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Planning an RTW trip?
For inspiration, check out the RTW Travel Guide.

Monkey Attacks
With no dark blue scrotum to back him up, Antonio Sanchez soon realizes his small monkey challenger may not be so harmless after all.

Leeeeeeeaving, On an Overland Tour
Ian Kutschke gears up for his overland trip, passing along some of the advice he's picked up about Southern Africa along the way

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Planning an RTW trip?
For inspiration, check out the RTW Travel Guide.

Of Temples and Tombs
Off the regular tourist map, the temple towns of Badami, Aihole and Pattadkal offer architectural wonders that even most Indians have never been to.

Tsunami Junction, Sri Lanka
Laurie Weed visits a girl's orphanage in Sri Lanka, putting a human face - rather, 55 of them - on the tsunami disaster.

Japanese Toilet Technology
When Jessica Hampton got to Japan, she was so dazzled by the cleanliness around her that that immediately did the previously unthinkable in a gesture of trust and international good-will: she used a squatty potty for the very first time.

Ultash Language School
In China, Barukh Shalev gets into a conversation he'd rather avoid.

A Place with No Name: Three Surreal Days in a Bangkok Suburb
Not everyone who visits Bangkok spends their time on Khao San Road. Joanna Grome basks in local Thai hospitality on her arrival.

The Ring
For those guys out there thinking of proposing in a distant and romantic locale, Jason Thiessen suggests: resist the urge to simply propose just so you can stop worrying about it. Pick the right time and place, it's worth it.

On the Road to Ruin with David and Victoria Beckham: A Message from India
For a foreigner, the newspapers in India can be fascinating. There is just so much happening in terms of politics, religion, and economic and cultural change. But what can you expect in a country of over a billion people, so many languages and such diversity?

Cycling for Change
How to make a difference in Cambodia.

The Journey's End in India
Colin Todhunter left the train in Chennai and never got back on as he realized, you can't change India, India changes you.

Socialists Need High-End Electronics Too
Conor Grennan enters a country where the first things he reads on the Embarkation Card are: USE BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS.....ONLY BLUE OR BLACK INK.....DEATH PENALTY.

Forget Me Not: Notes from a Kashgar Wedding
While attending a Moslem wedding, Barukh Shalev peers in on 'girl things', refuses to chant "Allah U Akbar" and gives comfort through a little white lie.

Lots and Lots of Rocks
Once you get past the touts and the yapping of guides, Guilin can be quite beautiful.

The Unfamous City
Phillip Donnelly vists China's promised land, a SEZ.

Vainglorious Towers
Guatemalan town hall towers resplendently stand tall beaming an outward vainglory of inward grace.

Antigua's Environs
Lito Galvan continues his tour of Guatemala's architectural wonders by exploring Antigua's surrounding area.

Cool Comfort in Antigua
Antigua is abundant in charming and tasteful residences and fountains too small and unnoticeable to be toppled down by earthquakes and thank goodness, too eye pleasing and precious to be knocked down by the ravages of time.

Dressing-Up for Semana Santa
Lito Galvan recounts the madness of Holy Week in Antigua.

Old World Treasure Hunting in Antigua
Lito Galvan discovers the nostalgia of Antigua's architecture and ruins.

Flores - Lake Bud in Tropical Heat
Flores may not be easily located as Santa Elena but its idyllic dreamy location embellished with attractive colors and lights reflected in the lake day and night proves irresistibly another getaway for visitors before or after their trip to Tikal.

Out-of-this-Barrio Kiddieland
Without touts or beggars in San Andres Xecul, Lito Galvan, the camera-toting tourist, felt snubbed.

Gathering Glimpses of Guatemala City
Struggling to be all-in-one Native-American, nostalgically European, and vibrantly Modern against political and natural odds on a back-burner reputation, Guatemala City offers amusingly simple attractions.

Cloud Nine Tango over the Altiplano
Along the western flank of Guatemala, the Pan-American Highway meanders like a mild roller coaster track through the highlands collectively termed El Altiplano.

