling by tiny Gilligan's Island. From $145.

Fairbanks House, Amelia Island, Florida

Amelia Island combines the Spanish moss-draped romance of the South with a laid-back tropical ambience. And this boutique Italianate-style villa is the perfect base from which to take it all in. The historic building (est. 1885) displays all manner of over-the-top details: dormers, bay windows, massive chimneys, balustraded balconies, and a 15-foot tower. Rooms feature canopy or four-poster beds, fireplaces, and bathrooms that will thrill any nostalgics yearning to soak in a Victorian-era claw-foot tub. From $180.

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Fishers' Loft, Newfoundland, Canada

Overlooking Trinity Bay and the harbor of Ship Cove, Fishers' Loft is found on one of Atlantic Canada's most fascinating, idiosyncratic islands. Designed in the clapboard-and-shingles style of the late 1800s, this cozy inn evokes Newfoundland's seafaring past; guests have the chance to spot whales and icebergs out the mullioned windows, depending on the season. Meals are sourced with ingredients gathered from the inn's greenhouse and gardens. From $99.

Auberge Seraphine, St. Lucia

A big hit with honeymooners, the lush Caribbean island of St. Lucia can also take a big hit on your wallet, thanks to its slew of high-end resorts. Not so at this sweet family-run hotel near Castries on the northwest coast. There's no beach here, but the auberge has a lovely pool and is on sailboat-packed Vielle Bay, close to a large lily pad--filled pond popular with hundreds of white egrets. Snag a table at the on-site restaurant for seafood risotto and lobster. From $125.

Rosario Resort & Spa, Orcas Island, Washington

For an island getaway with a dose of history, consider this quaint 40-acre resort on the largest of Washington State's San Juan Islands, overlooking East Sound and Cascade Bay. Rosario shares land with Moran Mansion, the magnificent former home of shipbuilder and onetime Seattle mayor Robert Moran. It's now a museum featuring archival photographs, model ships, and an impressive collection of Arts and Crafts furnishings amassed by Moran. From $99.

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Villa Serena, Dominican Republic

Word has spread about the Samaná peninsula, an unspoiled stretch of coastline in the island's northeast corner, far from the madding crowds of the Puerto Cana resort region. Part of the peninsula's appeal is its bevy of stylish small hotels, among them, Villa Serena on Las Galeras Bay. It has all the classic Caribbean colonial features -- Palladian arches, wooden shutters, acres of white gingerbread trim—set in sprawling tropical gardens just steps from the sand. Daily alfresco yoga sessions overlooking the ocean are a highlight. From $110.

Sangat Island Dive Resort, Palawan, Philippines

It's not hard to understand why T+L readers voted Palawan their favorite island in the 2013 World's Best survey; the lightly populated archipelago shows off the sublime underwater richness of the Philippines. After diving or snorkeling in the surrounding coral reef, retreat back to your cottage at this low-key resort at the foot of towering limestone cliffs. Simple tropical furnishings—bamboo floors and walls, bright textiles, and terraces slung with hammocks—keep the focus on the outrageously beautiful ocean views. From $85.

La Tosca, Capri, Italy

Dreams are made of this: a charming family-run hotel in one of Italy's most upscale destinations for around $100 a night. Whitewashed La Tosca also occupies a lofty position, providing glimpses of the Faraglioni rocks from the breakfast terrace. Rooms are simply furnished, with vibrant textiles, tiled floors, and windows opening onto either the gardens or the Mediterranean. It's within strolling distance of the island's famous Piazzetta, the Gardens of Augustus, and the Monastery of St. Giacomo. From $100 (closed November--March).

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/travel/best-affordable-island-hotels/index.html?hpt=tr_t5

10 of the world's most scenic cemeteries

2013-11-08T11:57:00.002-05:00

That doesn't surprise most people. Because I'm a crime novelist, they expect me to peer into the dark, shivery corners everyone else avoids. But the reasons I love graveyards have little to do with the spooky. To me, they're beautiful green spaces and open-air art museums.

While there are two famous American cemeteries that rate as tourist attractions in their own right -- Arlington and Gettysburg -- there are others that deserve to be better known. Here are my 10 favorite final resting places around the world. They should be on every traveler's list of things to see before they... you know.

Green-Wood Cemetery, New York City

Close your eyes and imagine 478 acres of rolling hills, complete with several ponds, a lake, a glorious view of the Statue of Liberty and thousands of historic monuments. Throw in a chapel that's modeled on Christopher Wren's Thomas Tower at Oxford's Christ Church College, and you've got Brooklyn's spectacular Green-Wood. The cemetery took a beating from Hurricane Sandy, losing some 300 mature trees, but the grand mausoleums and monuments are still in place.

This 1838 cemetery boasts National Historic Landmark status, in part because it's where the Battle of Long Island was fought in 1776. But it's just as significant to bird-watchers, and it's a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System. Green-Wood offers a variety of ticketed tours that take you around its expansive grounds by trolley or into its catacombs by flashlight, but visitors are welcome to walk the grounds daily.

Granary Burying Ground, Boston

A sign at the entrance to the Granary Burying Ground claims that "Famous, infamous and unknown Bostonians are buried here." This small cemetery on Tremont Street, founded in 1660, holds many Revolutionary War heroes, including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and James Otis. One of the grandest monuments belongs to Benjamin Franklin's family (though Ben himself rests in Philadelphia). One of the more infamous residents is Samuel Sewall, a magistrate who presided over the Salem witch trials.

Almost every headstone is eye-catching in its own right, with elaborate carvings of skeletons sporting scythes, winged skulls, sly-looking cherubs, and other symbols of mourning, as well as poetic epitaphs. The towering Egyptian Revival gate that marks the entryway is a work of art in its own right. Open daily, the Granary Burying Ground has excellent signage to point out the most famous -- and infamous --graves.

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Mount Pleasant, Toronto

If you're not used to seeing cemeteries filled with baby strollers and joggers, brace yourself before visiting Mount Pleasant. It's best to regard it as a public park that happens to have a lot of permanent residents. I'd love to say that locals' enthusiasm for the place is part of my hometown's Victorian tradition -- back in 1876, when this cemetery opened, having family picnics at gravesites was considered normal behavior. But it's also true that when you see Mount Pleasant's rolling green hills, botanical gardens, leafy trees, and elegant fountains, you know that it's the cemetery's incredible beauty that draws people in. There are grand mausoleums here, belonging to families like the Eatons and the Masseys, and famous graves, such as pianist Glenn Gould's resting place, but the real reason to visit is to enjoy glorious green space in the middle of a frenetic city. Open daily from dawn to dusk.

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans

New Orleans never had an easy time burying people -- with its water table, they could get unburied when it rained. So they devised a city of the dead with above-ground tombs and opened St. Louis No. 1 in 1789. Its whitewashed crypts, some topped with mournful statues and surrounded by wrought-iron gates, have a ghostly beauty that has been captured on film, most famously in "Easy Rider." The cemetery, as racially diverse as New Orleans itself, is a stop on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail, and while it's primarily a Catholic burial place, it has a section for others, too.

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One of its most famous residents may be the 19th-century voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, whose remains are believed to be in the Glapion tomb, and occult offerings are left there in her honor. Guided tours are available through Save Our Cemeteries, but visitors are welcome to wander through every day except Mardi Gras.

Highgate Cemetery, London

Situated on 37 acres in North London, Highgate is as almost much a nature reserve as it is a historic resting place. Wild as a classic English garden, it features trees, shrubs and flowers growing without human intervention, and they provide cover to Highgate's many living inhabitants, which include foxes. In the midst of all this greenery are magnificent stone monuments, some dating back to 1839 and so covered in ivy that the grounds can resemble the land that time forgot. But with famous people such as George Eliot, Karl Marx and Malcolm McLaren interred here, it isn't likely that anyone will ever pass it by. Highgate is divided into East and West cemeteries, with the latter only available for viewing by tour (buy tickets in advance through the website). East Highgate charges an admission fee, but you can explore it on your own.

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Père-Lachaise, Paris

This is the ultimate Who's Who of graveyards. It was established by Napoleon himself in 1804, with the emperor declaring, "Every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion." Since then, Père-Lachaise has welcomed writers (Balzac, Proust, Richard Wright, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas); singers (Maria Callas, Edith Piaf); artists (Delacroix, Ingres, Modigliani, Corot, Seurat); and composers (Chopin, Bizet), among others. But the most popular gravesite of all is that of rock star Jim Morrison, whose relatively small grave has been so often vandalized that it is now guarded. The cemetery is open daily and visitors are welcome to explore. There's no admission charge.

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

It's a curious thing to stand on a city street and look up -- way up -- to spot the cemetery. Prague was, at one time, home to one of the wealthiest Jewish communities in Europe. But its inhabitants were still subject to some rather draconian rules, including one commanding that Jews could only be buried on a single city block. What's now called the Old Jewish Cemetery was that burial ground, and it was used continuously from the early 15th century until 1787. There was nowhere to go but up, and so centuries of tombs and monuments lie buried inside as more earth was brought in. There are some 12,000 tombstones at the top, though thousands more are buried here. It's a poignant thing to see so many headstones jammed together, yet each one is elaborately carved, inlaid with flora and fauna, symbols of a trade or hands reaching to heaven. Open daily, with an admission fee.

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires

In Argentina's capital city, Recoleta is considered a chief attraction. Walled off from the tony neighborhood it inhabits, it's effectively a city-within-the-city, founded in 1822 and filled with elaborately carved tombs and fine Italian statuary. The most popular spot is the Duarte family tomb, which is where the country's most famous first lady, Evita Perón, is buried. (The Duartes are her father's family; because the controversial Evita's body was stolen and mutilated by her husband's enemies after her death, it's now heavily protected.) Even if the names of famous Argentine families aren't familiar to foreign visitors, their extravagant memorials leave a lasting impression. Free tours are available in a variety of languages, and visitors are welcome to explore on their own.

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Cementerio General, Santiago

Chile and Argentina have always been great rivals, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that Santiago has a cemetery that aims to be even more spectacular than Buenos Aires'. Spread over 210 acres, and divided into elegant streets and boulevards, the Cementerio General has massive tombs designed to resemble Mayan temples, Venetian palazzos and other grand structures — they're so huge, you might start to wonder whether any living family members could be inside, too. But the most fascinating part of the site is the Monument to the Disappeared, a large-scale memorial to those who vanished under Augusto Pinochet's brutal regime. Undoubtedly not by coincidence, the Pinochet family tomb is a stone's-throw away. (Augusto Pinochet died in 2006, but his family, fearing vandalism, didn't place his cremated remains at the family tomb.) Open daily to visitors.

Mount of Olives, Jerusalem

I'm embarrassed to admit that, when I visited the Mount of Olives, on the eastern side of Old Jerusalem, I was expecting a grove of olive trees. Instead, I found an expansive cemetery that dates back to biblical times and is still in use. One of the oldest monuments, at the foot of the mount in the Kidron Valley, is to King David's son Absalom. According to the Book of Zechariah, the Mount of Olives is where the Messiah will first appear, and so it's the first place where the dead will rise from their graves. The Jewish cemetery contains biblical kings as well as more modern Israeli leaders such as Menahem Begin, but there are also Christian and Muslim burial grounds here. Wherever you stand on the mount, it offers a uniquely beautiful view of ancient, walled Jerusalem.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/travel/worlds-most-scenic-cemeteries/index.html?hpt=tr_t4

7 of Europe's most beautiful villages

2013-11-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

The notion of postcard-perfect villages steeped in old-world charm has inspired centuries of travelers to fan out across Europe, seeking its secluded hamlets.

As a result, the continent's scenic spots rarely remain hidden for long. It doesn't take much to make a charming village feel uncomfortably popular. Consider the five fishing villages that make up Italy's Cinque Terre, where an evening summertime stroll often feels like shuffling through a packed amusement park, complete with overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops.

The first requirement of a beautiful village is a scenic location, whether among the Norwegian fjords or the sun-splashed Greek isles. But the finest also have distinctive features like the plaza ringed with high-gabled pastel façades in Telč, Czech Republic, or the unforgettable Victorian castle rising above the thatched roofs of Cong, Ireland.

Reaching some of these European beauties requires extra effort, yet the rewards are dazzling. Your eyes will thank you.

Tellaro, Italy

Snaking cliff-top roads and a minuscule harbor have protected Tellaro from the wave of tourism that has swallowed other Ligurian seaside towns like Vernazza and Portofino. A jumble of pastel buildings clings vertiginously to the sheer cliffs of Tellaro, which occupies the easternmost tip of the Golfo dei Poeti. It's named for the poets and literary icons like Lord Byron and D. H. Lawrence who have sought inspiration in this Mediterranean haven.

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Bibury, England

The hilly Cotswold region is a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" in southwestern England, and one of its loveliest villages is Bibury, where verdant meadows abut ancient stone cottages with steep pitched roofs. The River Coln, which bisects the village, teems with trout, but the most scenic area is Arlington Row, a lane of sepia-hued cottages built in the 17th century to house weavers from the nearby Arlington Mill.

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Hallstatt, Austria

The storybook town of Hallstatt in central Austria enjoys a gorgeous setting on the bank of the Hallstätter See, between the pristine lake and a lush mountain that rises dramatically from the water's edge. A history of salt mining dating back thousands of years has translated into enduring prosperity for the town, which is most evident in the beautiful square ringed with ivy-covered buildings.

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Folegandros, Greece

Santorini's streets sag with admirers, but on Folegandros, a nearby island in the Cyclades, you'll find similar architecture—streets paved in slate, whitewashed buildings decorated with colorful flowers, the occasional Greek Orthodox church with a bright blue dome—without the crowds. For a secluded swim, trek to Katergo, a sheltered stretch of beach where gentle, emerald-blue waves lap the pebbly shore.

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Colmar, France

French and German influences commingle in this well-preserved Alsatian village, where local bakeries sell both croissants and kugelhopf, and restaurants specialize in foie gras and sauerkraut (or choucroute). A range of architectural styles, from German Gothic to French Neo-Baroque, can be spotted in the old town, which was spared destruction during World War II—thanks in part to the historical beauty of its cobblestoned lanes, quiet canals, and half-timbered houses.

