Posted Thursday, May 29, 2008, 10:14 PM by Lonely Planet
One of the hottest (but sadly, let's face it, most boring) topics of conversation right now is the price of fuel. One glance at the price boards at the local service station is seriously the cheapest facelift you can get - those eyebrows aren't coming down for a good long while. In light of this rise in fuel prices, some airlines are cutting their services to less popular destinations (or 'low-yeilding leisure routes' as they call them - how'dya like that, Gold Coast? Wow.) Both domestic and international services will be getting their wings clipped.
This is really interesting. Are the days of 10-cent travel over? Is that flurry of budget flights finally coming to rest? How is this going to affect the future of travel? Are we all going to start investigating destinations closer to home or are we just gonna suck up that price hike and awkward schedule?
I'm interested, I'm conflicted, I'm kinda excited. How's this going to pan out? What do you think?
-- Slickarus
Labels: budget flights, fuel prices, petrol
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Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 8:44 PM by Lonely Planet
North Melbourne doesn't tend to rate much of a mention in guidebooks about our fair city, but this may change now given the suburb's starring role in controversial Aussie TV series Underbelly. For those of you who've been living on the moon or in the wilds of Mongolia lately, Underbelly is an absorbing and shamelessly flashy dramatisation of the infamous 'gangland wars' that shook this town between 1995 and 2004.
Ironically, it's banned from screening in Victoria until ongoing court cases pertaining to the gangland wars are finalised.
But you can get an Underbelly fix simply by trawling the restaurant-lined 'mean streets' of North Melbourne (standing in for Carlton, scene of actual events). Forget that dorky Neighbours tour, don those bullet-proof shades and get hungry: these gangsters had big appetites!
- Rubicon, Errol St: acting as La Porcetta, Mick Gatto's old hang-out and the place where gun-for-hire Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin met his maker. (They make a damn fine pumpkin pizza, too).
- Amiconi, Victoria St: appearing as bent lawyer Mario Condello's favourite haunt.
- Sosta Cucina, Errol St: featured in final episode.
- French Quarter Patisserie, Queensberry St: some key Tony Mokbel scenes were filmed here. (And I can vouch for their heart-stoppingly exquisite cakes).
- Town Hall Hotel, Errol St: a chase scene took place in the front bar, but don't let that stop you from lingering for a bevvie or two, some tasty pub grub and some seriously rockin' live music.
- Railway Hotel, Ireland St: I've always been too scared to go into this pub, which I suppose makes sense considering that it's the scene of the skimpy-bar where a lingerie-clad Tracey Seymour first meets bad boys Alphonse Gangitano and Jason Moran.
Have you ever visited landmarks and/or locations related to your favourite TV show?
- Suzy Watusi
Labels: Melbourne restaurants, TV tours
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Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 9:54 PM by Lonely Planet
In about six months or so I will be heading off to Europe for three weeks with my Mum. We are off to England to celebrate my London-based older brother's 40th birthday and then on to Portugal.
We're expecting to have a great time travelling with Mum; she is an adventurous, curious traveller, with a lively mind who adapts well.
However, from what I have gleaned, most web-based travel advice concerning travelling with older parents assumes they are drug-dependent, semi-invalids, prone to fatigue with an insatiable appetite for dietary fibre.
Is my trip to Europe going to involve very little except medicating, reviving and hydrating Mum, eating bland bran-based food and washing tired legs?
This sounds worse than travelling with a squalling brat.
Have you ever travelled with an older parent? Was it fun, or an ordeal?
Larry O'Leary
Labels: travel with parents
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Posted Monday, May 26, 2008, 6:34 PM by Lonely Planet
Long-gone are the days when travel meant tying your belongings neatly in a hankerchief, securing it to the end of a stick and casually slinging it over your shoulder.
These days travel means gadgets, and travel gadgets can be highly technical, including essentials like MP-whatsits on mobile hoo-hahs, with GPRS thing-oes.
