http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/index.xml News, sports and entertainment from Charlotte.com en-us Copyright 2008 Charlotte.com Travel 60 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:01 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive Workbench support@charlotte.com http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715633.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715633.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:39 EDT Festival Abingdon, Va.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Celebrate cultural heritage of Virginia Highlands<p/></strong></span>The Virginia Highlands Festival, celebrating its 60th anniversary with the theme &ldquo;Reflections of the Past, Visions of the Future,&rdquo; will be held Saturday through Aug. 10 in Abingdon, Va.<p/>Before the festival officially begins, lovers of roots and bluegrass music can catch &ldquo;A Crooked Road Doubleheader: Music from Virginia's Heritage Music Trail,&rdquo; 7:30-10 p.m. Friday in the festival tent at Stonewall Square. Featured acts include the Dixie Bee-Liners and selected performers from the project &ldquo;Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields.&rdquo; Cost: $5; 12 and younger, free.<p/>The festival's events include an antiques market show and sale; juried arts and crafts show; art and photography exhibits; living-history events; home and garden events; and agriculture and ecological activities. For details on prices and event locations: 276-676-2282,; www.vahighlandsfestival.org. <p/>Lecture Blowing Rock<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Seafaring lecture explores mysteries of the deep<p/></strong></span>Mike Daniel, a naval historian, underwater adventurer and marine coordinator for the film industry, will present the lecture &ldquo;Pirates, Shipwrecks and Treasures,&rdquo; 7 p.m. July 29 at the Miriam and Robert Hayes Performing Arts Center's Wilson Theater in Blowing Rock. The lecture is being presented in conjunction with the Blowing Rock Stage Company's production of &ldquo;Peter Pan,&rdquo; which runs through Aug. 3 on the center's stage.<p/>The lecture, appropriate for ages 6 and older, includes true stories of some of Daniel's most renowned discoveries and &ldquo;bone-rattling information&rdquo; on the nefarious Blackbeard, upon whom the &ldquo;Peter Pan&rdquo; character of Captain Hook is based on. Daniel discovered Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, in 1996; a Spanish galleon &ndash; the 1656 Nuestra Senora de la Maravilla (the richest treasure ship found to date in the Western Hemisphere) &ndash; in 1972; and a 1838 Seminole Indian War battle site in Jupiter, Fla. The center is at 152 Jamie Fort Road (off U.S. 321). Tickets: $10; $5 for students. Details: 828-295-9627; www.HayesCenter. org.<p/>Sand sculpting Wrightsville Beach<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Sandcastles and scoops on the Cape Fear Coast<p/></strong></span>Ever wanted to build an award-winning sandcastle? Individuals, families, businesses and civic groups are invited to give it their best shot at the 10th annual &ldquo;Castles and Scoops&rdquo; event, Aug. 9 at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, 1706 N. Lumina Ave.<p/>Registration for the sand sculpting competition will be 9-10 a.m. To guarantee a space, register online at www.playwilmington.org. The competition &ndash; 10 a.m. to noon &ndash; is followed by lunch, an ice cream social and activities led by the Children's Museum of Wilmington. Noon to 12:45 p.m. judges will choose the winning sandcastles based on originality, artistic execution and use of natural resources. Winners will be announced at 1 p.m. Details: 910-254-3534; www.gocapefearcoast.com. Rochelle Reynoldson http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715636.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715636.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:55 EDT Jan buys tickets to Hawaii with her Capital One &ldquo;No Hassle&rdquo; miles. But when her airline goes out of business, her credit card company refuses to return the hard-earned awards. Is she stuck with a worthless ticket? <p/><strong>Here's the problem: </strong>&ldquo;My airline has gone under, taking my award miles with it. I need your help getting them back.<p/>&ldquo;My husband and I planned a trip to Maui to join our daughter and grandchildren for a summer vacation together. We contacted our credit card company, Capital One, and used 71,000 &ldquo;no hassle&rdquo; reward miles to book a roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles to Maui.<p/>&ldquo;Then ATA declared bankruptcy and stopped flying.<p/>&ldquo;I called Capital One and Carlson Travel, the agency that had booked our flights, and asked to be put on another flight. The answer was &lsquo;no' &ndash; and further, they said we had lost our 71,000 miles.<p/>&ldquo;I have been on the phone with Capital One every day for the last week. Some supervisors have simply blown me off, while others can't help or are unwilling to let me proceed up the corporate ladder.<p/>&ldquo;I feel very strongly that since we have spent thousands of dollars with Capital One over the years, and cleared our bill each month, that we should at least have the right to have our case heard. Don't you?&rdquo; <p/>&ndash; Jan Venegas, Marana, Ariz.<p/><strong>Here's the solution: </strong>Those &ldquo;no hassle&rdquo; miles are not exactly living up to their name, are they?<p/> Capital One should have promptly credited your account with your miles and rebooked your flights, of course. Their response to you is no way to treat a valued customer.<p/>Capital One's No Hassle Miles Rewards card allows you to earn points quickly &ndash; 1.25 miles for each dollar spent (www.capitalone.com/ creditcards/products/10318/ 2/index.php). <p/>But these aren't real frequent flier miles, in the sense that they're issued by an airline. Instead, they are points given to you by the bank that can be redeemed for an airline ticket.<p/>For example, 35,000 miles buys you a ticket that costs between $150 and $350. So the Capital One is, in effect, buying a real ticket in exchange for your &ldquo;no hassle&rdquo; points.<p/>In reviewing Capital One's disclosures, I found no mention of a policy when an airline goes under and leaves you holding a worthless ticket.<p/>Interestingly, your first step when you're holding a real ticket would be to call the credit card company to dispute the charges. Obviously you can't do that now.<p/>Here's my take: You're doing business with Capital One, not the airline in question, so you would need to sort this out with your credit card.<p/>I wouldn't have limited your interactions with Capital One to the phone. In fact, a far better way of reaching the company would be by e-mail (www.capitalone.com/contactus). If the company refuses to escalate your complaint, you're better off appealing your case to an executive (www.capitalone.com/about/corpinfo). E-mailing someone higher up is easy &ndash; the naming convention at Capital One is firstname.lastname@capitalone.com.<p/>In other words, don't let them tell you when you can and can't have your case heard. You're in control.<p/>I contacted Capital One on your behalf. The company said your refund troubles were just a series of misunderstandings. &ldquo;Capital One will be refunding affected customers in accordance with Visa and MasterCard guidelines,&rdquo; a spokeswoman told me. &ldquo;Customers just need to contact us for reimbursement.