For more than a week, the Southeast Asian neighbors have been locked in a standoff that the Cambodian Foreign Minister has called an "imminent state of war." But what about? Some kind of temple? Exactly.
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by pbb
Those UN apparatchiks in charge of telling you what's worth seeing have just added 27 more wonders to their list of World Heritage Sites. (And you had just finished seeing the first 851 of them!)
Not on the list? Crème brûlée, much to the dismay, no doubt, of Nicholas Sarkozy, who was lobbying for it. France did get some love, though, with the addition of the fortifications at Vauban and the lagoons of New Caledonia.
Perhaps most notable is San Marino, which had its historic center and Mount Titano added to the list. So how many of the country's 61 square kilometers aren't UN protected?
Related Stories:
· The Full List of New World Heritage Sites [Official Site]
· Latest World Heritage Sites Announced [Vagablogging]
· Does Creme Brulee Qualify? UNESCO Says No. [WorldHum]
· UNESCO Adds 27 New Sites to List [VOA]
· World Heritage Sites coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of San Marino from Mount Titano: Wikimedia]
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.
Related Stories:
· Ole! Hong Kong Embraces Spanish Culture [Reuters]
· Unhappy Birthday to Hong Kong Disneyland [Jaunted]
· Hong Kong Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Adam Blicharski]
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by amandak
Anyone can plan a golf excursion or a deep sea fishing trip, but only the brave would plan a mancation around attending a series of games that promise sweat, strength and the possibility of injury.
The highland games are celebrated all over the world as a way to embrace Celtic culture. Men in traditional garb compete in events such as the "caber toss," in which one attempts to launch a 100-pound, 20-foot-tall log as far as possible. We'd guess that your lady friends are unlikely to tag along.
The Cowal Highland Gathering held in Dunoon is the largest event of its kind held in Scotland. Set for the last weekend in August, this year brings the Red Hot Chilli Pipers to town. (Yes, they're a rock-and-bagpipe group.)
You can also celebrate your love for all things Celtic a little closer to home at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina. About 50,000 people attend the games in the western part of the state each year. The events kick off this year on July 10 and bagpipe their way through July 13.
Related Stories:
· Grandfather Mountain Highland Games [Official Site]
· Cowal Highland Gathering [Official Site]
· Mancations coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: sherseydc]
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by kjb
The Saints are marching in, and they have a lot of baggage. NPR reported this weekend that after months in storage, artifacts belonging to the New Orleans outpost of the Louisiana State Museum, which lost its roof in Hurricane Katrina, are being shipped back in trucks.
Pieces like Louis Armstrong's original trumpet are returning to their rightful place in the museum in two to four truckloads a day after they were evacuated to Baton Rouge.
The Museum is currently showcasing the exhibit "Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits." It's planning an expansive exhibit on Katrina and New Orleans soon.
Related Stories:
· New Orleans Museum to Reclaim Artifacts [NPR]
· Louisiana State Museum [Official Site]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: folo01]
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by egw
April's half over and if you don't start planning this summer's mancation, you know none of your friends will. We suggest you join the thousands of spectators who flock to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and its surrounding Gobi Desert each July for the country's annual "Three Manly Games."
OK, so officially it's the Naadam Festival, but our name for it is pretty accurate. Whatever you call it, this mid-summer Mongolian manfest is not your average guys getaway.
Who would've thought it. Boomerangs come back even when you throw them in space. We were pretty skeptical when we mentioned the Japanese guy who decided he would test boomerang throwing while he was at the International Space Station, but now we humbly bow to him. He was right!
Astronaut Takao Doi said:
"I was very surprised and moved to see that it flew the same way it does on Earth," during an experiment that his bosses were quick to say he did in his spare time.
This really does open up some opportunities for future space tourism. If boomerangs work, then that's already one bonus activity that a space resort can offer us. Now they just need to find a place where we can go snorkeling, surfing and swimming and we'll all be ready for our trip on Virgin Galactic.
Related Stories:
· Boomerang Works in Space, Says Astronaut [news.com.au]
· Japanese Guy To Throw Boomerangs. In Space. [Jaunted]
· Space Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]
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On the outskirts of Berlin, a Chinese couple is working to build at €500 million Chinatown that'll be the first in Germany. But classic European bureaucracy is gumming up the works: The project has been in development for three years and ground has yet to be broken.
Before the bulldozers can start rumbling, all manner of paperwork needs to be finished. That has Chinese developer Hongbin Ren learning about Europe before he can share his culture with Germany:
He had never heard of some the expressions he was reading, phrases like "spatial planning procedure," "development of the local public transport system" and "substantiated preliminary draft development plan." It was time for Mr. Ren to get to know the real Germany.
Until then, he had seen the country as a place with good air, wide-open spaces and industrious people. He was about to encounter the invisible Germany, the land of ordinances and regulations.
Totally reminds us of trying to buy stamps in Italy. With some luck, work on the Chinatown project could start by this summer. There'll be lots to do: Blueprints call for pagodas, gardens, an opera house and even a replica of the Great Wall of China.
Related Stories:
· Planned Chinatown Raises Hackles in Rural Germany [Spiegel, via]
· Germany Travel coverage
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