Do you have a favourite travel gadget? What do you never travel without?
Jenni Kauppi
Labels: Gadgets, Technology
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Posted Saturday, May 24, 2008, 5:29 PM by Lonely Planet
OK, I have to admit it: I'm hardly a beer connoisseur. I know what I like and what goes down well on a hot tropical afternoon, but I'm certainly far from as critical as the folks on Ratebeer.com.
That said, I found Vietnamese beers to be an incredibly pleasant surprise. Apart from bia hoi (fresh draught beer), which you can get on almost any street corner for a few cents, there are several national breweries that produce a fine drop. Here's my take, in order of preference:
1. Huda - Native to Hue, the old imperial capital, Huda is cheap, clean, thoroughly refreshing, and complex enough to sip slowly (if you have the self-control). A huge thumbs-up.
2. Bia Hue - Very similar to Huda, and brewed by the same company, this is a pale lager that sucks up your thirst magnificently. Harder to find than Huda.
3. Bia Ha Noi - North beats South in the battle of Vietnam's 'two capitals'. Hanoi's brew is golden, fizzy and eminently drinkable. It lacks the richness of its Hué counterparts, but it has no bitter aftertaste and sports a pleasant, malty flavour.
4. Bia Sai Gon - Ho Chi Minh City's answer to Bia Ha Noi, Bia Sai Gon is darker, more honeyed and less carbonated. It's better for a cool, breezy evening than after a hot day spent dodging scooters.
5. Halida - Produced in North Vietnam under the supervision of Carlsberg, Halida is an OK drop. Cheaper than chips and almost as uncarbonated, Halida can leave a full feeling in your stomach and a slightly bitter aftertaste. It's a fine accompaniment to spring rolls or bun, though.
6. Bia Festival - Easily the worst of the three big Hué beers, Festival is overpriced and slightly sour. Go for Huda instead.
7. Bia 333 - Pronounced 'ba ba ba' (don't ask me about tones!), 333 might not be quite as poor as Festival, but the weight of expectation sends it to the bottom of the list. It's supposedly an 'export-quality' beer, but it's horribly disappointing. If you want full flavour, go for Sai Gon; if you want a great balance, go for Huda.
Again, these are just the opinions of a complete dilettante. Anyone been to Vietnam who can recommend better/other beers, or improve this list?
-- Vivek Wagle
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Posted Thursday, May 22, 2008, 10:06 PM by Lonely Planet
Let's do the Time Warp again
It's not hard to be a bit of a sophisticate these days. Most people know a shiraz from a cab sav and can wax lyrical on the pleasures of a lovely, room temperature, washed-rind cheese. But some days, it can all get a bit much and you feel the need to turn your back on gourmet gentrification in favour of simpler times. In some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, you can still find time-warped treasures doling out old school rissoles, instant coffee or greasy fried eggs while all around them, foams and foie gras abound. I respect the grim militancy of Sydney's ancient Oceanic Café, adore the homespun rudeness of Melbourne's Scheherazade. I have traced my initials in the greasy film adorning the laminex tabletops of London's New Piccadilly and chowed down on the signature tuna salad sandwich with pickles at New York's Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop, which proudly, prophetically sports a sign that reads 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
Care to share any of your favourite time-warp eateries?
- Nancy Drool
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Posted Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7:22 PM by Lonely Planet
Shameless voyeurism or educational experience? Opinions on slum tourism (or 'poorism' as it's sometimes called) tend to swing between these two extremes, provoking passionate arguments on both sides. Organised tours through a city's shanty towns certainly show visitors a side of their destination that official tourism bodies and guidebooks don't, but at what cost?
Although slum tourism takes place in many of the world's large cities, the favela tours of Rio de Janeiro are probably the best known exponents of this controversial travel trend. With the popularity of films like City of God and TV series like City of Men - not to mention the whole concept of 'favela chic' - it seems foreign travellers can't get enough of slumming it with the locals.