&rdquo;<p/>Your &ldquo;no hassle&rdquo; miles have been credited back to your account.<p/>Charlotte native Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org, or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715613.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715613.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:05 EDT Ah, the changing of the seasons. What's a travelgirl to wear?<p/> Designer Dahli Patel, creator of Aleksa Designs, has created an accessory to help you celebrate seasonal change all year long. Appropriately called the &ldquo;Seasons Pendant,&rdquo; this travel-inspired, sterling silver, openwork pendant ($179) comes with four gemstone pieces and decorative bolts that can be swapped out, allowing for 17 different looks in all. A trip to the Far East inspired this necklace.<p/> &ldquo;I learned how they (gemstones) are mined, cut and polished and watched the long, tedious process that it takes to create each stone,&rdquo; Patel says. With an appreciation for the art of gemstone creation, she set out to live her personal dream, selling her designs to jewelry boutiques in the South.<p/>Her store is at 1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, Ga. It is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, noon-5 p.m. Saturday. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715629.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715629.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:44 EDT Q: My husband and I want to visit Turkey and are interested in the history and archaeology of ancient Troy and Homer's &ldquo;Iliad&rdquo; and &ldquo;Odyssey.&rdquo;<p/> Any recommendations regarding a reputable agency to book such travel?<p/>We always thought Iraq was the cradle of civilization, but, Turkey also claims the title &ndash; with more Greek ruins than Greece, more ancient Roman sites than Italy.<p/>The right tour guide can make all the difference in exploring them. The Turkish Culture and Tourism Office (202-612-6800; www.tourismturkey.org) has a list of recommended tour operators in the United States. Aegean Tours in Laurel, Md. (www.aegeantours.com), in business for 43 years, offers a 15-day &ldquo;Private Archeological Tour&rdquo; of such sites as Ankara, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Homer's legendary Troy. <p/>The cost is $6,340 per person double for two (less for larger groups) and includes hotels, meals, transportation and entrance fees. Airfare there is extra.<p/>For a shorter stay, Key Tours in Fairfax, Va., (www.keytours.com) has a six-day &ldquo;Ancient Wonders&rdquo; tour of western Turkey that includes Istanbul, Gallipoli, Troy, Pergamum, Kusadasi and Ephesus. Cost for the land-only tour is $725 per person/double in mid-September and includes hotels, meals and ground transportation.<p/>For a high-end but tempting tour, take a look at Peter Sommer Travels (www.petersommer.com). <p/>Sommer, a British archaeologist and filmmaker, walked 2,000 miles across Turkey in 1994, following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great. Now he offers tours and &ldquo;quiet cruises&rdquo; for small groups, with expert guides leading the way. Many of his tours are full for this year, but &ldquo;In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great,&rdquo; offered next May, includes stops in Troy, Ephesus and Termessus.<p/> Cost for the 19-day tour is $6,750 per person/double, not including airfare, and includes accommodations, meals and entrance fees. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/720318.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/720318.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:51 EDT <strong>Take us on vacation</strong><p/>Send us a photo with someone holding the Observer's Travel section, and we'll try to include it in our weekly slideshow. If yours is printed in the Observer, we'll mail you an "I Travel with The Charlotte Observer" T-shirt.<p/><strong>DIRECTIONS: </strong>Tell us who's in the photo, who took it and where and when. Include address and daytime phone number. E-mail your JPEG to itravel@charlotte observer. com. Or, mail your nonreturnable print to: I Travel with The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/719630.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/719630.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:02 EDT A Mexicana Airlines flight overshot a runway while landing at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport Friday night and struck a safety barrier, injuring a flight attendant, authorities said.<p/>Flight 802 was arriving from Mexico City just after 7 p.m. when it was stopped by a barrier of lightweight, crushable concrete blocks, authorities said.<p/>The safety barrier, known as an arrestor bed, was specifically installed to stop planes that overshoot runways, said Department of Aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride.<p/>"The good news is the safety enhancements that we had in place worked perfectly and things are OK out there," she said.<p/>One crew member went to the hospital with minor injuries, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro said the injured person was a flight attendant.<p/>Authorities differed on the number of people on board the Airbus A320.<p/>Mexicana Airlines spokesman Adolfo Crespo said there were 145 passengers and crew aboard, but Rosado said 142 people were evacuated using a stair truck raised to the rear of the plane.<p/>The passengers were transported by bus to a nearby terminal.<p/>"Everything went textbook," Rosado said of the evacuation.<p/>Crespo says crosswinds forced the plane's nose gear off the runway, but Molinaro said an investigation will take some time.<p/>The arrestor bed was installed recently, "probably in the past year," Molinaro said.<p/>"It did its job, it stopped the plane," he said.<p/>O'Hare Runway 22L closed Friday, but Pride said she expected it to reopen soon.<p/>"The incident has not significantly affected traffic at the airport," she said. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715654.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715654.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:53 EDT <span class="subhead"><strong>Salisbury/Spencer</strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE: </strong>About 48 minutes (43 miles), one way. <p/><strong>GOTTA SEE: </strong>N.C. Transportation Museum at Spencer, former repair facility for Southern Railway, is a 57-acre shrine to old-time railroading, with 25 locomotives and dozens of rail cars. (Free; $6 for train ride around the grounds &ndash; $5 for kids; $1 for a spin on the roundhouse turntable; charge for special events; 704-636-2889; http://nctrans.org) <p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE: </strong>Somber, stirring National Cemetery, site of Civil War POW camp (http://salisburyprison.gorowan.com). Take walking tour of beautifully preserved downtown Salisbury; map at www.salisburync.gov/visitor.html.<p/><strong>GOTTA TRY: </strong>Wink's King Barbeque and Seafood at 509 Faith Road (just south of the I-85/U.S. 52 interchange) &ndash; a big, old-fashioned place known for seafood and smoked-right-here pork. Very local, very informal. (5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 704-637-2410).<p/><strong>PRIME TIMES: </strong>Aug. 2 (All-Ford Auto Show at N.C. Transportation Museum).<p/><strong>DETAILS:</strong> Rowan County CVB, 800-332-2343; www.visitsalis burync.com.