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Big, Tough, Cold, and Wonderful Alaska on History Channel

My buddy Geo Beach says everything is bigger, colder and tougher in Alaska, and yesterday he proved it, making his television debut as host of the first of 13, one-hour shows on History, the cable channel that used to be "The History Channel."  The series is called "Tougher In Alaska."

I've known Geo since he contributed regularly to the weekend public radio show I co-founded and hosted for four years, "The Savvy Traveler."  Geo's stories and commentaries always featured his trademark energy and love of word play.  He's lived in Alaska for more than 25 years, and he's worked some tough jobs, including laboring as a commercial fisherman, logger, fireman, and medic.  At six-feet, three-inches tall and tipping the Toledos at 225 pounds, he's a formidable presence in person and on camera.  And he needs his powerful voice to rise above the sounds of the jackhammer he wielded in his premier show on the hardy gold prospectors of Alaska.

Upcoming episodes take a look at the dangerous and back-breaking work of salmon fishing, electric linemen, railroad workers, and salvage experts, among other professions.  Catch "Tougher In Alaska" on History Thursday nights at 10 p.m. Eastern.   

The Survivor In the NYC-London, Low-Fare, Biz-Class Catgegory

Now that both MaxJet and Eos--two pioneers in the low-fare, all-business-class airline category—have shut down, how can anyone on a budget avoid flying coach between New York and London?

Try the last discount, all-business-class airline in town: Silverjet. The airline operates two flights daily between Newark airport and London’s Luton airport, flying Boeing 767s that are configured so there are no middle seats. And all seats are six-feet, three-inch, lie-flat seats. Required check in time? Only 30 minutes before a flight. Silverjet offers its passengers access to a private airport lounge with showers, Champagne breakfasts and wi-fi. In-flight meals are designed by the venerable London restaurant, Le Caprice.

Round-trip fares between Newark and London’s Luton airport begin around $2,700 including all taxes and a fee to offset carbon emissions. That’s about half what the major competition charges for a round-trip, business class ticket. The airline’s web site will quote a fare on the day you want to travel but tells you if there’s a day before or after that might offer a savings. Oh, and each aircraft has a women’s-only lavatory.

Second All-Business NYC-London Airline Shuts Down; Bye-Bye Eos

In the fall of 2005, two new airlines began offering discounted, all-business class service linking New York's Kennedy airport with London's Stansted: MaxJet (which also included service between London and DC) and Eos Airlines.  With walk-up fares half what major airlines including British Airways and American Airlines were charging for business class, Eos and MaxJet caused the competition to drop prices sharply.  Instead of $13,000 for a walk-up fare on BA, Eos charged $6,500.  And as the last year or so, business class prices dropped as low as $2.000 round trip if you purchased your tickets in advance during sale periods.

That may be about to change.  Last December, Maxjet closed.  It wasn't as fancy as Eos, which offered 48 "suites" on Boeing 757s, and its closing should have strengthened Eos' chances of making a profit.  But apparently not.  This weekend, Eos shut down, filed for bankruptcy, and offered little hope that it will resume business despite the fact that the homepage on its web site says it had a "term sheet in hand for additional financing."

Passengers holding tickets for flights beyond today are advised to contact their credit card company or travel agent to seek refunds.  Those holding reward points in the airlines Club 48 will find their points worthless unless a bankruptcy court down the road awards some kind of compensation for unclaimed awards.  I think that's highly unlikely, but you may file a claim on this page on Eos' website.

So.  Willl the majors again raise their business class fares to stratospheric heights?  You can bet fares are being re-jiggered upwards right now.  Will American cease the JFK-Stansted flights it began because Eos was taking business away from its Kenendy-Heathrow route?  Probably, unless the airline decides it can make a profit continuing to offer reduced fares. But you can bet its ticket prices will rise, as well. 

Sexy Delta Flight Attendant, Katherine Lee's Lips Makes Safety Video A Chartbreaker on YouTube

Is it Botox or is it Mother Nature?  That's the debate raging on YouTube since the recent posting of Delta Air Lines' new on-board safety video.  You know, the one that shows you how to buckle your seatbelt and warns you to don an oxygen mask before helping a child do the same? 

An attractive (and real) flight attendant, red-headed Katherine Lee, delivers the message in this new announcement with her swollen lips that apparently began the debate about whether  they were  medically enhanced or not

As of this writing, the video has been viewed more than 350,000 times in the first three days it's been posted on YouTube even though it won't begin appearing on board Delta flights for another week.

Lee was part of a company casting call for the new safety video, and she won.  Within days, her video had made her an Internet star, and this morning she appeared on CNN.  Asked if she'd consider offers to go into acting or modeling, Lee allowed as how she loves being a flight attendant and had no other plans.  Given the number of people who wrote they intended to begin flying Delta more often in the hope Lee would be working their flight, it's a good bet Lee won't be part of the massive employee cutbacks planned by Delta.   