Reine, Norway

North of the Arctic Circle, Reine is a pretty fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago, an area of starkly beautiful Nordic wilderness, where sapphire bays punctuate fjords and mountains. Many of the bright red fishermen's cabins (called rorbuer) have been converted into comfortable cottages for visitors that offer direct access to the Norwegian Sea. Settle in for a front-row view of the night sky and its mesmerizing entertainment, from summer's midnight sun to winter's northern lights.

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Telč, Czech Republic

Residents of Telč, a small town in south Moravia, were once quite competitive about the beauty of their homes, as is evident today on the elongated main square, where one building is lovelier than the next. The Baroque- and Renaissance-style façades, featuring high gables painted in pale pastels, now support small shops and cafés. A grand Renaissance-era château and large fish-filled ponds surround the square.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/travel/7-of-europes-most-beautiful-villages/index.html?hpt=tr_t3

10 things to know about visiting Detroit

2013-11-08T11:52:00.002-05:00

Detroit is a place whose story is often told by the numbers. It was home to 2 million residents at its peak, but now the city is down to roughly 700,000. And all of those residents live in a 139-square-mile city grappling with millions of dollars in debt that led the city to file for bankruptcy.

But 700,000 people still make their home here. There are square miles of the city that are empty, yes. But the rest of Detroit still has to live somewhere. And where they're living, they're really living. They're operating barber shops and beauty salons, they're working to build Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant, they're going to see the Detroit City Football Club soccer team play at Cass Technical High School. E

Beyond the abandoned train station and empty Packard Plant is a city slowly making its way back from the brink. What Detroit will look like in the years to come is anyone's guess, but it doesn't mean things have ground to a halt in the meantime.

So what do you do in Detroit?

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Know that you haven't left civilization. Relax. You're in Detroit. It's a city, an American city. It's going through a tough time, sure. Detroit's problems show themselves more than other cities. But assess: Why are you in Detroit? For business? For pleasure? For curiosity? Regardless of why you're here, there will be something here you'll never forget. Welcome, and open your mind.

Savor African and African-American art. The great migration out of the rural South that began before World War I coupled with opportunities within the automotive industry made Detroit an enduring stronghold of African-American culture. The city of Detroit is home to one of the largest collectives of black artists, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History houses one of the world's best-curated collections of art from the African diaspora.

Also consider checking out the African Bead Museum, the Shrine of the Black Madonna bookstore and cultural center and pockets of mostly black-owned boutiques, galleries and eateries on the Avenue of Fashion along the northern portion of Livernois Avenue on the city's northwest side.

Tour Elmwood Cemetery. There are no more calming places anywhere than cemeteries, but Elmwood is special because of the haunting, Gothic monuments among lush, tree-lined paths. The founding fathers of Detroit -- and Michigan -- are buried here. And while you're on this side of town, head over to Indian Village, the city's premier historic district that once served as home to some of the area's wealthiest auto barons where houses still are maintained and occupied by many of the city's power brokers. Or stop for some coffee at one of the cafes in nearby West Village.

Walk Pallister Avenue. Even in a city built around the auto industry, there are hidden gems where your own two feet remain the best mode of transportation. Stroll down the brick-laid, American Foursquare-lined Pallister -- where no cars are allowed. While this residential pedestrian avenue takes you to a quieter, simpler time, it was developed by none other than the workhorses at General Motors.

The automaker had its headquarters nearby on West Grand Boulevard and sought to redevelop the area after a slow decline in the 1960s. While the plan didn't quite work out -- GM moved its headquarters downtown in the 1990s -- the residents there have maintained the original vision. And if you're feeling hungry, stop by New Center Eatery nearby for the best chicken and waffles in town.

Get hip to the latest pop-ups. The barrier of entry to entrepreneurship is lower in Detroit, and many budding business owners are taking advantage of the pop-up model to establish themselves. And other local talent finds them. Take The Taco Lady, for one: Wherever Detroit native Erica Class' traveling stand Two Dollar Tacos pops up, there's sure to be a good time. Class has connections with nearly all of Detroit's up-and-coming artists and musicians displaying their talents citywide. Look for @TwoDollarTacos on Twitter.

Sample culinary creations beyond the coney dog. Get some Asian Corned Beef. There are plenty of nooks and crannies hiding delicacies unique to Detroit that contribute to the city's flavor, and these handmade corned beef concoctions wrapped in egg rolls are hidden gems. True to many locally owned joints, Asian Corned Beef has one place on the west side (13660 Wyoming) and one on the east side (2847 E. Seven Mile).

Try our local sport. Football + bowling = Fowling. Got that? The story behind that portmanteau is this: The proprietor of Fowling Warehouse and his family invented a summer game based on horseshoes, except instead of ringing horseshoes around a metal rod, you knock down bowling pins with a football. Sounds easy enough, but veterans of the Detroit-bred sport know better. All the activity at Fowling Warehouse is spur-of-the-moment, so it's not uncommon for one-on-one matches to morph into an all-out dodgeball-style tournament with more footballs and pins. They're in two locations: Sundays at Eastern Market and a new location at a factory -- yes, a factory -- at 3901 Christopher in Hamtramck, a small city surrounded by Detroit.

Don't go urban exploring. Why would you want to go into an abandoned building? They're old, they're dangerous, they're full of asbestos. The street cred associated with going through these places is long gone. And most Detroiters are offended if that's the only reason you visit. Lastly, it's illegal -- and with more police on the streets thanks to donated patrol cars and a shift in internal structure, you're running a greater risk. If you'd like to explore a beautiful building, try the Albert Kahn-designed 1928 Fisher Building in New Center, a commercial district north of downtown, or the 1928 Redford Theatre on Lahser Road.

Don't ask stupid questions. Yes, 8 Mile is a real place. No, 8 Mile isn't exactly like the movie "8 Mile." Don't make assumptions, and use the same common sense in Detroit that you would anywhere else.

Remember that people are people. Detroiters are not meant to be ogled like exhibits in a museum. They're not to be talked down to, pitied, shamed or treated with kid gloves. The so-called "grit," "never-say-die spirit" and "determination" is not unique to Detroiters, either. It's in all of us, everywhere. Say hello. Smile. Shake hands. Be courteous. Be polite. Be normal. Welcome to Detroit.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/travel/detroit-travel-10-things/index.html?hpt=tr_c1

Super Typhoon Haiyan, perhaps strongest ever, plows across Philippines

2013-11-08T11:50:00.004-05:00

Super Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

3 people are reported dead and 7 are injured, authorities say
"This is really a wallop," says the governor of a typhoon-hit province
The storm is one of the strongest ever observed
People left homeless by a quake on Bohol island are among the most vulnerable

Are you in the affected area? Send us images and video, but please stay safe.

(CNN) -- Super Typhoon Haiyan -- perhaps the strongest storm ever -- plowed Friday across the central Philippines, leaving widespread devastation in its wake.

It roared onto Samar at 4:30 a.m., flooding streets and knocking out power and communications networks in many areas of the hilly island in the region of Eastern Visayas, and then continued its march, barreling into four other Philippine islands as it moved across the archipelago.

At least three people were killed and seven hurt, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday. Some 125,000 took refuge in evacuation centers and hundreds of flights were canceled.

With sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph), Haiyan may be the strongest tropical cyclone to hit land anywhere in recorded history. It will take further analysis after the storm passes to establish whether it is a record.

Its speed -- moving westward at 41 kph -- meant the worst was over quickly. But the damage was still severe. "About 90% of the infrastructure and establishments were heavily damaged," Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general of the Philippine National Red Cross, told CNNI.

About 25 areas were hit, she said, adding that assessment teams were prepared to enter the stricken areas as soon as conditions allowed.

But they cannot do it alone, she said: "We will be definitely needing more support for this one."

She predicted the casualty toll will rise as soon as aid workers reach affected areas, where flood waters were as high as 10 feet.

Track the typhoon

Maryann Zamora, a field communications specialist for the charity World Vision, said her organization "has been working through so many disasters, so many typhoons -- but this is quite different."

"This is the strongest I ever felt so far," she said by phone from the island of Cebu.

Category 5 strength

Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda, retained much of its force as it moved westward with sustained winds of 295 kph (185 mph), which puts it well above the 252 kph threshold for a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category on the Saffir--Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Video showed streets flooded with debris and sheets of metal flying through the air.

Gov. Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte, a province in Eastern Visayas near the storm's path, said Friday morning that fallen trees had made impassable all roads. "We don't know the extent of the damage," Mercado said. "We are trying to estimate this. We are prepared, but this is really a wallop."

With sea travel suspended in many areas, more than 3,000 travelers were stranded in ports, the council said.

The typhoon was forecast to move away from the Philippines late Friday or early Saturday and head into the South China Sea in the direction of Vietnam.

Meteorologists predicted that it would maintain super typhoon intensity throughout its passage over the Philippines. A super typhoon has surface winds that sustain speeds of more than 240 kph (150 mph) for at least a minute, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Haiyan was so large in diameter that, at one point, its clouds were affecting two-thirds of the country, which stretches more than 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles). Tropical-storm-force winds extended 240 kilometers from the typhoon's center.

Photos: Super Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan one of the biggest ever

Super typhoon's financial impact

Philippines braces for super typhoon

iReport: Heavy rains as Philippines braces for typhoon

'Very real danger'

Ahead of the typhoon's arrival, thousands of people had been relocated away from particularly vulnerable areas in the city of Tacloban, which is situated in a coastal area of the region that bore the initial brunt of the storm.

Communications with Tacloban, which has a population of around 200,000, were disrupted after the typhoon struck. Video aired by CNN affiliate ABS-CBN showed streets in the city filled with water and debris.

In a speech Thursday, President Benigno S. Aquino III warned residents of the "calamity our countrymen will face in these coming days."

"This is a very real danger, and we can mitigate and lessen its effects if we use the information available to prepare," he said.

Authorities had aircraft ready to respond, and officials had placed relief supplies in the areas that were expected to get hit, Aquino said.

"The effects of this storm can be eased through solidarity," he said.

Earthquake survivors vulnerable

Authorities warned people in provinces across the country to prepare for possible flash floods, landslides and a storm surge as high as 7 meters (23 feet). About 125,000 people nationwide were moved to evacuation centers.

Among the most vulnerable were people living in tents on the central Philippine island of Bohol, where a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hitlast month, killing at least 222 people, injuring nearly 1,000 and displacing about 350,000, according to authorities.

On Friday, they got a second jolt -- this time from the typhoon's winds and rain, but they were spared a direct hit.

"For the past three weeks people are still experiencing aftershocks," said Aaron Aspi, a communications specialist in Bohol for World Vision. "And at the same time, these rains are giving them a really hard time."

Aspi said that, despite living in drenched tents, many people were afraid to relocate to sturdier structures because of the aftershocks.

Beach resort threatened

Another island near the storm's path was the popular beach resort of Boracay. Some tourists there cut short vacations on Thursday to get away from the possible danger.

Situated near an area of the Pacific Ocean where tropical cyclones form, the Philippines regularly suffers severe storm damage.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the nation every year.

In December, Typhoon Bopha wreaked devastation on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. The storm, the most powerful to hit the country last year, is estimated to have killed as many as 1,900 people.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

German tourist, Jana Lutteropp, dies after losing her arm in Hawaii shark attack

2013-08-22T12:27:00.002-04:00

Tourist dies after Hawaii shark attack

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Victim had gone to Hawaii after working a year as an au pair, agency says
Jana Lutteropp dies a week after being bitten by a shark off Maui
Her family describes her as "a very beautiful, strong, young woman"
Shark attacks have risen in recent years; just 2% are fatal, report finds

(CNN) -- A German tourist bitten by a shark while she was vacationing in Hawaii died Wednesday, a week after the attack, her family said.

Jana Lutteropp was remembered by her mother, Jutta Lutteropp, and sister, Julia Broeske, as "a very beautiful, strong young woman who was always laughing, and we will forever remember her that way."

"Jana fought hard to stay alive," her relatives said. "However, we are sad to say that she lost her fight today."

Shark bites teen's legs in latest attack in Hawaii

The woman, believed to be about 20 years old, was snorkeling about 50 yards off the Hawaiian island of Maui when a shark severed her right arm around 4:40 p.m. on August 14, authorities said. "The water was choppy with limited visibility" at the time, the county of Maui noted on its Facebook page.

Two male friends, who were nearby in the water, and a kayaker carried Lutteropp out of the water.

Surfer comes face to face with shark

CNN Explains: Shark attacks

First responders found her unconscious and took her to Maui Medical Center, said Lee Mainaga of the Maui Fire Department said. She was initially listed in critical condition.

Shark attack claims Brazilian teen's life

The incident spurred authorities to shut down beaches one mile on each side of where the attack happened. By noon the next day, Thursday, the beach reopened, according to the county.

Lutteropp had traveled to Hawaii after finishing her year as an au pair, according to Cultural Care Au Pair, the agency she'd worked with.

The agency said Wednesday, on its Facebook page, that Lutteropp died "surrounded by her family."

"Please join us in keeping them in your thoughts and prayers," Cultural Care said.

This shark attack is the fourth in Maui this year, with two happening on the same day in February, and the other in late July.

Four days after the Maui incident, in Pohoiki Bay on what's known as the Big Island, a gray shark bit a 16-year-old across both legs as he was surfing, CNN affiliate KHON reported.

While shark attacks have been on the uptick in recent years, according to the University of Florida, the fatality rate in the United States is just 2%.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/21/us/hawaii-shark-attack/index.html

Forget Paris, fall in love with Accra

2013-08-22T12:16:00.001-04:00

Born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1991, Chibundu Onuzo is the author of 'The Spider King's Daughter' (Faber, 2012.) The novel has won a Betty Task Award and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize. She is currently doing a Masters in Public Policy at University College London.

(CNN) -- With only a 45 minute flight separating Lagos and Accra, you'd think I'd have been to Ghana at least once in my 22-year existence. Unfortunately until July 2013, the concepts holiday and Africa have never gone together in my head.