Chichicastenango's Spell
Chichicastenango is famous for its brand of Christian-Mayan worship - a brotherhood of church members dedicated to a Christian saint's veneration, tradition, and rites. It's also famous for its Mayan spirit shrines, and the cult of Maximon, the pagan saint.

Shooting Two Birds with One Stone
Lito Galvan finds tourist police to be clueless crosses between cinema ushers and supermarket security guards that might have been recruited just days before the onslaught of the peak tourist season from a pool of the habitually indolent and unemployed.

Chuckling Post from a Chicken Bus Ride
The chicken bus offered limited outside view but inside, there is free entertainment, ride fare not inclusive.

Soaring Skyscrapers of the Jungle-City of Tikal
Lito Galvan thinks George Lucas wasn't too discreet imagineering the aerial scenes in his film "Star Wars" - it's unmistakably copied from the magical fantasy city of Tikal.

Temblor en Puerto Viejo
Natural disasters aside, and being scammed to get her wallet back, Lisa Britt discovers there is something very real about being out there away from everything.

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Don't Go to Monaco
In the space of less than two hours (closer to one hour if you subtract the walking time between the castle to the casino), Leif Pettersen had exhausted all that supposed, mighty Monaco had to offer.

Andechs Monastery: A Spiritual Journey
On a return trip to Andechs Monastery, David Fanning realizes people make all kinds of decisions in our lives. Some lead away from the path, into the dark and frightening territory beyond, and others lead us back, to the light and our true nature. All are necessary to explore the terrain fully, to come to know it as ourselves.

A Book Lover's Tour of London
As the ruins are evidence of Rome's contribution to democratic society, so are the works of literature housed and nursed by the British Library evidence of the honor that these artists have brought to England.

Andechs Monastery: Pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain
Two weeks of rain has given everyone in Germany the same idea: "Now Oktoberfest is over, let's head to Andechs Monastery for repentance!"

Sixth Largest City in Germany
Dortmund is the sixth largest city in German, which loosely translates to mean it's the biggest German city you never heard of.

Belfast Beyond the Peace Line
Nancy Bevilaqua's fascination with the idea of Ireland and the unending struggles of its people, leads her to Belfast to discover the realities of life for residents there.

Charlotte
How to you react to a slowly dying woman, Barukh Shalev questions.

Don't Fall Asleep on Your Bike - The Easy Way Down Maui's Mountain
Deb Smith knows that once you get to the top of the mountain, it's all downhill from there.

About Vacationing in Maine
Sandy Jenkins thinks the opportunities are endless in Maine.

Of Beasts and Heroes
After watching a bullfight, Richard Arghiris figures Hemingway was full of crap.

Fowl Play
Kukuiolono is one of the greatest bargains in golf anywhere - $7 green fees. Free-roaming chickens thrown in for free.

Mardi Gras: South West Louisiana-Style
Neilia Sherman learns that Mardi Gras and all the religious and cultural traditions that have evolved around it has become the heart of the Louisiana way of life.

Duelin' Elvi!
Inspired by the multitude of Elvi in Vegas, Lee Hammerschmidt feels compelled to produce his own imitation.

Adventures in Hostelling
Marisa Umsawasdi gives her take on hostels in New Zealand.

A Cheap Day's Perth
David Stephens lists 27 things that will save you cash and let you explore all Perth has to offer.

Southern Island Hopping in Australia
Neville Millen heads to an island off the coast of Tasmania and is keen to visit its shores again in anticipation of a mixture of both solitude and stimulation.

Savouring the Savannah Way
Whether you are travelling independently or on an organised tour, "The Top End" presents to you an extensive menu of entrees, main meals and desserts according to your individual tastes and preferences as a tourist - Bon Appetite!

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Carnaval on TV
The REAL, everyday, black-beans-and-rice family in Brazil experiences Carnaval like many of those in the US experience the ball drop on New Year's - on TV.

Getting Shot At
Despite being shot at, Carl Winter sings the praises of Brazil.