BBC’s website recently reported that a customs officer at Narita Airport in Japan gave a free spliff to a random passenger. Three questions: Where was that, um, flier headed? Was he/she was the hit of the party at the end destination? More to the point, what would have happened to that passenger had a dog detected the stash? The agent who planted it admits to not remembering into whose bag he put it.

If you wake up in the Venetian Hotel, you may not know immediately whether you are in Las Vegas or Macau, the two cities where it is located. For all the similarities between the two hotels, one is located almost as west as land goes, and the other almost round the globe in the Far East. Put another way, the two cities are located eight time zones away from GMT, on opposite ends of the earth.

Step out of either of the two Venetians, and very different worlds await. For Macau, also spelt Macao, is a blend of Mediterranean Portugal and traditional China even as it embraces the modern West. Its casinos are a playground for the rich, its heritage is sight for tourists and its conference facilities and geographic location an ideal place to hold business events and meetings. The Venetian Macao alone, with its over 100,000 square metres of convention space and 3,000 suites, can hold 90 Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

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Michael Finney of “7 On Your Side,” a consumer advocacy program on the television station KGO in San Francisco, recently reported on the woes of a Travelocity customer. Scott Stanton of Willits, California shoots video around the world. About a year ago Stanton used Travelocity.com to book a flight on Air China. When he checked in for the flight, things got weird. The clerk at the counter told him he had two seats on the same flight, and that he had paid for both, even though he was traveling alone. Immediately, Stanton called Travelocity. The travel agency told him it would credit his account back, and not to worry about it. Then, post-trip, his bank statement showed not only a charge for two Air China tickets — $1,079 each — but also a double charge of the $24 Travelocity booking fee. This time Travelocity told Stanton that it wouldn’t reimburse him until Air China paid it back, and that it could take up to 90 days to process the refund. More than a little ticked off, Stanton contacted the consumer advocacy television program “7 On Your Side.” Program staff investigated the issue, and Travelocity said it would give Stanton a refund. But then Stanton encountered another hitch: Travelocity would refund his money only by crediting the same debit card he had used to purchase the airline ticket… a debit card account he no longer had. “7 On Your Side” staff stepped in again, and Travelocity sent Stanton a refund check. So, a happy ending at last for Stanton. And for the rest of us? How do we keep from being double-charged? By keeping careful records, according to KGO’s website:

Travelocity … was still looking into why the system did not catch Stanton’s double-booking. … [It] regrets the delay in refunding the money. If you ever find yourself with two tickets, keep all receipts and both ticket numbers, so you can quickly prove that you didn’t buy or use both seats.

As ever, caveat emptor… buyer beware!

We’re proud to announce our very first full-length feature article, “Istanbul: City Of Cats”, written by yours truly. It’s the first of a two-part series; the second part (about the ancient Turkish region of Cappadocia) will be coming soon.

We plan to have a series of feature articles, more substantial, in-depth and longer than typical blog entries. So keep checking back, and we hope you enjoy this exploration of the old cobblestone streets of Istanbul (not Constantinople)!

I love Taipei.  Not from the perspective of someone from the USA, but as a native New Yorker. There are strong parallels between our respective cities. Taipei, like New York City, sits off the coast of a very large and powerful country; we acknowledge their existence, but we pretty much try to do our own thing regardless of whether the mainland approves or not.

I have been traveling to Taiwan since 2004 and completed nearly 3-month stays in 2005 and in 2007. My girlfriend, a resident of Taipei, reciprocates by visiting me at half yearly intervals. This has given me a great view and appreciation of the city. Taipei to me represents safety, comfort and a second home. I love the infrastructure, the look and design of their buildings, their spotless MRT subway line, and the mish-mash of old and new. The Taiwanese adherence to tradition is coupled with the need to push forward and modernize. The trick, as always, is to find the proper balance between progress and heritage. This never-ending clash of ideas and interests is the engine that provides Taipei with its identity as much as it does New York City.

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I had never had a reason or urge to visit Bali, but recently fate and circumstance allowed me to do just that. A package deal from EVA Airlines (Taiwan’s safest airline) made this part of Indonesia impossible to resist. Roundtrip airfares during Bali’s dry season, which runs from May til September, can be had for about $2,800 from Los Angeles (though fares drop as the rainy season approaches). The five hour flight from Taipei to Bali’s Denpasar Airport was efficient and non-eventful. Upon arrival, we lined up to purchase our landing visas. (Note carefully your length of stay, or else you will be fined when you try to depart!). Once outside, we were greeted by mild temperatures, low humidity, and our driver, who took us to the Patra Bali.

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