Holiday was Italy and structurally unsound towers; or America and discount shopping or France and baguettes. Not Ghana, longstanding "frenemy "of Nigeria, with the football team we all rooted for in the last World Cup. Yet, that's no reason to actually visit the place.

I went for a family wedding. If not for love, perhaps another 22 years would have passed before I made it to Accra. The first thing that struck me almost as soon as I stepped off the plane was the manner of the people.

Now I know it is hackneyed and passé and terribly clichéd to praise the hospitality of the locals and so I make the next statement knowing that I tread on imperial ground: Ghanaians are nice.

Coconuts on Osu "Oxford" Street.

CHIBUNDU ONUZO

The friendly coconut seller in the photo above is just one of the myriad of fresh produce vendors that are dotted around the city. You spy a coconut, you pick a coconut, he splits the coconut and you drink the water out of it, right there and then on the roadside. No preservatives, no plastic bottles, just coconut.

Read this: 7 amazing mountain climbs in Africa

Chibundu Onuzo

I've often wondered why the global indexes drawn up only rank things like "Ease of Doing Business" or "Democracy," with criteria that leave African countries nearer the bottom than top. If only someone would draw up a ranking for Fresh Produce Consumption.

This love of fresh food was on one occasion, however, taken to a rather bizarre extreme. My hotel restaurant didn't have half the dinner menu because the necessary ingredients were always bought fresh from the market and the market was closed!

Speaking of hotels, due to exceptionally bad planning, I found myself staying in three hotels over eight nights. The last, The University of Legon Guesthouse, was the best value for money. For $60 a night, I got an air-conditioned ensuite double room, beautifully landscaped grounds, the fastest internet I have used in West Africa and reasonably priced meals in the restaurant.

Read this: Ghana, the jewel of West Africa

Now, as an original Lagosian, I haven't been to a place unless I've gone shopping in a place. I hit Oxford Street, Osu, on my second day in town. It's a roadside market that caters to the cravings of an ankara lover like myself, or 'African print' to those not quite in the know.

Touring Ghana's Makola Market

Part 2: Ecotourism in Sierra Leone

Tourists flocking to South Africa

However, for more upmarket shoppers who want their air-conditioning and shopping trolleys, there's the Accra City Mall in East Legon where Ghanaian designers sell their work alongside international brands. In my humble opinion, local content was winning but I'm a little biased.

There are of course conventional touristy things to do in Accra. For the reasonable sum of six cedis, you can enjoy The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, final resting place of the first President of Ghana. It's a serene venue for contemplation. The museum on site sheds some light on the man behind the leader that was a pivotal part of the independence movement in Africa.

Yet I also like to see the places not fashionable enough for the beaten track, places that probably wouldn't make it into a glossy tourist brochure.

Ghana, beautiful as it is, is still a developing country. There are shopping malls and skyscrapers -- one born every minute -- but there is also Nima, where I met a lady who chops firewood every evening to cook her meals.

Read this: Artists take epic Africa road trip

I had open access to Nima thanks to the organization Invisible Borders and their partnerships in the area. Perhaps not all the Millennium Development Goals have been met in Nima but there were other signs of development that international agencies don't often look for. I had my first private art viewing in Musa's studio in Nima. Only a stone's throw away from that was a photography exhibition in Nima Roundabout.

It wasn't all sightseeing and games though. I also went to Accra for the very serious business of book promoting. I've never been on radio in West Africa. It's no different from being on radio in England except the presenters on Joy and Citi FM understood my accent.

I left Accra determined to go on holiday in more African countries. Forget Paris, Milan and Prague. Maputo here I come!

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chibundu Onuzo.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/22/travel/forget-paris-fall-love-accra/index.html?sr=fbmainintl

Ancient primate could be a missing link

2013-08-11T19:38:00.000-04:00

Achilles' heel was his weak spot in the Greek myth, but the heel of a newly discovered primate provides a strong connection between humans and their possible ancestors.

Scientists have discovered the oldest primate skeleton to date, from a creature that resembles humans' evolutionary line -- the anthropoids -- and a different primate lineage called the tarsiers. They have named this specimen Archicebus achilles, making reference to its heel bone, which resembles those of modern monkeys.

Anthropoids include humans, apes and monkeys. Tarsiers are nocturnal primates that live only in Southeast Asia today. The study is published in the journal Nature.

"For the first time, it really shines a light on an important phase of primate and human evolution that we just had very little information about before," said K. Christopher Beard, paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and senior author of the study.

The specimen's completeness, age and position in the primate family tree make it special, said Erik Seiffert, associate professor at Stony Brook University, who was not involved in the study.

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"In my opinion, it is one of the most important discoveries in the history of paleoprimatology," Seiffert said in an e-mail.

While fragments of other ancient primates have been found in the past, this skeleton -- about 55 million years old -- is by far the most complete example of a primate from this period, Beard said.

Archicebus achilles represents a never-before-seen link between the anthropoids and the tarsiers, Beard said, but he expects the creature's exact position on the evolutionary tree to be quite controversial.

Some of its features suggest to his group that it is slightly more closely related to tarsiers than to anthropoids, but other scientists may reach different conclusions. Still, he said, it seems to be clearly related to both groups.

"Archicebus (achilles) gives us our first really detailed look at a species that branched off right near the base of the primate family tree -- when anthropoids, tarsiers, and lemurs had just started out on their separate evolutionary pathways," Seiffert said.

This creature was tiny -- only 2.8 inches long -- and weighed no more than 1 ounce, making it between the size of a shrew and a mouse.

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Scientists find the small size fascinating because until about a decade ago, researchers believed that anthropoids needed to be a lot bigger, Beard said. But there are counterexamples, even today: The pygmy mouse lemur, found in Madagascar, weighs only about an ounce as well.

A creature so tiny must have been "active and frenetic," Beard said. Shrews, for instance, act anxious because they are always looking for their next meal, since they need a lot of food for their high metabolic rate.

Archicebus achilles, being small, probably also had a high metabolism, and likely ate high-calorie foods such as insects and very ripe fruits with lots of sugar content.

"When you're that small, you can't afford to eat salad," Beard said. "You can't ingest enough calories rapidly enough to keep your body going."

Unlike modern tarsiers, Archicebus achilles was active during the day. Tarsiers also tend to have eyeballs that are the same volume as their brains, whereas this ancient creature had relatively small eye sockets compared to its face -- an attribute of monkeys.

Triceratops trio unearthed in Wyoming

The creature's foot made a big impression on Beard because of how much it resembles the feet of modern-day marmosets. Its features are much more like those of a monkey than a tarsier.

On the other hand, other features -- the hip, knee, elbow and pelvis -- more closely resemble a tarsier.

Paleontologists can't say that this specific creature is the ancestor of humans and tarsiers, but this is the best approximation so far of something resembling a hypothetical common ancestor, he said.

Archicebus achilles was discovered in an ancient lake in Hubei province, China, at a site called the lower Eocene Yangxi Formation, in the Jingzhou area.

The scientists plan on going back and looking for more, but it's hard work. They were lucky to have found this creature, Beard said. It must have died near the lake and then its carcass was swept into the lake, perhaps by a stream. The body settled at the bottom, covered up by mud which then hardened.

For researchers digging at this site, ancient fish fossils are far more likely to turn up than primates, "which is cool -- fossil fish are cool. I like fossil fish, but I'm not an expert on fossil fish," Beard added.

But if you're looking for ancient mammals at this site, "you have to have an incredible amount of patience because it's probably going to be years before you find something that's really, really exciting. But when you do, you hit the jackpot."

Scandinavian skinny-dippers warned of testicle-biting fish

2013-08-11T19:35:00.003-04:00

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, as the saying goes, male skinny-dippers in Scandinavia are being warned about a fish infamous for munching on testicles.

Yes, you read that right.

The Pacu, native to South America, was found by a fisherman in the Danish/Swedish strait of Oresund, according to experts at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

Though the fish has big teeth and looks menacing, it is generally known as a friendly cousin of the piranha. The Pacu's large teeth aren't as sharp as the piranha's but are "fully capable" of severing fishing lines and fingers, the museum's experts said. Oh yeah, and the Pacu is vegetarian, unlike it's meat-eating cousin.

So why should swimmers beware? Pacu fish love crushing nuts with their powerful jaws and sometimes can mistake the male reproductive organs for their favorite snack.

Just how the exotic fish ended up in Scandinavian waters is a bit of a mystery, the museum said.

"Amateur aquarium owners and fish farmers are "the usual suspects" when we meet fish where they do not belong," said the museum's Peter Rask Moller.

Museum experts said they are going to perform a genetic examination on the Pacu found in the fisherman's nets to learn more about the fish.

Meantime, the advice of the museum's experts is this: "Anyone choosing to bathe in the Oresund these days had best keep their swimsuits well tied."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/10/world/europe/scandanavia-swim-warning/index.html?sr=fb081113fishscare730p

Australia May Close Uluru to Climbers

2013-07-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

Is climbing Ayers Rock on your bucket list? Should it even be on a bucket list? Debate is raging in Australia about whether to close the Red Rock to climbing tourists altogether.

Tourists looking to climb the Big Red Rock of Australia may soon have to put away their hiking shoes, as the Australian government considers closing the site to adventure-seeking climbers.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, juts out of the rusty coloured earth close to the Red Centre of Australia in Northern Territory, and, along with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is one of Australia’s most recognized symbols. But while you can do a heart-stopping climb along the steely edge of the bridge, access to climbing Uluru could be halted for tourists within the next two years.

Technically, climbing Uluru is currently not prohibited, although it has long been debatable whether youshould climb the site.

The 348-metre-high rock and surrounding land is sacred to the Anangu people, who have been the traditional landowners of this area for tens of thousands of years. Uluru was returned to the Anangu in 1985 by the Australian government and then leased back to the National Parks agency for 99 years. But while it may be on park property, the Anangu request visitors respect their laws and cultures and not climb Uluru. Also, since 1958, 36 people have died while attempting to climb the iconic sandstone monolith.

It raises questions between the push and pull between cultural sensitivity and tourism. Let’s be clear: Uluru isn’t a Disneyfied version of a mountain climb. The rock, a World Heritage site, is surrounded by desert, trees and a low rising cultural centre that blends into its surroundings.

In 2010, environmental minister Peter Garrett (former lead singer of Midnight Oil) approved a 10-year plan to close climbing access to Uluru, “for visitor’s safety, cultural and environmental reasons.” And many people have already chosen to reject climbing the site: a recent survey shows the number of climbers has plummeted in the last two decades—from 74% in 1990 to the 20% threshold in 2012.

Now that fewer visitors are assending Uluru, will Parks Australia implement their plan to close the rock altogether to climbers?

“You can’t go climb on top of the Vatican, you can’t go climb on top of the Buddhist temples,” Vince Forrester, an elder of the Mutitjulu community and one of the rock’s traditional custodians, recently told ABC News. “Obviously you have to respect our religious attachment to the land too, so we’re saying please do not climb Uluru.”

Meanwhile, kicking any cultural sensitivity aside, Greg Hunt, an Australian environmental spokesperson, was quoted as saying, “Big Brother is coming to Uluru to slam the gate closed on an Australian tourism icon, the climb.”

Although climbing Uluru is actively discouraged by the Anangu and the number of visitors making the climb is dwindling significantly, last month Jetstar opened up direct flights from Sydney to Ayres Rock, making Uluru even more accessible to tourists. In addition, over half the local tour operators offer climbs to visitors.

According to Parks Australia, tourism operators would be fully consulted and alternative activities in place before Uluru is closed for climbing.

But not all Australians agree with closing down access to the rock. “Uluru is a national icon and major tourist destination that belongs to all Australians,” said one tourist. “It’s a bloody long way to go if you can’t enjoy the challenge and/or exhilaration of getting to the top.”

Meanwhile, the Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park Cultural Centre makes it clear to visitors what Uluru means to the indigenous people and how it should be treated:

That’s a really important sacred thing that you are climbing… You shouldn’t climb. It’s not the real thing about this place.

And maybe that makes you a bit sad. But anyway that’s what we have to say. We are obliged by Tjukurpa to say. And all the tourists will brighten up and say, ‘Oh I see. This is the right way. This is the thing that’s right. This is the proper way: no climbing.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/australia-may-close-uluru-to-climbers/

Military Training Snafu Drops Bombs on Great Barrier Reef

2013-07-24T19:50:00.002-04:00

A joint training exercise between the U.S. and Australian militaries resulted in four unarmed bombs being dropped on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The bombs weren’t intended for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They were supposed to have been dropped on the bombing range on Townshend Island during a joint exercise performed by the Australian and U.S. militaries. Instead, four unarmed bombs had to be jettisoned by an American fighter jet and were dropped into the sensitive, World-Heritage-designated waters surrounding Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

According to a report from CBS News, the incident occurred during a three-week joint training exercise called Talisman Saber that takes place every two years and involves approximately 28,000 members of the American and Australian forces.

The practice bombs were the payload of two fighter jets from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and had to be jettisoned after the pilots received a message from the ground that the bomb range was clear and the mission had to be aborted. The planes were low on fuel and could not land with the bombs, which weighed a total of 1.8 metric tonnes, on board.

In an emergency decision, the bombs were dropped in the waters near the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland. The bombs were jettisoned into 50 metres of water in the hope they would not damage the vulnerable coral that the Great Barrier Reef is known for.

As they were not armed, the bombs did not explode. Nevertheless, the incident has sparked outrage among Australia’s politicians and environmentalists, who are in disbelief that the exercise was allowed in such an environmentally sensitive area, and that the decision was made to drop the bombs in a protected area that is precious for its 1,800-mile stretch of coral reef and the diverse marine life that lives in the ecosystem surrounding it.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/military-training-snafu-drops-bombs-on-great-barrier-reef/

Ancient Pyramid in Peru Demolished By Real Estate Developers

2013-07-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

A 4,000-year-old, 20-foot pyramid, the oldest archaeological site near Lima, Peru, has been destroyed.

Real estate developers used heavy machinery to level the ruins at the El Paraiso site over the weekend. The deputy minister of cultural patrimony, Rafael Varon, told reporters his agency has filed criminal complaints against the companies involved as well as taken steps to seize their equipment. According to Varon, workers tried to destroy three other pyramids at the site before witnesses stepped in to stop them.

