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Stopovers at the airports in between are exciting and relaxing when the duration is small as it gives you an opportunity to shake your legs, freshen up and possibly get a good deal at the duty-free shops. But, what do you do when you have to kill hours waiting at the airport?

Well, if you are having a stopover at Bangkok, you don’t have to worry about the agony of waiting for hours. In fact, the amount of fun you can have at the Suvarnabhumi airport is directly proportional to the number of hours you get to spend there. The A$4.8 billion Suvarnabhumi Airport, thrown open last year, can handle over 45 million passengers a year.

Mobile phone networks are being installed virtually everywhere to enable travellers to keep in touch with their family, friends and work. Until recently hostile terrains amidst the icy Himalayan peaks were inaccessible by mobile phones forcing mountaineers to use the more expensive satellite phones.

But now no more, China Mobile, Asia’s largest mobile company has established and successfully tested a Mount Everest mobile phone base. Adventurers and mountaineers who are attempting the world’s highest peak will stay in range of calls and text messages throughout the ascent. This news was published in Chinese media on Wednesday.

Sited at an altitude of 6,500 metres (21,450 feet) above sea level, the station was basically established to facilitate communication for the bearers of the Olympic torch, which Beijing 2008 Games organisers plan to carry to Everest’s summit reported the state-run China Daily.

Since the weather conditions were very harsh the station’s key equipment was immediately packed away after the test. The station will start functioning around may when the torch visit will happen.

The station will be operated by China Mobile, the country’s largest mobile phone service provider and is the world’s highest cell phone base.

According to company sources, the station will remain operational during mountaineering season and other times will be closed. This is the third station built on the route to the top of the world. The earlier two stations had ensured limited connectivity but now the third station has enabled mobile connectivity all along the route upto the very top.

This is third step by China in the direction of improving tourism infrastructure in Tibet and Himalayan regions of neighbouring Nepal. The first was the rail link to Lhasa, then came the road to Everest base camp and now the mobile station. These activities coupled with China’s aggressive marketing of their country among tourists and travellers will ensure an increasing number of visitors to the Beijing Olypics next year and the flow will continue further too.

Source: Indiatimes

It is not often that religion and modernity go hand in hand. Most often they are perceived as conflicting ends with the liberal accusing the church of trying to keep the world in ignorance so as to keep its position strong. The world has, over centuries, seen a constant fight between scientific progress and religious practice. But here is a perfect example of how they can go hand in hand; how the pious can store and present an opportunity for the modern to sustain and spread.

If you are someone who enjoys the excitement of adrenaline rush extreme-adventures offer, you should not miss the GX-5 Xtreme Swing when you are in Singapore this time.

The GX-5 Xtreme Swing swings up to the speed of 125 km/hr and gives you a swing from a height of 45 meters. In effect, you get the thrill of free-falling and flying out over the Singapore River. New Zealand is the only place which has this adventure ride other than Singapore. The thrill is yours for $30 if you are a student and $40 for the rest of the adults.

The ride surely is not for the feeble-hearted. Take a look at the video from YouTube and see if your heart is made for it, mine is definitely not!!

Source: ChannelNewsAsia

Iraqi is not only known for its cruel ruler or chemical weapons but also for rich cultural heritage.

The stone panels from the royal palace at Khorsabad run along the walls. One panel shows distinctly regal king looks at his subjects as a courtier fan him while other shows priests carrying out religious rituals.

During restoration of this museum modern arch, is included which is flanked by ancient bulls with eagle wings and human heads at the entrance of the hall, which gives you the sense of walking into an Assyrian palace.

Dr Amira Eidan says;

I hope that we can open the whole museum and there are many galleries like the Sumerian Hall, Akkadian Hall and a Babylonian one.

Adding concerns over security he said;

I wish I could say when the museum will reopen but it depends on the security situation, and it is so important for all the Iraqi people for the museum to be safe. We cannot take the risk again and see what happened in 2003.

Visitors can wonder with the unexpected stunning Assyrian gallery in Baghdad, this museum is with the glories that were once in the national collection.

Source: BBC

Beautifully designed recreational park trailers, or park models, are revolutionizing traditional camping and gradually replacing recreational vehicles and tents. Park models offer an alternative way to camp out and they are gaining popularity in all the tourist destinations across the USA. These mobile cottages are upscale trailer homes that provide all the amenities of home. They are tastefully designed and come equipped with kitchens and bathrooms. Most units have sloping roofs; floor-to-ceiling windows, lofts and hardwood cabinetry that make them look more like small cottages rather than trailer-like park models. As a matter of fact, they have become so popular, consumers are even purchasing them as second homes.

The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has recently added 27 new places with outstanding natural or cultural value from around the globe to its list of World Heritage Sites, increasing the number of such sites to 878 which include 174 natural, 67 cultural and 25 mixed sites from 145 countries across the globe.

With the World Heritage Site status, these natural and cultural sites will no doubt become prominent tourist destinations, but with the celebrity status, also comes the danger of overexploitation and pollution by the ever-increasing influx of tourists to these destinations. The inclusion of a site in the list of World Heritage Sites does not guarantee its protection but makes it more visible and gives it an international appeal, which increases the inflow of tourists to these sites.

How bizarre can theme dining get? Jail themed restaurants, hospital theme restaurants and toilet themed restaurants are so popular that it only shows that people flock to places which promise excitement.

I found this Toilet theme restaurant in Taipei a bit too grotesque for my taste though the patrons may beg to differ. Enter the restaurant and you will find that the seating are made from toilet bowls. As you settle in and order from your menu, you are served in mini toilet bowls on your table which is a glass topped jumbo bath tub.

Obviously, you end up your dinner wiping your hands and mouth with toilet roll hung above your table and oh yes, do not forget to take your camera along to click pictures and watch the amused looks of friends when you share it with them.

The restaurant surely appeals to the young clientele who love to be in places that scream ‘different’ but oldies may be too glad to say ‘no, thank you!

Source & Images

UAE have of late housed a number of platform works as the artificial islands shaped like world map or palm trees. After UAE now, it is the time for East Germany to show case its Platform works. The country will soon boast of a 578 meters tall pyramid.

The idea conceived in 2006 by writer Ingo Niermann and economist Jens Thiel is to build a complete city around the ‘monument to humanity’. The unique monument will be built by grouping 1m cubic cubes containing memories, testimonies and ashes of millions of people around the world.

If any body wants to become a part of the project then you can participate in the architectural competition that will be judged by a jury headed by Rem Koolhaas.

Whether the idea will be realized into the most wonderful structural wonder, it is for time to tell.

Source & image: urban platform

A holiday is supposed to be a stress buster activity and it shouldn’t end up with an unpleasant experience. Have you ever experienced the frustration of not finding the right route to your travel destination? How about the desperate situation of finding a washroom, a pathetic condition of your stomach growling when you aren’t able to track a restaurant? Sounds familiar, isn’t it? Anyone who has traveled on his own is sure to experience this situation at some point or the other.

Well, such experiences are now a thing of past, thanks to online mapping websites and in-car global positioning system (GPS) that help you reach your destination and also helps locate the essential service providers such as hospitals, public toilets, airports, ATM’s and restaurants at the snap of your fingers.