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 Members of the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves move away from observers to fire their guns on a Gettysburg battlefield.By Diane W Stoneback In July 1863, the 2,400 residents of Gettysburg had little time to prepare for 170,000 Confederate and Union soldiers who advanced on the town. The soldiers clashed in a three-day battle that would paint its streets and pastoral farmlands crimson in the bloodiest encounter of the Civil War.Today, the town of 8,000 braces for another invasion of as many as 70,000 Americans on July 1, 2 and 3 and a predicted 200,000 during the 150th observance of the Battle of Gettysburg June 28 to July 7. Officials and residents are working hard to be ready for the onslaught.A sampling of the blow-your-hat-off experiences for Civil War fans brave enough to advance on Gettysburg during this special time: climbing the cupola where Gen John Buford plotted his strategy while monitoring Confederates advancing on the town, seeing the official casting of President Abraham Lincoln’s face, viewing 3,550 luminaria on soldiers’ graves, joining thousands of visitors in a walk-the-battlefield special observance of Pickett’s Charge, and watching two major re-enactments involving 10,000 men.Major events includeA commemorative ceremony on June 30 called ‘Gettysburg: New Birth of Freedom.’The openings of a ‘Treasures of the Civil War’ exhibit, the Spangler Farm Civil War Field Hospital site and the new Seminary Ridge Museum.The Blue-Gray Alliance Re-enactment June 29 and 30 at the Bushey Farm, and the 150th Anniversary Gettysburg National Civil War Battle Re-enactment July 4-7 at the Redding Farm.In addition, there are many smaller, more personal events that will bring the battle and its aftermath into focus. These include the Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital, in Gettysburg’s Christ Church June 29 and July 6, and Confederates Take the Shriver House, on July 6.So anyone considering a visit needs an organised battle plan. Map out your plan of attack, using two handbooks.The first, the 72-page Gettysburg 150th Anniversary Commemorative Events Guide, details programming by the Gettysburg National Military Park and its partner organisation, the Gettysburg Foundation. It will be available at the Visitor Center and other locations in the park.The second, from the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be all-inclusive, covering town and county events including the two major re-enactments, a new downtown Gettysburg Independence Day parade and Cashtown’s three-day observance of Lee’s Approach to Gettysburg. It also will cover satellite parking, shuttle routes for the 10-day observance, restroom locations and places to eat.The printed version will be available at the Convention & Visitors Bureau office and its tourist information tents in town and at satellite parking locations. Although printing isn’t scheduled until mid-June, you can download a complete, calendar-style listing of all the 200-plus events for the 10-day observance at http://www.gettysburgcivilwar150.com Click on “events.”Reading the guides’ information will serve as a printed version of reveille. It’s your wake-up call to the challenges to be faced when deciding which events to attend.“Don’t arrive without a room, if you intend to stay overnight,” says Carl Whitehill, Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau spokesman.Most hotels in Gettysburg already are booked. “The best way to connect with available hotels is to call us at 800-337-5015,” Whitehall says. “We’re keeping a list, so visitors won’t have to make so many calls.” He reported some vacancies in Adams County in early May, but many visitors will wind up in York, Dauphin and Cumberland counties, or even in nearby Maryland.Day-trippers shouldn’t have any worries, Whitehill says. Approach Gettysburg via routes 15 or 30 and you’ll encounter electronic signs directing you to satellite parking lots. “Leave your car behind and take free transportation into Gettysburg,” Whitehill advises. “At the in-town depot, you can board trolleys for most of the commemoration’s key observances.”You will need your car, however, if you’re planning to attend one of the major re-enactments staged on the Bushey or Redding farms. Ample parking will be available on designated farm fields.Could potential visitors become overwhelmed by so many things to do during the 150th commemoration? “I can’t say I’ve worried about that,” says Cindy Small, spokeswoman for the Gettysburg Foundation, which stages events in conjunction with the national military park.“We have focused on providing all of the information we could about all of our events, so individuals and families can customise their experience, based on their interests,” Small says. “If they use our guide to do their homework, they’ll know what they want to do when they arrive.”Besides daily park events for the 10-day observance, the guide also provides maps of park traffic patterns and shuttle routes that will change daily July 1-4, and information about the park’s Visitor Center and other special locations including The George Spangler House, Rupp House and David Wills House.“We put pressure on ourselves to make this year very special,” says Katie Lawhon, spokeswoman for the national military park. “We’ve added many new ranger programmes so there will be plenty for everyone to do.” The expanded programming means visitors will spread out to many sites on the 5,000-acre battlefield.The huge re-enactments are expected to be the biggest draws, Whitehill says.Here are more details on some of the other events:Ceremony: Make plans to attend the “Gettysburg: A New Birth of Freedom” ceremony, which starts 7:30pm. June 30. Highlights: country music star Trace Adkins singing the national anthem, keynote speech by Civil War historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and a Voices of History reading of eyewitness accounts by soldiers and citizens swept into the battle.Presented in a natural amphitheatre on the battlefield, the dramatic setting includes views of Widow Leister’s Farmhouse and Barn, which served as Gen George Meade’s headquarters, and Big and Little Roundtop. The evening’s finale invites visitors to join a procession from the amphitheatre to the Soldiers National Cemetery to see thousands of luminaries commemorating the Union soldiers who lost their lives in the battle.Exhibit: The new ‘Treasures of the Civil War’ exhibit at the Visitor Center museum spotlights 13 leaders of the era, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E Lee, Ulysses Grant, Meade, John Reynolds, George Pickett, Alexander Webb, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Custer, John Mosby, Frederick Douglas and Clara Barton. It includes 94 personal artefacts.Besides the casting of Lincoln’s face, a few of the other treasures include a lock of Lee’s hair and the mane of his favourite horse, Traveller; Grant’s sword celebrating his victory at Vicksburg; Pickett’s spur; Meade’s slouch hat and frock coat worn at Gettysburg, and Barton’s hair brush.“These belongings help tell great stories about these people and help visitors make personal connections with them,” Small says.Field hospital site: Spangler Farm, used as a field hospital for 1,900 men during the battle. Although seeing it is free, all visitors must procure a ticket and ride a special park service shuttle to the house and barn. Open 9am to 6pm (July 4), and 11am to 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays on a few summer weekends, the farm is still undergoing restoration.“You’ll see the barn where Army surgeons set up their operating tables to treat wounds and do amputations and walk the grounds where injured soldiers recuperated” (outdoors and with little shelter, after the barn was full), Small says. “Two hundred died and were buried on the farm.”New museum: The new Seminary Ridge Museum will stage preview events June 29 and 30, before its July 1 grand opening, exactly 150 years after it was engulfed in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Located in the former Schmucker Hall at the Lutheran Theological Seminary on Seminary Ridge, it offers in-depth looks at the first day’s battle, Civil War medicine and moral and spiritual debates of the era.But these major events are only the beginning of the opportunity to explore the engagements and human side of this heart-wrenching battle that led Lincoln to write his Gettysburg Address and marked a turning point in the war that continued for an additional two years.Among the many programmes presented by park rangers, there are overview hikes, key moments covering events at a specific time and day of battle, living history camps and programmes and special evening Voices of Battle programmes presented by living historians who bring to life the eyewitness accounts of the soldiers and civilians at 7:30pm July 2-4.The Gettysburg Foundation also has created a sunset bus tour of the battlefield and another that focuses on some of the 400 major works of sculpture placed in the military park to honour the men who fought and died at Gettysburg.But one of the most anticipated special events involving visitors will be the Pickett’s Charge Commemorative March.At 3pm, July 3, the time and day of Pickett’s Charge 150 years earlier, visitors will be asked to join park rangers to walk the Confederate battle line or stay where the Union Army’s battle line awaited them. When the two groups meet at a stone wall, taps will echo over the battlefield.Lawhon stresses, “This is not a re-creation. We could never re-create the tragedy and horrors of Pickett’s Charge, which was the last encounter of the battle. Nor would we want to. But walking the ground, listening to taps and envisioning what happened here will be unforgettable.” — The Morning Call/MCTTop 10 attractionsm Major re-enactments June 29th and 30th (at Bushey Farm) and July 4-7 (at Redding Farm), with 10,000-plus re-enactors on the field.m Commemorative ceremony, Gettysburg: A New Birth of Freedom, June 30, followed by procession to Soldiers’ National Cemetery to see more than 3,500 luminaries on soldiers’ graves. Free.m Pickett’s Charge Commemorative March, July 3. Free.m Gettysburg National Military Park Museum’s ‘Treasures of the Civil War Exhibit’, opening June 16.m George Spangler Farm Civil War Field Hospital Site tours for 12 weekends, May 24 to Aug 18. Free.m Seminary Ridge Museum grand opening, July 1.m Sacred Trust: History talks, book signings by leading Civil War authors, June 29 and 30, July 5-7. Free.m Battle Anniversary Park Ranger Programmes including Civil War Living History Camps, Voices of the Battle evening programmes, Kids and Family activities tent, kid-friendly battlefield tours and 150th anniversary Junior Ranger patches. Free.m American Civil War Museum’s Cornets and Cannons battle of bands, July 5, climax Celebrate History Music Festival. Free.m First-ever screening of The Gettysburg Story, July 5 (free), and Dinner and a Movie with Director Ron Maxwell of Gettysburg, July 6.If you goParking: Electronic signs along Routes 15 and 30 will direct motorists to satellite parking lots for transport to a downtown depot, where you can board Freedom Transit’s Gold Line or Lincoln Line shuttles to Gettysburg National Military Park’s Museum and Visitor Center, Pennsylvania Monument, Soldiers National Cemetery, Lincoln Square and more. Those attending re-enactments should drive directly to those locations.Hotels: All Gettysburg hotels are almost filled during special anniversary events. Call 800-337-5015 for rooms in outlying areas.Food: Downtown suggestions: Cafe Saint-Amand, Blue Parrot Bistro, Sweeney’s Tavern at the Farnsworth House (a popular hangout for cast members filming Gettysburg and containing a case of memorabilia from the movie) and Luke’s American Grill. Hickory Bridge Farm Restaurant, 9 miles west of Gettysburg, is worth a trip, too.Be prepared: Wear sensible clothes, sunblock, hat, tick repellent and good walking shoes. Carry water and cell phone.1 A monument to artillerymen provides quiet testimony to the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