Nobody from either of the two companies, Alisol and Provelanz, could be reached for comment.

The director of an excavation project at El Paraiso, Marco Guilen, explained the extent of the loss: “We are not going to be able to know in what ways it was constructed, what materials were used in it and how the society in that part of the pyramid behaved.”

The site predated the rise of the Inca Empire that was encountered by the Spanish. “[These people] have committed irreparable damage to a page of Peruvian history,” Guilen said.

According to reports, the pyramids were located in an unguarded agricultural field, but are now being watched by police.

This isn’t the first time major archaeological sites and structures have been demolished. In May road builders in Belize destroyed a 2,300-year-old Mayan pyramid in order to use the crushed rock for a new highway.

These devastating blows to archeologists’ and historians’ efforts to preserve and learn from the beautiful relics of our ancient history seem all too easily executed for developers with nothing but profit and efficiency in mind.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/ancient-pyramid-in-peru-demolished-by-real-estate-developers/

Lost Pyramids Discovered on Google Earth

2013-07-24T18:46:00.001-04:00

Using Google Earth and antique maps, an amateur archaeologist claims she has discovered pyramids buried in the sands of Egypt’s Nile basin. If she’s right, these “new” pyramids could be even larger than the Great Pyramid at Giza.

If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, you probably thought you were visiting the largest pyramid in Egypt. Turns out, you might have been wrong.

Last year, Angela Micol, an amateur researcher, identified some unusual groupings of sand mounds along the Nile basin and theorized that they were lost pyramids. Micol is a self-described “anomolist” who usesGoogle Earth to search for archaeological clues and ruins.

If this find is genuine, the pyramids hidden within these mounds may prove to be far greater than those on the Giza Plateau. According to Micol, one of the sites has a 620-foot-wide triangular plateau—close to three times the size of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Micol’s finds are also much further south than the over 130 known pyramids in Egypt—most of which are located near Cairo.

Micol, who is not a trained Egyptologist or archaeologist, discovered the sites—near the city of Abu Sidum and the Fayum Oasis—from her home in the U.S. after combining a decade’s worth of Google Earth images of Egypt.

Initially, her work was dismissed by the scientific community, which asserted that such mounds were typical desert formations.

But the sites discovered by Micol also appeared to be identified as pyramids on antique maps owned by Egyptian diplomats Medhat Kamal El-Kady and his wife Haidy Farouk Abdel-Hamid.

And now, Discovery News has reported that a ground survey of one site, using these maps, satellite images and on-the-ground tools and techniques shows that Micol may just be right. The site 12 miles from the city of Abu Sidhum has cavities and shafts indicative of pyramids.

Source: Daily Mail Online

Historical and scientific documents also suggest the pyramids were deliberately buried—and according to Mohamed Aly Soliman, who lead the expedition at Abu Sidhum, the layers of earth in the mound are not naturally occurring. Another amateur archaeologist, Soliman told Discovery News that he believes some ancient structure was deliberately buried beneath the mound.

It turns out that Micol is not the first to suggest these mounds may be pyramids. Napolean Bonaparte’s engineer created one of the maps of the second site near Fayum Oasis that identifies the mounds as pyramids. And the researchers also report that past archaeologists have tried to dig into the mounds, only to hit upon stone.

It wouldn’t be the first time a stunning archaeological site was buried by sand in the deserts of Egypt. The great temples at Abu Simbel in southern Egypt started losing the battle against the sand in 6 BCE and were only rediscovered in the early 1800s.

And despite what the skeptics say, Google Earth isn’t just an amateur’s research tool. American Egyptologist and archaeologist Dr. Sarah Parcak uses satellite imagery in her work.

Micol has set up a crowd funding campaign to finance an expedition to the sites she discovered, under the name of the Satellite Archaeology Foundation; she told Discovery News she plans to take a team of U.S. researchers to Egypt to prove her find, once she gets the money.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/lost-pyramids-discovered-on-google-earth/?utm_source=Travel+Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Outbrain

Royal baby name: The history behind George Alexander Louis

2013-07-24T18:40:00.005-04:00

The world finally knows how to address the latest addition to the British royal family: HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge.

The baby boy is third in line to the throne, after grandfather Prince Charles and father Prince William. When he becomes king he will be known as George VII. Here's some of the history behind the young prince's three names:

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George

Photos: Other famous Georges

"George" -- the front-runner before the announcement, according to many UK bookmakers -- was the name of Queen Elizabeth's father, George VI, who reigned from 1936 until his death in 1952. He assumed the throne on the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. His life was depicted in the Oscar-winning movie "The King's Speech."

Photos: First look at the royal baby

The royal aunt and uncle

Excited crowds welcome royal baby boy

George I, born in Germany, became king in 1714. He was followed by a line of kings with the same name, including George III, who was known for his bouts of insanity.

The name is also a patriotic choice for many in the UK: Saint George, patron saint of England, is known for his legendary defeat of a dragon in the third century. His feast day is celebrated on April 23, (the date also associated with the birth of William Shakespeare, England's most revered writer).

Despite its royal connections, George has humble origins, derived as it is from the Greek name "georgios" meaning "earth worker" or "farmer."

Other historical Georges: composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), first president of the United States George Washington (1732-1799), and the Pacific explorer George Vancouver (1757-1798). Authors Mary Anne Evans and Eric Arthur Blair also chose George as their pen names: George Eliot (1819-1880) and George Orwell (1903-1950) respectively.

Alexander

This gallant title means "defender of men," from the Latin form of the Greek name "Alexandros." Alexander III of Macedon (356-323 B.C.), better known as Alexander the Great, courageously ruled and conquered many parts of the world before his untimely death at age 32.

The name "Alexander" is a feature of the Dutch royal family: Willem-Alexander ascended to the throne after the abdication of his mother Queen Beatrice earlier this year.

Other historical Alexanders: English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744), American statesman Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), Scottish-Canadian explorer Alexander MacKenzie (1764-1820), Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-born inventor of the telephone.

Louis

The name "Louis" originates from the English and French interpretations of the German name Ludwig, which can be interpreted as "renowned warrior."

Louis was the first name of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of George's great-grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and mentor to Prince Charles. He was killed by the IRA while holidaying in Ireland in 1979.

No British monarch has been named Louis, but it is very popular across the English Channel in France, where 18 kings have taken the name from 814 onward. Louis XIV, the Sun King, reigned from 1643 until 1715 and was hailed by many as the greatest monarch of his age because of the growth in French power and the opulence of his court, which included the Palace of Versailles.

Louis XVI was the king of France from 1774 until 1792, when he was found guilty of treason after the revolution and executed in 1793.

Other historical figures named Louis: French scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895); Métis leader Louis Riel (1844-1885), who led a rebellion against Canada; and Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), who wrote "Treasure Island" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/world/europe/royal-names-history/index.html?sr=fb072413georgealexanderlouis630p

Go barefoot or go home: 15 best islands you've never heard of

2013-07-23T15:40:00.004-04:00

Bali? Been there.

Virgin Islands? Done that. Twice.

While many well known islands inhabit prominent spots on the average bucket list, there's another group of outposts that only the truly island-savvy know about.

These under-the-radar islands have sea views and ocean breezes, but are blessedly lacking in crowds, fabricated attractions and recreation "ambassadors" leading the Macarena.

These are 15 little known islands that time, Club Med and maybe even your favorite guide forgot.

1. Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Don't feel sorry for the cast of "Survivor" having to battle the elements, construct shelter and scrounge for food.

7 amazing private island rentals

Visit the motu (it means "little island") where "Survivor: Cook Islands" was filmed and you'll find an idyllic island.

One of 15 in Aitutaki, it sits in a stunning 8-by-10-mile coral lagoon shimmering with hundreds of shades of blue.

At low tide, you can walk so far out on a sandbar that your friends might mistake you for an errant sea bird.

Aitutaki has a nine-hole golf course (stray balls sometimes land in the lagoon or the airport runway) and a selection of upscale resorts, including Pacific Resort and Aitutaki Escape where you can get a memorable massage and where a chef will prepare an amazing three-course meal.

With its crystal clear lagoon, archetypical tropical scenery and New Zealand savoir faire (the Cook Islands is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand), Aitutaki is a place anyone would volunteer to "survive."

Pacific Resort Aitutaki, Amuri, Aitutaki, Cook Islands, +682 31720; rates from $626 per couple

2. Utila, Honduras

This little paradise is only 11 kilometers long, but it has 60 dive sites, 18-meter whale sharks (don't worry, they're vegetarian) and some of the cheapest scuba prices in the Caribbean.

For as little as $140 per night, you can get your own deserted island, complete with a fully furnished two-bedroom house.

Most of the 2,500 locals live near Eastern Harbor, a tiny village with nothing but locally owned hotels, restaurants and dive shops.

Water Cay, one of many "caylitos" that make up Utila's collection of tiny islands, hosts Sun Jam, a two-day music and dancing fiesta the first weekend of August.

Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras; for Sandy Cay, Little Cay or another private-island rental, check the official Utila website or call +504 3298 6832; private islands from $140 per night

3. Marettimo, Italy

The whitewashed houses, colorful fishing villages and year-round mile climate feel almost African, but this beauty is in Italy, in the Egadi Islands, just an hour by boat from Sicily.

There are no cars on the island -- that means no carbon fumes, no gunning motors, no taxi drivers honking for you to step it up.

What Marettimo specializes in is peacefulness.

Marettimo Residence, Via Telegrafo, Isola di Marettimo, Italy; +39 (0)923 923 202; rooms starting at seven nights for $466

Tsarabanjina Island: Three beaches, 25 villas, one great vacation.

4. Tsarabanjina Island, Madagascar

Hard to pronounce, let alone get to, this island northwest of Madagascar is where Joanna Lumley was "cast away" for 10 days in 1994 filming a BBC documentary called "Girl Friday."

Although she spent half her time in a cave nicknamed "The Albert Hall," this remote island now has an exclusive resort, the only one in the Mitsio archipelago.

Constance Tsarabanjina has 25 villas to go with its three white sand beaches and, if you pack a magnifying glass, you might spot the world's tiniest chameleon. Fully grown, it barely exceeds one centimeter.

Constance Hotels & Resorts, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius, Indian Ocean; +230 402 2999; rates upon request

5. Mou Waho Island, New Zealand

It's an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in an ocean.

Near the center of pristine alpine Lake Wanaka, on New Zealand's southern island, Mou Waho is a glacial remnant of the last Ice Age.

Once a stopover for steamers and log rafts, this island has a trek to the top of Tyrwhitt Peak and Arethusa Pool, a nice spot for ambitious picnickers.

Co-owned by ex-Antarctic ice diver Chris Riley, Eco Wanaka Adventures offers tours to this unique island that serves as home to several threatened species.

Eco Wanaka Adventures, Wanaka, New Zealand; + 64 3 443 2869; day trips start at $284

6. Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada

If Cape Cod's golden beaches and Ireland's green hills had a love child, it might look like Magdalen Islands, a getaway for Montrealers.

Each of this Gulf of Saint Lawrence archipelago's dozen or so islands has its own history and dialect, but they're all connected with an efficient road system that takes in sweeping dunes, ochre cliffs and pastel-colored homes.

Beaches are everywhere and the islands' many inns and restaurants know what to do with fresh-caught lobster, scallops, crab and fish.

Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine, 128 chemin Principal, Cap-aux-Meules, Québec, Canada; +418 986 2245.

7. Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Known as the "Unspoiled Queen," Saba, in a rather ironic twist, is a favorite with the LGBT community.

Same-sex marriage is legal here and its director of tourism is openly gay.

With 1,800 residents, four villages and only a small harbor, the volcanic island (Mount Scenery is still capable of erupting) near St. Martin is the smallest municipality of the Netherlands and the only one that speaks English and uses the American dollar as its official currency.

Saba has the shortest commercial runway in the world and its one main road, built nine years before there was even a car, was masterminded by a local who defied Dutch and Swiss engineers who said it couldn't be done. Josephus Lambert Hassell started building in 1938 with five friends after taking a correspondence course in engineering.

Saba, Dutch Caribbean tourism office

Quilalea: Humans welcome, but only recently.

8. Quilalea, Mozambique

This 86-acre private island sits in the middle of a protected Indian Ocean marine sanctuary.

Until 2011, when Christopher and Stella Bettany built nine coral and thatch villas, its only residents were nesting sea turtles and a sizable menagerie of wildlife.

Azura at Quilalea eco-resort offers a clifftop spa, a trail leading to dense baobab groves and sailing trips on traditional Mozambican dhows.

Azura at Quilalea; +27 (11) 791 0519; $25,000 per night for the whole island

9. XXXX Island, Australia

Man caves out. Man islands in.

The reason XXXX island is little known is because it's still in diapers.

It was only hatched a year or so ago when beverage company Lion, which owns the XXXX Gold brand, leased the 15-acre property, acquired naming rights (the island used to be called Pumpkin Island) and started holding promotional competitions.

The island is now the ultimate beer paradise, with a pool table, darts, a golf course (OK, it has one hole), Xbox room, rods and tackle, a bar showing nonstop sports and huts with names like The Locker Room and the House of Rock.

You can't rent those huts, but you can win vacations here along with three of your closest buddies.

Contest winners started showing up in late 2012 for coming up with such creative schemes as beer butlers, football goals set in the ocean, a spray sunscreen booth, tree houses with fireman poles and a "loo with a view," a glassed-in bathroom overlooking the ocean.

Off the Capricorn Coast, Great Barrier Reef, Australia; free if you win one of many contests sponsored by XXXX Island

10. Guana Island, British Virgin Islands

This private island has seven baby power beaches, 850 acres and one tiny resort.

As the owners like to say, "It's the Caribbean before it went public."

After being inhabited for 45 years by sugarcane-growing Quakers, Guana was purchased by a couple from Massachusetts who built six stone cottages and invited artists and intellectuals who stayed for months at a time.

Even now, the maximum number of guests is 32, which means everyone is on first-name basis with management -- were the island to be divvied up, everyone would have an average of 30 acres to themselves.

