thrill of the month

	The thrill of the month of September is all the fun sites I've found while researching the trip I'm taking in Asia. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find many interesting sites on Indonesia although I'm sure there must be some more. Anybody got some to add?
	Keep your friends
SQUEAKY CLEAN	Some friends of mine had a brief stay in a Japanese hotel here in the city and were puzzled about the baths they found in their rooms. This is an interesting page which details how one takes a bath in Japan. It also has a section devoted to clearing up the rather confusing issues surrounding footwear etiquette, which can also be found in other Asian cultures. All of this was news to me and is a fun read.
AND POLITE	The Republic of Indonesia Embassy in Washington, D.C. maintains a very interesting site which has a page with advice on how to be courteous while visiting. Some common sense, some intriguing. "It is polite but not necessary to remove one's shoes if the hostess is not wearing footwear." (What about the host? How can they say "not necessary" when this obviously made the short list?)
	Feed your paranoia!
EXOTIC DISEASES	The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a web site where you can click any location in the world and find what exotic diseases it is crawling with, as well as a list of the vaccinations it recommends for travellers. Think you know fear? I actually had to stop reading their Other Insect Diseases page.
IDYLLIC LOCALES	Much like the CDC's listing, the U.S. State Department keeps a page where one may click on a country to view recent travel advisories. Natural disasters, civil unrest, crime and anti-U.S. sentiment are all covered! Also, see the Worldwide Caution page.
	Getting There and Back
DETECTOR DOG	The Tokyo International Airport (a.k.a. Narita Intl. Airport) web site is easily the neatest one listed here, and is chock full of fun stuff even if you never plan to go there. I especially recommend visiting their Customs Page to see "The Drug Detector Dog" and the animated GIF Customs Officials. Need to know where you can buy a German-made toy airplane in a Japanese airport? Check out the lavishly illustrated and helpfully annotated Shopping pages!
U.S.CUSTOMS	Not to be outdone, the U.S. Customs Dept. maintains a site which not only has "Detector Dogs" but does Narita Airport one up by having a "Detector Dog of the Month." They also advertise career opportunities, have a "Most Wanted" page, and a page where you can report smuggling. (They also have a page or two of helpful traveler info.) Also of interest is the USDA Travel Tips web site with the catchy slogan: "Don't Pack a Pest!", and intriguing lists of what you can bring in from country A but not from country B. Just so you know, all dirt is contraband!
MORE FUN	There is a wacky photo gallery (link went dead -sorry!) maintained by a fellow who works at the Narita Airport. He enjoys photography and likes to take pictures of people. It is mostly devoted to stewardesses but has a few really interesting photos of other people and events in Narita. Although it SOUNDS interesting, and is wacky enough to warrant mention here, I would probably check Narita Airport's own Photo Gallery first, which is mostly devoted to airplanes (I love airplanes!) and also features a few pictures of stewardesses.
	This has been the Thrill for the month of September. The author of this site claims no copyright on any of the contents of this page.

back / next home