A series on Chinese immigration is part of this wall display at the Tri Mit Temple museum in Sampheng.By Peter JanssenWhen Bangkok’s Blue Line subway route is opened in 2016, the capital’s Chinatown district will get something it has lacked for the past 200 years — easy accessibility.“The main complaint we get from tourists is the traffic,” said Nuamsri Suksai, marketing manager of the Shanghai Mansion Hotel, a boutique hotel that opened on Yaowarat Road, the heart of Chinatown, six years ago.“If the subway opened a station around here, I think it would be much better for us,” she said. The hotel’s main guest markets now are British, French, Australian and American tourists.The Chinese, of whom some 2.7mn visited Thailand last year, are not so keen on Chinatown, known locally as Sampheng.“Perhaps it is too much like home for them,” Nuamsri said.They may not know what they are missing.Bangkok’s Chinatown is unique among overseas Chinese urban communities in that its origins precede the settlement of the indigenous population — the Siamese, or Thais — in the area.King Rama I, the first of the Chakri dynasty, decided to move his capital from Thonburi, on the western side of the Chao Phraya River, to the opposite bank in 1782, officially founding Bangkok.In doing so, he displaced a few thousand Chinese immigrants who had settled in what was thereafter called the Rattankosin area, now famed for tourist sites such as the Grand Palace and temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Chinese were resettled in Sampheng, just southeast of the palace walls.Bangkok had been a trading settlement for the Chinese community since the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767).When the city of Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese, the Thais fled southwards. At Thonburi, King Taksin (who reigned between 1767-1782) rallied his forces and eventually chased the Burmese away.Thailand’s two post-Ayutthaya kingdoms, Taksin’s Thonburi and the Chakri dynasty’s Bangkok, were closely tied to the Chinese from their beginnings, especially to Taechiu-dialect Chinese from Fujian province on China’s southern coastline.King Taksin was himself of Taechiu descent.“The prominence of the Taechiu started in the Thonburi period, because the Taechiu constituted Taksin’s navy,” said Supang Chantavanich, director of the Asian Research Centre for Migration at Chulalongkorn University. “They were good boat builders because they were seafarers,” she said. “The Taechiu were called the Chin Luang, or Royal Chinese, under Taksin’s reign.”The Taechiu were the main Chinese dialect-group in Sampheng, but it also attracted Cantonese, Hokkien and Hakka Chinese.Lots came. According to migration entry figures, some 3,518,600 Chinese arrived in Bangkok between 1882 and 1955.Bangkok also drew Burmese, Cambodians, Indians, Malays and Mon, many of them captives from foreign conquests. “At that time there were no restrictions on migration, because Siam was so underpopulated,” Suphang said. “Bangkok was already a kind of immigrant community.”Chinatown, situated near the royal palace, evolved from being the main port district to the business hub for the new capital.Puangpen Bonjuetkij, manager of Ia Sae Coffee Shop, says, “Our original customers were Chinese merchants who came to buy fresh produce at the Old Market. After they had made their purchases they would come have a coffee at Ia Sae.” The business, Bangkok’s first real coffee shop and now 86 years old, is a magnet for tourists seeking an authentic glimpse of that vanished world.  “Back then we opened at 4am. Now we open at 6am, because now there are a lot of fresh markets in Bangkok. The merchants now go elsewhere,” she said. There also now thousands of coffee shops, including Starbucks, of course.The business skills of the community created huge fortunes for the overseas Chinese, who were encouraged to take Thai nationality and surnames by a law passed in 1913.Most of Thailand’s most powerful business clans started in modest shops in Sampheng. At least eight of Thailand’s past prime ministers were of Chinese descent. As the capital spread eastwards, Sampheng’s importance as a business hub diminished. Not many wealthy Thai-Chinese live in Sampheng today.“Before there were only Chinese living here,” said Chaikit Tantikarn, deputy manager of the Tang Toh Kang Gold Shop founded by his great grandfather in 1875. “Now all the Chinese have moved out, but they keep their shops. It is too crowded to live here.”Luckily for the area’s historical preservation efforts, Thai-Chinese tend to keep their land in Chinatown. “The Chinese bought the land bit by bit, so there are many individual land owners, who own just a small plot,” said Yongtanit Pimonsathien, a consultant on preservation projects in the capital.“That’s why you can’t build a big shopping centre here. It’s very difficult to put a big plot of land together because the ownership pattern is very piecemeal,” he said.The lack of real estate development means that Bangkok’s Chinatown has retained many of its original buildings, temples and confusing alleyways, making it a bewildering challenge for most tourists. “Sampheng is hot and crowded, so you need to make yourself a good itinerary,” Suphang advised. — DPA1 Chaikit Tantikarn (centre), deputy manager of the Tang Toh Kang Gold Shop, which was founded by his great grandfather in 1875. “Before there were only Chinese living here,” he said. “Now all the Chinese have moved out, but they keep their shops.”

For the hope of getting good fortune, this shop is worth the stop in the Kensington Market.By Ellen CreagerStreetcars, sharks, pandas and parasols.This summer, Canada’s largest city will be vibrantly alive. Just watch out for construction.The biggest news here is the planned opening this summer of Ripley’s Aquarium, a $130mn project that is Toronto’s first big new tourist attraction in two decades.It will be home to 15,000 fish and other creatures. It also promises a moving walkway that passes through a tunnel below a 750,000-gallon shark lagoon.On a windy April day, I walked to the aquarium in the shadow of the CN Tower to find dozens of workmen toiling on the unfinished glass building.“When will it be done?” I inquired.“Never,” said a grinning, hard-hatted workman. “The outside windows won’t keep out the rain, and the inside windows won’t keep in the fish.”Ah, a little aquatic joke! The aquarium is supposed to start stocking fish tanks in June and open this summer, according to Ripley’s spokeswoman Erin Burcham.But fish are not the only tourism story here. In furry mammal news, the Toronto Zoo has just welcomed two giant pandas from China, which arrived by Federal Express in March. With an exhibit opening May 18, the zoo will showcase Er Shun and Da Mao for at least five years.The third thing tourists should know about Toronto this summer is that there will be a lot of construction in this booming city. Spindly cranes reach for the clouds as new glass skyscrapers rise. The biggest disruptions are on Front Street, which is partly closed, and at Union Station — all part of a giant five-year renovation to modernise.Many tourists are familiar with Toronto from its earnest days as a “Phantom of the Opera” one-note destination. Today, the multicultural city welcomes 2mn visitors a year from the US — and this ever-growing city of 2.7mn people spreads out like a colourful quilt.Most American visitors get the hang of riding the Toronto TTC subway with its U-shaped route. Many still shy away from the bright red streetcars, which require one to run into the street and jump onto a car packed elbow to elbow.That is too bad, because the streetcars generally run east and west to supplement the subway, which primarily goes north and south. And the same $3 token works for both. Just elbow your way on. When you want to get off, pull the yellow cord.This summer also will be lively at two of Toronto’s most endearing spots, St Lawrence Market and Kensington Market, two places that tourists often mix up.St Lawrence Market is literally a market. One giant hall has dozens of vendors and farmers selling fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, pastries — everything from halibut heads to tulips. There is a Saturday farmers market, a Sunday antiques market and more activities that spill out onto the streets. The market is on Front Street at Jarvis, a few blocks east of Union Station.Kensington Market is a groovy neighbourhood near Chinatown northwest of Spadina and Dundas. (Both streets have streetcars, so take a chance and ride one to the market.) During the summer, some days the area becomes a pedestrian-only zone.One of the coolest little corners is where Kensington meets Baldwin, home of the Good Luck Shop (“the name brings good luck to the customers,” says the manager of the shop that sells games, socks, clocks, wigs and assorted low-budget merchandise.) Across the street is Global Cheese, from which the ripe smell of Stilton drifts into the street.On the blocks nearby are wares for sale, including frilly petticoats, macrame hammocks, artisan bread, curried goat, chocolate truffles and buckets of parasols; in other words, all the necessities of life in modern Toronto. — Detroit Free Press/MCTSummer events June 20-23: Redpath Waterfront Festival includes fleet of tall ships commemorating the War of 1812.June 20-29: Toronto Jazz FestivalJune 21-30 (especially June 28-30): Toronto PrideAugust 1-4: Caribbean Carnival (Caribana)August 3-11: Rogers CupAugust 22-25: Toronto BuskerFest

Even though the country is a destination for tourists from around the world, many of its attractions are still waiting to be discovered. By Ayman Adly For the first-time visitors to Vietnam, its wet tropical weather, lush greenery and exotic cuisine make a deep impression.   Most visitors begin from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon, in the south of Vietnam. It is the economic capital of Vietnam, overflowing with people, tourists and office goers. HCMC has all the characteristics of a big city, the hustle and bustle, warmth, vibrancy … and unpredictable rain. Trees line its avenues, there are verdant public parks everywhere and tens of thousands of two-wheelers crisscross its narrow roads. Motorbikes are the most popular means of transport for the Vietnamese people, men and women. Asked about this national obsession with two-wheelers, a young Vietnamese woman remarked: “It is an essential skill for all young Vietnamese to be competent motorbike drivers.” Most visitors are agape at how two-wheeler riders navigate on busy, narrow roads with people, push-carts and four-wheelers jostling for space. For many tourists, it is not unusual to go for a ‘little adventure’ as a pillion rider. Vietnamese motorists offer foreigners a ride for 100,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND), the equivalent of $5 or QR19, taking them around major streets of HCMC for around 20 minutes. It is very easy to lose count when you are dealing with VND, however, mobile phones applications for currency conversion would be of great help. US dollars are accepted everywhere.          “The city hosts a large number of historical buildings with different architectural styles and designs that tell the story of important stages of Vietnamese history. It is certainly a hub of commercial and industrial activities in the country,” explained Philip Hill, Manager Inbound at Asian Trails, a major tourist company in Vietnam with offices in several Southeast Asian countries. The War Remnants Museum at HCMC tells the story of the Vietnam War. Visitors can see a huge collection of weapons. These range from small arms, heavy artillery to helicopters, fighter jets and assault tanks used by the American forces. The uniforms and personal gear of soldiers are also on display. The museum tells the story of all the stages of the conflict through a comprehensive collection of war photos. Even the prison cells and torture apparatuses used by the hostile forces are recreated at the museum from the actual materials used during that time. The Vietnamese people welcome foreigners with open arms. Locals are friendly and helpful, at times going out of their way to ensure that you enjoy a comfortable stay in their country. The Reunification Palace, still a functioning government building but open for visitors, relates the story of how the south were united to north Vietnam and the various stages of this struggle. Tourists can also watch a video of the reunification in different languages. HCMC has some of the fine heritage structures in Gothic architecture, a remnant of the French colonial era, clearly displayed in the Main Post Office building designed by the famous architect, Gustave Eiffel. The city’s main church, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, is another example. A short trip to Ben Thanh market in HCMC, made up of stalls selling clothes, gifts, handmade products and accessories would be both refreshing and rewarding. Here, bargaining is a rule rather than exception. Vietnamese vendors, mostly women, could settle for half of the offered price. Most of them would be willing to sell at any reasonable offer especially on rainy days when they have fewer customers. The maxim is: Bargaining should be conducted in a relaxed and friendly manner rather than a rushed affair.   To Phan Thiet For a break from the fast pace of HCMC city life, one can escape to the coastal resort city Phan Thiet, around 160km in the north of Vietnam. The trip may take up to four hours by car because of the low speed limit on the road. But the route is scenic — coffee, rubber plantations, paddy fields and dragon fruit farms dot the highway on both sides, offering a peek into rural Vietnam.     October 24, 1995 is considered to be an important date for tourism in Phan Thiet, when thousands flocked to Mui Ne Bay to see the total solar eclipse. Still, the place is getting ready to be discovered by more tourists seeking serenity, relaxation or  adventure at the world-class resorts there, some of them are newly built. All year round, Mui Ne Bay promises sunny weather, spectacular landscape, stretches of white-sand beaches and water sports. Philip Hill points out that Vietnam has been receiving increasing numbers of tourists from different parts of the world. But still there are many attractions waiting to be discovered. “Asian Trails usually organises a variety of packages and completely tailor-made tours to cater for the needs and budgets of a wide range of tourists. We also take into consideration particular cultural demands of tourists coming from different parts of the world. We are having a great demand from VIP visitors, celebrities and high net-worth individuals for special trips throughout Vietnam. Eventually, we created a luxury department for such demanding category of tourists with the best services,” he added.   Up the mountain Some 30km south of Phan Thiet lays Ta Cu Pagoda, perched at 400m on Ta Cu Mountain (649m above sea level). Visitors have the option to either take a cable car to reach up there or go on a two hour trek, with the help of a local guide, taking in the stunning scenery enroute. Up there, you can see the largest reclining Buddha in Vietnam, a 49m long and 6m high white concrete statue of Buddha, reclining behind the pagoda. “Some say that there are about 14,000 pagodas located in different places throughout the north and south of Vietnam. Also, each province has its own historic pagodas. You can imagine Vietnam to be two parts, the east and the west. For the east, it is the ocean and for the west, the mountains. Each mountain has its own story related to the history of the nation and now they have become attractive destinations for visitors,” explained Ho Khac Hoa, a senior Vietnamese diplomat in Doha. Though Vietnam has experienced great developments in industry and infrastructure, most inhabitants still work in agriculture, around 57% of the population. This makes it a country of festivals, more than 40, all year round to celebrate different aspects of nature. There’s also a great legacy of folklore. The Vietnamese people like to celebrate together with family and friends, especially to enjoy the special dishes, particular to each occasion. In general, the Vietnamese cuisine is considered among the healthiest and lightest in the world with mostly fresh vegetables, seafood, herbs, spices and fruits, produced locally, using very little oil in cooking. No wonder that the locals look younger than their actual ages. Vietnam’s rich and diversified landscape is home to a large number of wildlife species, including an estimated 270 types of mammals, 180 reptiles, 80 amphibians, and 800 bird species. The country is known for rare species such as the giant catfish, Indochinese tigers, Saola antelopes and Sumatran rhinos. However, the present survival of such animals is not confirmed as large tracts of natural forest habitats have been cleared for lumber or agriculture.  To protect the animals, the government has created some 30 national parks and reserves. An ambitious programme was launched to replant the forests that had been erased by locals through excessive logging, which reduced forest cover to 19%. Not so long ago, tropical forests used to cover most of Vietnam.   There are 54 different ethnicities in the country with some living in the plains near the rivers and urban areas, and others in mountainous and remote areas. The country has more than 3,400km of coastline, with fine sandy beaches, hidden coves, lovely lagoons and tropical islands. “Vietnam is a beautiful country with friendly, hospitable people. Numerous sites have been listed as World Heritage Sites by the Unesco. Tourism facilities such as hotels and resorts are of excellent quality and ranked among the best in Asia. There are also direct flights from Qatar to Vietnam on daily basis. Come to Vietnam and discover a wonderful destination,” said Le Hong Phan, Vietnam’s Ambassador to Qatar.        