Well, to themselves and flora and fauna that scientists claim is more extensive than on any island its size, anywhere.

Thanks to several long-term restoration programs, Guana is home to such endangered species as Caribbean Roseate flamingos, stout iguanas, red-legged tortoises and the crestfallen travelers which, we're happy to report are birds, not humans.

Guana Island; guests fly to BVI's Beef Island where they're met and taken to the island by boat; all-inclusive rates start at $695 per night for double occupancy

11. Sovalye Island, Turkey

Castle ruins on Sovalye (pronounced SHUH-VAH-LEE-AY) lend credence to the rumor that renegade knights-turned-pirates used this tiny island as a base during the Middle Ages.

Homes, an old city wall, churches and a Roman cistern from the Byzantine period that slid into the sea during numerous earthquakes are scattered throughout the island.

Scented pine and carob forests are a 15-minute boat ride from the port of Fethiye and once you're there everything's undertaken on foot -- no big chore as it takes 45 minutes to walk from end to end of the picturesque coastline.

The 12-room Ece Boutique Hotel offers a private waterfront, restaurant perfect for taking in the sunset and views of the sea from every room. The only other restaurant on Sovalye is owned by Metin Duru, a former filmmaker who puts out quite a spread for less than $10.

Sovalye tourism

Andros: Sometimes you need a break from the fun.

12. Andros, Bahamas

You may have been to Nassau to gamble with 3 million other casino-goers.

But have you partied with Chickcharnee, the half-man, half-bird that protects the largest (at 5,956 square kilometers) of Bahama's 700 islands?

Or Lusca, the dragon-like sea monster that lurks in the watery depths of Andros' many blue holes?

This island with a veritable melting pot of cultures also has the world's oldest dive shop, the Western hemisphere's second largest coral reef and locals who make waterproof straw baskets, batik and other crafts.

Small Hope Bay Resort; +242 368 2014; all-inclusive rates from $260 per day

13. Song Saa, Cambodia

In the untouched Koh Rong Archipelago, Song Saa is actually two islands, Koh Ouen and Koh Bong, joined by a bridge.

Just 35 minutes by boat from the port of Sihanoukville, its 27 villas resemble a chic Cambodian fishing village -- they were constructed from salvaged timber

Before the Australian owners started building, they put $500,000 into starting a conservation reserve protecting the island's seahorses and turtles. Four staff conservationists can guide you into the island's still deserted oases of virgin rainforests and tropical reefs.

Song Saa Private Island; +855 236 860 360; all-inclusive rates from $668 per person per night.

14. Piel Island, Lake District Coast, Cumbria, UK

On the tip of the Furness Peninsula, 50-acre Piel Island has a king, a castle and a pub.

About 500 years ago, this island, once an abbey for Savignac monks, was the launch pad for an invasion against Henry VII's army.

Peasant Lambert Simnel, posing as Edward VI, tried to regain the throne for avid Yorkists, but the fact that he was a mere 10 years old should have been a clear sign to the 3,000 German and Irish mercenaries who joined him in battle that ignominious defeat was inevitable.

The castle is little more than a stone ruin, but the pub, called The Ship Inn, serves a mean meal of line-caught fish, fresh game and meat either raised on Piel or brought in from nearby Cumbrian farms.

As for the King -- he's crowned in an elaborate ceremony involving a very old throne, a helmet, a sword and alcohol being poured over his head -- is the landlord of the Ship Inn and, according to the registry dating to 1856, is required to be "a free drinker and smoker and lover of the female sex."

Any guest who sits in the Throne Chair is required by Piel Island Law to buy everyone in the pub a drink.

Piel Island; +07516 453 784; Ship Inn rooms from $60 per night.

15. Navarino Island, Chile

In fierce competition with Ushuaia for title of "end of the world," Navarino is remote, wild and beautiful.

It's a holy grail for adventurous backpackers, who go for a five-day circuit through dramatic landscapes of Chilean fjords, glaciers, unspoiled forests and towering granite needles that's little changed since Charles Darwin hiked here in 1832.

Today, Navarino is mainly inhabited by sailors from the Chilean Navy, crab and octopus fisherman, the mestizo descendants of the Yagan, and more than 40,000 beavers imported from Canada in the 1940s.

It's just north of Cape Horn and the place where the Atlantic and Pacific meet, spectacularly.

Next stop: Antarctica.

Navarino, Chile; +56 61 621136

http://us.cnn.com/2013/07/07/travel/best-islands-15/?iref=obinsite

Flight Attendant Accused of Smuggling Rats in her Underwear

2013-07-23T15:38:00.000-04:00

A Long Island flight attendant is suing American Airlines after she claims she was falsely accused of carrying rats on board a flight… in her pants.

We’ve heard of passengers smuggling live animals onto airplanes, like that guy who carried rare monkeys in his pants and that other guy whose snake got loose on a plane (unfortunately, Samuel L. Jackson did not come to save the day), but this is the first we’ve heard of a flight attendant sneaking an animal to the skies.

But Louann Giambattista, a flight attendant with American Airlines, has been accused of just that. More specifically, of smuggling her pet rats onto planes by hiding them in her underwear.

According to the New York Post, Giambattista is accused of carrying rats on board on several occasions; one pilot claims he saw a bulge in her pocket and believed it to be a live pet, while another flight attendant said she believes she saw Giambattista feeding a rat on a flight from St. Martin to Miami.

Giambattista was searched upon landing in Florida, but no furry friends were found. Regardless, she claims a flag was placed on her passport and she was blacklisted and subject to searches every time she passed through customs. She is now suing the airline, claiming the incident gave her “debilitating anxiety” and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/flight-attendant-accused-of-smuggling-rats-in-her-underwear/?utm_source=Travel+Feed&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Outbrain

World's 100 best beaches

2013-07-23T15:35:00.001-04:00

100. Falassarna Beach, Crete, Greece

Best thing about the sand at Falassarna? There's so much of it there's little chance of playing beach-mat overlap with strangers. This slice of coast takes in five consecutive beaches, the middle ones being most popular, the ones on the ends better for solitary sun lovers.

Highlight: On the first Saturday of August, thousands descend for Crete's biggest beach party.

99. Portstewart Strand, Northern Ireland

A beach for walkers and beach athletes. The two miles of Portstewart Strand are exceptionally well maintained, perhaps a little too meticulously, with every activity (swimming, horseback riding, walking, surfing) ascribed a dedicated zone.

Highlights: Dunes, 6,000 years old and 100 feet high, dominate the area and support lots of wildlife.

98. Pigeon Point, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

Pigeon Point is a literal representation of the Caribbean beach ideal, right down to the charming old lady who sells sour-sop ice cream by the pound.

Highlight: The thatched-roofed jetty, possibly the most photographed jetty in the world.

97. Coffee Bay, Wild Coast, South Africa

With cliffs that plummet and green hills that roll into the turbulent waters of the Indian Ocean, this is one moody beach. Hole In The Wall (five miles up the road from Coffee Bay) is a spectacular rock just out to sea at the mouth of the Mpako River.

Good to know: The best way to see this beautiful stretch of coastline is to walk it.

Also on CNN: Southern Africa's best boutique safari reserves

96. Ifaty Beach, Madagascar

This is no five-star resort beach. Shade is provided by drooping palm trees, not striped umbrellas, and fishermen's houses, clumsily put together with natural materials, line the shore. But that's why we love Ifaty, on the southwest coast of Madagascar. It's flanked by a coral reef that you can snorkel around or explore from the surface in a colorful dugout canoe.

Good to know: Whales often visit in July and August.

95. Praia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Often voted Brazil's best beach, Praia do Sancho is a bay on the island of Fernando de Noronha, facing the coast of Brazil rather than out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Highlight: Steep, rocky cliffs covered in vegetation form a backdrop to the clear waters that are accessible only via ladders attached to the cliff face or by boat.

94. Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Volcanoes near this beach on the eastern edge of New Zealand's North Island develop large underground reservoirs of extremely hot water. Over time, this water escapes to the surface, cooling along the way, though still emerging at temperatures as hot as 147 F (64 C).

Highlight: The hot springs are accessible only at low tide; those with shovels can create ad hoc spas in the warm sand.

Also on CNN: The ultimate New Zealand road trip

93. Long Beach, Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Phu Quoc is fast becoming Vietnam's most popular new island destination. Market traders in conical hats hawk baguettes, ducks, flying lizards and other items rarely seen on the Thai side of the Gulf, while motorcycles ply red dirt roads to pearl farms and old-style fishing ports.

Highlight: Dominated by local families who rent motorcycles for $5 a day and bungalows for $20 per night, Long Beach reminds some of Thailand in the late 1980s.

92. Meads Bay, Anguilla

Anguilla beaches don't do average. This speck in the Caribbean was front of the queue when the beach gods were passing out idyllic places to lounge. If you tire of the sugary sands and bathtub-warm water of Meads Bay, one of the island's longest beaches, there are several good restaurants and hotels nearby.

Highlight: Blanchards Beach Shack serves fantastic lobster rolls and a great mango colada.

91. Bottom Bay, Barbados

One of the few beautiful beaches in Barbados to have escaped development overkill, Bottom Bay is enclosed by high coral cliffs, making it an almost undiscovered pocket of paradise.

Highlight: Turtles and whales can sometimes be spotted from the tops of the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

90. Paradise Beach, Rab, Croatia

The Croatian island of Rab claims to be the birthplace of modern skinny-dipping.

In 1936, King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson obtained permission from city authorities to bathe naked in the inlet of Kandalora, and people have been doing the same on the island's beaches ever since.

Highlight: The sea remains shallow even half a kilometer out, making it an ideal place for novice swimmers.

89. Lover's Beach, Baja California Sur, Mexico

A semi-hidden cove best accessed by boat, Lover's Beach was once popular with pirates, now with photographers.

Be aware: The beach is small and the sea can get rough, so this isn't a place to stay for long. You should pre-arrange return transport to town, as come 4 p.m., boats are scarce.

88. Byron Bay, Australia

Pubs, cafes and bookshops host buskers, musicians, artists and drift-ins who walk the streets barefoot and bleary eyed. There's a lingering scent of the Flower Power generation, while surfers wait for perfect waves.

Highlight: Every year, the Byron Bay Bluesfest attracts some of the biggest names in world music, and with it, thousands of Sydneysiders.

Also on CNN: Australia's most terrifying tourist trails

87. Arashi Beach, Aruba

The California Lighthouse keeps ships away from this northwestern tip of Aruba, but it also acts as a beacon for beach bums looking for natural shores. Head for it, and you'll hit Arashi Beach's unspoiled sands (there are only a few palapas).

Highlight: Snorkeling. A 400-foot German freighter wreck lies just offshore.

86. An Bang Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam

Gentle waves, soft white sand. Recently An Bang Beach has picked up among expat tourists, which explains the Western-managed bars and restaurants.

Highlight: Many restaurants in the town specialize in the Viet imperial cuisine Hoi An is known for around the country.

85. Bandon, Oregon, United States

It's got beauty -- the sun sets over the striking rock formations -- it's got good food -- a long growing season and influx of ambitious chefs. It also has a safari game park to the south and spectacular, seaside Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to the north.

Trivia: According to Native American folklore, the unusual formation of Face Rock represents the face of a princess who was drowned by an evil sea spirit.

84. Puka Beach, Boracay, Philippines

Making a respectable claim to its "tropical paradise" reputation, Boracay has powdery beaches, water sports and spas. Puka Beach is named for its Puka shells, meaning the sand here is coarse.

Highlight: Puka is the second-longest beach on Boracay and relatively empty most times, with no resorts and a limited number of restaurants.

Also on CNN: The Philippines' best beaches and islands

83. Ffryes Beach, Antigua

Most of the time this place is empty, so those who come often have it to themselves. The beach livens up with locals on the weekends or when a cruise ship is in town.

Highlight: There's not much to do except enjoy the view (superb sunsets) and a drink at one of a handful of shack bars.

82. La Concha, Spain

For a city beach, La Concha is lovely. It comes with a promenade, easy access, great restaurants and other city perks. It also has swimmable water.

Highlight: Tapas. Cafes and restaurants behind the sand offer some of the best small eats on this northern coast.

81. Las Salinas, Ibiza, Spain

Las Salinas, an iconic crescent of sand, is the most happening beach on the island. Music blasts from bars morning till night, attracting A-list celebs.

Highlight: The beach is also a magnet for nude sunbathers.

80. Cape Maclear, Malawi

Cape Maclear sits on the edge of Lake Malawi, a lake so large it feels like an ocean. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beach, something of a hippie hangout, is linked to the town via a single dirt road lined with a handful of hostels and dive shops.

Highlight: Diving, snorkeling, kayaking -- the water is free from brine, and there are no sharks or jellyfish.

79. Unawatuna, Sri Lanka

It can't be easy being a standout beach in a country of awesome beaches, but Unawatuna does it. Hanging off the southern tip of Sri Lanka, it stretches for more than a mile, and is marked by palm trees, thatch huts and a languid pace. Unfortunately, the area was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, and the place hasn't yet returned to its pre-tsunami beauty.

Highlight: The laid-back, young-traveler atmosphere.

78. Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

Jeffreys Bay's legendary breaks attract top surfers to the annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour surfing event. Nearby lagoons make ideal venues for boardsailing and canoeing. The Seekoei River Nature Reserve, a haven for rare birds, is nearby.

Highlight: Migrating whales pass by the bay to give birth every season.

Also on CNN: Africa's 10 best national parks

77. Vilanculos Beach, Mozambique

77. Vilanculos Beach, Mozambique

Lazy. Friendly. Scenic. Great swimming. Vilanculos is also one of the best diving destinations in the West Indian Ocean.

Highlight: The small coastal town of Vilanculos has thatched huts lining the streets, a friendly population and a plethora of laid-back bars and restaurants.

76. Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico

Many of Puerto Rico's beaches suffer from garbage-disposal problems. Not this one (though a rusting tank does make for one eye-catching piece of litter). Flamenco is a natural crescent of unblemished sand, with a camping site behind.

