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Good Morning: NYT Goes With the Brazilian Bikini Babe Photo for '44 Places to Go' Story

Robust offerings from the travel section of The New York Times this weekend, who sagely went with the Brazilian bikini babe photo to lead its 44 Places to Go in 2009 coverage. We're in a major recession here, and it's below freezing outside, so you might as well bring on the flesh. The suntanned, tattooed dancing lady holding a ... what is that, ginger ale? Anyway, she's in Florianópolis, Brazil, and in the uncropped photo that accompanies the article she's surrounded by three equally fit dudes wearing snug shorts and smoking cigarettes. Isn't it great how travel stories can always get some extra oomph from using sexy photos, because they can simply argue that they're capturing the essence of the destination?

In any case, Florianópolis does seem like a pretty great place to party the North American winter away, with more than forty beaches and scores of stylish restaurants and bars, but we're a bit more interested in destinations like Zambia. As the paper of record points out, Zambia is emerging as a safari capital to rival the big three of Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, and the new Toka Leya Camp - well positioned just seven miles from Victoria Falls - is leading the charge. I've seen the falls, and they are indeed spectacular, so to combine that experience with some safari action (and a comfortable bed) would indeed be transcendent. As far as über-luxury escapes that we can't quite afford right now go, there's Phuket, Thailand. With "some of the most luxe accommodations on the planet," we'll have to settle for looking at the pretty pictures.

[Photo: The New York Times]

Related Stories:
· The 44 Places to Go in 2009 [The New York Times]
· International Party Time Coverage [Jaunted]