The Hong Kong skyline is especially enchanting at night-time. Photograph: Hong Kong Tourism BoardBy Falk ZielkeAt the Ladies Market, you don’t have to search for anything. Nifty trinkets to take back home fall almost literally in your lap in Hong Kong’s lively street market.Tiny remote-controlled cars in a can, pink- orange-, white- or green-coloured wigs, Bruce Lee posters, bath towels with the image of Hello Kitty, USB sticks camouflaged as Super Mario or Tom & Jerry, shining silk clothes decorated with Chinese ornaments, neon-coloured cellphone holders, or wrist watches — a shopper’s eyes gets no rest from seeing all the goods being displayed.Just one street further on, one brightly-lit shop is lined up after the other. Virtually endless are the many colourful signs in Chinese lettering hanging over the street.In the shop window the latest fitness shoes of the major brand-name manufacturers are on display. In the other direction are all the electronics dealers, offering smartphones, computers, tablets and cameras. It’s a genuine bargain-hunting paradise. “Anyone paying what’s on the price tag has only himself to blame,” says tour guide Wing Lau, pointing out that bargaining belongs to Hong Kong’s market scene.The huge metropolis on the South China Sea offers a seemingly endless variety of wares. Throughout the city there are many colourful, traditional markets, as well as small shops and gleaming shopping centres such as the “1881 Heritage” — the former headquarters of the Naval Police.There is scarcely a street in Kowloon, or on Hong Kong Island, where something is not for sale, be it Chinese herbs, fresh fish in plastic cooling bags, expensive polo shirts or golden watches.Such a wealth of goods is meant not just for the more than 30mn annual visitors to the former British colony.  “Shopping is part of our culture,” notes Mandy Soh, marketing manager of the Icon Hotel. For many residents, going for a shopping stroll through the streets after work is simply a way of life. Tour guide Wing adds with a smile, “Many holidays are only used an excuse so that people can go shopping again.”But all the noise and excitement notwithstanding, there are also many spots for some peace and quiet. For example, there’s the Hong Kong Park in the Central District. Here, the splashing sound of a fountain keeps the traffic noise at bay. And it would be almost quiet except for the excited happy noise of the kids making their way through the park in their school uniforms after school.In the large, artificial pond, colourful fish are swimming about. But despite the lush vegetation you can’t forget the huge city around you. Beyond the deep green of the trees, the glass-covered skyscrapers are rising up into the blue sky. Places to escape the bustle are offered by the many Buddhist and Taoist temples, such as the Man-Mo Temple on Hollywood Road on Hong Kong Island.You are entering another world when you pass through the richly-decorated red-gold portal. Inside the dimly-lit room, hanging from the ceiling are globes with red pieces of paper attached to them. On these, visitors have written their wishes.“If a wish comes true, then you must return and give thanks,” tour guide Wing explains. The red pieces of paper are sold at a counter in one corner of the large main room of the temple. For a small donation, one can also obtain joss sticks to light and then place in the large, sand-filled golden basins. The air is heavy with the bitter-spicy scent of the joss sticks.Hong Kong’s impressiveness is not alone due to all the shop windows or the quiet oases. Above all, it is its skyline that one hardly ever tires of looking at. Since construction space in the hilly terrain is scarce, building goes in one direction  — the vertical. In Hong Kong, a 12-storey building looks tiny.“The largest building is the International Congress Center,” Wing says, pointing out the 484m, 108-storey-tall skyscraper covered in mirrored glass.The Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong covers over 1,100sq km, spread among more than 260 islands. Of the 7mn inhabitants, most live in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Above all at night the city is mesmerising with its shoreline of skyscrapers. New York City seems almost like a village by comparison.The panorama is particularly spectacular from atop the 552m-high Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. You get there via an old mountain cable car. Since 1881 the red tram has been slowly climbing the 45-degree slope to the top of the mountain. There, visitors have a breathtaking view of the skyscrapers and the green hills around Victoria Harbour.Despite its huge size, Hong Kong makes it easy for visitors to get around. Language barriers are not a problem since almost all the local residents speak fluent English, while street signs and directional guides are almost always in two languages.Hong Kong also has a well-developed public transport network, with tourists able to choose among subways, buses, trains, ferries, taxis and even the narrow streetcars, which are called “Ding Ding” because of their warning bells. Here too, the signs and maps are in two languages. As for nourishment, there are an estimated 6,000 restaurants. Wing observes that “the best restaurants are in the hotels.” But many good spots to eat can be found hidden in the shopping centres.There is Harlan’s for example, which above all is devoted to Italian cuisine. The restaurant is located in shopping centre The One on Nathan Road in Kowloon. From its terrace, customers have a good view of the laser show that takes place every night above the skyline of Hong Kong Island.Foreign visitors should try the Chinese cuisine.  “You should at least just once try out the Dim Sum,” Wing advises, referring to the popular bite-sized morsels of food in steamed buns offered in many restaurants. “Each restaurant has come up with its own unique specialty,” she points out. — DPA1 Hong Kong has had a cable car climbing Victoria Peak since 1888. The view from the top is magnificent.  2  A couple take in the view of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers from Victoria Peak. Photograph: Hong Kong Tourism Board. Photograph: Hong Kong Tourism Board

By Ole HelmhausenThe bear guide, Marven Robinson, is someone you could set your watch to. A member of the Gitga’at First Nations tribe, he skippered his motorboat into the small bay off Gribbell Island where the Maple Leaf had anchored overnight just as the shipboard clock struck nine.The passengers of the two-masted schooner named after Canada’s national emblem — about a dozen international tourists hankering for adventure — were already waiting at the railing in rubber boots and layered clothing.Canada’s Pacific Northwest coast can quickly turn inclement, particularly in spring and autumn. “We’ll see what happens today,” said Robinson during the greetings on land.He would not promise anything. How could he? Gribbell Island is big and uninhabited, covered with forests, mountains and rivers. And what the tourists had come to see there was rare: black bears with white coats, known as “spirit bears” or “Kermode bears.”“Mother Nature directs the show here,” Robinson remarked. “We’re just the cable carriers.”With that he tromped off with the tourists in tow. A narrow path along a slow stream led to a makeshift observation platform that overlooked fallen tree trunks and scattered boulders a bit further upstream.“Now we’ve got to be quiet and wait,” said Robinson, smiling and making himself comfortable on one of the benches. “The spirit bears could turn up any minute — or not.”Although the Maple Leaf had thus far completed just three-fourths of its cruise between Vancouver Island and the southern tip of the Alaskan panhandle, all of the passengers were already describing their experience with every conceivable superlative.For nearly a week, Captain Greg Shea and his crew had steered the 92ft vessel, built in 1904, through the spectacular natural scenery dubbed the Great Bear Rainforest by environmental groups in the 1990s.Sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and Coast Mountains, this magical region, North America’s last relatively intact temperate rainforest and home to its last large populations of grizzly bears, is a place of deep fjords, snow-covered mountains and innumerable uninhabited islands.“We don’t promise our guests that they’ll see bears,” Shea warned, immediately adding that in all his years at the helm of the Maple Leaf he had always succeeded in encountering some bears, not to mention other, no less fascinating wildlife.Humpback whales were spotted almost daily during the cruise. Four of the gentle giants gave a gala evening performance in Bishop Bay’s glassy waters. Off Gil Island, black-and-white Dall’s porpoises shot arrow-like through the waves.Herring-hunting orcas slapped the water with their tail flukes to keep hungry ospreys from swiping their dinner. Colonies of sea lions clamoured on sea-washed rocks, mountain goats perched on cliffs high above the ship, wolf tracks lay in the mud of river mouths. Every time the passengers and crew went ashore was an expedition into the unknown.But the main attraction was the spirit bears, whose number is estimated at only 400. Their white fur comes from a recessive gene, much like red hair in humans. Their sole habitat is the Great Bear Rainforest, most of them living on Princess Royal Island and nearby islands such as Gribbell.The tourists on the observation platform, meanwhile, were growing increasingly impatient. Having enthusiastically photographed the first black bears they saw fishing for salmon, they now ignored them. Everyone was waiting for the stars of the rainforest.“They’re probably taking a nap,” Robinson said. No sooner had he spoken than someone whispered excitedly, “A spirit bear!”About 70m upstream, a large white bear had emerged from the green underbrush. Furiously swinging its paws, it was pursuing a salmon through shallow water, but the fish got away.The bear climbed onto a fallen tree trunk and calmly scanned the water. For a few minutes nothing happened. Then it dove into the water with a big belly flop and resurfaced a few seconds later with a huge salmon in its mouth.After its meal, the bear leisurely padded past the Maple Leaf’s passengers  — so close that they could hear its stomach rumbling. No one said a word. No one made a move. A short distance upstream it was joined by an ordinary black bear.The tension on the platform finally gave way to giggling. Every face was happy. Everyone slapped everyone else on the back. Robinson beamed. “It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?” he said. It had begun to rain. No one noticed. — DPA1  One of the sought-after white bears in the Great Bear Rainforest of Canada. The animals are black bears of a line that has undergone a genetic mutation.