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Yadkin wineries<p/></strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE: </strong>About 90 minutes (86 miles), one way, to Wilkesboro, the southern edge of the winery area.<p/><strong>GOTTA SEE: </strong>There are roughly 70 commercial vineyards across North Carolina; the largest single concentration (17) is close by the Yadkin River, arching southeast from the Wilkesboro area to around Lexington. They vary considerably in size, sophistication and wineries. Laurel Gray in Hamptonville is quaint; Raffaldini in Ronda is known for Italian wines; sprawling Shelton, in Dobson, has great tours. Childress, near Lexington, is a big and slick operation (dine at the Ask the Pro bistro). Cost, including you-keep wine glass: $5-$12 per person.<p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE: </strong>Picnic or hike along two miles of the Yadkin River at Pilot Mountain State Park's southern tract &ndash; or visit the northern part that includes great views from Little Pinnacle mountain. Both sections of the park are northwest of Winston-Salem via U.S. 52 (336-325-2355; www.ncsparks.net).<p/><strong>PRIME TIMES: </strong>October (wine festivals). <strong></strong><p/><strong></strong><strong>DETAILS: </strong>www.visitncwine.com (download map); Yadkin County Chamber, 336-679-2200; www.yadkinchamber.org.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong> Uwharrie Mountains<p/></strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE: </strong>About one hour (46 miles), one way.<p/><strong>APPEAL: </strong>The mountains-plus-big-lake combo closest to Charlotte. <strong></strong><p/><strong></strong><strong>GOTTA SEE: </strong>Uwharrie National Forest is a 53,000-acre tract on the east side of Lake Badin and Lake Tillery (dammed Pee Dee River). Hike five-mile Flint Hill Ramble, or the Uwharrie Trail (one of the longest in the Piedmont). Hike, ride your horse or mountain bike for free.<p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE: </strong>Morrow Mountain State Park, on the west bank of the Pee Dee, is paradise for hikers. Only two trails are strenuous; some are a little more than a half-mile. Walk the Morrow Mountain Trail (6-miles, round trip) to the top.<p/>Rowboat/canoe/paddleboat ($5 for first hour, $3/ each additional hour); swimming pool ($4; $3/kids). Great fishing pier is handicap-accessible.<p/><strong>PRIME TIMES: </strong>Programs, from astronomy to guided hikes, offered at Morrow Mountain on <strong>Saturdays-Sundays</strong>. Check Fridays at park office or park bulletin boards. <p/><strong>DETAILS: </strong>Uwharrie National Forest: 910-576-6391; Morrow Mountain State Park: 704-982-4402; www.ncsparks.gov.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Winston-Salem<p/></strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE: </strong>Close to 90 minutes (about 80 miles), one way.<p/><strong>APPEAL: </strong>Culture &ndash; from fine to campy.<p/><strong>GOTTA SEE</strong>: Walk grounds of 1700s Old Salem free or, better yet, buy a pass and step inside various buildings to meet re-enactors ($14 or $21; $7 or $10 for kids; 888-653-7253; www.oldsalem.org). Reynolda House Museum of American Art is full of great works by American artists ($10; closed Mondays; 336-758-5150; www.reynoldahouse.org). <p/><strong>GOTTA TRY</strong>: Catch a minor-league (Class A) baseball game at Ernie Shore Field and buy Warthogs cap or shirt (www.warthogs.com). Great tunes &ndash; rock to bluegrass &ndash; at The Garage (110 W. 7th St.; www.the-garage.ws).<p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE</strong>: Reynolda Gardens, adjoining Reynolda House, has sunken garden, rose gardens and other theme gardens &ndash; plus a couple of nice trails (336-758-5593; www.reynolda gardens.org).<p/><strong>PRIME TIMES: </strong>Aug. 1-2 (NASCAR racing at Bowman Gray Stadium (www.bowmangrayracing.com).<p/><strong>DETAILS: </strong>Winston-Salem Visitor Center, 866-728-4200; www.visitwinstonsalem.com.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Greensboro<p/></strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE: </strong>A little over 90 minutes (93 miles), one way.<p/><strong>APPEAL:</strong> Unusual attractions for all interests.<p/><strong>GOTTA SEE: </strong>Kid-pleasing Natural Science Center has 36-foot replica of a T-Rex, gem/mineral displays, zoo with monkeys, tigers, wolves, tortoises, etc. ($8; $7 for kids/seniors; $5 extra for Omnisphere movie; 336-288-3769; www.natsci.org). Greensboro Children's Museum hands-on exhibits arranged in a Main Street format where youngsters can learn about grownups' occupations ($6 for children/parents; 336-574-2898; www.gcmuseum.com).<p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE:</strong> N.C. A&T University Galleries include 1,500 pieces from more than 30 African nations and Haiti. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays during summer; 336-334-3209; www.ncat.edu/~museum; click &ldquo;Permanent Collection&rdquo;). Stroll elevated boardwalk of Bog Garden <strong>(</strong>www.greensborobeautiful.org/TheBog.htm). <p/><strong>PRIME TIMES</strong>: Aug. 11-17 (Wyndham golf tournament; www.wyndhamchampionship.com).<p/><strong>DETAILS:</strong> Greensboro CVB, 800-344-2282; www.greensboro nc.org.<p/><span class="subhead"><strong>Asheboro/Randleman<p/></strong></span><p/><strong>DISTANCE:</strong> About 90 minutes (85 miles), one way.<p/><strong>APPEAL: </strong>For any who love roars &ndash; from wild animals or at NASCAR races. <strong></strong><p/><strong></strong><strong>GOTTA SEE: </strong>N.C. Zoo, at Asheboro, is one of the largest walk-through natural-habitat zoos in the world (wear comfy shoes for the five miles of walking paths). Main themes: North America and Africa. The 37-acre African Plains holds one of the largest herds of rhinos and elephants in the Western Hemisphere. Other standouts include polar bears, sea lions, river otters, alligators, gorillas, baboons, giraffes and zebras.<p/>Randleman is home to the Petty family racing dynasty &ndash; and the Richard Petty Museum is loaded with racing items.<p/><strong>TOTALLY FREE: </strong>Have an old-fashioned picnic at Pisgah Covered Bridge &ndash; one of two remaining N.C. covered bridges (www.pisgahcoveredbridge.com). Hike free quarter-mile trail.<p/><strong>DETAILS: </strong>N.C. Zoo ($10; $8 for seniors/college students; $6/kids), 800-488-0444; www.nczoo.org. Richard Petty Museum ($5; $3/kids; closed Sundays): 336-495-1143; www.pettyracing. com (click &ldquo;The Pettys&rdquo;). http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715628.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715628.html Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:10 EDT Tom Dirlis, 36, is a writer raised in Toronto who has been living in Europe for the past 12 years. Nine of those years were mostly spent in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, with side trips to Budapest, Hungary. He is the author of the just-out &ldquo;Moon Handbook: Prague & Budapest.&rdquo;<p/>Q. Money's tight this summer. Are Prague and Budapest becoming expensive?<p/>They're getting there. Since joining the European Union in '04, what we've seen is an increase in prices all around, though salaries stayed the same. In general, Budapest is slightly cheaper than Prague, and both are certainly cheaper than London, Paris or other Western European cities.