5/14/2008 at 5:30 PM
Tags: China Travel, Earthquakes, Dams, Google Maps (all tags)
China continues to deal with the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake, while aid continues to trickle into also-suffering Myanmar. In China, officials are worried that the Zipingpu Dam may have been damaged by the 7.9-magnitude quake. We're not engineers, but it seems likely: One look at our map shows how close it was to the epicenter of the May 12 temblor.
The endangered dam sits just upstream from Dujiangyan, a city of several thousand people that is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built in 256 BC and is still in use today.
Hundreds of other dams in Sichuan may have been damaged, but officials say the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei Province is safe. The monumental construction project/environmental disaster-in-waiting sits about 350 miles east the earthquake epicenter.
Related Stories:
· Dam Cracks Add to China Quake Fears [TPA, via Google]
· China Says Troops Rush to Plug Dam [AP, via Google]
· Dujiangyan Irrigation System [Wikipedia]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
5/13/2008 at 1:00 PM
Tags: Taiwan, China Travel, China Airlines (all tags)
Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou won't take office until next Tuesday, but the president-elect has already gotten busy trying to solidify a deal that will allow regular direct flights from the Chinese mainland. Talk of the agreement is creating a buzz on the island nation--er, territory?--as its citizens anticipate a massive influx of new tourists.
Ma has so far only committed to expanding weekend charter flights by this July, but has said he hopes to have regularly scheduled flights by the end of this year.
Taiwan first banned direct flights between China when the mainland came under Communist rule in 1949, largely over sovereignty concerns. Direct charter flights resumed under a 2006 agreement, according to the International Herald Tribune, but have only been allowed during major holidays.
MORE...
by benh
5/09/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Disneyland, China Travel, Theme Parks, Attractions, Disney (all tags)
In the eternal struggle to make Hong Kong's Disneyland pay its way, the park has just opened the Hong Kong version of the classic It's A Small World ride.
Small World's been having a tricky year, with alterations planned for the original in California, possibly to accommodate fatter passengers. In Hong Kong, they're hoping that the world-peace style message of the ride will bring in a few more customers.
The Hong Kong version has a couple of unique features--those new Disney dolls are there--but the most significant is that four new languages have been added to that never-ending, high-pitched singing. Now you get Cantonese, Putonghua, Tagalog and Korean versions as well. We'll see if that brings the crowds in.
Related Stories:
· Hong Kong Disneyland Launches Classic Attraction [The Star]
· Disneyland's Small World Ride to Get Some Changes [Jaunted]
· Year of Mickey Mouse in a Mao Suit [Jaunted]
[Photo: jimmiehomeschoolmom]
by amandak
5/08/2008 at 1:06 PM
Tags: Mountains, Mountain Climbing, Adventure Travel, China Travel, Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Sports Travel, Olympic Torch (all tags)
Mountaineering types and adventure travel advocates are always hyping their accomplishments--until too many people follow in their footsteps. We can officially call Mt. Everest done-ski now that the Olympic Torch has made it to the summit.
When a team of torch runners can just say, "Let's take this thing up there," you know it's gotten too easy to just cruise up the mountain. Well, maybe easy is a bit of a stretch:
The summit attempt had been repeatedly delayed because of bad weather, and the team had been forced to sit for days at various high camps.
The group of ethnic Tibetan climbers and Chinese journalists must've been a lonely on the climb: China barred access to the summit earlier this year to keep any pro-Tibetan protests from marring the mountain-top torch run.
Related Stories:
· Olympic Torch Reaches Everest Peak [NYT]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
· Olympic Torch coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Xinhua]
by pbb
5/07/2008 at 9:20 AM
Tags: China Travel, Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Baggage, Carry On Baggage, Airlines, Luggage (all tags)
While most of the world is slowing lifting restrictions on cabin baggage, over in China they're just getting started. Last month the Chinese authorities added matches and lighters to a growing list of banned items. And as of May 1, they've also restricted the amount of cabin baggage you can carry on.