A Mokoro is the perfect way to travel through the water ways of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.By Anne Z Cooke & Steve HaggertyIf you’ve paid for an African safari but you’re still not clear about the details, bad on you. Making the same mistake, I didn’t dig into the heart of the adventure before I headed to Southern Africa for my first wildlife safari, because I was always too busy. Bad on me!By the time we reached the Okavango Delta, in northern Botswana, we’d been on the go for 24 hours, rocketing through nine time zones, three airplanes and four airports. Jet lagged and yawning, I ached for a hot shower and a good bed.But when Botswana’s big animals call, every moment counts. I’d barely unzipped my bag and put my toothbrush on the sink when they announced the afternoon game drive, starting at 4:30pm. No problem, I thought. I’ll sleep late tomorrow. Until they explained that the next morning’s game drive would start — as usual — at 6am sharp.So why was I so clueless? Like most travellers who dream of Africa, we’d seen countless wildlife documentaries, thrilled to the scenery and yearned to experience those distant sights and sounds in person. Beyond that we didn’t really know what to expect.What’s the Okavango Delta? The Okavango River, flowing southeast into northern Botswana from Angola and Namibia, has no outlet, either to other rivers or to the ocean. When annual spring floods reach the Delta, they slow down and spread out, refilling lagoons and marshes and turning woodland mounds into islets and this watery paradise into a self-contained sanctuary.To protect this remarkable natural area, the Botswana government limits tourism by awarding guest concessions to qualified tour outfitters. Each company leases a specific numbered area and builds (or takes over existing structures) one or more lodges and guest tents. There are a few permanent lodges, built back in the day. But newer lodges and guest tents are required to be semi-permanent structures bolted onto raised (and sometimes terraced) wood decks that can be moved every few years.A typical day: Your wake-up call arrives at 5:45am when a kitchen staffer knocks on your door, bearing a tray with tea or coffee and toast. Bolting it down, you hurry to the main lodge, grabbing a piece of fruit or a sweet roll to go. By 6am, you, your guide and four to six other visitors are sitting in an open-topped ORV (off-road vehicle), heading away from camp in search of elephants, giraffe, antelope, rhinos, hippos, big cats, African buffalo, snakes and warthogs. Why so early? Simple. This is when the animals are awake and active.At 9am, or so, you’ll stop for a trailside breakfast. By 10 or 11 am, as the day heats up and the animals head to the shade to sleep, the vehicles return to the lodge for lunch. Afterward, until 4:30pm, when the day begins to cool and the second game drives leave, you’ll have time to meet your fellow guests, take a guided walk, read, browse in the gift shop, send Internet messages, swim in the pool or nap.By 4:30pm, you’ve donned a lightweight shell, sprayed on the mosquito goo, and are out on the prowl again. As the sun drops in the west, male lions stretch and wake up, lionesses hunt, leopards steal through the underbrush and hyenas make the rounds to recent kills, hoping for leftovers. Antelope and zebras, waterbuck and bushbuck, kudus and impalas step out of the shade to graze. As the sun sets, you stop on the trail for a sundowner, cheese and conversation. As dusk falls, lucky visitors will hear male lions roar and hyenas cackle, a raucous chorus of yips, howls and barks.By 8pm or later, if you’ve followed a leopard drag an impala up into a tree — you’ll be dragging back into camp, tired but happy and ready for dinner. These leisurely and often lavish four-to-five course meals are entirely social, a chance to compare wildlife sightings, share personal histories and exchange e-mail addresses. As the evening wears on, the elephants grow larger.After digesting the lodge manager’s command that you are never to walk alone at night, from your tent or to the lodge, a camp guide walks you back to your bed, leaving you with strict instructions to stay inside until the next morning. As the night turns dark and you fall asleep, you may hear huffing or rustling as animals prowl among the cabins. As there are no fences, they are free to check the swimming pool, rub up against the trees and walk past your tent. Soon you realise that they’ve turned the tables and you’re the one in the zoo.On the day you move to the next lodge on your itinerary, you’ll join the morning game drive as usual then head for the grassy air strip nearby. The plane, a high-wing eight-seater, lands just before lunch, drops off new guests and picks you up. In 30 minutes or less you’re at your next lodge in time for lunch.Zoo etiquette: Talk softly, sit still and don’t stand while you’re on a game drive, especially when lions and elephants are close to the vehicle. Swap seats with your drive mates or quietly lean out of the way to let them take photos.Surprising as it seems, the animals pay little attention to tents or vehicles and don’t seem to realise that the contents — you and yours — are edible.Never leave the camp area on your own to walk along a river or pond; Nile crocodiles, Africa’s deadliest killers, lie in wait there for prey. Never walk alone after dark through the camp or from your tent. Your guide will walk you home after dinner.Trip tips: You can plan and book your own trip sight unseen, relying on Internet sources. But many choose instead to book a trip to Botswana — or to any destination in Africa — with a tour operator, somebody with representatives in your hometown and employees at the destination. A typical Botswana itinerary includes several different lodges and the flights between them, plus the round-trip flight from Johannesburg, in South Africa. Once you’re there, nearly everything is included, from game drives and guided walks to lodging, meals, beverages and laundry service.Most tour companies naturally prefer to book guests into their own lodges. But they can book you into any lodge you might request; it is, in fact, a common practice. If you are interested in staying at a specific lodge, insist that it be included in your itinerary.Packing light: Since small planes enforce space and weight restrictions, bring no more than you can fit into a medium-size duffel (approximately 36-by-18 inches), plus a small carry-on for your camera, money, passport and toiletries. Safari lodges provide frequent laundry service so two changes of clothes is enough. Basics include two pairs of long trousers, two pairs of shorts, short and long-sleeve shirts, underwear, light jacket, tennis shoes, a bathing suit, big-brimmed foldable hat and binoculars. Safari guides swear that beige clothing (not white) makes you least visible to wildlife, and helps to repel mosquitoes.The best tour companies — Cox & Kings, Ker & Downey, & Beyond (formerly CCAfrica), Sanctuary, Abercrombie & Kent and Wilderness Travel, for example — employ reservationists who are familiar with the lodges. Ask these questions: Will the company’s local representatives meet you at the airport? Do they provide a hotel and transportation, if necessary? Do they book your connecting flight to Botswana? Are your lodge stays confirmed? If your plane is delayed, who’s the contact person?And buy trip insurance, including emergency evacuation from Botswana to a hospital in South Africa. — MCTThings to knowBest dates: June through October are dry months, with less foliage for the animals to hide in. June through August are cool to cold with mild, sunny days; September and October are warmer and dry. January and February are considered low season. March, April, May, October and November are mid-season. Some lodges close for a month in December, for maintenance.Malaria: The mosquitoes that carry this sometimes fatal disease are rarely a threat during dry months, from June to mid-October. Local residents protect themselves at twilight with light-coloured long-sleeve shirts, long trousers and lots of insect repellent. Before you start a course of prophylactic drugs with potentially serious side effects, investigate alternative options. Consult your physician or a travel medicine clinic before leaving home.Essential readingThe Bradt Guide To Botswana (Globe Pequod Press) by Chris McIntyre, a long-time Africa traveller, is thoughtful, readable and detailed, the very best source available. Buy it before you go and read it while you’re there.The Shell Tourist Guide (and map) to Botswana by Veronica Roodt, is sold in South Africa, at the Johannesburg Airport and at some safari lodges. We found it an exceptional reference. Don’t pass it up.1 On an early morning game drive we spot a group of zebra in northern Botswana.2 Small islands dot the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.

By Verena WolffBill Dewbre — or “Wild Bill” as he is known — is a self-made man, and proud of it. Cowboy boots have been the key to his success. His father made shoes, and he was expected to help out in the shop.Dewbre junior learnt how to cut and sew the leather and glue the soles. He also learnt how to sell shoes, taking over a corner of his father’s shop and buying him out in cash a few years later on the basis of his success with boots.The business in the heart of Dallas now stocks every imaginable type of cowboy boot — black, brown, red and multi-coloured, some glittering with bright decorations. They come made of cowhide or ostrich, crocodile or snakeskin.The only type out of stock, says the greying owner with the carefully trimmed beard, are “cheap, poor-quality boots.” Cowboys wear genuine boots, and the points have a purpose in allowing the rider to slip his toes into the stirrups easily. “The shape is not merely coincidental,” Dewbre says.He can make anything the customer wants — nothing is too bizarre. “It depends on the budget,” he says with a smile. The highest price ever paid for a pair of boots from his shop is a trade secret, but he has made boots for Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with other Hollywood stars, top musicians and sports legends.Dewbre knows his business, and he also knows Dallas and its surrounds better than most. He has after all spent his life there. He is one of those friendly, charismatic, courteous men that have brought the traditional graces of the southern states into the big city.The image still fits, but Dallas is nevertheless different — a city of migrants from the north who have come to avoid the cold winters and bad weather. “Here in Texas the houses are not that expensive, the schools are good and there is work,” says acting mayor Pauline Medrano.Dallas has grown in stature in recent years. “We have frequently been written off,” Medrano says. The capital of the Lone Star State is Austin, and the largest city is Houston.There are no mountains or lakes, the sea and beaches are miles away. Dallas is right in the middle — both coasts are just under three hours away by plane, and the time zone also falls in the middle.Dallas has made good use of this central location, and the once sleepy town is now, in combination with neighbouring Fort Worth, one of the largest conurbations in the United States, behind only New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.The Forbes list of most successful companies places the headquarters of 25 of them in Dallas — and many began life in the city. “A Texan is very attached to home,” says Julia Cleary, 24, who grew up in Dallas, studied in Houston and has returned to Dallas to work. While this may not be typical of the US as a whole, it is common in Texas. Texans may leave home to study, but they do not stray far.Dallas is proud to lay claim to its own achievements — and one of them is the invention of shopping, as locals say with a wink. Neiman Marcus, one of the oldest US department stores, was founded in Dallas, where it still has its headquarters.Visitors look in vain for a main shopping street. The magic word here is mall, and Dallas has two in the middle of its upmarket residential areas. When it was opened in 1965, North Park Centre was the first planned mall in the whole of the US, and the first fully air-conditioned shopping centre in the world.“Dallas people love shopping,” says Cleary. “It’s also exercise, as you have to walk a lot.” And there is a lot to see. North Park Centre’s owners are David J Haemisegger and Nancy A Nasher, art collectors on a grand scale, and their huge sculptures are on display in the centre.Dallas is home to many wealthy art collectors and donors. As a result the museums are constantly growing, and an entire Arts District has been created over the past 20 years that can hold its own with any major US city, says Veletta Forsythe Lill, former head of the organising committee.The Arts District sprawls over 19 blocks and is home to the opera house, a concert hall and several theatres, as well as the Dallas Museum of Art. One of the best known facilities is the Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts that caters to the artistically gifted. Among the better known past students are singers Norah Jones and Erykah Badu and actress Elizabeth Mitchell.And then there is the television series that has made the city world famous. The Ewings may be fictional, but Southfork Ranch does exist — in Parker, some 50km outside the city limits.Here the country really is flat and people live on large farms, “even if they do have only one or two horses, rather than real stud farms,” according to Sally Peavy.She works at Southfork Ranch, today a tourist destination and conference centre — and the filming location for a sequel TV show about the Ewing family.  Every now and then the actors and the production teams descend on the 40-year-old homestead. “The shooting outdoors was all done here, while the interior filming was done in California. Then and now,” Peavy says.She knows the series inside out — all the twists and turns of the tortuous plot starring the matriarch Miss Ellie, and her sons JR and Bobby. “I followed it. I was in my late 20s when it started,” Peavy says. She is a true Texas lady, friendly, attentive, lively and with a strong voice.Like many born-and-bred Texans she could not conceive of living elsewhere. The people, the food, the quality of life at an affordable price are all things that make her happy to call Dallas and its environs home.And she highlights another major factor in being a Texan. “People have space here.” — DPA

Ilulissat Greenland is a Unesco World Heritage site because the small town is next to the most active glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. In winter and summer giant icebergs float in Disko Bay.By Ellen CreagerIt’s so cold, they closed the igloos. The icebergs are shivering. Two of my toes are slightly frostbitten. Yesterday my life seriously flashed before my eyes on a dogsled ride through the mountains.But what a trip. What a place.Exhilarating, that’s the word.Close your eyes and hear the sounds of Ilulissat (e-LU-li-sat). The creak of the sleds rushing across the crisp snow. The crackle of the ice breaking up against the wooden prow of tiny fishing boats in Disko Bay. The ravens — odd birds to see way up here above the Arctic Circle — flapping their black wings atop the icebergs like dots of licorice on vanilla ice cream.From the moment you leave Reykjavik, Iceland, in a rugged propeller plane for a three-hour ride to Ilulissat to the moment you pack up your frozen little body and leave, you are in another world.And if you are willing to come to Greenland in winter (my late February trip was called “Winter Madness” with good reason), it’s very affordable.Almost all tourists to Greenland come from Denmark, followed by small numbers of Germans, Swedes and a tiny number from the US. Just 429 Americans stayed overnight in Ilulissat last year.Why so few? First, it’s hard to get here from the US.Second, humble Greenland gets overlooked in favour of trendy Antarctica.Third, people tend to think of Greenland as one big, empty, melting block of ice. Wrong. Greenland is part of the Danish Kingdom and is bigger than Alaska. Most of its 57,000 people live in isolated towns along the rocky shoreline near the miles-deep ice cap. They have cars. They have schools. They have dogs. They have a life.Ilulissat, Greenland’s most lyrical town, has just 4,606 people and 2,300 sled dogs. Most people here are Inuit or Danish, a melding of people that yields a unique and sturdy culture of fishing, shrimping, tourism and doggy paw prints.What makes this place a star and a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) World Heritage site is the Sermeq Kujalleq (or Jakobshavn, in Danish) Glacier, the most active glacier outside Antarctica. Towering icebergs dot Disko Bay as the glacier sends tonnes of ice down the Ilulissat Icefjord into the bay each day. You don’t have to be on a boat to see the icebergs, either. You can see them from your hotel room window. Or your table at lunch over a plate of fresh halibut. Or while walking in town near the Lutheran church.This tiny town’s zillion-dollar views are so stunning that a few years ago, some huge cruise ships included Ilulissat on their summer port stops, overwhelming the town.“Five years ago, 63 cruises stopped here. It was too much,” says Silverio Scivoli, owner of Tourist Nature, which runs local tours. “We were not set up for that. Now we get just five, and the biggest one has 800 people.”Visiting Greenland in the winter means you won’t encounter many other tourists, and certainly no cruise ships. The first day, I spent with six tourists motoring in a small wooden boat in Disko Bay, where we saw the icebergs up close. The icebergs’ aloof and menacing grandeur dwarfed tiny fishing and seal-hunting boats nearby, not to mention us. By turns, the tourists crammed into the tiny warm cabin to sip tea, hobnob with the captain, then launch themselves back out into the beauty of the bitter cold.Afterward, one of my toes seemed slightly frostbitten and tingly. Later, the ice in the bay got so thick that no more tourist or fishing boats could go out.The second day, I took a two-hour (here, they call it a sledge) dogsled ride through the mountains, wearing a warm sealskin parka and leggings provided by the tour company. Greenland dogs and sleds are everywhere in Ilulissat, and the drivers are experts, so I was only mildly panicked when my sled at one point was tipped over the edge of a cliff with the dogs behind me scrabbling backward to keep the sled from plummeting headlong to our certain death.Luckily, the dog team’s strength held out until we reached a gentle slope below. I was fine, absolutely fine. And after about three days, my toes defrosted, too.Before I went to Greenland, people kept asking, are you going to stay in an igloo? And at the Arctic Hotel in Ilulissat, you can stay in one. Just not in February.The hotel’s five igloos are beyond the place where I stayed, down a long boardwalk, past the sled dogs, near the shoreline. Made of shiny silver aluminium and looking like space pods, they are so hip that Prince Albert II of Monaco and singer Bjork have stayed in them. But they’re used only from May to September.“Now is too cold for the igloos,” a hotel clerk explained, not grasping that this fact might be considered quite astonishing for people back in Michigan.And I do have to mention the food. The restaurants here serve Greenlandic specialities, and I had fresh halibut three times and a very fine lamb soup. No complaints. I also enjoyed a walking tour of Ilulissat with a local guide who pointed out all the sights, plus the fitness studio where she takes Zumba classes.You may notice I have not yet mentioned global warming, which has been the major theme of every hand-wringing travel story about Greenland in the last few years. In my defence, let’s just say that it is hard to whip up a lot of interest in the topic when you’re wearing five layers of clothes, the temperature falls to -19°F and you’re freezing your eyebrows off.And what about the northern lights? Well, I did go outside on two clear nights to look for the aurora borealis, which can easily be seen from September to April here in Ilulissat, 180 miles above the Arctic Circle. You just look north past the sled dogs and silver igloos, and there you are. But nature had other plans, for a full moon was hanging up above, shining like a winter midnight sun, blocking any other solar shows.OK. So I stood outside in the sharp cold, listening to my jagged breath, wiggling my toes, hoping for a flash of green. Then I thought of my dad, who died last autumn. I bet he’d have loved this place. I waved at the sky. — Detroit Free Press/MCTSIX ILULISSAT SIGHTSBesides the famed icebergs of Ilulissat, you’ll notice:m No trees! The land is bedrock and ice. In summer, you’ll see wildflowers, sedges and small bushes.m Lots of cars and taxis — but not a single road out of town.m Traffic warning signs for sled crossings. Monument and a museum honouring Knud Rasmussen, a Danish-Inuit native son and famed polar explorer.m Small wooden boats breaking through ice on Disko Bay. These old Danish boats seem to be able to function well in the harsh conditions when more modern boats would crack.m An Arctic cemetery near the airport, where everything is white, even the crosses.m Lots of sealskin. Greenland allows traditional subsistence seal hunting. The warm parka and leggings you’re given for dogsled rides are sealskin. The seats at the airport are upholstered with sealskin. The hotel has sealskin lobby decorations. Shops sell sealskin purses and hats.