Highlight: A quarter-mile offshore a reef offers great diving and snorkeling sights.

75. Oludeniz, Turkey

75. Oludeniz Beach, Turkey

The name translates to "Dead Sea," but it's not the one you're thinking of. This beach's sheltered location amid mountain scenery keeps the water calm even during storms; cafes, shops and restaurants provide sustenance.

Highlight: Paragliding tours over wooded areas and mountains.

74. Capo Sant'Andrea, Elba, Italy

It's hard to imagine why Napoleon ever wanted to leave. At this inlet, the water is clear enough to see the seabed even in the deepest sections. Chestnut trees sweep right down to the coastline.

Highlight: The inlet's golden beaches are framed by softly sloping granite blocks -- natural sun beds that are taken over by sunbathers during summer.

Also on CNN: Beyond Rome and Florence: 12 alternative Italian destinations

73. Venice Beach, California, United States

This beachfront district is a SoCal institution and a freak show free-for-all. Qi gong masseurs, hair braiders, fortune-tellers and artists jostle along the 2½-mile Venice Boardwalk.

Highlight: Beachfront outdoor basketball courts -- competition can be fierce on weekends and early evenings.

72. Plage de Piémanson, France

For sheer scale, gloriously unspoiled wilderness and nude bathing, Plage de Piémanson ranks among the finest. Part of Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, the obscure beach has tawny sand that stretches forever.

Highlight: To get here, you drive through colonies of pink flamingos and might spot Camargue horses, an ancient breed of white horse that roams wild in the reserve.

71. Laughing Bird Caye, Belize

Reaching barely a meter above sea level, this protected isle is less than a hectare in size, but offers one of the best day trips off the Belize coast. A huge amount of coral, bird and marine life call this place home, which is why so many visitors call it perfect.

Highlight: The laughing gulls after which the isle is named have moved on, but herons, blackbirds and pelicans can often be seen.

70. Punalu'u, Hawaii, United States

No sugary sands and idyllic swimming conditions, but you will find a dramatic black basalt shore and might spot green and hawksbill turtles, as well as dolphins and whale sharks, if you snorkel off this Big Island beach.

Highlight: Getting here involves a 20-minute trek through a wooded dirt trail, underlining the remote and undeveloped beach.

Also on CNN: 10 classic American experiences

69. Los Roques, Venezuela

OK, this isn't one beach, more like several hundred, but it's impossible to pick from the more than 350 islands in the Los Roques archipelago. Whichever island you're on, from the large Cayo Grande to the diminutive Gran Roque, you'll have blinding white sand and shallow, tropical waters just a few powdery footsteps away.

Highlight: The entire area is basically an enormous water sports arena -- divers, snorkelers, fishermen and shallow-water splashers will all find it hard to leave.

68. Kaiteriteri Beach, Nelson, New Zealand

With golden sand and the most sunshine hours in New Zealand, Kaiteriteri Beach is at the top of New Zealand's South Island and the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park.

Highlights: Penguins, seals and dolphins are common.

67. Belle Mare, Mauritius

The sunrise from the quiet beach of Belle Mare, on the east coast of Mauritius, is worth the wake-up call. Although known for its fine white sand, you're likely to find a secluded space along this barely developed stretch of beach.

Good to know: To turn the excitement levels up, Waterpark Leisure Village near Belle Mare offers giant chutes and slides.

Also on CNN: Mauritius -- The best Africa destination you know almost nothing about

66. Skagen Beach, Denmark

The shore at Skagen, an artists' colony in the 19th century, is a 40-mile-long sand ribbon within a landscape of milky white dunes, fairytale forests and wind-blown beaches.

Highlight: If Skagen's waters are too cold for swimming there are other attractions -- an annual midsummer's eve bonfire on Skagen Sonderstrand, the Bolcheriet candy factory and Råbjerg Mile, the largest sand dune in northern Europe.

65. Isshiki Beach, Hayama, Japan

During the peak of summer, the beach's two crescents of sand buzz with windsurfers, kayakers and swimmers. Vendors erect wooden shacks housing bars, restaurants and shower units. The Blue Moon is a well known beach shack -- it hosts concerts on weekend evenings.

Highlight: Hayama's Imperial Villa, which faces Isshiki Beach, has been used by Japanese emperors since 1894 as a winter holiday house.

64. Radhanagar Beach, Andaman Islands, India

This popular but spacious beach largely escaped the effects of the 2004 tsunami that ruined many other beaches in the Indian Ocean. A tropical forest leans into crunchy sand, which slopes seamlessly into warm, calm water.

Highlight: At the western edge of the beach you'll find find a lagoon, often devoid of people.

63. Pulau Derawan, Indonesia

Tourist accommodations are no-frills here, and that's what makes the place special. Most visitors will be able to spot turtles wading about on the island's spotless silvery beaches.

Highlight: The waters surrounding Derawan are known to be a home to manta rays and green turtles.

62. Haad Rin, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

Haad Rin's infamous full moon parties are a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Mostly because once is enough. But outside the drunken, chemical-fueled parties the place has cheap alcohol, great food and a fun-loving crowd.

Also on CNN: Island hopping in Thailand

61. Essaouira, Morocco

The sprawling beach of Essaouira is like a spacious chill-out lounge for this laid-back Moroccan town. It attracts wind- and kite-surfers in summer, and surfers in winter. Around the bay away from the harbor is a castle that's said to have been the inspiration for Jimi Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand."

Good to know: Essaouira is beautiful at dusk. The harbor offers great snapshots looking back toward the old town.

60. Beidaihe, China

Beidaihe has been pleasing China's upper crust for decades. A few hours from Beijing, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping hashed out national policies in private villas here. The area remains popular among Russian tourists -- a reminder of erstwhile Sino-Soviet ties.

Highlight: Beidaihe's restaurants offer simple pleasures, mostly good seafood and cold beer.

59. Na'ama Bay, Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt

In the middle of Egypt's Red Sea coast, Na'ama Bay has diverse marine life, colorful corals visible from the surface of the water and great snorkeling from the beach in front of the Jolie Ville Hotel.

Highlight: With temperatures in the high 70s F (23-27 C) during November and December, and 10 hours of sunshine a day, this is the ideal place to take advantage of one of the many winter travel deals to Egypt on offer.

58. Akajima, Okinawa, Japan

The islet of Akajima is popular among Japanese day-trippers during summer, but foreign travelers are a rare sight. It retains a sequestered charm even during peak season. The beaches are spotless, usually dotted with just a handful of surfers.

Highlight: Further inland, a quaint Ryukyuan heritage house is open to visitors.

Also on CNN: Where is Okinawa?

57. Abaka Bay, Haiti

The island of Ile a Vache in Haiti punches above its weight in the beach class division -- the eight-by-two-mile island is home to Akaba Bay, boasting some of the best photo ops in the Caribbean. Quality and good value accommodation line the sands.

Highlight: Abaka Bay Resort provides great views of the ocean, is one step from the beach and serves a mean conch dinner.

56. Diani Beach, Kenya

Twelve-plus miles of palm-fringed beach is kept pristine and clear of seaweed by the coral reef just offshore. It has become one of Kenya's most popular beaches. Supermarkets, hotels and monkeys have all become part of the experience.

Good to know: Want to learn to kite surf? Lessons are available here.

55. Phra Nang Beach, Railay, Thailand

With Dali-esque limestone structures, hundreds of cliff-climbing routes and Tiffany-blue waters, Railay is the seasoned rock climber's dream. Stalactite-rimmed cliffs that tourists can jump from flank Phra Nang, the area's main beach.

Worth knowing: Although Railay is accessible only by longtail boat from Krabi and Ao Nang, it can get crowded during tourist seasons.

54. Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island, Canada

If perfection unnerves you, avoid Prince Edward Island. The island's most idyllic feature, Cavendish Beach has creamy sands flanked by sandstone cliffs and dunes, and has captured the imagination of writers and tourists alike.

Trivia: The area is famous for inspiring scenes in "Anne of Green Gables."

53. Little Corn beaches, Nicaragua

Low key, undeveloped and languid, Little Corn Island was, sometimes still is, a stop for pirates. These days it's more frequently used as a vacation spot for those looking for a few days of rustic, five-star-free living.

Worth knowing: A great spot for diving and snorkeling.

52. Southwestern Beach, Koh Rong, Cambodia

Koh Rong is one of the Gulf of Thailand's most gorgeous islands, and on its southwestern side there's a stretch of nearly three miles of untouched white sand that invariably seduces any who venture this way.

Highlight: The southernmost end of this beach features perfect snorkeling rocks with colorful rabbitfish, sergeant fish and parrot fish.

51. Panama City Beach, Florida, United States

It's not the spring break capital of the world for no reason. Each year, more than 6 million college kids and sun seekers pour into Panama City Beach, lured by emerald waters, blinding white sand, colorful reefs, fishing and hard-core people-watching. And, OK, maybe a drink or two.

Highlights: Historic wrecks off Panama City Beach's shores make this a superb dive site. Goofy Golf, a mini-golf institution since 1959, has a kitschy, retro charm.

50. Porto da Barra, Salvador, Brazil

In many ways, Porto da Barra is to Salvador what Bondi is to Sydney and Venice Beach is to Los Angeles. Tiny fishing boats bring in the day's catch, there's beach volleyball and plenty to see at the Fisherman Colony Manguinhos, a traditional fish market in Buizos.

Highlight: It's one of the few beaches in Salvador that faces west, so you can catch great sunsets.

49. Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi, Malaysia

Most tourists on Langkawi flock to Pantai Cenang beach, but the quieter Tanjung Rhu has an earthy beauty and serene atmosphere. The long beach area is surrounded by ancient limestone caves, rippling waterways and dense mangroves.

Highlight: The Four Seasons Resort offers boat tours around the mangrove forests.

Also on CNN: 10 best islands for a Malaysia holiday

48. Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

You have to pay a fee to get into this stunning beach, but boy is it worth it. Imagine a postcard of pure beach beauty, then Photoshop the blues to be even bluer and the yellow-white sand to be even softer and you have Trunk Bay.

Highlight: Snorkelers get a little treat with plaques embedded into the sea floor with information about what they're looking at.

47. Placenia Beach, Belize

47. Placencia Beach, Belize

Placencia has great beaches, but it's the adventures to be had that make this a top 100 beach destination. Jungle rivers, Mayan ruins and fantastic wildlife make this one a beach trip with various purposes.

Highlight: Monkeys, iguanas and the chance to kayak in a lagoon with manatees.

Also on CNN: Belize -- 7 of its most stunning islands

46. Natadola Beach, Fiji

Probably Fiji's finest beach, Natadola Beach is one of the few places in the country that's good for swimming 24 hours a day. A luxury resort backs onto the beach and attracts vendors selling coconuts and beach fashion accessories, so you'll need to put distance between you and the resort if you like solitude.

Highlight: Horseback rides at sunset.

45. Patnem Beach, Goa, India

If the cacophony of flea markets and tourist raves at Anjuna beach aren't your thing, smaller neighbor Patnem is less claustrophobic, with cheaper beach huts.

Highlight: It's the perfect place to enjoy the sunset while congratulating yourself on ducking the Goan tourist radar.

44. Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

For an iconic all-round great city beach you can't miss with Bondi. The wide curving crescent of white sand can get incredibly busy, but that's only because the surfing is gnarly, the sands are clean and the nearby eateries are fantastic.

Highlight: After a day in the sun you can chase down the day with a meal at Bondi Trattoria, one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.

43. Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Previously: a simple fishing village and dhow-building center. Now: one of Africa's most picturesque lines of coast, where palms amble onto a beach that dissolves gradually from spearmint blue into shades of deep turquoise.

Highlight: At sunset, white-sailed dhows leave from the boatyard, making for a great photo op.

42. D-Day beaches, Normandy, France

On the morning of June 6, 1944, the largest amphibious operation in history took place on the beaches code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The Normandy landings and subsequent Battle of Normandy eventually helped free Europe from Nazi occupation.

Highlight: In Caen, a nearby city that was heavily bombed during the D-Day invasion, a large museum commemorates peace.

41. Negril Beach, Jamaica

It's not as pristine as it was before the resort developers rolled in, but Negril's yawning expanse of shoreline, featured in "The Man With The Golden Gun," is a lively magnet for party-happy spring breakers as well as convenience-seeking families.

Highlight: Luxury resorts and beach sports.

40. Dominical Beach, Costa Rica

Monster waves and lush forests, warm waters ideal for long, lazy swims -- people often stay longer at Domincal than they intended.

Highlight: Tortilla Flats offers great food and company. It's a surfer hotel, seaside restaurant and happening night spot rolled into one.

39. Canggu Beach, Bali, Indonesia

This surf-perfect coastline has everything from easy waves to serious breaks. The scene is unpretentious and the mood laid-back. The crowd is heavy with adventurous people who know Asia well.

Worth knowing: There's little nightlife here; instead, travelers kick back with themselves and locals.

Also on CNN: 40 of Indonesia's best dishes

38. Karekare, West Auckland, New Zealand

Karekare was immortalized in the 1993 film "The Piano." A grandiose sweep of black sand stretches before bush-clad hills. Karekare tends to be less touristy than nearby Piha. If you prefer a quieter beach, this is the one.

Highlight: Karekare is popular for its annual beach race day, in which local ponies and horses race to raise money for charity. Beach race day is usually held in early April.

37. West Bay Beach, Roatan, Honduras

The largest of the Honduran Bay Islands sits close to the world's second largest reef system -- the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. That means diverse marine life for snorkelers and divers, and diverse party life for after.

Highlight: The reef offers the chance to spot various species of turtles, fish, crocodiles and the world's largest population of manatees -- estimated at 1,000-1,500.

36. Bahia Solano, Colombia

Immobile boats rust where the river meets the ocean. Fishermen languidly cast nets over a huge bay. Fashion shops, vegetable markets, cafes and bars line a vibrant main street.

Highlight: Cheap hotels near the beach are a boon for budget travelers.

35. Balos Beach, Greece

Cameras compulsory. Near Kissamos on Crete, Balos Beach is a lagoon of swirling colors -- pastel pinks, blues and turquoise. It can get crowded and microorganisms in the muddy shallows can cause unpleasant smells, but for postcard pictures it's one of Greece's best.

