Travel Briefs

Brazil has granted the environmental license to build the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River, a tributary to the Amazon, in the northern state of Pará. Construction is expected to start in 2015. 

Heavily protested by both indigenous peoples and environmentalists, the dam will be the third largest in the world and may produce 11 gigawatts of electric power. To protect the environment and for nearby locals, the government is requiring an offset fund of $830 million from the company building the dam.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in the lower leg (usually between the ankle and the upper calf) and which can occur when someone sits in the same position for a long time.

AmesWalker.com has a free audio podcast with tips on preventing DVT when traveling. It describes stretching exercises and can be downloaded at www.economyclasssyndrome.net.

The Welsh town of Betws-y-Coed will host the Snowdonia Walking Festival, Oct. 13-17, 2010. Organized by a cancer charity, Tenovus (9th Floor, Gleider House, Ty Glas Road, Cardiff CF14 5BD, Wales, UK; phone 02920 768865), guided walks vary from short walks in lowlands (£10, or $16) to mountain hikes (£20).

“The Monster Movie Fan’s Guide to Japan” tells fans of Japanese sci-fi and fantasy movies how to visit the filming location of each, where to stay and what other attractions are nearby. It also has sections on customs, currency exchange, weather and more.

The guide retails for $15 plus $2.74 shipping and is available at www.comiXpress.com. (Shortcut to the guide.)

The first three extant works of the Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer will be exhibited May 12-Aug. 22, 2010, in the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis (Korte Vijverberg 8, The Hague, Netherlands; phone +31 0 70 302 3456).

Unlike his later interior scenes, these works, painted in his early twenties, are of Biblical and mythological subjects. 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday, 11-5 Sunday. €12 ($17).

The province of Bocas del Toro, Panama, boasts protected cloud forest with monkeys, toucans and sloths; Caribbean beaches reached by boat or trek; breakers for surfers; snorkeling and scuba diving at coral sites with dolphins and tropical fish; sites with manatees, and indigenous communities to which visits can be arranged.

Newly opened in Bocas Town, the Bocas Sustainable Tourism Alliance Tourist Information Center (Calle 3, Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro; www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com) offers bookings with member tour operators, hotels and restaurants.

Seventy-plus works of Pablo Picasso will be shown in Zürich’s Kunsthaus museum (Heimplatz 1, CH-8001, Zürich, Switzerland; phone +41 [0] 44 253 84 84), Oct. 15, 2010-Jan. 30, 2011. The selection, from international collections, is based on Picasso’s self-curated first showing in 1932. 10-8 Wednesday-Friday and 10-6 Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. CHF18 ($17) adult.

More than 60 of Berlin’s museums and galleries stay open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on the Long Night of the Museums, which takes place on the last Saturday each January and August.

One ticket gives unlimited access to all venues and use of a special shuttle. €15 (near $20) adult, €10 senior, child under 12 free. Tickets at Berlin Infostores, S-Bahn/BVG ticket machines and in front of city hall (by the shuttles) or at www.museumsportal-berlin.de.

Hotel rooms with amenities for mobility-impaired travelers can be found online using new tools added to the websites Expedia.com and Hotels.com.

On each website, after the initial search for date and city choices is performed, a drop-down menu is available (on top right of page on Expedia and on right side of page on Hotels.com) showing options such as Braille signage, roll-in shower or accessible bathroom. Choices are then narrowed to hotels with those features, which can be requested on the booking form.

In January, North Korean officials announced that Americans now may visit at any time of year for up to seven days. Previously, Americans could visit only during the Arirang Mass Performances, August-October, on five-day tours.

Travelers (even a party of one) still must have a guide. Currently, 16 companies can arrange tours to North Korea; visit http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Korea. The only US company currently offering tours is Asia Pacific Travel (Kenilworth, IL; 800/262-6420).