By Bonnie JamesMany things could go wrong on the first day of a new international airport, so it was a pleasant surprise when my flight landed on schedule at the new Mariscal Sucre International airport in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.After flying for 20 hours (Doha-London Heathrow via Bahrain, 7 hours; London Heathrow-Miami, 9 hours; Miami-Quito, 4 hours) with a 10 hour transit (6 hours in London Heathrow and four in Miami) the last thing you want is any delay at the final destination.The immigration process in Quito is simple and smooth. Just one small form to fill and Ecuador is one of the most lenient countries in the world in terms of immigration policy. All foreigners, except nationals of 10 countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Somalia) are permitted to stay up to 90 days without a visa. But to transit the US, one needs to get a visa in advance.The clean, cool mountain air of Quito is a revitalising experience. You can breathe easy the moment the aircraft door opens — Quito is cradled by the Andes, the longest continental mountain range in the world, that extends from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. Landing and take-off during the day from Quito are a treat for the eyes — the azure sky decorated with snowy white clouds and green mountains. With two UN sustainability awards, and a brace of airport finance and structuring honours, Mariscal Sucre International, which boasts a 4.1km runway, the longest in South America, is at least an hour away from the city of Quito. A majority of the tourists flying in to Quito, usually proceed to the immensely popular Galapagos Islands, which provided substantial inputs to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is at an elevation of 9,350ft — described as the highest capital city in the world housing the administrative, legislative and judicial functions — so the altitude may bother you for a couple of days, especially if you are from a low-altitude country. For example, Qatar’s altitude is just 66ft.Quito, spread across 324sqkm with a population of about 2mn, is a blend of colonial history and the modern. It was founded in 1534 on the ruins of an ancient Inca city. Quito was the first city to be named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1978, along with Krakow in Poland.Quito has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centres in the Americas. The central square of Quito is located about 25km south of the equator and the city itself extends to within about 1km of zero latitude. Ecuador in Spanish means equator.Because of its elevation and its proximity to the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate. The average temperature at noon is 18.7°C with a normal night-time low of 9.3°C. The annual average temperature is 14.0°C. The city experiences only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season, June through September, is referred to as summer; the wet season, October through May, is referred to as winter.Given that the main agenda of my trip to Ecuador was a journey to the Yasuni National Park, the ‘biologically richest place on Earth’ there was very limited sightseeing in Quito, but what I saw was memorable. • The Plaza Grande: Formally known as Plaza de la Independencia. The white building on the northwest side of the plaza with the national flag flying atop is the Presidential Palace.  • El Panecillo: The small hill to the south of the old town provides a splendid view of the whole city, as well as the surrounding volcanoes. At the very top is a 41m high aluminium statue of Virgin Mary (Virgin of Quito), erected in 1976 by Spanish artist Agustin de la Herran Matorras.• Church of the Society of Jesus of Quito: A very interesting location for history, art and architecture enthusiasts. Built by Jesuit priests between 1605 and 1765, it is a marvellous sight to behold. A sublime golden hue envelops the interiors, featuring intricate artwork covered by fine 23-carat gold leaf. • Otavalo and Cotacachi town market: Everything from home furnishings, food, clothing, meat, handicrafts and textiles, made in Ecuador Panama hats, fine leather goods, toys and more.

By Miriam Schmidt The Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world and mostly located behind high imposing walls with just a small area, including St Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the treasures of the Vatican Museum open to visitors.The Sistine Chapel, by far the Vatican’s greatest tourist attraction with its magnificent frescoes by Michelangelo, is currently off limits to the public as the cardinals of the Catholic Church meet to elect Pope Benedict XVI’s successor.The cardinals sleep in the imposing Domus Sanctae Marthae palazzo in the shadow of St Peter’s Basilica and each morning are escorted from their sleeping quarters and led to the Sistine Chapel.The best spot for curious onlookers to watch proceedings is from St Peter’s Square, not least because from here they will be able to see when white smoke emerges from the Sistine Chapel chimney, telling the world’s 1.2bn Catholics they have a new pope.The conclave to elect a new pope has taken place in the Sistine Chapel since 1878. The chapel attracts up to 20,000 visitors a day and is most famous for its frescoed ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment is widely believed to be the artist’s crowning achievement in painting. There are also over 300 sculpted figures on view as well as works by Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino and Pinturicchio.Formerly the Cappella Magna, the Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored the building between 1471 and 1481. Although probably best known for being the location of papal conclaves, it is also the Papal Chapel and has six large arched windows on each of its two long walls.A tapestry designed by Raphael shows scenes from the gospels while there are also frescoes with scenes from the lives of Moses and Jesus as well as 24 large papal portraits.When the papal conclave is not sitting, entry to the Sistine Chapel is gained via the Vatican Museum, which stretches to over 1,400 rooms and boasts one of the largest art collections in the world. Visitors need to cover a distance of seven kilometres to see all 50,000 objects on display in the 14 museums.Tourists from across the globe descend on the Vatican Museum every day, wondering at the seemingly never-ending treasure trove of frescoes, paintings, tapestries and archaeological artefacts.Covering just 44 hectares, the Vatican City is home to the pope and his cardinals. There are only around 550 Holy See passport holders while the state’s resident population is estimated at 900 people.Apart from the museums, only a small section of the Vatican is open to the public, most importantly St Peter’s Square and Basilica. During the day the square, which was completed in 1667, is crowded with pilgrims and tourists.At the centre of the square is a 4,000-year-old Egyptian obelisk, erected in 1568, while massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, frame its entrance and 140 over life-size saints crown the cornice.St Peter’s Basilica is another huge tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors each year to the world’s largest Christian cathedral.The cupola is one of Rome’s landmark sights. It is possible to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome with the entrance at the far right of the portico. If this is too strenuous, visitors can take an elevator as far as the roof terrace, and enjoy the view from the gallery inside the dome looking down into the basilica.The view of the Vatican Gardens, a private garden complex within the Holy See, is particularly impressive. The gardens, which cover 23 hectares and comprise the majority of the Vatican State, can only be visited on a guided tour by prior appointment.The lush gardens filled with brilliantly coloured flowers, groves of mature oak trees, and ancient fountains and pools date back to the 13th Century when Pope Nicholas III developed the land within the Vatican walls.There is also a small summerhouse, Villa Pia, built for Pope Pius IV in 1560 by Pirro Ligorio, as well as medieval fortifications some of which date back to the ninth century.From the dome, it is also possible to see the new retirement home for Pope Benedict XVI. The Mater Ecclesiae nunnery was once the home of the Vatican’s head gardener before being converted into a retreat for groups of nuns. — DPA

Miami Beach with its white sand and transparent water, has become a trendy spot for the rich and famous. By Daniel Garcia Marco Miami Beach has become one of the trendiest spots in the world attracting the likes of rich heiress Paris Hilton and countless other international celebrities and film stars to tan on its pristine beaches.The resort has a thriving night scene as well; not just sun-tanned bodies in the daytime but also those same bodies swaying in fashionable outfits in the evenings in clubs and other venues.It is second only to Los Angeles in terms of VIP density per square metre.The most exclusive location in the Miami Beach area is Star Island, an enclave for the rich and famous with restricted access. It is a tourist attraction to be wondered at from afar for everybody else.The so-called beautiful people enjoy their homes, discretion and privacy on Star Island much as the Chicago gangster Al Capone did in the 1920s, the period when the resort experienced its first boom as a vacation destination.Miami Beach started off as just a plain sandbar off the coast of Florida. It was bought by entrepreneur Henry Lum and his son Charles from the US federal government in 1870 as a development site.The rich and famous keep second homes in Miami Beach because of the weather.It doesn’t matter whether it is January or February or March: The beaches are white and the water transparent, peaceful and temperate all winter long. And, all of those things trump the not minor threats from hurricanes during the summer-fall storm season.Beautiful architecture is another important feature that adds to the enchantment of Miami Beach. Many small hotels in the Art Deco section, with its low buildings in pastel tones, have recently been renovated.“Architecture defines our city,” said Michael Kinerk, president emeritus of the Miami Design Preservation League.It was Miami Beach’s architecture that drew visitors back in the 1970s after many years in which the hotels had been decaying and Miami itself was swamped by an influx of half a million Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro’s revolution in Cuba, turning it into the Latin capital of the US.The area of Miami Beach which celebrities and wealthy tourists enjoy today — thanks to investments made in the 1980s and 1990s to salvage boutique hotels — is the same that soldiers, heading to World War II, “occupied” while training 1942-1945.Nearly 500,000 men, among them the US leading man Clark Gable, took over 300 hotels and buildings as residences and practice centres before World War II.It came to be called “the nicest training camp in the US.”The beach is fairly low-key, except for Ocean Drive, the main avenue, which is filled with expensive hotels and restaurants.In the evening it becomes one huge entertainment spot, offering an array of leisure activities, music and clubs, but all the different establishments are in the same general area.Miami Beach, like many other resorts, takes a relaxed approach to life.Freedom and tolerance prevail.However, alcohol is banned in most entertainment venues and so patrons are served fruit cocktails instead.“This is the place to be,” is a common phrase heard among residents, real estate agents and waiters.Some visitors were simply passing through, but stayed forever.“I did not like it much at first, but it gradually drew me in,” said Juan Carlos Arias, a 33-year-old Spaniard who expressed an opinion voiced by many.Not everyone fits in to the culture of seeing and being seen, but there is more than meets the eye.“There is more culture here than one would believe,” said French citizen Sophie Dulles, 34, who gets around on bicycles that are provided by authorities for a small monthly rental fee.And for art lovers there is the Art Basel Miami Beach event. One of the world’s most important contemporary art exhibitions, comes to Miami Beach once a year to delight of those who want more than sun, sand and lively night-life.Miami Beach confirms and contradicts the stereotype. — DPA