Highlight: For "dark tourists" there's a cave here that was the scene of a massacre in the 19th century.

34. Cayo Paraiso, Dominican Republic

If an Evian factory had been used to fill the ocean around this tiny island, the water wouldn't be any clearer.

Highlight: The sand bank is encircled and protected by a coral reef providing great snorkeling; the island has a few basic thatch huts for shade.

33. Margaret River, Australia

This western Australian town is blessed with a mild climate, baby powder beaches and gorgeous scenery. It also produces some of the country's finest wines.

The surf at Margaret River attracts serious boarders.

Highlight: Wine-tasting at Margaret River's 60-plus wineries is a favorite tourist activity.

Also on CNN: Going up Down Under -- Southern Hemisphere's tallest building

32. Navagio Beach, Greece

Navagio Beach, or Zakynthos Cove, or Smuggler's Bay, or Shipwreck Cove -- many names exist for this small inlet on the island of Zakynthos. All you need to know is it's gorgeous and the remains of an old ship, reportedly used to smuggle cigarettes before it met its briny demise in 1983, emerge zombie-like from the sand.

Worth knowing: To get here you need to get a taxi-boat from Porto Vromi, leaving every hour.

31. Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo, Cuba

Cuba's finest beach island goes overkill on clear. Water like crystal, sand like sugar, most days there's barely a cloud to disrupt the electric smoothness of the sky.

Worth knowing: This "paradise beach" isn't as exposed as other beaches on the island. The weather is usually calm and the sea shallow.

30. Grand Anse, Grenada

Possibly Grenada's finest family beach -- foot-soothing sands, skin-comforting waters and soul-calming breezes -- Grand Anse is big enough to never get crowded and intimate enough to feel like your own.

Highlight: It's less than a 15-minute drive from the airport -- the perfect post-flight remedy.

29. Warwick Long Bay, Bermuda

You can spend hours here just watching the waves froth under the horizon over the coral-pink sand. If that gets irritatingly blissful there are great walking routes from here to Bermuda's southern beaches, offering secluded coves.

Worth knowing: It gets crowded in high season, so if your ideal beach experience is solitary and tranquil, it's best visited outside of May-September.

28. Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe, Thailand

Despite a buildup of accommodations in recent years, this is still arguably one of the most stunning beaches in Thailand. The range of rooms (from luxury to backpacker) and meal options add to the comfort factor.

Highlight: The whole island is small enough to circumnavigate on foot.

27. Hanalei Bay, Hawaii, United States

Mountains in the background, ocean in front and three miles of sand underfoot, Hanalei Bay on Kauai is a surfer's and paddle boarder's dream, with a reef to the right-hand side of the bay looking out to sea.

Worth knowing: Storms and poor weather can turn the strip into a formidable beast, with choppy ocean conditions and beach runoff that's best avoided.

Also on CNN: 8 best beer towns in the USA

26. Long Bay, Saint-Martin

Long Bay is a gentle giant, one of the longest beaches on the island. Though luxury villas and one luxury hotel sit close to the sand, they're unobtrusive.

Highlight: Near the La Samana hotel there's a great snorkeling spot, in a cove with a reef.

25. Sun Island Beach, Maldives

This diamond in the Indian Ocean is a favorite with celebrities and rich honeymooners drawn by the idea of sleeping over the water -- nearby resorts offer luxury bungalows on stilts.

Highlight: Nearby coral reefs attract thousands of tropical fish, snorkelers and divers.

25. Egremni Beach, Greece

24. Egremni Beach, Greece

Dramatic sunsets, electric-blue water, enough room for everyone: This long stretch of sand on the island of Lefkada has become one of Greece's most popular beach retreats since a road was built in the 1990s.

Worth knowing: Nudists often use the central stretch of beach.

23. Crane Beach, Barbados

Pinkish sands, no rocks or other feet-slicing things in the shallows -- this stretch of sunny Barbadian serenity can be accessed by a staircase or beachfront elevator from The Crane resort, making it as novel as it is beautiful.

Highlight: Gentle waves, perfect for boogie boarding.

22. Boulders Beach, Cape Town

22. Boulders Beach, Cape Town

Boulders Beach is home to 3,000 jackass penguins, which are often spotted waddling in and out of the sea. The best place to see the penguins is from a viewing boardwalk constructed on nearby Foxy Beach.

21. Juara Beach, Tioman Island, Malaysia

Less developed and less polished than Thailand, Tioman Island's Juara Beach brings an all-natural, quiet vibe to the beach experience. This isn't the place for parties or nightlife, unless you like your parties hushed and your nightlife nonhuman.

Worth knowing: Various travelers report sand flies on the beach.

20. Rarotonga, Cook Islands

20. Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Rarotonga is the youngest of the 15 islands in the Cook Islands chain, and hasn't eroded as much as its siblings. Its lush green center is encircled by a 20-mile shoreline of perfect white sand.

Highlight: The laid-back, musical culture of the islanders. What the place lacks in traffic lights (it has none) it makes up for in dancing and singing.

19. Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Yes, "The Beach" was filmed here and it gets packed with tourists. But Maya Bay is too perfect to pass up. A white sand beach hugs steep limestone cliffs and coral reefs make it an excellent spot for snorkeling.

Worth knowing: To avoid the crowds, visit early in the morning or after 5 p.m.

18. Gardner Bay, Espanola Island, Ecuador

18. Gardner Bay, Espanola Island, Ecuador

You'll have to share this shoreline in the Galapagos Islands with nonhumans. Manta rays in the water, sea lions on the sand, albatross and blue-footed boobies all make the 10-12 hour boat trip here worthwhile.

Highlight: As fans of Darwin know, many species in the Galapagos are unique to the islands, such as the lava lizard, a red marine iguana found here on Espanola.

17. Nihiwatu Beach, Sumba, Indonesia

In some ways, the perfect beach. It's remote (an hour's flight from Bali then a 90-minute drive) with fine, clean sand, clear water, almost no people and amazing sunsets. It is home to the impressive Nihiwatu resort and is best outside wet season.

Highlight: For surfers, the incredible left-hand break. For everyone else, as dusk approaches, a chance to join local villagers as they scour a section of a nearby reef at low tide for octopus, crabs and seaweed.

16. Luskentyre Beach, Scotland

16. Luskentyre Beach, Scotland

You won't get much of a tan on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, but you'll get a memorable beach walk and lungs full of fresh air. The sand stretches long and wide, and the place is popular with hikers and nature lovers.

Highlights: Ponies may join you for a shoreline amble, while otters, seals, dolphins and eagles can be spotted in the area.

Also on CNN: 6 haunting battlefields of Scotland

15. The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

15. The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Huge boulders, some as long as 40 feet, give away the island's volcanic origins. There's a small fee to enter the beach -- it's part of the BVI's National Park -- but it's worth it once you're soaking up the sun on these naturally heated sun loungers.

Highlight: A rope and step trail leads through the boulders at The Baths to Devil's Bay.

14. El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

El Nido is the gateway to adventure, "the last frontier" of the Philippines, as it has been dubbed. Powder-fine beaches and gin-clear waters complement the stunning views of karst limestone formations, empty lagoons, marble cliffs, prehistoric caves and waterfalls.

Highlight: Surrounding waters contain more than 50 species of coral and attract whales, whale sharks, sea cows, manta rays, dolphins and endangered turtles.

13. Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia

13. Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia

Malaysia's Perhentian Islands are to beach bums what Kobe beef is to carnivores; once you've experienced it, nothing else quite matches up.

The two main islands are the backpacker-happy Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian Island), and Pulau Perhentian Besar (Big Perhentian Island), which has slightly more expensive accommodations.

Highlight: The blue waters off Pulau Perhentian Kecil invariably contain turtles and small sharks.

12. Tulum, Mexico

12. Tulum, Mexico

At Tulum, you can swim in the shadow of ancient Mayan ruins. The area is home to a Mayan archeological ruin that teeters on the edge of a cliff. Beneath it, sand and jade green waters glisten.

Highlight: The Yucatan's turquoise cenotes and excellent diving are tourist draws. Everything from mega-resorts to thatched cabanas offering boutique accommodations are available.

11. Whitehaven Beach, Queensland, Australia

Whitehaven Beach is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park and has more than 2½ miles of sand that's 98% pure silica -- so clean it squeaks. Visitors have to register with a tour guide for access, and can stay only for a few hours.

Worth knowing: In 2010, the beach won CNN's Most Eco Friendly Beach award.

Watch out for jellyfish in summer.

10. Palaui Island, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

10. Palaui Island, Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Glorious white sands meet volcanic rocks and blue-green waters topside, while coral gardens and a rich marine reserve meet divers under the surface. Palaui is all about raw beauty. Treks to get there require battling thorny grass, muddy ground and a mangrove forest.

Good to know: With no resorts or hotels, Palaui has only two real options: camping under the stars or home stays.

Also on CNN: 36 hours in a Philippine bus -- Manila to La Union shore

9. Champagne Beach, Vanuatu

9. Champagne Beach, Vanuatu

The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu broke into the headlines a few years ago when the Happy Planet Index ranked it the happiest nation on Earth. With beaches like this, how could locals not be euphoric?

Highlight: The beach gets its name from a phenomenon witnessed by the first travelers to the region -- the shallow waters appear to fizz at low tide, as if the beach is swimming in bubbly. The effect is caused by gas escaping from volcanic rocks on the seafloor.

8. Matira Beach, Bora Bora, Tahiti

8. Matira Beach, Bora Bora, Tahiti

Bora Bora is like the Gwyneth Paltrow of beaches: a little too perfect to be believable. But the spell that this small island in French Polynesia has cast on probably every traveler ever to dip a toe into its soft sands or calm waters has yet to be broken. Bora Bora is a heavy tourist destination -- luxury resorts and budget bungalows dapple the white sand perimeter. But its best spot, Matira Beach, reminds you why places like this become popular in the first place.

Highlight: Visitors can feed sharks, hunt for black pearls, look through World War II memorabilia or just laze on the sand.

7. Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

7. Wineglass Bay, Tasmania

White sands, pink granite rock formations and green peaks make for one of Tasmania's most stunning coastal scenes. It's part of Freycinet National Park, northeast of Hobart.

Highlights: Hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and boating are popular pastimes, but so is lying on the beach admiring the scenery.

Also on CNN: Into the heart of the Tasmanian wilderness

6. Cabbage Beach, Paradise Island, Bahamas

6. Cabbage Beach, Paradise Island, Bahamas

An inappropriate name does nothing to spoil the flawless aesthetics of this lengthy strip of sand. The chair, umbrella, bracelet and Jet Ski touts might be a challenge to your good mood, but if you walk eastward away from the busy section you'll be able to take in one of the world's best beaches uninterrupted.

Worth knowing: There are strong undercurrents in the waters offshore.

5. Anse de Grande Saline, St. Barths

5. Anse de Grande Saline, St. Barths

Though nudity is technically banned on St. Barths, this is one of two beaches on the French Leeward Island that attracts naturists (perhaps due to its distance from developed areas). It can get windy and there's little shade, but the photo ops are magnificent.

Highlight: A marsh area behind the beach is a habitat for tropical birds.

4. Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue, Seychelles

4. Anse Source d'Argent, La Digue, Seychelles

This ribbon of sand on the Seychelles' third-largest island, La Dique, mixes salt-white and flamingo-pink sands to create one of the most photographed beaches in the world. A reef keeps the water calm for good snorkeling.

Highlight: Nearby restaurant Lanbousir offers local Creole dishes, including a tempting fruit-bat curry. DIY eaters can fix their own picnic with food from a supermarket just five minutes from the beach.

3. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

3. Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

You need only hear the name of this beach to feel a little calmer. The pride of Provo Island is tourist heavy, but that's because it's one of the best (third best, we say) beaches in the world. Just offshore, a coral reef protects the beach and harbors marine life normally seen in Jacques Cousteau documentaries.

Highlight: This perfect, tranquil beach destination has few touts to disturb your lazing and abundant restaurants and resorts.

2. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

2. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

With blinding white cliffs, fluorescent blue waters, warm temperatures and dry-desert land, it's little wonder this place frequently tops favorite beach lists. Protected turtles lay eggs here and dolphins can be seen in the water.

Highlight: The nearby volcanic isle of Linosa, featuring a spectacular black and red Mars-like beach.

Also on CNN: How fashion is saving Italy's monuments

1. Grande Anse Beach, La Digue Island, Seychelles

1. Grande Anse Beach, La Digue Island, Seychelles

Secluded and easy to skip because it takes some effort to get here, Grand Anse on La Digue is the archetypal beach, the benchmark against which others must be judged. It's a must, especially if you're a surfer.

Worth knowing: The waves can be boisterous and there's not much shade.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/travel/100-best-beaches/index.html?hpt=tr_bn1

10 Things Every Freelancing Traveller Needs

2013-07-23T15:25:00.002-04:00

Freelancing can be tricky enough when you are based in one place. When you toss in travelling, it really cranks up the stress level. Now that I’ve been fully freelancing for a year, I can highlight 10 things I believe are necessary for any successful freelancing traveller.

Smartphone

I avoided getting a smartphone for a long time; I kept telling myself the expensive data plan was too much, and I didn’t need the internet at my fingertips at all times. As it turns out, I do. If I want to keep up with my blog, social media sites, emails from clients, and my schedule, I need the internet. I have an iPhone, but other phones such as the Samsung Galaxy are also great for travellers. I use my phone to post photos of my trips, alert me about any upcoming meetings or deadlines, keep in touch with clients and so much more. I don’t know how I functioned without it before.

Laptop or tablet

While my smartphone is helpful for quick stuff, it’s certainly not very useful for typing out long emails or blog posts. I highly recommend getting a lightweight, reliable laptop or tablet. Personally, I’m obsessed with my MacBook Air because I can carry it in my purse, it starts up in less than 10 seconds and has amazing battery life. However, if you are going to do more intense video and photo editing, you might want to get something a bit more robust. Tablets are also a nice compromise. As long as you get a few attachments, such as an external keyboard, you can get a lot of work done on a small tablet.