And now you can even meet a bonafide drug dealer as part of your 'authentic' favela experience. OK, is it just me, or is this taking things a little too far? I can't help feeling that it's an insult to the thousands of favela-dwellers who are just trying to get by the best they can without succumbing to corruption or violence...
What are your thoughts on favela tours? Akin to ogling animals in a zoo, or a chance to really connect with Rio's less privileged residents?
- Suzy Watusi
Labels: favela tours, rio de janeiro, slum tourism
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Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 9:25 PM by Lonely Planet
Fancamp has been set-up to cater to football fans who will gather all over Europe to witness the first 'All England' Champions league final between Chelsea and Man United. It promises secure, convenient accomodation with bonuses including in-house hair & make-up artists and 'fairly-priced' beer.
The actual digs are a little spartan: somewhere between a monk's cell and a polling booth.
Keep in mind, the game is being played in Moscow, Fancamp is in Vienna.
The Viennese are obviously keen to avoid Manchester's fate at the hands of Rangers fans watching the Uefa cup final last week.
This all got me thinking. If it's alright for football fans, why not other types of travellers? One of these could cater to young Aussies in London - they all live in crowded sharehouses, why not set-up a giant sharehouse along the lines of the FanCamp model.
FanCamp: cramped hellhole or budget accomodation solution?
Labels: Festivals and events
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Posted Monday, May 19, 2008, 10:31 PM by Lonely Planet
If you're worried about the hobbit-sized ecological footprint you leave every time you jet off to discover the world, you may be interested to know about 'carbon offset' companies, like Carbonfund.org who'll repent your sins for a nominal fee.
Hey, with all those new low-cost airlines, there may just be an opening in your travel budget.
What's your experience of carbon offset travel?
Jenni Kauppi
Labels: eco-friendly
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Posted Sunday, May 18, 2008, 5:52 PM by Lonely Planet
The people-watching in Sydney’s Surry Hills must be good. I was swinging along Bourke St on my way to the miniscule Bourke St Bakery (look for the warranted queue) and noticed many houses with trios of chairs on the terrace. Some were mottled collections, others more sharply coordinated, possibly reflecting the residents within. It must be fun to watch people pad along the street with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, and then see them coming back the other way, all sugared-up and happy, a few flakes of plum tart in their hair.
Labels: Surry Hills, Sydney
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Posted Thursday, May 15, 2008, 8:25 PM by Lonely Planet
Whoa, tiger. Take those skates off. Put those brakes on.
Slow down!
Whistle-stop tours don't get you anywhere but worn out and ticked off. There's something to be said for radically simplifying your itinerary. Base yourself in just one or two places - hang out, find a favourite place to buy fruit and have coffee, get to know the locals, live a little.
The movement is growing - more and more people are seeing the sense of getting off the carousel, listening to the senses again, savouring, taking time. Find a rental instead of a hotel, get off planes and cut down your carbon footprint, or just take a good, long quaff of the roses.
What's your travelling speed?
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Posted Wednesday, May 14, 2008, 5:00 PM by Lonely Planet
Cyclone Nargis, which tore across southern Myanmar's delta region last week and left (per a UN estimate) one million in need of aid, could hardly have found a nation less prepared to deal with such a disaster. Even before the storm, groups like Refugees International, were calling the situation a 'humanitarian crisis.' Of the world's poorest 50 nations, Myanmar is last in terms of per-person aid - about US$3 compared to an average of US$58.
The political obstacle courses that followed have been heart-breaking to see. While bodies floated in rivers and flooded fields, the Myanmar generals denied visas from aid groups (a week later only 34 of 100 UN applicants had been approved, according to a New York Times article), the frustrated UN briefly discontinued support, and the first Red Cross boat carrying aid into the wrecked delta area sank. The first US planes carrying supplies - made available the day after the storm (far quicker time than during the Katrina fiasco, it must be said) - were only allowed to land in Yangon a week later, after a previously scheduled referendum vote took place on Saturday. Apparently absent from the discussions as potential mediators were Asean or China, both of whom have favourable relationships with the government.
