The Korea Herald

Homeless guides reveal darker side of London

LONDON (AFP) ― Like many other Londoners who make a living showing tourists around the city, Viv is telling a group of visitors how Waterloo Bridge was largely rebuilt by women after World War II.But Viv, 56, is no ordinary tour guide. She is homeless ― and the stairs under the bridge, which boasts majestic views of the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral, were once her home.“I lived there for two months,” she tells the sightseers. “I had a patch made of wooden pallets, newspapers and

Oct. 28, 2012

Homeless man scams Disney 26 times

Authorities in Florida said a 49-year-old homeless man allegedly cheated Disney out of more than $18,000 by using the same credit card scam at least 26 times.The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Jeffery Hawkins, 49 -- who was arrested Tuesday on charges of credit card fraud, trafficking in stolen credit cards and defrauding an innkeeper -- allegedly told deputies he has spent the past 10 years moving from hotel to hotel and booking rooms with stolen credit card numbers, the Orlando Sentinel r

Oct. 28, 2012

KTO holds Oriental medicine tours in Russia

The Korea Tourism Organization promoted Korea’s Oriental medicine tours in Russia, holding a tourism fair in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Tuesday and Vladivostok on Thursday.The KTO held the special promotional events in Russia for local travel agencies and media, in response to the increase in Russian tourists seeking oriental medicine treatment in Korea. The number of Russian tourists visiting Korea for medical services has surged from 5,098 in 2010 to 9,650 in 2011. The KTO expects the nu

Oct. 26, 2012

Banyan Tree Hotel and Resort opens new hotel in Shanghai

Banyan Tree Hotel and Resort opened a new urban luxury resort in Shanghai on Monday. Located in the waterfront area in central Shanghai called The Bund, home to world-famous hotels and restaurants, Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund offers Huangpu River view from every room and an interesting mix of urban culture and traditional experience. From now through Dec. 31, Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund will be extending a special Opening Celebration Offer to celebrate the resort’s launch. Guests booki

Oct. 26, 2012

Park Hyatt Seoul selected second best hotel in Korea, Japan

Park Hyatt Seoul, a luxury boutique hotel in Gangnam, Seoul, has been selected as the second-best hotel in Korea and Japan by Conde Nast Traveler, a premier travel magazine, for its November 2012 Readers’ Choice Award. Park Hyatt Seoul came in second place receiving a rating of 95 out of 100, after Tokyo Peninsula. The magazine conducts surveys of over 28,000 travelers worldwide in the category of the best hotels, islands, airlines, cities and cruises. Park Hyatt Seoul was also the only hotel in

Oct. 26, 2012

Air Busan opens ticket auction

Air Busan is offering travelers a chance to bid for airline tickets for Busan-Fukuoka flights at the company’s website (www.airbusan.com) until Oct. 30. The event is part of the celebration of the increase of the non-stop service between Busan and Fukuoka and between Busan and Osaka. The auction, which started on Oct. 23, offers initial prices starting at 30,000 won for Busan-Fukuoka service and 50,000 won for the Busan-Osaka service. The tickets purchased during the event period can be used for

Oct. 26, 2012

Festival in Gangneung allures coffee lovers

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province ― There are more than 160 coffee houses in the east coast city of Gangneung, population 280,000. Normally Gangneung is a popular summer spot, attracting more than 200,000 holidaymakers during the peak summer season to its famous Gyeongpodae Beach. So it’s natural that the city came up with a festival to bring in more tourists outside of the summer. This year the Gangneung Coffee Festival is held at the port city through Oct. 28. Visitors are able to start their journe

Oct. 26, 2012

Festival in Gangneung allures coffee lovers

Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision flows through Fallingwater

MILL RUN, Pennsylvania ― Masterpiece. Art. Perfection. Many fancy words and rapturous phrases have described Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous house.It’s all true. But what is also true is that I kept thinking, wow, this house is not childproof. A 2-year-old could tumble out that low, unlocked window and fall to his death! A toddler would drown in that unfenced plunge pool! The railings aren’t high enough. The floor is too hard. And that giant open fireplace, what a safety issue. An

Oct. 26, 2012

Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision flows through Fallingwater

Naejangsan ― one of Korea’s best-loved mountains in fall

Located a short distance outside Jeonju in the undulating hillsides of South Jeolla Province in the country’s southwest, Naejangsan is one of Korea’s finest and arguably one of its most visited attractions. The mountain brings hordes of people to view its foliage during the autumn months every year. “The best time to go is the first week of November,” said Jin Hyun-ju, a visitor’s guide at the mountain’s national park. “This is often the busiest time of year, and we see visitors from all over th

Oct. 23, 2012

Naejangsan ― one of Korea’s best-loved mountains in fall

India’s top court lifts ban on tiger tourism

NEW DELHI (AP) ― India’s top court lifted a ban on tourism in tiger reserves across the country but asked local governments to regulate visitors.The Supreme Court had ordered a complete ban on such tourism in July while the government formulated new guidelines. It lifted the ban late Tuesday after the government announced new rules aimed at allowing tourism to co-exist with conservation.According to the new rules, no new tourist facilities can be created in the tiger areas and only 20 percent of