Playing Blackjack in Burma; Tempting Lady Luck Just Across the River From Thailand's Golden Triangle

“And those lights just over there—that’s the casino in Burma,” said Mark Heather late one night, pointing across a river from the outdoor terrace of the hotel he manages, Anantara, in Thailand’s Golden Triangle.

A casino? In Burma?

We were standing in the very north of Thailand, where the borders of Laos and Burma—or Myanmar as the generals who run the country prefer to call it—meet. The crew and I were almost done shooting our northern Thailand show for public television, and Heather, the Anantara’s general manager, had kindly invited us to a first-rate Italian dinner at his hotel.

Eating freshly made lasagna in a Thai jungle setting was strange enough. But I was equally surprised to learn a casino was just a quarter of a mile away. When I think of Burma, I don't think of roulette tables; I think of a country whose population is struggling to carve out a living while a military dictatorship tries to hang on to its power and lavish lifestyle in the face of almost global approbation.

The Golden Triangle, of course, is known for its long history of growing poppies that produce much of the world’s opium. And while the poppy fields of northern Thailand have almost entirely been replaced with tea plantations and other legitimate agricultural pursuits, the poppy industry is booming across the border in Burma. So is the production of methamphetamine, and smugglers sneak both opium and meth across the border into Thailand to reach world markets. Which is one reason no boats are allowed on the border river after six at night.

We were due to return to Bangkok the next day, but I really wanted to step into Burma, if only for an hour.

“Can I visit?” I asked Heather.

“Sure,” he said.

Turns out you just drive five minutes from the Anantara to a border town on the Mae Sai river, pay about $7 dollars, and obtain a one-day visa to Burma. Thirty yards from the small office where that quick transaction occurs, long-tail boats await to bear you across the narrow river to a dock on the Burma side. The free boat ride is courtesy of the two casino-hotels there, Paradise and Win Win. Both operations are housed in the same several-story building; I was told two Thai brothers owned the businesses but had apparently had a falling out and split the building into two identical halves—the left half is Paradise, the right half is Win Win.

The next day it was raining lightly—unusual this time of year in Thailand—when we boarded the boat for the three-minute ride from Thailand to Burma. We were met on the other side by a young man with an extra umbrella who escorted us up a few steps from the small dock to an official in a makeshift immigration office.

Continue reading "Playing Blackjack in Burma; Tempting Lady Luck Just Across the River From Thailand's Golden Triangle"

Pack Light: US Airways Begins $25 Charge For Second Checked Bag

Passengers who normally check two bags when flying are slowing getting squeezed--effective May 25, on all tickets purchased after Feb. 26, anyone who is not an "elite" member of US Airways' frequent flyer program, not in the military, and not an unaccompanied minor, will be required to pay $25 to check a second bag.

The other exceptions: If you hold silver or gold status on other Star Alliance carriers or are flying first class, you won't have to pay the fee.

Look for more passengers wrestling more carry-on bags into overhead bins on board every flight and slower lines through security (but faster lines at luggage check-in counters). 

Why Coca-Cola's Bakery Didn't Make It In Baan Talae Nok, Thailand

One sunny December morning three years ago, the schoolchildren of the southern Thai fishing village of Baan Talae Nok were in their playground near the beach practicing for a New Year’s ceremony. About 500 yards down the sand, a national park employee noticed the waters of the Andaman Sea looked strange—the water seemed to be receding quickly. He grabbed his motorbike and raced over a dusty, pock-mocked trail toward the village to warn the residents that a tsunami was headed their way. 

Tragically, the messenger bearing that news was known to be a heavy drinker, and the villagers dismissed his warnings as the raving of an alcoholic. Soon thereafter, half of the village houses were flattened by a wall of water. Fort y seven of the village’s 228 residents perished, including 16 schoolchildren. 

Today, the survivors live in cement homes set well away from the beach, homes built with the assistance of the Thai navy and an aid organization. There’s a new school, a modern, sparkling, all-brick complex with a pleasant courtyard, covered dining area, and six schoolrooms with neatly ordered desks and books.

And there’s also nascent industry in the Muslim village of Baan Talae Nok, which is a good thing. For generations, the sea provided villagers with their livelihood, but commercial fishing—you can see the ships on the horizon every night off the village beach—has led to overfishing, and the local catch is dwindling. With the help of an American named Bodhi Garrett, who was working at a nearby resort when the tsunami hit, Bann Taley Nok now hosts travelers in their homes, sharing meals with them and taking them hiking or out to sea to bring in the fishing nets (with an optional side trip to a pristine beach on a nearby uninhabited island where the just-caught fish are grilled for lunch).