Mariano Fanlo Basail, aged 81, learned to ski from his father, Spain’s first Pyrenees skier. The son continues to ski regardless of his age.Ute Mueller joins the trail of ski pioneer MarianoIt had snowed all night, but a strong wind simply swept away some of the new snowfall. Still, Mariano Fanlo Basail plans to ride up to Formigal and strap on his skis.“I’m not going to let a little bit of wind stop me,” he says. Back in the day, he had only a beret, a woollen pullover and galoshes to ward off the cold.Mariano is 81 years old, and he has tried out many skiing regions around the globe in his long life. But it is here, in his home region, the Tena Valley, that he likes skiing best of all.The valley is in Spain’s region of Aragon, which once upon a time was a kingdom. Don Mariano is a legend here, still hale and hearty.His father was the first Spaniard ever to own skis. That was 1912. At the time 14 years old, he was given the strange-looking wooden slats by a family friend, a geologist who lived in Pau in southern France.The friend had crossed over the nearby border to the small mountain hamlet Sallent de Gállego in order to study the mountain lakes of Aragon, and to do some skiing as well.“Back then, nearly everyone lived from raising sheep. Nobody had ever seen these strange wooden boards before,” Mariano recalls. “It was a sensational event in the village when my father tried them out on our snow-covered fields.”It didn’t take long before the first villagers began making skis for their children. They used ash wood, and the local blacksmith fashioned a simple binding, a wire clamp, for the shoes.“Back then we had to use a pole for steering,” Mariano says of his first attempts at skiing. “Doing a curve was extremely complicated.”Later on he became a ski instructor and one of the most successful hotel owners in Sallent de Gállego. The village became the cradle of skiing in the Pyrenees mountains and a nurturing place for many famous Spanish skiers.Just recently celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the first skiing in Spain were held. TV was on the scene as ski pioneer Mariano skied through the village on a pair of the early-day skis.Sallent de Gállego has maintained its quiet charm of the past. But it’s a lot different at the skiing station Formigal, just five minutes’ drive away, where already in the early morning music from an après-ski bar is blaring across the slopes.Many hotels have been built on the erstwhile mountain meadows, bringing money to the farmers who were, often enough, very poor.“Over the past few decades we have seen unbelievable development,” notes Tono Gerico.His grandfather was the village blacksmith who made the first ski bindings. Now Tono is director of the ski station which makes Formigal, with its 137 kilometres of ski runs, the largest skiing region in all of Spain.The first ski lift was built in 1964. Now, four valleys are linked together. Tono works in the futuristic-looking Sextas valley station, located at a 1,550m elevation and painted a bright green.“We have made every effort to make our station into the most modern one in Spain,” he says. He knows only too well that Formigal is clinched in an eternal competition with the smaller, but more famous Baqueira Beret ski region, two hours’ drive away. The jet set and Spain’s royals do their skiing there.Formigal is throwing everything it has into the fray: with four artificial lakes and 440 snow-making machines it can guarantee that all its slopes will always have enough snow for skiing. There are hardly any queues at the lifts, with a lift carrying eight people at once, the only one of its kind anywhere, up the mountain.Once at the foot of the Pico Tres Hombres (2,276m elevation), skiers will need about an hour to ski back down to the Valle de Portalet, the fourth and last of the valleys.Dominating the scenery is the Anayet, 2,574m high and one of the most uniquely shaped peaks in the Pyrenees.From the Espelunciecha lift, skiers have one of the most breath-taking views of the French Pyrenees, above all the 2,884m-high Midi d’Ossau, whose peak resembles an open mouth of a fish.Traditionally the Spaniards who lived in this remote mountain region were more closely linked to their French neighbours than with their own compatriots.“The French like to come across the border, so as to buy liquors and other spirits more cheaply in Spain,” comments Yolanda Julian, one of Tono’s co-workers.Up on Portalet, there is the “Ski-Ratrak,” a special service found only in Formigal and nearby Cerler. There’s quite a crush of skiers, but the wait is worth it. A ski slope tractor will tow up to 30 skiers and snowboarders to a side valley. The skiers hold onto two tow-cables as the heavy machine chugs its way up the mountain.While enjoying the scenery, they must be careful that their skis don’t become entangled. After about 2km, they are dropped off above the Espelunciecha lake and can ski back down to the valley.Halfway down the slope is the mountain hut La Glera, the only one in the entire ski region. Reminiscent of an Austrian or Swiss alpine inn, La Glera serves up a potaje aragones, a regional beans and sausage stew.Otherwise Formigal is intent on cultivating its avant-garde image and has all sorts of curiosities to offer. For example, there’s an igloo up on the Izas ski run where sushi is served up.At the other end of the ski area, on the Rinconada ski run, there is an exact replica of a yurt where they serve sparkling wine. Along the more classical line, there are two Indian tents where the meal fare is tapas.Exhausted skiers can recover from the day’s strenuous activity in the nearby thermal baths of Panticosa. It is one of the oldest in Spain — the ancient Romans were the first to make use of its six springs. They called them the thermal springs of Tiberius.Belen Moneo, the daughter of one of Spain’s most famous architects, a few years ago completely renovated the resort nestled in the mountains and converted it into a luxurious and extensive spa. Regular guests have included King Alfons XIII.With luck, one can spot deer and other wild animals while working out in the fitness centre. The surroundings are almost surrealistic: a deserted Grand Hotel is seen next to a picturesque frozen lake.If there ever is a film remake of Dr Zhivago, this would make the perfect setting. — DPA

A visitor wears a leather glove while Mitch (right) explains the secrets of training falcon Google.By Michael Zehender  Kelly is overweight, which of itself would not be an issue, except for the fact that Kelly is not a person but a falcon.The bird of prey may be only carrying an extra 112g, but falconer Mitch is still concerned. Kelly is due to do flight training, and when falcons are overweight and accordingly not hungry, there is an increased likelihood of them flying away.“The only reason the birds return to me is to be fed,” explains Mitch, which is why he always weighs his birds before each flight. They are also fixed with a tagging device for extra security.Kelly is one of the main attractions at the Banyan Tree Al Wadi hotel, situated in the middle of the desert in the emirate of Ras al Khaimah. It is a perfect arena for the invited visitors to see the young female falcon being put through its paces.Mitch has tied some feather bait to a piece of rope, which he swings in the air. Kelly circles above before suddenly swooping to snatch the bait.“Keep your heads down,” warns Mitch, who pulls away the rope from the falcon at the last moment. The exercise is repeated several times before Kelly finally gets her reward of a tasty titbit.There is a long tradition of falconry on the Arabian Peninsula, and especially in RAK, as the locals call the emirate north of Dubai.The birds were originally utilised for hunting, but are now used mainly for sport, explains Mitch. However, falconry is an expensive business, with bird lovers handing over up to nearly $700,000 for a particularly beautiful specimen.The animals are nurtured and cherished by their owners. Falcons even have their own passports and get an aeroplane seat of their own when travelling.Snowflake was bought for $60,000 but Mitch believes he is now worth 10 times that amount. The bird has since retired and is treated with tender loving care every day by Mitch. The other falcons, desert owls and hawks in the hotel’s own falconry have at least one flight each day,Google and Yahoo had their outing in the morning, ensuring that California’s Silicon Valley is represented in the desert skies.“The names are my responsibility,” says Mitch, before adding that the pair are not the sharpest tools in the box.“Eating and sleeping is all that goes through their heads.”Visitors are given protective gloves and Google and Yahoo approach them quickly once they realise they are holding small pieces of quail.Not surprisingly, the sight of a large bird of prey approaching at speed initially instils fear, but after just a few seconds they have already plucked up the courage to stroke the beautiful birds.   The Banyan Tree Al Wadi is one of Ras al Khaimah’s flagship tourist projects. The emirate is otherwise so far lacking in any significant tourist infrastructure, admits public relations manager Nermin Abushnaf. The number of sights worth seeing can be listed on one hand.Dhaya Fort, built on a hill in the 16th century and the last fort to fall to the British in 1819, offers panoramic views, but hardly makes a trip to RAK worthwhile on its own.There is also the Corniche Museum, a two-storey building that opened a year ago and looks at the history of diving for pearls, the emirate’s other main tradition besides falconry.Ras al Khaimah promotes itself as “A Rising Emirate” and there is certainly a lot going on to improve the emirate’s tourist infrastructure.There are currently 15 hotels in Ras al Khaimah, a figure that is certain to increase in the coming years. Organised pearl farm tours are also planned for the near future.Dubai is far ahead of its neighbour when it comes to the tourist industry, but Ras al Khaimah does not consider itself a competitor.“Instead, we are focusing on natural experiences and beaches,” says Abushnaf, pointing to the emirate’s 46km of sandy coastline, as well as mountains, desert and nature.RAK has another advantage for those visitors, who like Kelly are looking to keep their weight down. There is only one restaurant in the entire emirate that is not part of a hotel. That situation is also certain to soon change. — DPA

By Andrea Kitay“Dancez avec moi?” inquires a jolly gentlemen as I step off the gangplank in Tadoussac, a little bit of a port at the confluence of the St Lawrence Estuary and the Saguenay Fjord in Quebec province. Grizzled with grey at the edges and dressed in what looks slightly more comfortable than a canvas sack, he takes my hands with a big grin and pulls me into his small circle of companions, a group of actors hired to greet cruise visitors.This surprise request to dance on a rickety wooden dock momentarily takes me back. But why not? With fiddlers nearby sawing away at their strings, smiling women dressed in period garb clapping their hands in time to the music and giggling children leaning over an ice-laden, makeshift table twirling sticks of maple syrup into hardened candy, I figure a refusal would be downright unfriendly.As so I find myself tooling along Canada’s eastern coastline on the La Compagnie du Ponant’s Le Boreal, a 264-passenger luxury ship sailing from Quebec City, around the Gaspe Peninsula and down to Boston Harbour. On this route the ship’s size matters. Le Boreal, 466ft long, gives us the advantage of dipping in and out of picturesque fishing villages and shallow ports otherwise inaccessible to larger ships.Touted as an autumn foliage tour, our journey might also be coined ‘In Search of the Northwest Passage’ or ‘Eastern Canada’s Remarkable Wildlife’. In truth, it is all of these things. Onboard historians paint a picture of early explorer Jacques Cartier’s relentless and frequently tumultuous search for the elusive Northwest Passage and his on again off again relationship with the Iroquois. And naturalists confirm this vast region is abundant with both land and marine wildlife, creating opportunities for both high-octane and reflective adventure.Once onboard, it’s no surprise I find myself amidst a bevy of dapper French tourists, bound together in search of a common history and some of the most stunning vistas in North America. This is because La Compagnie du Ponant is well known in Europe for its appealing routes and subdued elegance.Settled in my cozy yet luxurious cabin, Le Boreal glides up the St Lawrence towards the Saguenay fjord, dropping anchor in the village of Tadoussac where I find my hearty welcome. The town, once France’s first trading post on the mainland of “New France,” is still the fjord’s door keeper and as such is a hub of tourism for the estuary area.Here, where the fjord’s fresh water meets the salty St Lawrence, a nutrient rich underwater environment becomes an important summer feeding ground for several whale species: fin, mink, belugas and blue whales, as well as harbour porpoises. It is, in fact, a hub for visitors in search of whale watching excursions by zodiac and hikers seeking the quiet, forested terrain surrounding the fjord. A stroll around town accompanied by an afternoon snack of tasty poutine — a quintessential Quebecois dish of french fries smothered in gravy — rounds out the day nicely.But I have only a day in port, and by evening I have to be back onboard in time to join the evening’s festivities. Dinner is served in one of two dining venues, and my French neighbours are dressed to the nines. I’m told a titled French woman is onboard, the chief suspect being the grand dame across the hall from my stateroom. She is my grandmother’s vision of perfect comportment. Without a pin out of place she would make Miss Manners proud.Although the ship flies the French flag, the food is pleasantly North American. And even the Anglophiles eat heartily. After dinner, however, the ship reveals its particular French sensibilities in a flamboyant Paris-style revue staged in the theatre. I feel as if I’ve stepped back into the Paris of Hemingway and Picasso and half expect to find one of them sitting beside me.Evenings are quiet with most guests back in their staterooms by nine. This is when the aft lounge morphs into a mini disco with tunes from the 1980s piped in via a 20-something’s laptop. No matter. I slip away to the panoramic Observatory Lounge with its svelte white chairs and panoramic views.A bilingual programme outlining activities for the next day is placed in my stateroom each evening while I’m at dinner. After I miss an important lecture early on, I realise it’s important to spend time examining it each evening.Ports come and go, but the Madeleine Islands, an archipelago in the Gulf of St Lawrence is one of the most memorable. By the time we drop anchor, even in the bright sunshine of a September morning, there is a discernable chill in the air made more noticeable by the wind.If it’s this chilly in September, how bearable is it in the depths of winter, I wonder. “Oh, this is pleasant,” our chipper, bilingual guide Hugo Petitpas tells me. But the tiny population — only 13,000 Acadians — tells a story of winters that are too long and too cold.Originally flat and barren, the existing trees were clear-cut over a century ago, conspiring to produce a relatively flat terrain comprised volcanic rock and sand dunes. A sweeping glance paints a grim picture of few natural defences against what nature hurls at it in this picturesque chain of islands where generations of families know and rely on each other.These folks will also tell you that their location far from the mainland of Canada actually keeps their island home more temperate. As a Californian, it seems like a matter of perspective. Clearly, though, the Acadians are survivors. By 1875, when the timber was all logged, bundled up and sent back to Britain for use as flooring, lobster fishing became the islanders’ primary livelihood. I’m told that today, millions of pounds of lobster are fished by these modern Acadians who survive on the profits during the off-season. Today, nearly 200 bird species are bringing increasing numbers of birders to the islands, and tourism is on the rise. Ever the survivors, a budding artist community is designing and making exquisite works of art from local sea glass and sand, on display near La Grave and well worth a look.While some of the ports on our itinerary don’t pull out the stops like Tadoussac, there is a potent charm factor in colourful Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. A Unesco World Heritage Site whose rows of centuries-old red, blue, and yellow buildings stand like soldiers guarding this British settlement, I watch from the stern deck as the town comes into view.A masterful example of a bona fide British colonial settlement, like most coastal towns in this part of Canada the waterfront is the heart of the city. Fishing, shipbuilding and social life revolved around some of the richest stocks of both fish and fur — including the now fished-out walrus — when these towns were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. The same is true today with the addition of tourism revenue.Lunenburg’s annual folk art festival is a popular event, a fact my fellow cruisers seem to know as they disembark in droves. Together we wander the orderly, parallel streets, wander through the historic Knaut-Rhuland Museum with its authentic period garb and reproduction rooms. A knitter, I’m drawn to the little shops selling handmade, heavy woolens designed to protect tender skin in negative zero-degree weather.After a last stop in lively Bar Harbour, I disembark in Boston, where to my surprise I feel better rested than I have in weeks. Perhaps it was the clear night air wafting through the balcony door that I left open. But another bonus promises to last longer. For the first time I’ve learned a little bit about one of Canada’s best-kept secrets: her rich cultural heritage and spectacular Atlantic coastline. — MCT