<p/>If you're staying there, the cost of lodging is nowhere near as low as it was just three years ago, though hotels are constantly under construction, especially in Budapest. Dinner prices are also going up. Pretty much everything costs more &ndash; they've sort of adopted the Western capitalist model and are taking it as far as it can go. With the development of tourism, the things that come with it include Western-style prices.<p/>Q. What's the least you can get away with paying for a week in either town?<p/>If you're checking out museums and operas and going with just a backpack, you can do it cheaply: about $500. That's if you're careful, stay in a hostel, have a few drinks and eat on the cheap. Budapest is slightly cheaper, but prices in both cities could quickly become the same.<p/>Q. What's the best deal in Prague?<p/>The parks are all free, thank God. The castle is a good deal. Also, if you're a fan of classical music or opera, see a pretty impressive production of the great works. The same is true in Budapest. A couple tickets to the opera will probably cost you about $100. <p/>Q. How would you compare the nightlife in these cities?<p/>Prague has the better night life: The bars stay open a little later and beer is cheaper than bottled water. Also, Prague is very compact, and the bars and clubs are all over the place. Budapest is a bigger city, and the nightlife is more refined. Budapest has better clubs &ndash; crazier than Prague's.<p/>In both cities, you'll find everything from dives to clubs. For clubs in Prague, check out the Roxy or Radost FX. They're your basic clubs with different themed nights &ndash; techno to hip-hop to funk. <p/>In Budapest, take advantage of outdoor cafes and bars; Prague doesn't have as many, and Budapest is good for that. Summers are also nicer in Budapest, weather-wise. Szimpla Kert is one place; Cha Cha Cha is another that's good for the outdoor sort of effect.<p/>Q. What kind of music do they play at these outdoor places?<p/>Anything you can think of. Many have theme nights. These aren't subdued affairs: People party hearty.<p/>Szimpla is part of Hungarian pop culture &ndash; a &ldquo;ruin&rdquo; bar or club that's haphazardly furnished with cheap tables and chairs from garage sales or whatever. They're scattered about outside. The look is very makeshift.<p/>Cha Cha Cha is more an outdoor dance-club terrace place, with more of a meat market vibe. Both places are a lot of fun, and popular with residents, tourists and students.<p/>Q. Is weather in Prague different from Budapest's?<p/>Not really. Winters are kind of mild; summer highs are 25 to 33 Celsius (77-91 Fahrenheit). Budapest has more consistently sunny weather in summer. It's actually similar to Toronto's, in a way.<p/>Q. Good food?<p/>Tons. You can always find good deals. But Czech cuisine may not appeal to many. Are you a vegetarian? If so, you're out of luck. The traditional Czech meal is pork or chicken with what they call dumplings &ndash; these heavy, breaded things. It's very heavy fare, and they always put some kind of universal brown sauce on it. It's not spicy, it's just brown.<p/>Hungarians are different. They have a spicier pallette and love their paprika. You can pretty much walk around and look in my book &ndash; there's any number of mom-and-pop places. Everything from eateries to fine dining. You can find any cuisine you want in either Prague or Budapest.<p/>Q. The best Hungarian food in Budapest?<p/>I have no one favorite. But if you're interested in food from all over Europe &ndash; Croatian, Mediterranean, you name it &ndash; go to the Marquis de Salade. Another good place for Hungarian is Bel Canto.<p/>Q. Two cities in adjoining countries. Is it easy crossing the border?<p/>It wasn't bad until recently. But now there's a new rule for non-EU residents that affects tourist visas of those with North American passports. It used to be that if you overstayed, no one would complain. Now, if you want to stay later, you have to stay under the radar. There are tons of expats, especially in Prague, who now have to do this. <p/>Neither the Czechs nor Hungarians are happy about this, but they have to adhere to it. You'll hear many Czechs saying these EU rules are just another brand of communism. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/717368.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/717368.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:32 EDT One has a salt-water spa, two celebrity chef restaurants, twice daily maid visits, 330 rooms and zero slot machines.<p/>Another has an $18,000-a-week floral budget, five swimming pools and 800 rooms but no roulette wheels, craps pits or blackjack tables.<p/>Two of Atlantic City's newest hotels are wagering customers will flock to this seaside resort with gambling all around them and stay for something other than the tumbling dice.<p/>This resort town is making a multi-billion-dollar bet that it can attract more affluent, Las Vegas-style customers who care more about fine dining, top-name entertainment, spa treatments and general pampering than about whether the little white ball will land on a red or a black number.<p/>The 330-room Chelsea, a $110 million makeover of two old motels into a retro-chic hotel with a '50s and '60s theme, opens Friday. It follows by a few weeks the opening of The Water Club, the $400 million, 800-room hotel built by the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa but marketed aggressively as a stand-alone oasis of luxury - parts of which are off-limits even to Borgata casino guests.<p/>At least one more such project is on the drawing board.<p/>With 11 casino-hotels already operating here and hotel towers rising everywhere you look, why build a non-gambling hotel in Atlantic City?<p/>"Atlantic City was a resort for 100 years before it was a gambling destination," said Curtis Bashaw, one of two developers of the Chelsea. "We're firm believers in returning to those roots and providing a really fun hotel in the center of America's playground."<p/>Bashaw operates successful luxury hotels in Cape May, N.J., is opening others in New York and once led the agency that reinvests money that Atlantic City casinos are obligated to contribute to development projects here and across the state.<p/>"There's not a lot of hotel product in Atlantic City for someone that doesn't want to sleep next to a wall of slot machines or who wants a luxurious haven without the cacophony of a gambling floor," Bashaw said.<p/>Las Vegas also has some non-gambling hotels on or near The Strip, although the majority of hotels there offer some sort of gambling. But the 1,282-room Trump International Hotel and Tower, which opened there April, doesn't offer gambling.<p/>Joel Simkins, senior vice president of Macquarie Securities, said it remains to be seen whether non-gambling hotels will succeed here. But he termed the trend "an interesting concept that I think Atlantic City can embrace."<p/>"Atlantic City needs more high-quality hotel rooms," he said. "If you can deliver that with a high level of service, it could be a recipe for success."<p/>It's not like these hotels are being plunked down in the middle of nowhere; guests who do want to gamble can find tables and slots close by. The Water Club is about 50 yards from the entrance to the Borgata.<p/>And the Chelsea is right next door to the Tropicana Casino and Resort and within easy walking distance of the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort.<p/>"This market has some of the best, cleanest beaches anywhere, and the climate is pretty reasonable most of the year," Mullin said. "You add golf, fine dining and retail options - things people like to do on vacation - and people looking for a nice place to stay start looking at Atlantic City in a whole new way."<p/>That's the idea behind The Water Club.<p/>"People that come here don't have to go to a casino to be entertained anymore," said Larry Mullin, the Borgata's president. "Tonight we have The Eagles here. Saturday night, Elton John is in town. You stay in a gorgeous hotel room with your choice of restaurants from Bobby Flay to Wolfgang Puck. Name me how many places you can do all that." http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715084.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715084.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:33 EDT A device to prevent airplane fuel tanks from exploding must be installed on certain passenger jets and cargo planes, federal officials said Wednesday, 12 years after such an explosion destroyed TWA Flight 800, killing all 230 people aboard.<p/>The new safety requirement, announced by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, applies to new passenger and cargo planes that have center fuel tanks like TWA 800, a Boeing 747, which exploded over the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island on July 17, 1996, after takeoff from New York's Kennedy Airport.<p/>The rule also requires airlines to retrofit 2,730 existing Airbus and Boeing passenger planes built since 1991 with center wing fuel tanks with the changes over the next nine years. The retrofit schedule is based on the normal aircraft maintenance schedule.<p/>Manufacturers have two years in which to comply with the rule, although Boeing is already making some new planes with the changes.<p/>"We believe this will save lives," said National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker, who joined Peters at a news conference at the safety board's training facility here, where TWA Flight 800's fuselage has been partially reconstructed from pieces retrieved from the ocean. "This is the big one for us as it relates to important solutions for fuel tank safety."<p/>The change brings to a close a long and troubled chapter in federal aviation safety. The National Transportation Safety Board identified the cause of the explosion - the ignition of oxygen in a partially empty fuel tank that had been sitting for hours in the sun before takeoff - not long after the accident. But the FBI initially thought the explosion was the result of a bomb and it was unclear for a time which agency - the FBI or the NTSB - was in charge of the investigation.<p/>The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a rule to prevent future explosions in 2005, but the aviation industry balked, saying the cost was too high.<p/>The final rule requires aircraft manufacturers and passenger airlines to install devices that replace oxygen, which is highly explosive, with inert nitrogen in fuel tanks as they empty.<p/>"The airlines will, of course, comply with the rule," said Victoria Day, a spokeswoman for the Air Transport Association of America.<p/>Matt Ziemkiewicz of Rutherford, N.J, whose sister was a flight attendant aboard TWA Flight 800, said he was "disappointed this didn't happen sooner ... We knew this was a preventable accident before Flight 800."<p/>However, Ziemkiewicz, who has led victims' families in seeking safety changes, said he was satisfied the new rule is "reasonable and realistic."<p/>The cost of installing the new technology would range from $92,000 to $311,000 per aircraft, depending upon its size, Peters said. She said the cost could be as little as one-tenth of 1 percent of the cost of a new aircraft.<p/>FAA Acting Administrator Robert Sturgell estimated the cost to industry overall at about $1 billion.<p/>Initial estimates a decade ago put the potential cost of protecting fuel tanks from explosion as high as $36 billion.<p/>"I recognize that this is a challenging time for commercial aviation," Peters said. "But there is no doubt that another crash like TWA 800 would pose a far greater challenge."<p/>The rule doesn't require that existing cargo planes be retrofitted because of the cost, said John Hickey, FAA director of aircraft certification.<p/>"We think the overall risk (for cargo planes) in a general way is a little bit less. Of course the cost is very significant to the rule and the benefits - it's a bit challenging to quantify the benefits aside from the obvious benefit of the value of the pilots," Hickey said.<p/>The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents FAA aircraft certification engineers, released a statement saying it was disappointed that the new rule applies only to center fuel tanks and not to wing fuel tanks. The controllers association and NTSB had recommended that the safety changes apply to all fuel tanks.<p/>"The FAA missed an opportunity to greatly enhance airplane safety without significant additional cost," the statement said. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715404.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715404.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:38 EDT Vern Yip is HGTV's answer to Tim Gunn: When Vern shows up on a show, you know that everything is going to be just fine.<p/>Yip shot to popularity on the Learning Channel's budget-decorating show "Trading Spaces," where many a homeowner, learning that Yip was their decorator, was heard to give thanks.<p/>He's now on two HGTV shows: host of "Deserving Design," which just started its second season providing room makeovers for deserving folks, and one of three judges on the network's signature hit, "Design Star," which seems determined to do "Project Runway" one better in the backstabbing/feuding/meltdown department. A recent episode featured a sobbing departing designer asking for his mom.<p/>But back to Yip. He has two bachelor's degrees from the University of Virginia, a master's degree in architecture and a master's in business administration from Georgia Tech, four dogs ranging in size from 65 to 125 pounds, and a flourishing career as America's voice of reason in home design. <p/>And despite the hugely entertaining carnage of this year's "Design Star," Yip doesn't have a bad word to say about any of the combatants - including Louisville designer Tracee Dore, who's getting the "villain edit" as the contestant viewers are primed to hiss. Yip on the voluble Tracee: "She has a very different perspective from the other designers, and I think that's valuable."<p/>He notes that all the contestants are sleep-deprived, homesick and "doing things in an intense manner in a compact time frame."<p/>And mommy-craving Michael? He's young and accomplished, Yip says. <p/>"He has a lot of talent, as do they all. Everybody who's in that group of nine deserves to be there."<p/>When it comes to "Deserving Design," Yip can't help it: He loves the show, loves the people who get new rooms, and confesses that sometimes even he gets a little wobbly with emotion at the room reveals. And although he has assistants to help do the work, you'll see Yip doing heavy lifting and installation. He just can't help himself. <p/>You'll also find a list at www.hgtv.com of what he used on each episode, because one of Yip's degrees is in economics, and he is a born list-maker and budgeter. He frequently gets questions about where he found certain items, and he likes to share his supplier information. <p/>Yip mentions a young woman in an upcoming episode who has been diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer who's also a yoga and Pilates instructor, "and she is living her life with so much joy."