Yes, that's a 747 landing right on the beach.

Oddly enough, there has never been a major incident at the airport!

Check out the site for video and more dangerous airports.

Filed under: 747, beach, dangerous airports, and travel

As the peons of air travel become less and less comfortable, more and more imagination gets poured into new amenities for the top 1% of air travelers.

Such as the lucky few who get to fly First Class on Emirates Air's new Airbus A380 jets ... five minute showers! Hardly sounds as luxurious as the real thing on ground, which can last considerably longer, but still an intriguing treat.

But no, you can't share the shower with a special friend ... it can only fit a single person. Or can it? We look forward to the experimentation.

Filed under: air travel, showers, first class, and emirates air

It's coming ... on August 1, 2008!

If you want to see it, prepare to go a long way and endure hazardous conditions, political strife and much more.

But those who go say it's ... simply amazing.

As well as the link, also see this Wired article with details on how to see it.

Filed under: solar eclipse and travel

As it gets easier to go places, it gets harder to keep them alive.

From cold places warming up, to warm places that can't take more heat or tourists, here's a list of 11 endangered places that you should visit before they're gone.

The photography in this link is particularly stunning.

Filed under: travel and endangered places

Have you ever wondered about North Korea, the shadowy nation much in the news through its belligerent threats and nuclear program? Are you disillusioned with ordinary religion and want to experience North Korea's bizarre worship of its leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il?

Well, today is your lucky day! Our friends at VBS-TV went through months of bureaucracy slogging misery to get the legal permissions and show us the mysterious nation of North Korea, where tourism is discouraged, contact with the natives is impossible, and you are followed by a dedicated guide and minder everywhere you go.

So. They are there at last, sitting in their hotel room overlooking an obviously decaying city.

"We're in a hotel that's 47 stories tall.

"Nobody's in it.

"We think there's only one floor with people on it."

The view of North Korea from the hotel room has to be seen to be believed, with decaying Communist style structures as far as the eye can see.

The picture I selected was a view of the enormous breakfast hall, in which the tour group of about two were the only customers.

Bizarre doesn't begin to describe North Korea, not by a long shot.

This is a 14-part presentation but the parts are all short, less than 4 minutes each, and well worth your time.

Filed under: north korea, travel, and tourism

Tourist traps: Crowded places where you won't get a moment's rest, featuring nothing more interesting than schlocky souvenier vendors, where you will see more camera-wielding tourists than actual people.

Sometimes you can work around the crowds by visiting when the masses do not, and other times they are so expensive and tiresome that it's just not worth it.

Check out this Forbes magazine list of the worst of them and suggested alternatives.

Of course if you really don't like tourists, you can check out North Korea, where they are truly conspicuous by their absence!

(Image: Fisherman's Warf, San Francisco)

Filed under: travel and tourist traps