Aliki Nassoufis tries out a trek in the Sahara   Journeying on a camel through the Sahara Desert shows tourists in Morocco the vastness of the sand dunes, which stretch to every horizon. The lush Draa Valley is an extensive oasis with sky-high palms and dense cornfields. But the greenness gives away to an arid landscape as the surrounding Sahara desert is approached. For kilometres the road in southern Morocco travels through sparsely populated areas until it ends in M’Hamid. Here a few buildings defy the desert and provide a starting point for tours. In M’Hamid a turban-wearing trader spots the tourists and shouts with a grin, “Welcome to the end of the world!” The world doesn’t end at the desert fringe of course, but as the camel trek will show over the next few days, the familiar, modern world does. The vast Sahara desert has been back in the news recently with the French troops arriving in Bamako, 2,000km south of here, and with terrorist raids at an Algerian gas site 1,500km to the east. Starting a tour out of the Draa Valley begins with hard work. Firstly the camels must be loaded with all the things the tour will require: food, gas stoves, tents, sleeping bags, and of course water bottles, dozens of them. The load doesn’t seem to disturb the camels. They lie peacefully while the baskets are attached to their backs. Then it’s time to set off on foot on the road that passes over the shimmering, reddish sand. Slowly the houses disappear from view and there’s nothing to be seen except desert. The camels are linked together and move forward evenly. It’s quiet, all that can be heard are the movement of the camels, the voices of the tourists and the gurgle of the water bottles. The first big adventure is announced a short time later as Abidin, one of the two guides accompanying the tour, looks at the horizon. “There’s a sand-storm coming,” the young Berber says. That is not simply a wind that blows some sand about. The sky becomes grey and the blazing sun is almost blotted out. Tonnes of sand swirl through the air, pounding against man and beast and making speech impossible. It’s difficult to see or even to breathe. The tourists and their guides wrap their Berber dress around their heads and across their faces. Eventually the wind is so strong that the eyes are better almost completely closed. Everyone concentrates on his or her own progress and keeping in touch with the small caravan. The group comes at last to a dune. Straight, high and wide, it blocks the wind and is large enough to pitch camp for the night. Everyone can breathe again. A little later a tent is up, the group are inside and Abidin begins to prepare dinner, a simple meal of rice and vegetables. The tourists and the guides talk. The other guide is Fouad. The shyer of the two, he usually gives an embarrassed smile when addressed. Nevertheless, he joins in the conversation with a mixture of English and French. Fouad is 22, Abidin 25. They both grew up in the desert and have been working for a while as tour guides. They express amazement that the Europeans have so few siblings or even none. Abidin has six brothers, Fouad four sisters — “a small family,” he says, laughing. The next morning the storm has passed even though the travellers find the wind-blown sand has got everywhere, even into their mouths and ears. The tour sets off again through endless sandy landscapes, Abidin in front and Fouad behind, leading the camels on a rope. One of the highest points is the area around the Sahar dunes. The highest is 300m high. The wind always whistles around here, Abidin says. The climb up the dunes requires some effort because your foot or half your lower leg sinks into the sand with every step. Shoes in hand, the group trudges on in their socks while the wind blows a fine layer of sand over the summit of the dunes. But the view from the top is breathtaking and makes the climb worthwhile. It’s moments like these that are burned into the memory and make all the difficulties bearable — such as an eternally blazing sun, blistered feet, and only rare opportunities to attend to the simplest tasks of hygiene. The trip offers plenty of unforgettable moments: Fouad at breakfast spooning huge amounts of sugar into mint tea to create what is called Berber whiskey, a non-alcoholic drink served in small glasses. Or how Abidin greets his favourite camel, Seram, with a kiss on the cheek. Then there was the way the wind gently swept through the few trees of a small oasis where the caravan had stopped for a midday break. And the evening sun disappearing behind the dunes and bathing everything in a deep red light. For days no other people are seen but boredom isn’t a problem because the desert is ever-changing. Sometimes it’s sandy and raises dunes, other times it feels like rubber and almost bounces with every step. Every now and then, traces of human life appear: the ruins of an old building, pottery or even human bones. After all caravans have been passing through the Sahara for centuries. It is time to build another camp for the night. Shortly before sunset Fouad has found some wood for a fire. The group sits down to warm themselves as now that the sun has gone down it has grown quite cold. Abidin prepares a large loaf of flatbread. He takes embers from the fire, spreads them out with a stick, lays the round dough on top and then covers that with embers too. After a few minutes the young Berber strikes the flatbread with a stick. It gives a hollow sound. The bread is ready, he says, and removes it from the ashes. The flatbread is distributed among the group. On the outside it’s crisp, and soft and warm on the inside. Later the fire is out and the camp is pitch black. Thousands of stars twinkle in the night sky, seeming closer and more tangible than they do anywhere else. It’s a beautiful sight. It seems a shame to have to return tomorrow to the normal world. — DPA

By Bob Downing The Pitons dominate the southwest coast of St Lucia. The twin volcanic spires are the iconic image of St Lucia, the green hulking peaks rising from the sea side by side in dramatic fashion. Le Gros Piton and Le Petit Piton rise 2,618ft and 2,438ft, respectively, above the dark green Caribbean waters of Piton Bay. Today the lava and rocks of the Pitons are covered in vegetation. Images of the Pitons are everywhere: from shirts to postcards to the labels of the local beer, Piton. They are the most-photographed rocks on the island and a visit to St Lucia is not complete without a chance to view the Pitons, even from a distance. Writers have struggled to find the right words to describe them. St Lucia’s Nobel Prize poet Derek Walcott called the twin peaks the “horns.” (The name comes from the French word for spikes.) Oprah Winfrey once declared the Pitons to be among five must-see sites around the world. Gros Piton is 3km in diameter at its base. Petit Piton is 1km in diameter at its base. The two steep-sided peaks are connected via a ridge. They are believed to be the remnants of two volcanic domes from the Qualibou caldera that formed 32,000 to 39,000 years ago. The Pitons are part of a volcanic complex known to geologists as the Soufriere Volcanic Centre which is the remnant of one or more huge collapsed stratovolcanos. The Pitons are the eroded cores of two lava domes formed on the flanks of the volcano. They also display other volcanic features. The dominant vegetation on the Pitons is tropical moist forest with small areas of dry forest near the coast and on steep slopes, and areas of wet elfin woodland on the summits. On the Pitons, small undisturbed natural forests remain because of the steepness of the land. At least 148 plant species have been recorded on Gros Piton and 97 on Petit Piton. If you are inclined, you can climb the Pitons. But it is a steep ascent that will take three to six hours each way. Local guides are required; find them at the visitor centre in Ford Gens Libre on the south slope of Gros Piton. The fee is about $30. At first, it appears that the peaks are side by side. But as one gets closer, you realise that they are 2 ½ miles apart. The port town of Soufriere sits in a bay just north of Le Petit Piton, the smaller-but-steeper rock. Le Gros Piton lies to the south. The Pitons plus about 7,200 acres of land and water make up a UN World Heritage Site. The area is also home to some of the island’s priciest resorts, some of which only have three walls so as to not obscure the views: Jade Mountain, Jalousie Plantation, Ladera and Le Chastanet. The appeal of St Lucia and its incredible vertical-dominated topography continues underwater. The island is home to one of the healthiest and most diverse reef systems in the world. Divers and snorkellers may find more than 300 species of fish and more than 50 corals. Hawksbill turtles are seen onshore, whale sharks and pilot whales offshore. The visibility ranges from 20 to 200ft underwater. The water temperature is a balmy 79 to 85 degrees. One of the best diving and snorkelling spots is at the base of the Pitons, and the Soufriere Marine Management Area is one of the most successful marine parks in the Caribbean. It was established in 1995 and brought together local fishermen, landowners and water-sport operators. It covers 7.2 miles of shoreline from Anse Jambon on the north to Anse Ivrogne to the south, with a steeply sloping continental shelf with fringing and patch reefs, boulders and sandy plains. The coral reefs cover almost 60% of the marine area. The preserve was established to protect the reefs and to promote sustainable management to allow local fishermen to continue to fish. It includes two terrific snorkelling spots: Anse Cochon (Bay of Pigs) and closer to the Pitons, Anse Chastanet Reef, next to the resort with black volcanic sands, the best on St Lucia for its marine life. The shallow part of the reef is accessible from the beach and lies in 5 to 25ft of water. The reef falls away to 140 feet in a unique coral wall and approaches the harbour of Soufriere. It features brain and soft corals, sponges and sea fans, plus 150 species of fish. Photographers love the site because of the abundance of bright, colourful sea life and the coral is easily photographed in the clear waters. It is home to large trumpet fish and turtles. The Coral Gardens at the base of Gros Piton are very special. We snorkelled at the base of Petit Piton and next to the white sand beach at the Jalousie Plantation, known as Sugar Beach. The sand was imported from Guyana and used to cover up the volcanic black sands. All beaches on St Lucia are open to the public. Scuba St Lucia offers trips around the Pitons. St Lucia (it is pronounced loo-sha) — once known as the land of the iguana — is a lush, green, natural and still-developing island. The avocado-shaped island has surprisingly wild interior rain forests and mountain peaks that top 3,100ft. The development hugs the coast, and its roads are slow and winding. St Lucia is famous with honeymooners and for its pricey all-inclusive resorts. It is not dominated by a beach culture, like many other Caribbean islands. It is largely rural, with banana and coconut plantations. It was a sugar-cane island in the past. The first European settler on the island was Francoise Le Clerc, a 15th-century French pirate with a wooden leg. St Lucia has a rich history and was a battleground between England and France. The island changed hands 14 times. England won out in 1814. It became an independent country within the British Commonwealth in 1979. English is the official language, although the French influence is strong. About 13% of the island is protected rain forest with more than 20 miles of jungle trails, secluded waterfalls and volcanic features including boiling mud and steaming vents. The St Lucia Forest Preserve covers about 19,000 acres, home to the threatened St Lucia parrot, also known as the jacquot. The St Lucia Forestry & Lands Department can arrange guided rain forest hikes. Pretty Marigot Bay is where the original Dr Dolittle movie with Rex Harrison was filmed. Rodney Bay at the island’s northwest tip has become a tourist centre for water sports. Anse la Raye on the west coast is known for its Friday night fish parties/dance parties. The village of Dennery on the east coast hosts similar get-togethers on Saturdays. Two estates near Soufriere — Soufriere Estate and Morne Coubaril — offer tours. There are also botanical gardens, waterfalls and mud baths. Pigeon Island National Park covers 40 acres with two beaches, the remains of an 18th-century naval garrison and a British fort. — Akron Beacon Journal/MCT  