<p/>He says he's grateful to be able to help everyday heroes - people who don't get noticed for their good deeds, yet soldier on selflessly nonetheless, often with poor furniture placement and bad lighting.<p/>Says Yip: "I consider myself to be an extraordinarily lucky guy." http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715406.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715406.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:38 EDT I've never wasted vacation time on any of my houses. What I've done instead is used time away from the office to get COMPLETELY away.<p/>Of course, while I'm away, I think about all the things I have to do when I get back.<p/>Sometimes, I'm so bored with relaxing after a couple of days that I volunteer to help people I meet with their chores.<p/>I should qualify that with "unless I'm camping." There are so many chores involved with camping that I can't wait till meals are over and dishes are done, so I can take it easy.<p/>Anyway, in 1992 we rented a cottage in County Mayo in Ireland. There was an elderly gent next door, with a son who was an electrician in Massachusetts. He was up early on a June morning painting his bungalow walls.<p/>I mean early. Sunrise was at 4:15 a.m., dawn 30 minutes before, and dusk about 11:30 p.m. <p/>This was closer to sunrise, and I went to sit with my coffee on the front step. The gent and I began to talk, and in 15 minutes I had a brush in hand and was taking care of the window trim.<p/>I finished before my family could catch me at it. Two pints of Guinness for my trouble at the pub up the road that evening.<p/>Sometimes, I've longed to own a vacation house, especially when the best I could afford in the Philadelphia area was an 11-{-foot-wide Queen Village rowhouse.<p/>For a couple of the rowhouse years, before school limited vacation scheduling, we spent a week in mid-June at houses in Wild Dunes, a resort outside Charleston, S.C. (Those houses might have been good investments had Hurricane Hugo not flattened them.)<p/>I learned about the joys of Bulls Eye shellac-based primer because hard water in the water heaters did in the first-floor ceilings, and replacement and repair was constant.<p/>Sometimes, I've fantasized to escape reality.<p/>We spent a few days on Cape Cod waiting for approval on the mortgage for our second house, while still not being able to sell the first.<p/>I looked at every house for sale between Barnstable and Rock Harbor, realizing after a while that with what was going on back home, the best I could afford was a hut at Plimoth Plantation - if the goat was willing to share.<p/>Once we took over a colleague's time-share in Hilton Head, a two-story condo with a canal running through the backyard.<p/>Posted along the canal were signs that read: "Please keep your dog on a leash at all times." <p/>Alligators.<p/>The master bedroom of this place was palatial compared with ours, with a ceiling fan above the bed and a soaking tub surrounded by tile in the bath, out of which you stepped onto marble floors.<p/>It also had central air-conditioning, something we wanted but couldn't afford without cutting the grocery list down to hot dogs and ersatz Postum. <p/>When we got home, I had a ceiling fan installed above our bed.<p/>I've noticed something since we last bought a house, the one we've lived in now for almost seven years: When I go on vacation, I focus on relaxing and enjoying myself every minute.<p/>One reason is that Emmy, our beagle, cannot accompany us on a lot of long trips - she's cared for either by our next-door neighbors or by a regular house-sitter. <p/>Someone is watching the property and keeping Emmy company. So I don't worry.<p/>The other reason is I guess I didn't like the other two houses. They were just so problematic, always needing something, and when you finished redoing a room, or the wiring, or the yard, it just didn't measure up.<p/>I couldn't seem to escape thinking about those houses. I tried pushing projects to completion before I left for vacation so I wouldn't think about them, I but never finished - even when I got back.<p/>I tried to envision what living in a really nice house would be like.<p/>That doesn't mean I don't think about things I'd like to tackle when I get back now.<p/>It's just that I rest up for them. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715265.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715265.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:43 EDT Summer has just begun and I am already tired of hearing about some vacation destinations. But not so tired that we won't run stories about these places ourselves. Sometimes the beaten path is the beaten path for a reason.<p/>Still, there is a certain amount of eye-rolling repetition in the news these days about places tied to big summer events. Or a certain trend. Here's my list of the most overhyped and overexposed places of the summer of 2008:<p/>-Your home: Every few years a cutesy new vacation term dreamed up by some marketing types starts making the rounds. There were "babymoons" (a trip just before having a baby) and "oblications" (those mandatory trips to see the relatives - something an Orange County Register writer more than a decade ago termed "tours of duty"). There are "mancations" - where guys go off to blast birds or just drink a lot.<p/>This year the term I became tired of in, oh, late March is "staycation." A combination of "stay" and "vacation." The idea is that you don't go anywhere this summer because of high gas prices, high airfares and recession worries. The Washington Post even came up with a version where you tell people you are leaving town, then hide in your house: a "fakation."<p/>It's true that fewer people are planning a trip of over 75 miles this summer - 57 percent, down from 63 percent in 2007, according to a survey by national leisure marketing firm Y Partnership. But most people still realize that the term "vacation" has at its root the word "vacate" as in leave, blow town, get away.<p/>Here's my advice: If you were planning a two-week vacation, make it 10 days. If you were planning a week, make it five days. Go three-star instead of four-star. Eat only one meal a day in a restaurant, using markets and bakeries for lunch.<p/>There are lots of ways to enjoy summer without boring yourself to death at home. I have dubbed these with trendy new names: "a short vacation" and "a budget vacation."<p/>-Beijing: The world comes to one of the most populous and least freedom-loving countries on the planet. No Summer Olympics has been quite so controversial since Moscow in 1980 (or perhaps Berlin in 1936). Between the protests about Tibet and the police swarms on Tiananmen Square, there will be a respite when the greatest runners, swimmers, gymnasts and javelin throwers get their once-every-four-years moment of glory packed between baseball's All-Star Game and the opening of the NFL season. But this is one country that probably doesn't need the post-Olympics tourism bump. China is expected to be the No. 1 tourist destination in the world by midcentury.