Garrett, who was born in Nepal and raised in California, began the North Andaman Tsunami Relief, an independent, non-profit, non-religious organization to help decimated villages get back on their feet. Some might gaze at the splendid western coastline of the Andaman Sea and envision a parade of beach resorts, as you’ll find on the heavily touristed island of Phuket about a three-hour drive south of Baan Talae Nok. But others, like Garrett, thought it important to preserve the local culture that’s so often overrun by commercial development.

There are still fishermen in Baan Talae Nok, but if you visit the village early in the year, you’ll find as many as 20 residents meticulously shelling cashews for a nearby cashew processing plant. (A worker adept at shelling can earn 35 Thai baht a day, or slightly more than $1.) There are groves of rubber trees that are tapped by villagers. And visit the spa at the very posh Banyan Tree hotel in Bangkok and you’ll find soaps from Baan Talae Nok, fragrant bars made of, among other things, cloves, cumin, saffron flower, lemongrass, black sesame seed, and tamarind.

Continue reading "Why Coca-Cola's Bakery Didn't Make It In Baan Talae Nok, Thailand"

Citrus Alert: Don't Drop Those Lemons & Limes Into Your Iced Tea!

From our continuing series on germs you encounter while traveling comes news from healthinspections.com that those wedges of lemon and lime that accompany your iced tea or vodka tonics might be loaded with germs, including that old non-favorite, "fecal matter."  Is it time to bring your own (already washed) to restaurants?  You be the judge --check out the short video below.  And be afraid, very afraid.

French Flight Attendant Strips in Cockpit For Captain AND Video

It makes you wonder, in these days of rampant video posting on the web, what the crew members of an unspecified French airline flying a short hop to London were thinking when they videotaped a well-endowed flight attendant stripping in the cockpit in flight. And then there's the safety consideration--a little office hanky panky may be harmless, but a cockpit crew is supposed to be watching the skies and the controls, not each other.

In the video, a 20-something flight attendant (wearing a wedding ring) disrobes for the pilot, who helpfully assists, while another flight attendant watches and giggles as someone--presumably the co-pilot--films the sequence.  The video was posted on the web this week.  Then the London Sun gave the story a big boost by writing about the frisky "trolley dolly" and the "amorous airman" and posting the video on its web site along with a plea for anyone who knows the identity of the cockpit crew to call the newspaper.

Given the British tabloids' habit of paying for tips, I have a hunch it's only a matter of hours until someone turns in the stars of this homemade video for a fat check.   And only a matter of time before the crew begins collecting unemployment benefits.

What Do YOU Think About United Charging $25 For a Second Bag?

Unless you fly at least 25,000 miles a year on United Airlines, you're only going to be permitted to check one piece of luggage for free beginning May 5th if you're flying on a non-refundable, domestic coach ticket.  (Though tickets purchased for future travel before next Monday, Feb. 11th, are exempt from the new rule.)  A second bag will cost $25.

While a fee for checking bags is routine at a few discount airlines around the world (Rynair being the most prominent), this is the first time a US airline has levied a charge on a second bag.  Travelers flying overseas on United may still check two bags at no charge, but the new regulations do apply on flights to Canada, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas. 

United says only a quarter of its passengers check more than one bag, but I predict overhead bins will begin to fill up even faster now as passengers try to beat the rule that could cost them $50 round trip if they check more than one piece of luggage.  Premier members or higher of United's frequent flyer program may continue to check two bags at no cost.

Do you think the other airlines are watching this gambit closely to see if it, ahem, flies?  You bet. 

It's Art: Frozen In Grand Central Station! Immovable People!

I love these kinds of things, but it always amazes me folks have time to have this much fun!  Organizing more than 200 people to stop busy commuters in New York City's Grand Central Station is no small feat.

Perhaps it's MY life I ought to examine in hopes of figuring out why, at least every once in a while, I don't take the time to be a bit more creative and participate in something that is, at least for five minutes in this case, a temporary work of art and theater. 

Hooray! Heathrow Drops One-Carry-On-Bag-Only Rule Jan. 7

Frequent travelers have been trying to avoid British airports for months now, ever since a one-carry-on-bag rule was promulgated.  And infrequent travelers have stammered in frustration when they reached the airport with a carry on bag and large purse and were told one of those items had to be checked or both combined into one bag. 

As of Jan. 7th, that rule is dropped at Heathrow and other airports, so the UK joins the rest of the world in permitting two bags.  However, and this is a big "however," two other London airports, Gatwick and Luton, are still suffering under the one-bag rule until authorities decide its security system is up to snuff and able to handle two carry-on bags.  Be sure you know what airport you're flying into and out of.  Even if you're simply switching flights, the one-bag rule still applies at Gatwick and Luton.

Why Nordstrom Service is Legendary; Thanks, Steve!

Recently, while hurrying to pack for a trip out of town to give a speech, I tried on two of my dress shirts and found that somehow the collars had shrunk while hanging in the closet.

