Malta’s “In Guardia” parade reenacts the historical inspection of Valletta’s fort and garrison by the Grand Bailiff of the Order of the Knights of St. John. During the 40-minute show, the fort’s garrison, some 70 participants in full regalia, demonstrate a range of military drills from the era.
The RentaDreamCar (Burleigh Heads, QLD; phone 1300 226 412) “Drive Day Tour,” accommodating four to six people, allows visitors to Queensland on Australia’s Gold Coast to drive a Ferrari 360 Modena AND a Lamborghini Gallardo in one day.
One day into a week-long Mexican Riviera cruise, an engine room fire on Nov. 8 left Carnival Cruise Lines’ Splendor dead in the water. 3,299 passengers and 1,167 crew were left without electricity and, hence, no air-conditioning, hot water or hot food. Toilets backed up. While food was airlifted in, tugboats towed the ship 200 miles to San Diego within three days.
Passengers were offered a full refund and a free future cruise. Anyone booked on any of the nine additional Splendor cruises that were canceled will be refunded and get a 25% discount on a cruise.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Nov. 22, the last day of an annual three-day water festival marking the end of the rainy season, 5,000 to 7,000 people packed onto a narrow suspension bridge connecting the city to a park on an island. The bridge’s swaying caused people to wrongly think it might collapse, the panicked crowd then stampeded and the crush left 351 dead and 395 injured.
As of Jan. 1, passengers boarding flights in Austria are being charged an “ecological air travel levy” similar to the levies in Germany and the UK (Nov. ’10, pg. 67). The charge is €8 (near $10.50) for European flights and €40 ($52) for long-distance flights.
In Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee in Israel, a 15-minute, Vegas-style light show is held three times a night, year-round, weather permitting. With music, lasers, pyrotechnics and 30-foot dancing jets of water, video presentations are displayed on two huge “water screens.” The free show can be viewed from the south end of the Tiberias Promenade at 8:30, 9:30 and 10 p.m.
During the “Hiroshima Dreamination” festival in Japan, Nov. 6, 2010-Jan. 3, 2011, the city center will be strung with more than 1.3 million colored lights, and designers will compete at creating lighted “monuments” (a dozen or so).
Visitors may join the parade on opening day. A concert will be held each Saturday at Hiroshima Crystal Plaza. Visit www.hcvb.city.hiroshima.jp, click on “English,” then on “Major Events.”
Harrison’s Cave, in St. Thomas parish, Barbados, has completed an extensive redevelopment. A 40-minute guided tram ride reveals stalagmites, stalactites, limestone formations, underground waterfalls and the Great Cavern with its 100-foot-high ceiling.
From the clifftop, take one of three glass-fronted elevators or enjoy a hike down a cliff trail or a valley trail through lush flora to the valley floor to find the interactive Cave Interpretive Center.
The long-term project to turn Mont St. Michel, France, back into an island is progressing. The estuarine tidal island — a granite pinnacle located a kilometer off of Normandie in northwest France — is famous for its abbey that was carved deep into the rock from the 11th to 15th centuries.
Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport introduced a 17-mile Express Service train in August that connects the airport with Bangkok’s Makkasan area.