<p/>-Minneapolis: President Bush's ratings may be at an all-time low, but the Republicans are hoping for resurgence at their national convention Sept. 1-4. Though modern Minneapolis gets first billing, the convention will actually occur across the river in St. Paul. That's OK with me - I prefer the town that was home to F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose namesake theater is the headquarters of the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion."<p/>-Denver: The looooong race to pick a Democratic nominee luckily ended before the donkey delegates arrive in the Mile High City for their national convention Aug. 25-28 at the Pepsi Center. The Dems should take time out to tour the LoDo district of warehouses and bookstores, and the gun lobby will love the firearms collections and game (no elephant) served at The Buckhorn Exchange. The Democrats are hoping the nominee can go further than the Denver Nuggets did against the Lakers.<p/>-Philadelphia: Boston has the fireworks, New York has the crowds, Los Angeles has the concerts. But July Fourth is Philly's annual moment in the spotlight. Independence Hall. The Declaration of Independence. The Liberty Bell. As a former resident of eastern Pennsylvania, I can attest that sweaty, smelly July is one of the worst times of year to visit the city. The Founding Fathers undoubtedly came around on a compromise on the Declaration just to get out of town before August.<p/>-Washington, D.C: Congress leaves town just as the tourists start flocking in. Maybe they realize that 100 degrees with sopping humidity doesn't make for a lot of fun. Especially when you are on one of those forced marches from monument to monument, all of which seem to be in treeless plazas surrounding by glaring white marble. Instead, visit in April when the cherry trees are blossoming. The politicians know that summer is only for amateurs.<p/>-Yankee Stadium: The House That Ruth Built and Steinbrenner Renovated Badly closes at the end of the year, and a new Yankee Stadium (higher ticket prices, more luxury boxes) opens across the way in the Bronx in New York. A 1970s makeover took away some of the old charm, giving it a less authentic feeling than Boston's Fenway Park or Chicago's Wrigley Field. But if you can endure the summer heat and overwhelming hotel prices in New York, check it out before it goes away. As for Shea Stadium, home to the Mets, that is also closing: Don't bother; it's a dump. A dump with a lot of great baseball memories, but a dump nonetheless. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715257.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715257.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:43 EDT The dollar tanked long ago. Now the prices of gas and airline tickets are soaring - as is the cost of a gallon of milk. In the face of this economic storm, hail begins to fall - the real stuff, pounding the roof over your head. You turn on the television for a weather update only to find political pundits prattling on about the presidential candidates.<p/>Just when it seems you can't afford a summer vacation, you've probably never needed one more.<p/>Take heart. There are ways to get out of town without breaking the bank. We asked travel experts and dug through savvy sources to uncover ways to save on that much-needed, well-deserved summer getaway, whether it's a grand tour of Europe or a road trip to Grandma's house. <p/>HOTELS:<p/>-Check rates with hotel <p/>Hotel-booking Web sites such as Hotels.com aren't always your best option. Sometimes you can get a better deal by going to the hotel's site or calling the hotel directly.<p/>-Shun the 800 number<p/>Don't call a hotel's 800 number to make a reservation; you'll likely be directed to the national center. Call the hotel directly and ask for the manager on duty, who is motivated to fill rooms, and begin negotiating for a discount. <p/>-Beware of special deals<p/>That "third night free" offer could be more expensive than a regular booking, for instance.<p/>-Call at the last minute <p/>Hotels with open rooms may discount rates. A trick: Secure a room at an inexpensive chain that allows cancellations. A day or two before arriving, call the swank hotel you really want to stay in and ask for their lowest rate. If you get a good deal, cancel your first hotel.<p/>-Ask for deals<p/>If you're staying through the week, ask for a weekend rate for the entirety of your stay. If you're a member of groups such as AAA, ask for a discount. <p/>-From Peter Greenberg's "The Complete Travel Detective Bible," (www.petergreenberg.com).<p/>AIRFARE:<p/>-Research before you book <p/>The more you understand the market, the better your odds for finding the best price because you'll know a deal when you see it. For a quick education, log onto www.farecast.com to view charts that show past price trends for a particular route and predict when prices will be lowest in the future. A watchdog site can also help: www.airfarewatchdog.com sends out alerts about most bargain fares from a given airport; www.travelocity.com and other booking sites will send e-mail alerts when airfares on chosen routes drop or rise significantly. <p/>-Join airlines' sites<p/>More airlines are using promotional rates and e-mail offers to lure traffic to their Web sites. By signing up for e-mail alerts at your commonly used airlines, you get notice of these fares. <p/>-Log onto meta-search sites<p/>My favorite is www.kayak.com, which checks almost all airlines' fares and presents them at a glance, along with charts that show the price trend for that route. It also offers an option to check rates three days before and after your preferred dates. Flying legs of a journey overseas? Check out www.dohop.com. <p/>-Get and use your miles<p/>Northwest is among airlines that are enticing its members to use frequent flier miles to offset the price of a ticket. For nearly a year, Sun Country has also offered a frequent flier program. <p/>-From Chris Welsch, Star Tribune travel reporter.<p/>-Be flexible<p/>Be flexible about when and where you go: Midweek flights, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, are often cheaper. Connecting flights cost less than direct. Be open to off-season destinations. <p/>-From Beth Caulfield, editor-in-chief of AOL Travel (http://travel.aol.com). <p/>EUROPE:<p/>-Rethink where you travel<p/>Skip Rome and London; opt instead for Florence, Italy, or Krakow, Poland. Eastern Europe or small cities can save big money. <p/>-Buy a guidebook<p/>Guidebooks help you know when museums don't charge an entrance fee and which parks offer the best free people-watching. <p/>-From Tom Meyers, founder of www.eurocheapo.com.<p/>-Say 'si' to public transport<p/>Every major airport has efficient money-saving alternatives to taxis. Most train, metro and bus services will take you from baggage claim to the city center in about 30 minutes, saving enough cash to cover dinner. <p/>-Rethink where you sleep<p/>Skip fancy hotels. Stay in a family-run hotel or guest house, which can offer double the cultural intimacy for half the price of a hotel. Other options include hostels and budget-chain hotels, whose simple rooms cost the same for singles or families of four, making them a bargain for traveling families. <p/>-ATMs are your friend<p/>Cash comes cheaper and faster via a credit card than travelers checks. While ATMs give the best possible rates, they do come with transaction fees. Minimize these by making fewer and larger withdrawals (and then safely tucking the cash in your money belt).<p/>-From Rick Steves, guidebook author and founder of www.ricksteves.com.