Which is to say, my neck grew larger.

What to do?

I had to attend a black tie event, but I didn’t have time to pick up a shirt—my flight overseas was due to depart in three hours. And I didn’t want to pay European prices for a new shirt—especially given the muscular euro.

On a hunch, I called the Nordstrom store at the Mall of America, just about four miles from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport where I was to catch my flight. 

Asked for the men’s department.

Got a guy named Steve Slivken.

“Steve,” I said, “I’m a big fan of Nordstrom’s. I know how famous Nordstrom’s is when it comes to service, but tonight I’m really going to put Nordstrom to the test.”

“If it can be done,” he replied without missing a beat, “I’m your man.”

And, sure enough, Mr. Slivken was my man. About 90 minutes later, as I pulled up to the departure level around 8 p.m. at the airport, there he was standing by his car at Door Number Four, a men’s dress shirt in my size at the ready, my credit card already charged (at half what a similar shirt would have cost me in Monaco).

If you’re ever in the Mall of America and need some men’s clothing, ask for Steve Slivken. If it can be done, he’s your man.

Dictionary Definition of Culture Shock: Flying From Monaco to India

If there’s a little European city more neatly trimmed, buttoned up, and flaunting affluence than Monte Carlo, I haven’t found it. Well, maybe in Switzerland, but generally speaking nothing beats Monte Carlo for polish as well as the number of Bentleys and Ferraris parked outside the principality’s flagship hotel, the Hotel de Paris.

Then there’s Delhi, India, whose old downtown market is a chaotic collection of tiny shops selling just about every product known to the world amidst a swirl of dust, a parade of goats, monkeys flitting from roof to roof, jostling pedicabs (called “rickshaws” by Delhites), donkey-drawn carts, bicycles overloaded with cargo, and any other manner of transport you can imagine. The fanciest car is sight is a Honda Accord.

I jumped between those two destinations for work with just brief stops in my hometown of Saint Paul, MN, and Los Angeles; I think I established a new personal best in the category of culture shock.

I ’ve spent a lot of time on the French Riviera, so the cavalcade of luxury cars, the glittering hotels and restaurants, and the well-groomed couples taking $150 lunches outside at the Café de Paris came as no surprise.  (That's the famous casino on the left--the Hotel de Paris is adjacent to it.)  And I’ve also done Delhi a couple of times before this trip, so I’m not completely overwhelmed by the impossibly crowded streets, the press of the crowds, and the omnipresent evidence of poverty. But it was the rapid juxtaposition between the two that made me marvel at the disparity between two of the world’s great destinations.

Each, I think, offers travelers reasons to visit; each is fascinating in its own way.

Monte Carlo is a kind of Disneyland for the wealthy, a place to gawk at Belle Epoque architecture, the gorgeous Mediterranean, the super-sized yachts, and the manicured landscaping--not a bougainvillea blossom is out of place. Delhi is thrilling for its press of humanity, the ingenuity of man (just check the electrical wiring in Old Delhi), the brilliant colors of saris that pop out of the dusty cityscapes, and the jumble of religions with their various temples and traditions.

I find Americans are divided into two groups on a couple of subjects. The first is beets. Either you hate them or you love them. The second is India. Half of Americans love the country or can’t wait to visit; the other half dislike it or would never consider visiting. I love beets, and I love India, where, by the way, there’s beet juice available in street stalls everywhere. I tell friends that you can take a movie camera, set it up on almost any city street in India, turn it on, walk away, and return in two hours and you’ll have an Indiana Jones movie.

For three weeks in December, my television crew and I have been shooting our first episodes on India; now I know I was right in that description of India’s cities. In Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur (our first three destinations), we’ve barely had to move the tripod when shooting downtown. All of it comes to us if we just stay in one place—the cows, the elephants, the camels, the monkeys, and the panoply of bicycles and motorized vehicles with two, three, four and more wheels. Oh, and the people. Indians are famously friendly, and they love to come right up to our camera and are content to stand there and quietly watch as I botch my lines. When we shot in Monte Carlo a few years ago, no one gave us a second glance.

More on the French Riviera and India in upcoming blogs.

Four Minutes of Fun: Lufthansa Tests Your Knowledge With a Geography Quiz

Lufthansa has posted a fun little quiz that tests your knowledge of European geography.  You're a pilot who has to land his or her aircraft in the right city.  The name of your destination is flashed on the screen, and you have five seconds to click your cursor over its location on a map of Europe.  In the first round, the countries on the map are identified by name; in the last rounds, there are just borders indicated, and you have to place the city as best you can.

You're told immediately how many miles off course you are with each selection, and your total points are based on how close you come to the target city.  You can then compare your final score with others who have performed the exercise to see if you're a geographical genius or if you're merely a lost pilot in the skies.