Digital camera

I’m not talking about some $50 point-and-shoot. If you are going to promote your trips, you need to take high-quality photos. Sure, your smartphone will work for Instagram shots, but you’ll want something a bit more high-tech for most of your photos. You don’t have to master photography or spend two grand on a camera, but you should find a nice middle ground, such as a camera with both auto and manual capabilities.

Skype

Seeing as Skype is free, there is no excuse to not have an account. Skype is perfect for telecommute meetings. If you can’t be where your client is, at least you can meet virtually face-to-face. Many clients want something more personal than a phone call, so Skype works wonderfully. Plus, as long as both parties have Skype, your call will be completely free. However, if you do need to make a phone call to a cellphone or landline, Skype’s rates are really reasonable. You will spend a lot less for calls via Skype than you would via a phone card or landline.

Business cards

You can’t expect people to take you seriously if you can’t even shell out some cash for business cards. You should have tons of these handy pieces of paper on you at all times. You never know who could turn out to be a valuable connection. Places like VistaPrint.com offer really cheap rates for pretty nice cards; moo.comis a bit pricier, but you will see a difference in the quality of the paper used. No matter where you get them, don’t cheap out and allow the company to put its logo or website on the back. Unless you actually work for the company, it has no place on your business card.

Travel insurance

With all these fancy gadgets, you most certainly need travel insurance. Anyone who is travelling more or less full time takes a significant risk of losing or breaking something and/or being robbed. All those electronics are necessary for you to get your work done and make money, so if they break down or get stolen, you’ll need to replace them quickly. Travel insurance makes sure you will always have the funds available to purchase replacements.

Paypal and/or Xoom

You’ve got to get paid, right? If you are switching cities and countries every couple of weeks, it may get difficult to deposit cheques into your bank account. Paypal and Xoom accounts are free, and the fees for receiving payments are pretty minimal. You can usually get your money out of either account and into your bank account or hands within a week.

Website

Whether it’s a blog or a simple portfolio, you need a website. Potential clients need to be able to look you up easily. Maintaining a professional website is essential to keeping clients happy and interested, especially if they can’t always meet you in person.

Reliable references

Recommendations are important for anyone looking for work, but they are twice as important for a freelancing traveller. If your clients cannot meet with you on a regular basis, they need to be able to trust that you will get the work done on time — and that you’ll do it well. If you can provide solid references, you will have a much better chance of getting work. It is also important to keep in mind the reliability of your references. I have several clients who would be more than happy to sing my praises — if you could ever get a hold of them. If you know that someone takes weeks to return a phone call or email, don’t list them as a reference. Most clients won’t wait around to hear back.

Confidence to sell yourself

You won’t get very far as a freelancer if you aren’t able to sell yourself. You need to be 100% confident in your abilities. You should know exactly why you are worth hiring and be able to explain your reasoning to anyone in a concise and convincing manner. Networking and references will get you some work, but when it comes to hunting down clients, you’ll need to have the confidence to win that job.

If you have all ten of these things, plus some talent and drive, you have a very good chance of making it as a successful freelancing traveller.

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/07/10-things-every-freelancing-traveller-needs/

Always On My Mind - Mavado

2013-07-23T15:23:00.003-04:00

FYI FRIDAYS: Travel Documents Checklist

2013-04-26T15:53:00.003-04:00

You’ve been planning your trip for what seems like forever. You’ve already checked most of the things off your packing list, and the excitement is building! But wait, maybe you should double-check that you have everything you need to head out on your all inclusive vacation. Of course you have your passport, however, what about any other documentation you may need? Choose safe rather than sorry, and take a look at our Travel Documents Checklist below to make sure that you only get stopped at the gate when someone compliments you on your shoes, haircut, or smartphone.

Are you hoping that the customs agents won’t notice that your passport expires a day before your return date? Yikes! Now head over to your nearest Passport Office and get your passport renewed before your trip

Don’t you wish a passport and bathing suit were all you needed for your tropical vacation? Sigh. In the case of travel documents, we were all created equal. Have your valid passport, booking number, and e-ticket documents ready, as well as the passport, booking number, and e-ticket documents for all persons travelling in your party

Are you cruising along the Mediterranean with your sweetheart? Awww. It’s your responsibility to determine what documentation is required for any ports of call on your cruise holiday. So if you are stopping into Athens, Greece and they are asking you for a visa, make sure you’ve got it all covered, otherwise you’re staying on the boat while everyone snaps shots of the grand Acropolis and feasts on moussaka and ouzo

Were you born outside of Canada? Be sure to check with the relative Tourist Board or Consular Office of your destination(s) for visa and any other requirements

Are you a landed immigrant in Canada? In addition to your passport and any visas you may need, bring along your Permanent Residence Card for good measure

Did your passport get soggy from that time you were kayaking on thePanama Canal? Passengers with damaged passports may be denied boarding, and you just might have to say “adios” to your tropical vacation, for now, while you replace your tattered and torn I.D.

Are you wondering if your passport needs to be valid for a specified amount of time? Tourist Boards in the countries you are visiting are pros with these questions. Be warned, however, that several countries require your passport to be valid for 6 months to welcome you into their country

Are you a super mom or dad braving the world of single parenthood?Exercising caution is a great way to properly prepare for the challenges that may come your way when travelling with kids. Lawyers will consult you on the necessary arrangements, and it is always good to get a consent letter from the other parent, if possible. Examples of consent letters can be found on the Government of Canada travel portal

Born in Cuba? Even if you have Canadian or U.S. citizenship, make sure to get a stamped “permission” letter from the Cuban authorities before you travel to your tropical destination

How many times will my documents be checked? Ideally, you should have your documents accessible at all times to airport and airline officials. You’re on their turf, so you’ll want to follow their rules

Are you looking to your airline to help you through your “I don’t have the proper documents” conundrum? Sorry. Airlines are not going to feel your pain, and they won’t take responsibility in these cases, no matter how adorable your pout

Are you a newlywed who is eager to start using your new name? Hold up! If you haven’t yet renewed your passport with your new name, then you will have to ensure that your e-ticket still reflects your maiden name

Are you travelling with kids? Hooray! All travellers, including infants, need a valid passport, even if their tongue is sticking out and they are drooling in their passport photo. Make sure to also bring along a birth certificate with mom and dad’s name on it. Each family is unique, so each travel experience will follow suit, make sure you have all the valid documentation when travelling with your tiny tots

Is Tommy or Tanya travelling alone to meet Grandma down south, or overseas? If your tween or teen is travelling across international borders alone, it would help to enroll him/her in the Unaccompanied Minor program

Are you flying to Florida or Las Vegas? Yeah, baby! If you hold a passport other than Canadian or U.S., there are a few changes to note, since it will require you to do a little bit of legwork before you travel

Do you have a medical condition? Discuss this with a representative who will ask you to fill out a form during the vacation booking process. If necessary, you might want to ask your physician to write a “fit to travel” letter detailing your condition, prescription information, and the type of assistance you may require

Is your family throwing a big reunion in Nanaimo, B.C. this year? Passports are good to have with you, and other I.D. like a Citizenship Card, Permanent Resident Card, Driver’s Licence, Provincial Health Card, provincial or territorial Government I.D. cards (GICs), birth certificates, Canadian military I.D., a Work Permit, a Study Permit, Indian Status Card, and others can be requested for additional screening purposes

Did you lose or have your documents stolen? Stay calm. Start the replacement process immediately, and try to get temporary government-issued identification. Birth certificates can be faxed over to the air carrier. If you were unlucky enough to get your docs stolen, you’ll need to file a police report with a friendly officer

Always keep in mind that as you travel and leave your footprint in the sand of silky smooth, turquoise beaches, you learn more about other cultures, places and your place in the world. When you look back fondly at your memories and experiences in the sun, and sometimes even laugh at the mishaps, you’ll realize that all that priming and prepping was a small price to pay.

http://blog.sunwing.ca/trip-tips/fyi-fridays-travel-documents-checklist/

Boeing Dreamliner cleared to fix battery, start flying again

2013-04-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

The Federal Aviation Administration cleared Boeing to make fixes to the battery system of the 787 Dreamliner. That paves the way for the aircraft to start flying again.

Nearly 50 Dreamliners have been grounded for the last four months, after two fires on Japanese jets prompted the FAA to order the planes grounded on Jan. 16.

Since then, Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) has redesigned the battery system. Next week, all airlines that have the 787 aircraft will start to install the new systems with the help of special teams deployed by Boeing, said spokesman Marc Birtel. He couldn't say when the 787 Dreamliners would begin flying again.

Boeing basically revamped the internal battery components to minimize the chances of a short circuit. It also improved the insulation of the battery cells, and created a new "containment and venting" system that is supposed to prevent overheating from affecting the plane.

"Safety of the traveling public is our number one priority. These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The move to approve the planes for flight has been expected. FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta predicted at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that it would happen soon.

Boeing has already completed 20 tests with the new battery technology, Huerta said during that hearing.

United Airlines (UAL, Fortune 500), which has six of the jets, is the only U.S. airline to take delivery of the Dreamliners so far. Boeing's customers are eager to get them into service, since they use lightweight composite materials that greatly improve fuel economy.

The Dreamliner has sold well in Asia and the Middle East, where airlines depend on long-range flights for much of their business, and can benefit most from the improvements in fuel economy.

The problems with the new battery technology have already prompted Boeing's European rival Airbus to revert to standard nickel-cadmium batteries in its A350 plane. The A350 had been designed to compete with the Dreamliner, and is due to make its first test flight in the middle of this year.

The approval for the battery fix comes just a few days before the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates traffic and aircraft incidents, will convene for a two-day investigation into the fires.

Boeing's shares were up 2% Friday afternoon.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/19/news/economy/boeing-dreamliner/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

U.S. to keep restriction on small knives on planes for now

2013-04-24T19:24:00.001-04:00

The U.S. government will temporarily delay a controversial rule that would again permit passengers to carry small knives on commercial flights three days before it was due to take effect.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement on Monday it would consider additional input from a federal advisory committee that includes aviation-related interests, passenger advocates, and law enforcement experts before activating the new regulation.

Airline passengers had been cleared to carry knives with small blades, including some pocket knives, beginning on Thursday. The TSA did not give a new date for the policy to take effect.

Small knives were banned along with a host of other undersized sharp objects, like nail clippers, screwdrivers and cosmetic scissors, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

Opinion: Letting knives on planes would be insane

TSA chief: Explosives are bigger threat

Critics up in arms over TSA knife policy

Al Qaeda hijackers were believed to have used box cutters to gain control of four jetliners.

TSA rules on knives, sports equipment

What a pocket knife could do on a plane

There has been a gradual easing of those prohibitions in recent years as planes hardened onboard security and the potential threats shifted from hijackings to attempts by terrorists to bring down planes with bombs.

Knives are probably the most common items surrendered by passengers at screening points, aside from liquids. About 35 knives are seen at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on an average day and about 47 per day at Los Angeles International Airport, officials said recently.

Under the plan, knives with blades that are 2.36 inches or shorter and less than a half-inch wide will be allowed in airline cabins so long as the blade is not fixed or does not lock into place.

TSA Administrator John Pistole had previously told a House Homeland Security subcommittee that his decision on permitting small knives would stand. He said it would improve screening efficiency and allow security to focus on items that pose more serious threats to aviation.

Knives on a plane? Really?

But Pistole has been under pressure from congressional lawmakers, flight crews and others concerned the change dangerously relaxed aviation security and sent the wrong message to a flying public eager for more simplicity and efficiency in passenger and bag screening.

Some of the nation's biggest carriers have also opposed the policy.

The TSA statement on Monday said the delay would enable security planners to weigh new feedback and continue workforce training.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said the temporary move is a "solid, commonsense step" toward maintaining safe skies.

"This delay acknowledges that permitting knives on planes is a bad idea; now the TSA should go the rest of the way and end this flawed policy all together," the New York Democrat said in a statement.

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, also approved of the delay.

"Now TSA can go through the established process, seek input from stakeholders and consult with the (Transportation Security Officer) workforce -- so we can have a sensible security policy with stakeholder buy-in," the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee said in a statement.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/22/travel/tsa-knives-planes/index.html?hpt=tr_c2

Taxi from the airport? That'll be $300, please

2013-04-24T19:20:00.005-04:00

Arriving at an airport and jumping into a taxi is the preferred option for most, and a necessary expense for time-pressed business travelers. But try passing off a $300 airport to city center fare and your accounts department may like to have a chat with you when you return to the office.

That's how much the average cab ride from Tokyo's Narita airport into the city center costs, making it the world's most expensive, according to a new survey by British foreign exchange company, Moneycorp.

By comparison a single ticket on the Narita Express train to the heart of Tokyo costs $28.

Tokyo's main international airport is 66 kilometers (41 miles) from the city, explaining a large part of the expense. Despite a weakening currency, making the journey almost 10% cheaper than at the same time last year, Japan remains an expensive destination for many visitors.

Click on the map to learn how much each airport to city center taxi fare costs.

Per kilometer the taxi journey from Narita costs $4.42, but is not the priciest by distance. That dubious honor goes to Copenhagen. Despite being only 8 kilometers from the city center of the Danish capital, an average taxi fare from the airport cost $50 ($6.50 per kilometer). Geneva in Switzerland is the next most expensive fare per kilometer.

Visitors to Oslo's Gardermoen airport and Milan's Malpensa will also have to budget in high transfer costs; the Norwegian capital and Italian city costing visitors $112 and $106 respectively to reach the city center. Both cities are over 40 kilometers from the airports.

"It's interesting that some of the biggest variations in taxi costs are in mainland Europe," said Tracey Tivnan of Moneycorp in a press statement.

"For example, the taxi fare from Milan Malpensa airport to the city center will cost you more than £70 ($106). This compares to just £2.17 ($3.30) from Sofia airport to the center of Sofia."

Elsewhere, of the popular destinations surveyed, the cheapest airport taxi fares can be found in Asia. The traffic-choked ride into Delhi costing on average $4.10, and Bangkok, $8.58.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/travel/taxi-airport-costs/index.html?hpt=tr_c2