Monday, February 6, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com

Charlie's Angel-wannabes trained on Hainan beaches

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 08:57 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

Hainan Island's fair weather, sandy beaches and ample sunshine have long lured Chinese travelers. But now a bunch of trainee bodyguards have fallen under its spell.

A group of 20 swimsuit-clad ladies descended on "China's Haiwaii" last month with one goal in mind -- to spend more time doing push-ups than sipping coconut juice.

Mostly university graduates, they were being trained by China GSA Safety Consultation (天骄特卫), a Beijing-based bodyguard agency. They were in Hainan's to kick-start a 10-month boot camp for professional female bodyguards.

The most-promising candidate from the camp will be sent to study in The Institute of National Security Studies in Israel.

According to Chen Yongqing (陈永青), head trainer, founder and chairman of GSA, the course starts with "slow-paced" warming-up exercises on Hainan's Coconut Island (椰子岛), which are followed by "hell-like" anti-terrorism classes in Beijing.

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Andy Warhol exhibition in Asia: 15 minutes clearly isn’t enough

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 08:45 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

Five cities in Asia are to be hit by pictures of canned soup, a hamburger and a colorful representation of Chairman Mao, apparently wearing lipstick, over the next two years.

The artworks are traveling as part of the "Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal" exhibition, the biggest retrospective on Warhol's work ever to be shown in Asia.

Warhol, who died in 1987, is famous for declaring: "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes."

The show will start at Singapore's ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands hotel on March 17, 2012, and will then travel to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo before it ends some time in 2014.

Specific date and venue details for the other cities have not yet been released.

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Finding Tassie on Australia's greatest boat trip

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 04:55 PM PST

by Cecilia Nguyen

We all know it -- the quintessential Australian trip has to feature rough terrain, horseflies and endurance-sapping drives in the hot, arid climate. Or does it?

If you're more inclined to relax and take in the beauty of nature, rather than striving to conquer it, we suggest you look to that overlooked stretch of ocean between mainland Australia and Tasmania -- the Bass Strait.

My journey begins by boarding the Spirit of Tasmania, one of Australia's largest ferries, at Port Melbourne. Since its first commercial crossing in 2002, the Spirit has proved a local favorite for covering the 429 kilometers between the island state and the docks of Melbourne.

If stood on its end, the 194-meter-long Spirit would dwarf the Sydney Opera House and, sitting at scale-busting 29,000 tons, it possesses the same heft as 2.9 million slabs of beer, to use an oh-so-Aussie yardstick.

In economic terms, the Spirit's value lies in its capacity to move not just passengers, but also animals, vehicles and freight between the two states.   

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Best of Rome

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 02:00 PM PST

by Bija Knowles

Finding the best of Rome... You want pizza, but not just any pizza.

You need a coffee, but hell, not a Starbucks coffee.

You want to discover one of humanity's most history-endowed cities, but you have limited time and don't want to get run down by a Vespa doing so.

We know. And we know how to do it.

From ancient monuments like the Ara Pacis to the designer shops of via Condotti; from the best places for a square of pizza as well as picking out the Italian capital's best coffee bar (OK, we narrowed it down to two), our scroll-down guide to the best of Rome is your ticket to condensed culture.

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Koh Lipe: White sands, free Wi-Fi ... what you waiting for?

Posted: 05 Feb 2012 01:57 PM PST

by Ismail Wolff

As a frequent visitor and sometime resident in Thailand for many years, I am regularly approached for one piece of travel advice: "Which beach should I hit?" 

I've never found it an easy question to answer. There are hundreds of beaches to choose from on dozens of islands. Each has its own particular charm (or lack of, in some cases), so it all depends on what you want in a holiday. 

For instance, during a recent conversation with a French expat who runs a guesthouse on the Thai island of Koh Phayam I told him of my plans to visit Koh Lipe over the New Year.

Sitting shirtless in his fisherman pants with his dry bag tossed over his shoulder, he told me in no uncertain terms: "Koh Lipe is dead. It died three years ago."

"Really?" I replied.

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at 9:32 AM