By Thilo Resenhoeft The Togian Islands off the northern Indonesian island of Sulawesi offer some of the best diving spots on earth.Reaching this relatively unexplored and sparsely populated region in the Gulf of Tomini can be an adventure in itself, but visitors are rewarded by pristine waters and fascinating nature.Many tourists fly from Jakarta or Surabaya on the island of Java to one of the small airports in Luwuk or Palu. From here, there is the choice of completing the journey by bus or with a chauffeur-driven rented car.The trip from Luwuk to Ampana takes six hours, while travellers from Palu need 11 hours on the road. Following an overnight stay in Ampana, the journey continues with a ferry trip or private boat charter to the islands near the Equator.Formed by volcanic eruptions, the islands were once thickly forested but coconut palms now grow on much of the available land. Where the forest still survives, it grows right to the rocky sea coast’s edge, limiting the numbers of beaches and hotels.Visitors to the Togian Islands are guaranteed to see coconut crabs — also known as the robber crab or palm thief — and coral reefs in the crystal clear water.The palm thief is the world’s largest terrestrial crab. Like hermit crabs, juvenile coconut crabs use empty gastropod shells for protection, but the adults develop a tough exoskeleton on their abdomen and stop carrying a shell.A mature specimen can weigh up to 5kg and their strong legs make them capable of speedily climbing palm trees.Tour guide Guntu points out one of the underground burrows where they live, warning tourists not to put their hands near the entrance as coconut crabs generally remain underground during the day to reduce water loss from heat.Coconut crabs are a protected species as their populations in several areas have declined or become locally extinct as a result of habitat loss and human hunting for their firm and tasty meat.The police issue warnings when they find people selling the crabs, but Guntu reveals that law and order forces are rarely seen on the Togian Islands.The other main reason for a visit to the islands is to dive its coral reefs. Professional diver Elso Martinez estimates that there are about 120km of reef here. The Spaniard has lived in Indonesia for two years, during which time he has spent more than 6,000 hours diving.About 25 reefs are within a 40-minute boat journey from Bomba. Some reefs stretch close to the water surface at low tide, making them easily explorable by snorkelers. The huge variety of colourful fish and coral life present here can hardly be measured.Divers and snorkelers are not seen as a threat by the fish, so they are barely noticed. However, poisonous stone fish lie on the coral heads, and divers are warned never to touch anything on a reef. The effects of dynamite fishing can be clearly seen on some parts of the coral where huge chunks have been disturbed and are faded. It could take decades before they are fully healed and life returns to the reef.The practice is not as prevalent as it used to be, but this is only because of the fact that there are no longer enough fish to make the use of dynamite financially worthwhile, says Martinez.“Unfortunately, the view still persists among many people here that over-fishing the reefs will bring more financially than protecting them.” — DPA

The cast of the hit series Downton Abbey, which is filmed at England’s Highclere Castle. Fans can tour the castle and its grounds.By Diane W Stoneback England’s Highclere Castle, the real-life Downton Abbey, has a past that’s every bit as colourful and riveting as the hit series filmed within its walls.Besides serving as the main set for the ITV series that recently premiered its third season, this imposing landmark and the land it occupies has been home to generations of the Earls of Carnarvon since 1679.“It’s an amazing place to wake up in. I’ve never lost my sense of wonder for it,” says Lady Fiona, the current Countess of Carnarvon, who lives at Highclere with her husband, the Eighth Earl of Carnarvon. She has written a book about the castle, which occupies a lofty hilltop in southern England and welcomes a limited number of visitors each year.At the forefront of British high society for much of its history, the castle has sheltered some of Britain’s most privileged celebrities (including a future king) and has its own hints of intrigue, a World War I period of public service, a stunning link with ancient Egypt and the shadow of a pharaoh’s curse. At times, threads of it even have been woven into Downton Abbey. Watching all three seasons of Downton surely will stoke fans’ desire to visit the castle. Happily, they can tour the grounds where Robert, Lord Grantham, walks his Labrador retriever; enjoy the gardens where Violet, the Dowager Countess, sometimes takes tea; and see the castle’s main rooms where the lives of the Crawley family and their servants unfold.But the castle opens only for 70 days a year, and its tour tickets are as hot as the TV series.In case you can’t visit, or to develop an appreciation for the castle’s own history before you go, read Lady Fiona’s book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (Broadway Paperbacks, $15.99, 320 pp.).Lady Almina, wife of the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, is believed to have been the illegitimate daughter of wealthy banker Sir Alfred de Rothschild and his French mistress. Like Lord Grantham’s wife, Cora, her fortune not only kept a roof over the family’s heads but also fuelled a legendary lifestyle.Her dowry paid off her future husband’s already-substantial debts. It also included a guaranteed annual income for Lady Almina of more than $10.5mn per year, in today’s dollars.Lady Almina used her money to update the castle (it was among the first to have extensive indoor plumbing and electric lights) and to entertain guests, including the future King Edward VII. For the royal weekend visit, she spent more than $500,000 for food, staffing and redecorating. Even the castle’s pool table was re-covered for his visit, according to Lady Fiona’s research.Lady Almina also used her money to turn Highclere into a World War I hospital for returning soldiers. She personally recruited the best nurses and doctors and paid for everything, including the latest medical equipment and medicines. She treated wounded men as guests and gave each a private bedroom in the castle (unlike the Downton Abbey scenes where convalescing soldiers slept on military cots lining a large room). When it outgrew Highclere, she paid to move it to a larger London facility.“I am amazed and humbled by the work Almina did,” Lady Fiona says. “Although Highclere always has done its best to make people feel welcome, Almina also made people feel better.”Lady Almina’s money also funded her husband’s many years of winter excavations for artefacts in Egypt and earned the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon his place in history as co-discoverer of Tutankhamen’s intact tomb in 1922.Still considered Egypt’s most important archaeological find, the discovery took its toll on the earl, who died shortly afterward. On the night he died in Egypt, the lights went out all over Cairo. His beloved terrier, at Highclere, left out a single howl and also died the same night. These events and other rumours fuelled talk of the “Curse of the Pharaohs.”Today, three galleries in the castle’s cellars cover the Fifth Earl’s interests (which also included “fast” cars of the day and aeroplanes), his many years of excavations in Egypt and his amazing finds.Lady Fiona explains why threads of Highclere’s story can be found in Downton Abbey. “Julian Fellowes is a close friend of ours. He already knew the castle’s history when he began writing Downton,” she says. At times, she notes, the answers she and her husband give to Fellowes’ casual questions sometimes find their way into the episodes’ scripts.“Julian originally wanted to use Highclere for (the film) Gosford Park, but it was just a little too far out of London for that production’s demands,” she adds.If you’d like to visit the castle, know that it can’t be a spur-of-the-moment side trip. You’ve got to watch Highclere’s website (www.highclerecastle.co.uk) and snap up the online tickets as soon as they become available ... even before making your plane reservations!Your Highclere ticket gets you in the door to see many rooms used for Downton Abbey scenes, including the salon, drawing room, music room, smoking room, dining room, a few bedrooms and the library (Lady Fiona’s favourite place). Guests also can pay a bit more to visit the castle’s cellars containing its Egyptian exhibition.Morning or afternoon ticket holders have 2½ hours to tour the castle’s interior and the cellar rooms of the Egyptian exhibition. After that, they still can walk the grounds and hiking trails, tour the gardens, shop for gifts and have lunch in its tearoom.“Thanks to Downton Abbey, our home has an amazingly high profile and has become one of the best-known stately homes in the world,” Lady Fiona says. The castle’s bookings for large group tours already are filled for 2013. Individual tickets sell out practically as quickly as they become available.The challenge for the current earl and his wife is harnessing Downton’s popularity to support the massive house, which was built by the same architect who constructed Westminster Abbey.Income from Lady Fiona’s book, a New York Times bestseller for non-fiction, has helped. When Downton isn’t filming (about six months a year), the castle staff also books weddings, corporate events and private dinners. It also has a new online gift shop for fans who can’t visit Highclere.Just like the Downton segment where Lord Grantham tells Matthew (the next Lord Grantham) about his responsibilities, including dozens of toilets, the Eighth Earl of Carnarvon and his wife worry about maintaining miles of pipes and acres of roof.“Keeping Highclere up is a responsibility as well as a privilege,” she says. “There’s always something going wrong. We divide our tasks, with my husband taking responsibility for roof tiles, while I do the pretty curtains. But I’ve also crawled out on the roof with him to see where our money is going. It’s not that scary, if you’re wearing the right shoes.”Lady Fiona knew something about Almina and the Fifth Earl before she became the current Countess of Carnarvon. But she really delved into the couple when she injured her knee and spent hours on the library sofa. “I asked the staff to bring me things to read from the castle’s archives. It was just after Downton’s first series had aired and its popularity gave me the chance to get Lady Almina’s story published,” she says. Now she’s writing a second book about the castle’s history, from 1923-1945.The author and her husband live in Highclere during filming. But when summer crowds arrive, they move to a smaller home “about 20 yards away. We don’t want to have to be up and out by 8am each morning,” she explains.No matter where they’re living, they watch every episode, so they can answer questions when “the press rings up and wants to know our thoughts about a scene.”A dedicated dog lover, she admits to wondering why one of her Labrador retrievers wasn’t tapped to be Lord Grantham’s dog. (When the series began, she had two Labs and now has four, in addition to three cocker spaniels).She has never wanted a Downton role for herself, however. “I see how hard the actors work and how long their days are. Most of the women spend their time in hair rollers and the men spend hours just waiting to go on. I have a very different view of what seems so glamorous from the outside. I’d rather take my dogs for a walk.”But it would be a different story, if Lady Almina still was running Highclere. “Almina would have jumped at the chance for a part. She loved life and was so outgoing that I’m sure she’d have expected a part on par with the role played by Dame Maggie Smith,” she says. — The Morning Call/MCT

The five-door Mercedes-Benz ML 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC was recently recognised for its outstanding performance by one of Europe and the world’s most stringent vehicle testing organisations, the Euro NCAP. The ML scored high on factors related to adult occupants, pedestrians and safety assistance.The tested ML features a host of safety equipment such as front seatbelt pre-tensioners; front seatbelt load limiters with rear outboard load limiters as well; driver frontal airbag dual stage; side body airbags; side head airbags; front passenger frontal airbag dual stage; driver knee airbag; speed limitation assistance; electronic stability control and seatbelt reminder for driver and passengers amongst other specs. The overall safety rating of Euro NCAP is composed of scores in four areas: adult protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist. The overall score is calculated by weighing the four scores with respect to each other, while making sure that not one area is underachieving. The underlying dynamic tests are identical to those before 2009, except for the addition of a test for whiplash neck injury protection in rear impact. Also, Euro NCAP now rewards not only seatbelt reminders, but also speed Limiters and the standard fitment of Electronic Stability Control.On the adult occupant front, the ML recorded a whopping 96%. During the test, the passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact. Dummy readings indicated good protection for the knees and femurs of both driver and front passenger. The M Class scored maximum points in the side barrier test. In the more severe side pole impact, protection of the chest was adequate and that of all other body areas was good. The front seats and head restraints provided good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear impact.On safety assist, the ML scored 86% owing to its standard electronic stability control as well its seatbelt reminder system for the driver, passenger and rear seats. For pedestrian protection, the ML received 60%. The M Class has an ‘active’ bonnet. Sensors in the bumper detect when a pedestrian has been struck and actuators lift the rear of the bonnet to provide greater clearance to hard structures underneath. Mercedes-Benz demonstrated that the system would deploy correctly for a wide range of pedestrian statures, and over a broad speed range. In all areas likely to be struck by the head of an adult, the bonnet provided good protection. Khaled Shaa’ban, General Manager of NBK Automobiles, the exclusive dealers of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar said: “Today and more than ever, car owners look for safety as a priority within their purchase decision-making process. This is why Mercedes-Benz has strongly and continuously invested in safety technology in order to build vehicles that are earmarked with the highest levels of safety in compliance with the strictest global standards such as the Euro NCAP.”