Rick Steves Rolling Backpack (Reviewed: Jul 2012) Leave it to Rick Steves to combine the simplicity of backpack with the convenience of a roll a board. Roll the "Rolling Backpack" around for ease at the airport or at your hotel but shoulder it in situations where its better on your back then on the ground (crowds, nasty sidewalks etc). After sitting around for a month or two we were itching to put this to the road test. A trip to Thailand, Japan … [Read more...]
Hanging out in Narita Japan
Woke up this morning on some straw mat in a room I had never seen before. This was fine as I'm used to sleeping on hard surfaces. The confusion became clearer as the fog lifted from the sleep deprived mind and I vaguely remembered landing in Narita, Japan last night. The drive to this guesthouse was a blur - but I do remember the driver turning off his engine at every stop light, turning off his lights every time he stopped and driving with both … [Read more...]
Exploring the Wonders of Palau
The island nation of Palau is located about 500 miles east of Manilla in the Philippines and about a 2 hour flight from Guam. A number of airlines fly to Palau including United, Delta and China Air. There are numerous flights from Japan. Local car rental companies maintain offices in the small arrivals lounge of the International airport. Unlike some airports where you find only major car rental companies and or more expensive pricing - these … [Read more...]
Kansai Airport, KIX – Osaka Japan
I've flown into NRT many times over the years but this was the first time I've flown into the Osaka International Airport. A friend indicated it was a very modern airport but he neglected to mention just how cool this airport really is. Up until now, Changi Airport in Singapore has been my benchmark for International airports but KIX is certainly close to Changi's caliber. A public lounge offers showers for a small fee - no small showers here. … [Read more...]
Don George: Editor & Travel Author
Don George is a prolific travel writer and editor. We recently had a chance to ask him about his latest travel book, thoughts on his long career and the popular annual Book Passage Travel Writers conference which he helped start. Q. Tell us a little about the new Lonely Planet book, "Lights, Camera...Travel!" that you co-edited with actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy. "Lights, Camera...Travel!" is a collection of 33 stories by … [Read more...]
Visiting Narita and Tokyo
Narita Airport is a major hub airport for both Japan and all of the Asian Pacific rim. Hundreds of flights arrive and depart daily. We have flown here a number of times and on long layovers enjoy visiting both nearby Narita and the Tokyo metropolitan region. The airport itself has two major terminals (1 and 2) and a bus provides transportation between each one. The airport is modern, has free WiFi in a number of selected WiFi stations and for … [Read more...]
Peach Cigarettes in Tokyo
The first time I ever smoked a peach cigarette, I was wearing a dinosaur suit and sitting on my friend's balcony in a Tokyo suburb. My friend had a dinosaur suit because he'd gone to a fancy dress party the week before, and I was wearing it because I was cold and it was made of fleece. I'd never been much of a smoker, but the vending machine sold dozens of different flavours and what was the point of traveling halfway around the world if I wasn't … [Read more...]
Tourism in the Pacific by David Stanley
Tourism is the world's largest and fastest-growing industry, accounting for 10 percent of world economic activity and one in 15 jobs worldwide. Some 750 million people a year currently travel abroad compared to only 25 million in 1950, and each year over 100 million first-world tourists visit developing countries, transferring billions of dollars from North to South. Tourism is the only industry that allows a net flow of wealth from richer to … [Read more...]
Along the Dusty Trail
I was on a back road leaving a dust trail behind me that startled rope-pegged donkeys out of their sullen afternoon doze, the way before me stretching into the distance as infinite space. I had traversed miles of nowhere, taking in the lowland marshes of rice paddies where egrets strutted in measured steps collecting minnows for lunch, and the high mountain passes bordered by cliffs where only shaggy wild goats were sure-footed enough to clamber … [Read more...]
Colombia’s Coffee Boom
For inhabitants of Colombia, coffee production is an effective means for economic growth and prosperity. And the National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafe), located in Chinchiná and sponsored by the Colombian Coffee Grower's Federation, is working hard to highlight the influence of coffee on the economic development of the Cafe Triangle region in Colombia and countries like Guatemala and Honduras, says Fernando Gast, PhD, director of scientific … [Read more...]
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