Fortunately many makeshift 'DIY' groups of Yangon locals didn't wait for outside help. A local friend in Yangon emailed me a few days after the cyclone, saying 'I and everyone in Yangon are not yet recovered from the shock. We were very scared.' Yet the same day, he had formed in informal group with his co-workers to get basics like rice and clean water to those who need it, quick. 'We formed a small team and help the poor area in town as much as we can, but 90% of the infrastructure is down. Roads are still blocked with big trees and lamp-posts and wire cables and big signboards.'
He's not alone in the efforts. He says he's seen other spontaneously assembled groups helping, including local NGOs and religious groups. Each day they're able to reach farther into the delta, distributing what they can: 'clean water, glucose powder and tables, biscuits, t-shirts, local sarongs and blankets, plastic sheets.'
He explains, 'We've gradually reached more remote areas as far as Latputta by boat, and Bogale, another seriously hit area.' (This is the same village that, according to a New York Times article Tuesday, that the military wouldn't allow Doctors Without Borders' officials there to hand out supplies or visit the hospital.)
Many aid organisations are accepting donations, including Medicins Sans Frontier and Australian Aid International.
- Robert Reid (author Myanmar Lonely Planet guide)
Labels: Asia and Pacific
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Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 4:12 PM by Lonely Planet
At least 63 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded after a series of eight bomb blasts tore through the historic old town of the Indian city of Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan state, at around 7.15pm local time Tuesday night. The bombs went off near several heavily touristed sites, including the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and Johri Market.
Officials have imposed a citywide curfew in response to the bombings.
Known as the 'pink city' for its ochre-pink forts, palaces and city walls, Jaipur is an extremely popular tourist stop about 260km from Delhi.
See what travellers are saying on the India branch of the Thorn Tree forum or head to the BBC for the latest news and to view the devastation in pictures.
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Some pets are so worldly they have their own pet passport. Others are lucky to just get a ride around town on the back of their owner's bike. Here Lonely Planet dog-lovers give us the low down on taking your canine companion for a ride:
- Convert a little kid tote into a doggy tote
- Dog bike trailers
- A milk crate with a wire cage over the top, sitting on a small trailer thingy
- Milk crate + chicken wire + broom handle + skateboard = pet transport system
- Get a sturdy back basket and a car harness from the pet shop. Attach the 'seatbelt' bit to the bottom of the bike basket. Put a blanket down and strap her in - it works really well because the harness means they can sit/stand up but can't move far enough to get over the edge of the basket.
Got any other ways to get around town with the pooch?
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Posted Sunday, May 11, 2008, 3:55 AM by Lonely Planet
The overnight train from Hanoi to the Vietnam-China border town of Lao Cai gets in at 4:30am. It's a befuddling time, and it's easy to lose your bearings - especially if you're heading to Sapa. Stay firm, bargain hard, and insist on your destination, though, and you'll end up at the hill station (albeit after more than an hour in a bumpy, crowded minivan).
It's worth it. Sapa is magical: cool, misty and magnificent. The first day we arrived was so foggy that we couldn't see across the street. That didn't stop us from doing a day walk to nearby Cat Cat village, which rewarded us with close-up views of waterfalls and drastically improved lung capacities.
But it wasn't until the next day that we could see what we had been missing: endless, sweeping valley views. Paddies terraced across the hillsides, right down to the rivers. Heavily forested mountains, their tops always invisible. We were looking forward to our 10km walk through the villages dotting the valley floor.
That's when it got interesting. The Sapa region is home to several minority groups, most noticeably the Black Hmong, the Red Dzao and the Dzai groups. All three have their own distinct, mutually incomprehensible languages (Vietnamese is the language of commerce). Most members of these groups live a subsistence lifestyle, growing crops and occasionally selling the surplus for agricultural supplies and equipment.
