Pillows and Blankets for Sell in the Sky

An excerpt from the New York Times
"JetBlue Airways said Monday that it would sell a pillow and blanket set for $7 on flights of two hours or more. The set, which passengers can take home, includes a 10-by-12 inch pillow and a fleece blanket, which fit into a carrying case."

And now you won't believe what airline would charge you next.... Fortunately, international flights still do offer that. However, last time I got checked at the immigration at the New York's JFK, lots of travelers carried their own pillows.

Be Prepared for Beijing Culture

Interesting tips from BBC News (please read full tips here)

# Chi fan le ma? [Translation: Have you eaten?]

Learn some Chinese. Just a bit. Locals absolutely love it the moment you speak Chinese. 

# Be prepared: you will be used for English practice

Beijing locals love outsiders. Not just foreigners - but people from other parts of China too. 

# Small-talk can be blunt

In China be prepared to be asked how old you are, if you are married and if you have kids. 

# Stop! Look both ways!

In China a zebra crossing does not necessarily mean cars will stop for you. 

# Smile, smile...

Smiling police officers make your day,

# No to Xiaojie

One word you should not use in a Beijing restaurant to get the attention of a waitress is xiaojie - which means Miss. 

# Seek what unites

# When in Beijing prepare to get renao [Translation - hot and noisy]

Go to a karaoke bar in Beijing and you will find people singing, clapping, a lot of noise and people enjoying themselves. 

Image source: AP

Story source: BBC News (31 Jul 08)

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Fairbanks

Leaving Denali, we were heading to Fairbanks, the second largest city of Alaska after Anchorage. Fairbanks is a relatively new city, founded on 1901, and once was a hub of construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in mid-1970s. It is a home of the ... Continue reading story and view the photos

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Denali (2)

Beside wildlife viewing, the highlight of Denali National Park visit is the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley. Local people, including the native Athabascans call it ‘Denali’ which means ‘the great one’. This snow-capped mountain can be seen from many points on the park road if it is not too cloudy. To travel in Denali, you leave your own car and take the park shuttle bus. Each bus is equipped with air conditioning and heater, and is a size of a standard school bus (see photo). It is basically a tour that you can hop out and hop in back again (with careful time selection) and it goes into the middle of the park Continue Reading and View the Photos

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Denali National Park (1)

It's time for wildlife viewing! Let's go to Denali.

Let me convince you how big Denali National Park is... It is 24 395 sq.km. Well, who knows how big is that... Say it another way, if you combine all areas of 50 national parks in Thailand together - it is equal to the size of Denali National Park. That’s how huge it is!...
Continue reading the story and view the photos....

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Turnagain Arm Tour

To the south of Anchorage, on a Seward highway (a highway linked between Anchorage and Seward), lies the beautiful Chugach National Forest and the Turnagain Arm. The forest is bounded on one side by the sea with many small bays and small narrow water ways. Why ‘turnagain’? The answer I got was from the bus driver who is very knowledgeable. He said because ... Continued reading the story and view the photos....

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Seward (Part 2)

Let me show you one of my best loved aquarium ever, the Alaska SeaLife Center - on the waterfront in Seward. It might be wrong to call this place an aquarium. It is more than that. To me, it’s fun as a big aquarium (to watch the marine lives), museum exhibits (to learn about them), and hand-on experiences (to touch or feed them). It is also a huge... Continue reading story and view the photos

Alaska Thru My Eyes: The Alaska Railroad

Let me bring you on the most scenic railroad in America! The Alaska Railroad....

Like any other lands owned by native people, early Alaska was exploited by the European explorers and settlers. Russians came first to use the labor of the Aleuts, killing sea otters for their pelts (skin). Later on, Russia, Britain and the United States signed a treaty forming the boundaries of Russian America and British Canada along Alaska’s current boundaries. Alaska then was unwillingly bought by the United States from Tsar Alexander II of Russia (when there was nothing left to cultivate from this land - in the Russian’s minds at that time). The price was unbelievably low, for only 2 cents an acre (1 acre = 4000 sq.m.) in 1867. Read more and view photos here.

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Anchorage (Part 2)

Lots of things happening here in Anchorage, Alaska. Some says there’s not much to see but I do disagree (after I went to a few cool places there). Here is another main tourist attraction in Anchorage, The Alaska Native Heritage Center. Why it is interesting? It is simply because history of Alaska is dating back nearly 10 thousand years BC. The first group of people who settled here is Inuit who arrived by ‘skin boat’ from Asia. The native people has remained in Alaska until now although much less in number. They do have their own interesting culture and way of life, those are depicted in this grace Heritage Center. Continue reading and view a new set of photos...

Alaska Thru My Eyes

Alaska Thru My Eyes: Anchorage (Part 1)

Alaska is huge! It is one fifth the size of the rest of the USA! It also covers more than 30% of the whole US’s coastline. However, given this size - only few people lives there. The current population is approx. 600 000 in total, and half of this lives in Anchorage which is the largest city in Alaska. This is my first destination, and for most visitors who arrive by plane - the largest airport is here. Interesting to know that Anchorage is not the capital of Alaska, Juneau is....

Continue to read the story and see photos