We know layovers are difficult, and they often drive us to drink. But we’re passengers and it’s perfectly fine for us to knock back a couple before heading to a middle seat in the back of the plane so long as we keep to ourselves. However, it’s definitely not a good idea to have a few adult beverages before the flight if you are the person responsible for flying the airplane. Fortunately for all aboard a United Airlines flight, the pilot was stopped before take off as he allegedly had a little too much to drink.

Over 100 passengers and crew were ready to depart London to head to Chicago aboard Flight 949 yesterday when their flight was abruptly canceled. The cause of the cancellation was due to a pilot who was not fit to fly. The pilot was arrested at London Heathrow Airport and was later released on bail pending the results of alcohol tests. A staff member of United Airlines was purportedly the one that rang the airport police to check things out—good work. ]]> kjb 2009-11-11T08:37:27-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/9/19/114049/111

I got my hair cut this morning at a barber shop on Union Avenue in Brooklyn called Model Barbers, where Jack and Oksana work. I like going there, because I can practice my feeble Russian on them and they always correct my mispronunciations and grammatical errors. Jack and Oksana are from Uzbekistan, but they refer to the whole former Soviet Union as Russia and personally identify as Russians. No matter what bad thing happens in America, they'll remind you that things are worse in Russia. As I sit in the chair, they banter with each other in rapid-fire Russian, and I can only pick out a few odd words: rabota (work), kanyeshna (certainly), zhopa (ass). ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-09-19T11:40:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/25/131311/110

When it comes to getting 'housed on holiday, few nationalities do it better than the British, whose reputation for expatriate debauchery is legendary. Turns out, though, that such extreme inebriation has a downside, ranging from fights to sexual assaults to automobile and scooter accidents. Officials in the U.K. and Greece, a popular holiday destination for young Brits, are fed up with the embarrassing actions of a few hardcore lager louts and are doing something about it. As Reuters points out, Britain urged "Grease" on Thursday to ban bar-hopping tours in which patrons visit so many bars in an evening that even having one drink in each would put you well out of touch with your senses. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-07-25T13:13:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/11/122845/870

There's no shortage of stories about loutish behavior by drunken Britons on holiday in Spain, so I guess the latest tale of English weirdness from the Costa del Sol is decidedly positive in comparison. A Manchester, England resident named James B.N. (not pictured) came into a sizable inheritance, so he decided to celebrate the windfall with a trip to sunny Palma de Mallorca. In good spirits, he had a few too many drinks and began handing out money to strangers in Son Sant Joan Airport. According to the AP, he had already handed out thousands of euros by the time a more scrupulous passenger informed the police that a disheveled, smelly, homeless-looking man was behaving in a manner contrary to his own economic interests. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-07-11T12:28:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/2/1342/62258

KAI Vodka is the world’s only premium vodka made from rice, so it’s fitting that the company is hosting several package trips to Vietnam, where they have been making vodka for over 600 years. Take that, Russia!

The KAI Exotic Vietnam Adventure (KEVA for short) is a custom-packaged deal that plans out eight to 14 days in Vietnam, stopping in at major cities and scenic spots.

The 8-day package starts at $2,649 per person, and includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco on Cathay Pacific Airways, hotel accommodations, tours of Hanoi and Saigon, as well as a cruise of Halong Bay--you know, that huge bay with all the jungle-like monolithic rocks, unspoiled beaches, and vine-covered cliffs. Think Catherine Deneuve in Indochine.

]]> EricRosen 2009-02-03T12:36:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/11/7421/1979

Mexicans have tequila. Cubans, rum. Americans, uh, Budweiser. In Vietnam, the booze of choice is ruou (pronounced zeo), an elixir so smooth and multi-faceted it can be consumed with the sophistication of Dr. Frasier Crane.

The rice whiskey comes in multiple varieties and colors, but we hear the best comes from Binh Dinh province along the country’s south-central coastline. Locals follow ancient, meticulous protocols to create the stuff, using the fresh water of the Con River, pumping it through bamboo pipes, distilling it in terracotta pots and heating it over low flame.

While we sucked down Japanese rice wine during sake bomb binges in our college days, ruou should be sipped slowly and at room temperature. Like any good alcohol, the cool burn as it goes down feels like a giant Listerine breath strip soothing the throat.

In addition to claims that it "cures melancholy" (what alcohol doesn’t?), it's also used as a fever remedy. Just one wiff, and, voila, you're cured--or too drunk to remember you felt sick in the first place.

Related Stories:
· Last of the Summer Wine [Vietnamnet]
· Fall Culture Travel: Germany's Young Wine [Jaunted]

[Photo: noodlepie]]]> ced138 2008-11-13T12:05:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/30/82216/7403

With a recent experience of Polish vodka still tingling our taste buds, it's no surprise we had our attention grabbed by a weekend Age article about finding the best vodka in Warsaw.

Turns out that the Polish aren't quite as fascinated with their vodka as we are, seeing it as a bit of layman's drink, but that won't stop us trying a few more. The Age reporter was lucky to sample quite a few, including:

Krupnik, a honey vodka drunk for breakfast in the mountains, as well as subrezty, a sour-sweet vodka, a cherry flavoured vodka and Siwucha, a potato vodka.

The favorite turned out to be the potato vodka, but our personal vote is for the honey vodka. And who says breakfast time is too early to start drinking? Not the Polish, obviously.

Related Stories:
· The Best Vodka in Town [The Age]
· Polish Cuisine in Melbourne: Borsch, Vodka & Tears [Jaunted]
· Poland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ceronne]]]> amandak 2008-10-01T09:05:37-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/