Monday, June 25, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com


Whole lotta Thailand: 77 things to do in 77 provinces

Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:51 AM PDT

by Greg Jorgensen

Made up of 514,000 square kilometers broken into a whopping 77 provinces, Thailand isn't a country you can fully appreciate in a week. Or even a year. 

Very few locals have even been to every province, while most international tourists only make it to a handful, with Chang Mai, Bangkok and Phuket being the biggest draws.

To help get your wanderlust juices flowing, here's a list of all 77 and some of their top attractions. Keep in mind the capital city of each province goes by the same name. For example, the capital of Chiang Rai province is Chiang Rai city. 

To make it easier, we've divided the list into Thailand's six main regions: north, northeast, central, west, east and south. Click on the tabs to the left to jump to each section. 

The North

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7 more crazy fun things to do in Korea this summer

Posted: 25 Jun 2012 12:42 AM PDT

by Joohwan Kim

Korea is hosting some crazy fun events this summer (indeed, every summer) and here are seven more musical, martial and nautical events that may give you tinnitus far past the last light of August.

We're seeing more U.S. stars flying in for movie premieres and concerts than when we were actually in the United States, and more European DJs than there are weekends in a year.

Just don't forget your deodorant and dry shampoo or you'll regret it as you're sweating profusely during the sauna-weather days of a Korean summer.

1. Ultra Music Festival Korea 

UMF If you don't know what "ultra music" is, come find out at UMF Korea.


The Ultra Music Festival, known globally as UMF, will finally arrive on the shores of East Asia for the first time via Korea.

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Facebook reveals world's most 'social' landmarks

Posted: 24 Jun 2012 09:20 PM PDT

by Rachel Sang-hee Han

Checking in to a location via Facebook is no longer just a way to tell your friends where you are. 

It has become a social barometer of travel.

Facebook measured users' check-ins across 25 cities around the world to determine the most social landmarks.

The result? Parks, gardens and shopping centers are popular hangouts in a lot of places, while in Norway folk really like to spend their free hours at TGI Friday's. There's no accounting for taste.

More on CNNGo: Insta-geisha! Kyoto's traditional beauties meet Facebook app

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10 cars for every type of traveler

Posted: 24 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT

by Brett Berk

Automakers often create a target consumer for their cars, inventing profiles that include age, gender, income, marital status, life stage and preferred activities -- a bit like a Facebook profile for motorheads.

They even sometimes give these ciphers a name like, Celeste.

Here are 10 categories of traveler they should have on file, and the vehicles that best suit their needs.

Also on CNNGo: 10 of the world's best road trips

1. Shopaholics: Cadillac Escalade ESV


Ours is a compulsively consuming society, and while we all partake of its bounteous offerings, some folks need their AmEx swiped more often than others.

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Chinese hotels open a new window on Chinese art

Posted: 24 Jun 2012 01:40 PM PDT

by CNNGo staff

Riding the wave of the nation's booming art scene, hotels in China are getting ever more serious about art.

They don't just hang up a watercolor painting or frame calligraphy; these hotels, mostly in big cities, curate art tours, organize exhibitions and even operate private art galleries.

Jumeirah art tour

Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai, the Dubai-based brand's only hotel in China, recently launched what they call "China's first lobby art tour program."

It's essentially a self-guided audio tour around the hotel's lobby, which showcases more than 40 art pieces, including "Portrait of Chairman Mao" by celebrated contemporary artist Chen Yifei (陈逸飞) and "Portrait of Iron-Crutch Li" by legendary painter Qi Baishi (齐白石).

china art hotelThe portrait of Mao Zedong by late Chinese artist Chen Yifei is displayed at Shanghai's Jumeirah."We're the first hotel in China to organize such a lobby art tour with verbal explanations," said Jasmine Ye, assistant marketing communications manager at the hotel. "We hope this is a way for our guests to get to know more about Chinese art."

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Aw look, Crocodile Dundee has left the building

Posted: 24 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT

by Ian Lloyd Neubauer

When it comes to Aussie tourism, it was one television commercial that changed everything.

Paul Hogan, the lovable larrikin who would later become known as Mick "Crocodile" Dundee, introducing Australia -- and its culture -- to the world.

After flirting with a bikini model on a beach and poking fun at U.S. accents, he invites curious Americans over with the offer of an "extra shrimp on the barbie."

Launched on U.S. television in the run-up to the 1984 Super Bowl, the commercial moved Australia from number 78 on the dream holiday destination for Americans to number one.

To this day, it remains one of the most memorable and successful tourism campaigns in history.

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