As we walked, several Black Hmong women gathered around us, peppering us with questions and telling us stories of their lives. Their command of English, French and Chinese was admirable. They talked with us all the way along the mountainside. And when we crossed from their village to the next, the solicitations began. "Buy from me?" several asked, displaying beautifully crafted blankets, dubiously put-together bracelets, and cheap trinkets. We smiled and declined politely, but they persisted. "We walk all the way with you, we talk with you, and now you don't buy from us?"
We felt torn. We really didn't want anything. Our packs were full enough for our liking, and we had resolved to buy nothing we didn't need on this trip. We hadn't asked the women to walk with us, and we felt vaguely upset that their friendliness may only have been a commercial front (and yes, we knew that was a possibility from the beginning).
But some of the goods they were selling were of high quality. The prices were reasonable. They weren't begging or asking for handouts - they were supplementing their meager incomes with a potential windfall from tourism. And they had definitely enhanced our experience of the valley. Would it be so bad to exchange some money for their handicrafts, despite the fact that we didn't want them?
What would you have done?
- Vivek Wagle
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Posted Thursday, May 08, 2008, 9:14 PM by Lonely Planet
In this age of food snobbery, airline food is looked down upon as the toothless, penniless guttersnipe of the gourmet world. Many travellers abhor it, although there are a number (me included) who actually dig the stuff - the anticipation, the surprise/shock/horror, the little containers, the comedy bread bun that is impossible to bite. I had my first crab stick on a flight to Hawaii as a fourteen-year-old and it felt like the height of glamour.
If you have an in-flight food fascination, airlinemeals.net covers all bases, even taking you behind the scenes of airline catering or showing you what the crew eats. Travellers the world over send in photos of their meals. Get depressed by a miserly vegan breakfast! Long for the campy delights TWA were serving up in the 50s! Mourn the loss of a post-dinner Baileys on Swiss Air!
So what's been your worst in-flight meal?
Labels: airline food, in-flight meals
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Posted Wednesday, May 07, 2008, 5:14 PM by Lonely Planet
The United Nations says that up to 1.5 million people may have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday. Burmese state media say 22,980 people were killed, but there are fears the figure could rise to 100,000. The regions of Irrawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Karen and Mon have been declared disaster zones.
The
Thorn Tree community are sharing news, information, updates, personal accounts and reports. For the latest,
click here.
Many aid organisations are accepting donations, including Medicins Sans Frontier and Australian Aid International.
From inside Myanmar, BBC reporter Paul Danahar describes the misery and fear in the delta region.
Labels: Asia and Pacific, world news
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Posted Tuesday, May 06, 2008, 10:35 PM by Lonely Planet
Every city has spaces that confront us with events of the past. Buildings, squares and monuments bear witness to people's struggles and their scars record significant episodes in history. They're the silent players in the city narrative.
It's easy to miss these often subtle references to the past. Take Barcelona's Plaza Sant Felip Neri. At first glance, it's a tranquil, unassuming square. With its shade and fountain, it's a romantic spot offering respite from the relentless buzz of La Rambla. Go in closer, though, and you'll get a glimpse of the stories preserved in its walls. The facade of the plaza's baroque church is pockmarked from the shrapnel of a bomb dropped during the Spanish Civil War. Forty-two people taking refuge inside were killed in the blast, most of them children. The plaza was also the site of civil-war executions. In some way, it serves as an unofficial memorial to the war's victims.
Tell us about the scarred places you've come across, places that tell you something of a city's history.
- Eli Arduca
Labels: Barcelona, Europe
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Posted Monday, May 05, 2008, 4:08 PM by Lonely Planet
If you're planning a trip to New York and have a desire to uncover the city's best street art or are off to Berlin to shop for spring, check out Gridskipper, an award-winning travel blog that combs the web for the latest happenings in the coolest cities around the globe. The self-confessed urban fanatics behind the venture publish daily posts covering a vast range of themes under the broad umbrella of 'urban lifestyle'.
