Hong Kong might not mix that so perfectly with American culture, if the problems at the local Disneyland are anything to go by. But apparently the people of Hong Kong are more excited about all things Spanish.
Places like the Ole Restaurant doing big business these days. One of the reasons is that Spanish wine is relatively cheap in Hong Kong, but we're sure there's a bit more to it than that.
Flamenco dancing is also a hit, with lots of color and energy. We figure just put Mickey into a flamenco costume and Hong Kong Disneyland could find its way back into the public's good books.
And out of disaster comes... a new tourist destination. Thanks to the May 12 earthquake, Beichuan county got a large new lake, and Chinese scientists and government officials are already figuring out how to maximize its tourism potential.
Tangjiashan Lake was formed after the side of a mountain fell in and blocked a river. It's already been decided that it's safe and stable, so the next step is to decide how to keep it a scenic spot ripe for tourists.
We see plenty of potential for poorly-translated Chinglish signs here and perhaps a few new rules for tourists to follow. Or, here's an idea, let's just have a pretty lake with a few picnic tables. How about it, China?
We're a bit embarrassed to admit that today was the first we'd ever heard of Hainan Airlines. We're clearly behind the times on this one, as the carrier is China's fourth-largest and the country's biggest privately-owned airline.
Hainan is now making its first flights to America, with four-times-a-week service between Seattle and Beijing, giving you another non-stop option between the US and the Olympics. (Don't get your hopes up, though: Hainan doesn't use the new Terminal 3.)
For now, Hainan is flying Airbus A330s, but once Boeing finally rolls out the Dreamliner, you'll be able to fly SEA-PEK in carbon fiber bliss.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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by amandak
