Can't afford a European vacation this summer? Do what our contributor Claire Duffett did: Explore Southeast Asia instead.
Bangkok is a massive metropolis filled with skyscrapers and malls beside shacks and abandoned tenements. Between it all, fluorescent cabs and smoking tuk-tuks flood the congested streets.
Get ready for an adventure if you're trying to get around.
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by ced138
Are you a New York City Subway rider who's constantly plagued by fears of an another terrorist strike? Visiting town and don't want to get blown to bits? Well, you're in luck! Thanks to Subivor, you can save yourself in the event of a bombing or biological attack for the low, low price of $24.99!
The US House of Representatives has just passed a $14.9 billion bill to finance Amtrak for the next five years. It also includes a provision for another $1.5 billion of federal money for the Washington, DC Metro.
Though President Bush says he won't sign the measure, the bill passed with a big enough majority that the House would likely override any veto. Jaunted frienemy Rep. James Oberstar helped craft the bill, along with longtime Amtrak critic Rep. John Mica, who's apparently finally sick of paying $4 a gallon for gas.
A similar bill has already passed the Senate, but the House version includes a requirement that the Department of Transportation seek proposals from private companies to build a high-speed rail line along the Eastern Seaboard.
That might be a nice change: A private company probably wouldn't announce plans to shut down this weekend only to reschedule those repairs for June 16-19.
Related Stories:
· Bipartisan Bill Funding Amtrak Passes in House [AP, via WP]
· Amtrak coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: william.ward]
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by pbb
Wired has a gallery featuring photos of some of the world's "most impressive" subway systems. Moscow clearly wins best in show with "chandeliers, marble moldings and elaborate murals" in some of the city's stations. Opulent subways must be a Communist thing, because Moscow's seems quite similar to the infamous Pyongyang Metro in North Korea.
Perhaps Pyongyang's public transit system was missing from Wired's list because foreigners are only allowed to tour it on closely guarded single-station trips. Still, the photos that have emerged from the secretive North Korean subway show more chandeliers, marble columns and great propaganda murals such as "The Great Leader Kim Il Sung Among Workers."
If seeing inspirational artwork during your morning commute doesn't get your day started off right, maybe you'd prefer a refreshing river cruise?
Related Stories:
· Gallery: The World's Most Impressive Subways [Wired]
· Pyongyang Metro [Official Site]
· Public Transportation coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of the Pyongyang Metro: Pricey]
Paris commuters now have a new maritime option for traveling to work--and Euro-strapped tourists are in luck with a cheaper alternative to pricey Seine tour boats.
Voguéo, a new fleet of public transportation boats, set sail on Sunday. The boats run from Gare d'Austerlitz train station on the Left Bank and make several stops throughout the city, as far as Maisons-Alfort in the Southeast suburbs.
While the €3 ($4.66) price tag is double what you'd pay on the Metro, it's a bargain for those looking to view the city from the Seine while avoiding tourist trap cruises.
The initiative is part of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë's plan to reduce car traffic by 40 percent by 2020, and the city hopes to extend the program all along the Seine in the coming years. The covered, heated catamarans run from 7 am to 8:30 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 8 pm on weekends.
Related Stories:
· Voguéo [Official Site]
· Paris Ahoy! Commuter Boats Ready for Sail [IHT]
· Velib Bikes coverage [Jaunted]
· Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: STIF]
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by BS
Springtime in Paris must be as sexy as they say. First we saw Lauren Conrad flirting around town then came the perverts' guide to the arrondissements. Now a new book featuring moody photos of naked ladies is up for sale.
Photographer Jam Abelanet says he took all but one of the (possibly NSFW) photos for his title Fantaisies Souterraines (Underground Fantasies) while the Paris Metro was open for business--but never during rush hour. Most of them are un-retouched, but Abelanet admits a few have been tweaked. But why shoot in the subway?
I started taking photos of nudes in the studio, but I was frustrated by the decor. So I looked around Paris for some places that could be interesting. The Metro is so rich, it's interesting to work from that. At first, the work was a little makeshift, but by then there's no going back.
The subway authorities are worried that people will try to copy his shots, endangering themselves in the process. But we say long live subway photo shoots!
Related Stories:
· Nude Photos on Paris Metro Alarm Authorities [Boing Boing]
· Hot Snapshots on the Paris Metro [Metro, in French]
· Nudes on the Metro [Le Post, in French]
· Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]
Riders still complaining about New York's public-transit fare hike now have something new to shake their fists at: The Metropolitan Transit Authority is scaling back on making systemic changes thanks to a $3 billion budget shortfall. Rising construction costs are to blame, according to AM New York, which means the MTA won't be sprucing up stations or buying new trains and signals.
The March 1 fare hike has already been knocked for disproportionately affecting commuters over tourists, and for changing the bonus structure so that no one can figure out how to get the free rides which are part of the pricing scheme. (The magic number on that is $40, by the way.)
Is asking for tips next?
Related Stories:
· MTA Faces Budget Gap of $3 B [AMNY]
· Public Transportation coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of the G train: animalvegetable]
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by egw
Does the guy or gal who spots you running to the bus stop deserve a little somethin' extra for holding the door open for you? Drivers of peseros, or microbuses, in Mexico City are demanding a little gratuity on top of the two-peso ($0.20) tickets to pay for gas and other repairs.
Fare hikes were applied to the local public transit system, but they only applied to the newest buses, leaving drivers of older, less environmentally sensitive vehicles in the lurch. Hence at least part of the reason for the extra fees.
If you wanna avoid the debate between 15 and 20 percent, just make room for taxi fares in your budget if you're traveling to Mexico City. The clowns alone ensure a very scary ride.
Related Stories:
· Mexican Bus Drivers Want Tips Despite Harrowing Rides [AP, via Yahoo]
· Buses coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: AP]
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