Usually unspoiled romantic trips to Thailand have been messed around this past week as anti-government protests close down airports and roads. Although the Phuket Airport has been reopened and thousands of stranded vacationers are now on their way home, it's far from being over--a State of Emergency has been announced.
People's Alliance for Democracy protesters are now threatening to blockade not just Phuket, but seven airports across Thailand unless the Prime Minister resigns. Tourist hotspots like Krabi, Samui and Phuket are among the seven.
There's a good way and a bad way to experience airport shutdowns like this. The good way is what hundreds of tourists on Phuket just experienced--four extra days on a tropical island at the airline's expense. That's what we're rooting for.
The Democratic National Convention is just eight days away, and the mile-high city of Denver is gearing up for four days of speechifying, glad-handing, and baby-kissing as Barack Obama officially accepts his party's nomination for the presidency. And while organizers are looking forward to a week of virtuous pronouncements, other groups are expecting the seedy side of the DNC to rear its ugly head.
News crews from CBS reportedly discovered a "concentration camp" that was built by local police to house all the protesters they expect to arrest during the convention. A warehouse on the north-east side of town was equipped with metal holding pens, fences topped with barbed wire, and a sign that warns of "electric stun devices used in this facility."
Meanwhile, an organization called Street's Hope is planning on reaching out to the 40,000 prostitutes they estimate will be in town to entertain the philandering delegates. The group aims to offer a way out for sex workers who want to leave their lives of prostitution, offering outreach, counseling, and lots of prayer. One can't help but wonder how many prostitutes they estimate the Republican convention will draw. Would they low-ball the figure to make the GOP look a bit more saintly?
In any case, if you're headed to Denver, be careful of where you protest and who you go to bed with, because plenty of sanctimonious moralists will be watching your every move.
"The Today Show" publicity stunt/geography lesson that is "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" continued today with a stop in Istanbul. We'll give Meredith Vieira a pass on her claim that "New Zealand is on a submerged continent" and instead focus on the cool info that Lauer had on Turkey, where tourism has doubled in the past six years.
The morning host was also joined by Lester Holt who did a quick tour around the country to Bodrum, Pamukkale, Cappadocia and Ephesus. We also got a look inside the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
A separatist group occupied the Iolani Palace in Honolulu yesterday, closing the landmark to tourists to protest the "occupation" of Hawaii by the United States. The peaceful demonstration by the Hawaiian Kingdom Government lasted about eight hours, and no arrests were made.
The group says it wants to reestablish the Iolani Palace as the seat of the islands' sovereign government. The HKG plans to reoccupy the grounds today, though the organization doesn't plan to lock people out like they did Wednesday. Still, might not be the best day to visit.
The palace was the residence of the last two Hawaiian monarchs and it's now a National Historic Landmark. When it's not being occupied, you can visit on a docent-led "Grand Tour" for $20 or just take a self-guided tour of some of the galleries for $6.
The Hawaii Superferry is back, and along with it protests about environmental damage. After a court ordered the big ship to stop its inter-island journeys this summer, a new decision--and some action by Governor Linda Lingle--has the ship cruising again, at least until an environmental assessment is complete.
While protesters greeted the ferry when it pulled into Maui's harbor late last week, the tone has been quite civil. Maybe that's because the Coast Guard and lots of law enforcement have been watching demonstrators while toting automatic weapons?
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by amandak