With the Olympics around the corner and plenty of tourists getting ready to make domestic flights across China, it doesn't seem like a great time to start changing the rules. But for the record, the rules now say that you can only take one piece of baggage on board, and it has to weigh less than 5kg (11 pounds); first class passengers get two bags.
This applies to international passengers who get a connecting flight within China, too. If you're Olympics-bound, this might be a good time to repack your bag.
Related Stories:
· China Restricts Flight Cabin Baggage [The Australian]
· Beijing Olympics 2008 coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: kool_skatkat]
by amandak
4/30/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: China Travel, Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Sports Travel, Smoking (all tags)
We can't imagine that the latest pre-Olympics news from Beijing will make organizers less stressed. Officials in the capital are promising a smoke-free games, and that means stubbing out cigs in parks, bus and train stations and even some restaurants. It's gonna be quite a project: China is the world's top tobacco producer and consumer.
While Olympic venues will have full-on bans, most of Beijing is easing into the restrictions. One restaurateur says an outright switch to non-smoking would never work:
We're planning to gradually expand our non-smoking area, but it would be difficult to entirely ban smoking from the restaurant in one go. After all, everyone knows the old Chinese saying, "A smoke after a meal makes you feel like an immortal."
There are about 350 million smokers in the country, so it doesn't seem likely that they'll all quit by August. In true Chinese fashion, smoking police will be deployed during the games to make sure no one's breaking the rules.
We don't encourage you to, but if you've gotta light up, don't fret. The current fine for smoking where you shouldn't? $1.50.
Related Stories:
· China Expands Effort to Make Olympics Smoke-Free [NPR]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: tsc_traveler]
by pbb
4/16/2008 at 5:45 PM
Tags: China Travel, Olympics, 2008 Olympics, Beijing Olympics, Beijing Olympics 2008, Sports Travel, Olympic Torch (all tags)
After passing through San Francisco, the Olympic Torch didn't find much trouble in Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam or Muscat. Now in Pakistan, the torch is prepping for a tour of the rest of Asia before heading back to China.
Among the upcoming stops are Kuala Lumpur, Canberra and Nagano, and today's relay through Islamabad was incident-free. But beware, torch watchers: Protesters in Australia are already agitating, so we could be in for more drama.
Related Stories:
· Tracking the Torch [Google Maps]
· Tracking the Torch's Carbon Footprint [Slate]
· Chinese in Australia Vow to Defend Torch [Telegraph]
· Olympic Torch Run has Sparse Crowd in Pakistan [AP, via Google]
· China Completes Blacktop Road to Mt. Everest [AP, via IHT]
[Photo: Google Maps]
by pbb
4/07/2008 at 4:36 PM
Tags: Tibet, China Travel (all tags)
The Chinese may be cracking down on rioters in Lhasa, but interest in Tibet is only surging says The New York Times. As access to the region has improved, more and more people are making trips there, to the tune of 5 million people a year. (Could Olympic Torch protests be helping hype Tibet, too?)
And unlike what happened after the junta in Myanmar killed a bunch of people, a sense of danger and a sense of guilt aren't affecting Tibet tourism. Says one travel agent:
Travelers were very frightened about heading to Burma while the protests and crackdowns were occurring...People who were scheduled to go to Tibet still very much want to go and do not seem concerned about the situation.
Obviously, we have to redirect them elsewhere because nobody can get entry permits for Tibet, but I do think it's interesting that the current events seem to have actually stimulated interest in the destination rather than discouraged it.
And therein lies the rub. Even if you want to go to the region, China has stopped issuing travel permits for Tibet. The routes up to Mount Everest, you've probably heard, are also closed.
Tourism providers like Globus, Mountain Travel Sobek and Collette Vacations have decided to cancel their trips for the spring. But maybe it's a good sign that they've yet to postpone their summer and fall excursions?
Related Stories:
· Suddenly, the Roof of the World Is Closed [NYT]
· Caught Between a Crackdown and a Tibetan Welcome [NYT]
· Trouble in Tibet [Jaunted]
[Photo: B_cool]
by pbb
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