Some great recent posts include: indie pop/rock summer concerts in Paris, an overview of London's best design shops and a guide to drinking in Berlin's Friedrichshain.
It's by far and away one of my favourite travel blogs. What's yours?
Labels: Art, drinking, shopping, travel blog
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The sun doesn't rise until 6:30, but our tuk-tuk driver insists that we have to meet before 5am. We exchange doubtful glances. However, everyone in Siem Reap has been honest and friendly, so we agree.
The next morning, we stumble downstairs from our hotel (the Ancient Angkor Guesthouse - a surprisingly awesome-value find) and he's not there. But his brother is, and he's been waiting since 4:30.
Bleary-eyed, we're not ready for the long, dusty road. We're not the only ones: during the 7km ride from town, we're passed by scores of taxis and other tuk-tuks. And our guy was right about the early start, as lashings of color start to streak through the sky. We arrive at Angkor Wat and dutifully join the shuffle of tourists walking the long causeway. There are hundreds of people around.
We look up, and the reflections of water-lilies shimmer on the moat surrounding the temple complex. Through the morning haze, the central tower looms in the distance. The chanting of monks wafts over on the breeze.
We enter through the outer walls, and everyone stops. The crowd fans out onto the grassy fields and huddles up on the steps of the ancient library, west of the towers. They all have their cameras out, ready to catch the first, magical moment of the sun peeking out from behind the tower.
But it's a cloudy day. The colors have already disappeared from the sky, and all is grey. We exchange glances and move on. The crowd is now behind us, and we enter the stone corridors of the inner temple. Our footsteps ring out in the dark hallways. We can barely make out the delicate bas-relief carvings on the wall, but we can take our time. No one is around to hurry us on. We're in a ghost of a place.
We pass through the temple center and come out the other side. There is only forest here, with a dirt trail heading east. We come out the building as the towers begin to light up. Fifty paces onward, and we turn to face the structure with the sun at our backs. We share the sunrise with only the giant naga sculptures and the chirping cicadas.
- Vivek Wagle, site editor
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Last weekend
I made the trek to the goldfields of Victoria (in the southeast corner of Australia) to visit the post-gold rush burg of
Clunes, which declared itself a 'booktown' in 2007. Bibliophiles flocked to the town to fossick through the mix of secondhand and new bookstores set up for the weekend-long event.
Some booktowns open year-round, like the grand-daddy of them all, Hay-on-Wye, which made headlines in 1977 when bookseller Richard Booth declared the Welsh town an independent kingdom and himself King Richard. Naturally he made his horse prime minister. Today Hay-on-Wye hosts an
influential book festival and a simultaneous event for kids called Hay Fever.
There's booktowns around the world, including in
Italy and
Finland, but my favourite is Scotland's oddly named
Wig town. It sounds more like a centre for fake hairdressing.
What kind of town would you like to go to? Beertown? Coffeetown? Funky Town?
- George DunfordLabels: books, Festivals and events
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Posted Thursday, May 01, 2008, 10:20 PM by Lonely Planet
Is there any bigger pain in the arse than flying long haul on your own and getting the crummy middle seat? The Jan Brady of plane seats. There's no window to lean against, no aisle to stretch your legs into - you're forced to sit upright like a goody two-shoes at the front of the class. So, what are the tricks to getting a good seat? First up, you can look at SeatGuru, which has a layout of planes, rates the seating and tells you which ones have power-port access or immovable arm rests. Doing the early internet check-in can also help you snag the seat you want (window seat, near the exit, close to the john). Of course, none of this will guarantee you don't get sat in front of the hyperactive two-year-old who kicks your seat during an entire movie - the day you can check that box will be a day for aviation progress indeed.
What's your preferred spot on a plane?
Labels: check in, plane travel, seats
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