June 2009

• Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas on April 12 after the antigovernment protests by “Red Shirt” supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in 2006, grew more violent.

For 2½ weeks, the PM’s residence and the Government House had been besieged. Police and military forces were called in to restore order, and clashes between protestors and locals resulted in two deaths and more than 100 people injured following 24 hours of violence.

In Sri Lanka, at press time, government forces had pushed the Tamil Tigers into a 10-square-kilometer area in the northeast, all that remains of the separate nation for which the Tamil minority group is fighting. Since 1983 more than 70,000 have been killed in this, Asia’s longest modern war.

In April, the Tigers’ proposals of a unilateral cease-fire were dismissed by officials in Colombo, who said the Tigers used previous cease-fires to rearm and that they must surrender.

The Abruzzo region of Italy suffered a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake on April 6, resulting in 289 deaths, tens of thousands homeless and thousands of buildings damaged. Worst hit were L’Aquila, a 13th-century mountain city about 70 miles northeast of Rome, and the surrounding villages; entire medieval towns were flattened.

Among landmark buildings damaged were the Basilica di Santa di Collemaggio and the dome of the Duomo of the Amine Sante in L’Aquila and, in a nearby town, the Church of San Michele Arcangelo.

The 1950s red Spårakoff Beer Tram, a traveling bar, serves Finnish beer and other beverages while you tour Helsinki, Finland. The 40-minute ride starts from the Mikonkatu tram stop, near Helsinki’s Railway Square, and makes five stops, including the Helsinki Opera House.

In 2009 the tram operates Tuesday-Saturday, May 19-Aug. 29, with departures every hour from 2 to 8 p.m. Tickets, available on board and at the kiosk on the Esplanade, cost €8 ($10.50).

Each Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m., a “High Tea” is offered with a performance by an opera singer in the dining room of the Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant in the Sydney Opera House (phone +61 2 9250 7250, e-mail tourism@sydneyoperahouse.com or visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com). The menu includes a glass of wine, assorted teas, savouries, pastries and petit fours. The price is AU$145 (US$99) and bookings are required. 

As of January 2009, passengers aboard Royal Caribbean International cruises are required to pay a fee of $3.95 when ordering room service between midnight and 5 a.m.

The railcars of the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe (Vienna, Austria; www.imperialtrain.com) replicate those used by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife, Elisabeth (Sissi), before WWI. With modern chassis, cars dating from 1905 to 1959 have been restored or replicas made using original plans and photographs.

The (non-air-conditioned) luxury train runs between Vienna and Munich, passing through Melk, Linz, Salzburg, Prien am Chiemsee, Innsbruck, Seefeld and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Including photos, captions and maps, the book “Classic Motorsport Routes” by Richard Meaden (2008, Publisher Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760334317 — 224 pgs, Hardbound, $40) shows 30 of the circuits, roads and tracks across four continents that have helped shape more than a century of racing, including the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, Grossglockner, the rallies of Monte Carlo and Spain, the Grand Prix circuits from Monaco to Germany and the Frankfurt-Darmstadt Autobahn. All routes are on public roads and can be driven by travelers today.

In Nikko, two hours north of Tokyo, the theme park Edo Wonderland Nikko (www.edowonderland.net) shows Japan as it was in the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868). Visitors can watch battles between samurai and ninja, try archery and see traditional plays, magic shows and acrobatics.

Open daily 9-5, March 20-Nov. 30, and 9:30-4, Dec. 1-March 19. Day pass, ¥4,500 (near $45) adult, ¥2,300 child. Half-day pass, ¥3,900 adult, ¥2,000 child. 

Good news for tourists in Shanghai — as of May 1, checkout times in hotels, guest houses and hostels are negotiable. Previously, hotels across China’s mainland set noon as the checkout time.

The new regulation requires that Shanghai hotels confirm the checkout time with guests in writing before they check in. Hotels do not have to offer a flexible checkout time, but they are required to inform guests of the time of checkout when they arrive and to display checkout options near the reception desk.