<p/>ROAD TRIPS:<p/>-Travel the speed limit<p/>Gas mileage plummets at speeds higher than 60 miles per hour. Assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 30 cents per gallon for gas.<p/>-Pack light<p/>An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon by up to 2 percent.<p/>-From www.fueleconomy.gov.<p/>-Log on to find cheap gas<p/>www.gaspricewatch.com or the gas price map at www.mapquest (click on the "gas prices" icon in the upper right-hand corner) can help you find gas stations with the best prices.<p/>-Stop at the grocery store<p/>Skip the enticing bags of Cheetos for 99 cents at the gas station. Stock up on larger bags at the grocery store instead. Bringing your own lunch helps, too.<p/>-From Kathleen Crislip, student travel reporter at www.about.com.<p/>AMUSEMENT AND NATIONAL PARKS:<p/>-Pack your own lunch<p/>Don't buy food at amusement parks if you can help it. Many allow you to pack your own food and beverages. At national parks, skip the restaurants; you're there to enjoy the outdoors, anyway, so why not picnic?<p/>-Afternoons delight <p/>Many amusement parks have discounted tickets after a certain time, usually 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The afternoon is a great time to visit parks because they can be less crowded, and many offer nighttime shows.<p/>-Go local<p/>Local and regional parks - with reasonable entrance fees - can give you the same kind of experience you might have been looking for in a national park or theme park.<p/>-From Beth Caulfield, editor-in-chief of AOL Travel (http://travel.aol.com).<p/>-Buy online<p/>Tickets are often cheaper online, online coupons are cropping up more and more and, anyway, you'll save time at the gate by avoiding lines.<p/>-From www.smartmoney.com. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715259.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/travel/story/715259.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:43 EDT My eagerness allowed me to storm up each thin step to the first lookout tower. We scaled the spindly stone trail, sometimes on all fours on the near-vertical parts, grabbing the cracked stone dotted with rocks and weeds.<p/>Huffing and puffing, I looked back to see my girlfriend, Amanda, far below. I caught my breath, letting her catch up. She remarked with a tinge of annoyance, "Aren't we walking (gasp) on the world's longest (wheeze) grave site?"<p/>True. Accounts state that up to 10,000 workers have died building the Great Wall of China, which the Chinese call the Long Wall. It has been rebuilt, modified or lengthened through 2,500 years of Chinese history<p/>Sections built in the fifth century B.C. north of the current structure are nearly rubble.<p/>It wasn't until Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified China that the walls were linked, between 220 and 203 B.C. This formed the Wan Li Chang Cheng (Ten Thousand Li Long Wall - li is a Chinese unit of length roughly equal to a third of a mile). Qin Shi Huang also built for himself the mausoleum protected by the life-size Terra Cotta Warriors in China's old capital, Xi'an.<p/>Near Beijing, modern China and its quasi-capitalistic climate have taken full advantage here, as vendors, hawkers and advertisements are scattered among the towers along the wall. Parts of the wall are constantly being remodeled, especially Badaling, most popular because of its proximity to the capital. Some would say that here, tourists visit a section that's only 20 years old. This isn't to say you can't find a truer piece along this, one of the wonders of the world.<p/>Of the four areas near Beijing that are open to the public, the one we chose to visit, Mutianyu, is the highest and steepest section, considered a "wonder of the Great Wall." It's one of the wildest sections, with overgrown evergreens and cypresses and untouched segments, some unpassable by climbers. At times, the wall is perched on the crest of a mountain. Mutianyu was built by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who built most of the wall seen today, on Qin Shi Huang's united sections.<p/>Mutianyu has more towers than other sections, allowing for great rest spots. We explored each tower, whether open and airy, cramped with a low ceiling, two-story, or in ruins that forced us to hike around. Resting in each lookout tower, I couldn't help but imagine how the Chinese used fires in each tower to signal an oncoming attack.<p/>A few guard towers further on, a rusty sign alerted us that to continue along the wall was hazardous. I was tempted to slide by and explore the next section, but the sun was falling and we were tired. Instead, we sat and scanned the panoramic view, alone, at sunset, atop the Great Wall.<p/>The spring sun lit the craggy terrain, casting an array of shadows. These detailed the deep ravines and jagged mountain ridges, showing the difficulty of building on such undulating topography. It's easy to see how exhaustion, starvation, illness or accidents cost so many their lives building the 1,500-mile wall.<p/>On the way up, we noticed a small metal structure beside the wall, overlooking Mutianyu's hills. It was aglow with a flickering amber in the dusk.<p/>We scrambled back down and were pleasantly greeted by the Chinese couple who lived there, both with sunburnt cheeks and strong lines around their eyes. Amanda and I had heard rumors of camping out on the wall. Amanda, being a quick learner of languages, approached the couple and asked about camping for the night. They gladly shared an old tent and sleeping bags for a few Chinese yuan. We stayed with them for a while, clinking warm Tsingtao beer bottles and exchanging what we could of each others languages.<p/>Our hopes of sleeping on top of the closest tower were cut short as the winds spun around and made the tent a flapping mess. We instead set up inside a tower just in time, before the sun passed over the far hill, spreading the shadows across the wall and putting a blanket of black over us all.<p/>Camping out placed us on the Great Wall at sunrise, which is waybetter than at sunset. Again, my eagerness got the best of me, unraveling my body out of what looked like an old Red Army sleeping bag and into the morning sun, shining down on the wall.<p/>Clambering back down, we returned to the path into the Mutianyu village. Turning back for one last glance, we could barely see the weaving line of ancient stone. Hanging on each peak of the emerald hills, a distant ribbon scaled up and down like a dancing dragon - we realized we'd spent just a short time on the Long Wall.<p/>IF YOU GO:<p/>GETTING THERE: Mutianyu is 56 miles (less than two hours) north of Beijing. Take Bus 916 from the Dongzhimen long-distance bus station. You can also arrange for an English-speaking taxi driver.<p/>Although you may not be checked for your ticket upon entering, you may be when leaving. A cable car can take you up and down the wall. Also, as a fun descent, a toboggan-like cart is available. When hiking or camping on the wall, please practice a "leave-no-trace" ethic.<p/>WHERE TO STAY: If camping isn't your thing, a few hotels have recently been built in Mutianyu Village. For more information, go to www.chinacountrysidehotels.com.<p/>MORE INFO: <p/>-China National Tourism Office: www.cnto.org<p/>-Mutianyu Tourist site: www.mutianyugreatwall.net<p/>FUN FACT: No section of the Great Wall can be seen from space. This myth was only recently struck from Chinese textbooks after Chinese astronaut Yang Li Wei failed to spot the structure.