Oct. 19, 2012

Banyan Tree Club, Spa Seoul opens Facebook page

To celebrate the launch its first official Facebook page, the hotel is holding a special event from Oct. 17-Nov. 7 that presents a hotel package, a spa treatment service and hotel restaurant coupons at facebook.com/BanyanTreeClubandSpaSeoul. Those who wish to participate in the event can leave a post about who they want to spend a day with at the hotel and why. The first-prize winner will receive a hotel package that features a one-night stay at a Deluxe Suite room with a complimentary breakfast

Oct. 19, 2012

KORAIL starts special trains to walking trail

Korea Railroad Corporation launched special train services to a walking trail named “Oessibeoseongil” (meaning the trail that resembles the shape of traditional Korean socks).The trail stretches 200 kilometers from Yeoungwol in Gangwon Province to Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang Province, which boasts a variety of scenic beauty, culture and food. The Saemaeul and Mugungwha trains will operate from Seoul and Busan to the stop points of the trail including Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Bonghwa from Oct

Oct. 19, 2012

Decades late, FDR memorial park dedicated in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) ― Celebrating a design 40 years in the making, dignitaries on Wednesday dedicated a new memorial park to President Franklin Roosevelt overlooking the United Nations that he helped found.The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, on an island in the East River, “will stand forever as a monument to the man who brought us through the Great Depression and brought us victory over great evil,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg told several hundred people at the dedication ceremony.Former Presid

Oct. 19, 2012

Decades late, FDR memorial park dedicated in NYC

Rolling on and off the water on a drive and ferry trip to British Columbia

Land. Sea. Land. Sea.Ferry. Road. Ferry. RoadFish for lunch. Fish for dinner. Pancakes for breakfast (yes, you can have fish if you really must).A looping trip west out of Vancouver, British Columbia, means a lot of water and mountains that get in the way. But the Canadians have tamed their pockmarked geography with winding roads, deep tunnels and, most of all, ferries that link the once-isolated villages and big cities.It’s a fragmented trip. Just when you start rolling along the highway, you c

Oct. 19, 2012

Rolling on and off the water on a drive and ferry trip to British Columbia

Lounge party at Grand Hyatt Seoul

The hotel’s Japanese restaurant Akasaka will host the “Midnight in Tokyo,” the facility’s second themed lounge party bringing guests to entertaining nightscape from 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. on Oct. 25. Live music performance by a guest DJ, lucky draws featuring plentiful gifts, and various other spectacles will bring the exotic October autumn party to full swing, all inside a hall meticulously crafted to resemble Tokyo scenery. Additionally, enjoy Japanese canape cuisine as well as sake selected by a

Oct. 19, 2012

Salad buffet opens at Murcure Seoul SODOWE

The hotel presents the opening of a salad buffet for businessmen who are seeking a healthy and cheap meal from 12:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. every day at its Caf SODOWE located on the second floor of the hotel. The buffet offers more than 30 diverse courses that include salad, sandwiches, soups, breads, fruits and desserts at 9,000 won. Caf SODOWE’s salad bar also features a “live station,” where the buffet chef provides visitors with special menus. Chef’s special sorbet dessert is also available at the

Oct. 19, 2012

Salad buffet opens at Murcure Seoul SODOWE

Green mud crab delicacy at The Plaza

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant Taoyuen invites Seoul’s epicureans to its “Green Mud Crab Special” promotion until Oct. 31. Green Mud Crabs are caught in areas where the water temperature is kept above 13 degrees Celsius. Because they can only be caught during the months of September and October, they are often called the “1 percent crab.” Taoyuen’s special course set includes seven dishes with green mud crab as the main dish. Other dishes include cordyceps mushroom and abalone soup, sharks’ fin

Oct. 19, 2012

First package program at Conrad Seoul

Conrad Seoul presents the brand’s signature package in celebration of its opening in Seoul on Nov. 12. The package titled “Luxury of Being Yourself” includes a one-night stay at a hotel room with a complimentary breakfast. HHonors Gold and Diamond members will be able to earn 5,000 HHonors points for each stay as part of this special offer. Rising 38 stories along the Han River waterfront, the 434 all-suite luxury hotel is the first Korea address from Conrad Hotels & Resorts, the global luxury b

Oct. 19, 2012

Gala dinner at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill

Clock 16, the hotel’s contemporary European restaurant-bar, invited a very special guest chef, Gennaro Esposito, from Italy for the upcoming “Seoul Gourmet Gala Dinner” scheduled to be held at 7 p.m., Nov. 2. Chef Gennaro Esposito is renowned for his beautiful restaurant, Torre del Saracino, established in the cozy beach town of Vico Equensa in southern Italy. This two Michelin-starred restaurant has been featured on “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants,” a global food critique media channel. The ga

Oct. 19, 2012

Gala dinner at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill

Qatar Airways joins airline alliance

NEW YORK (AP) ― Qatar Airways is joining an alliance of airlines including American Airlines, British Airways and nine other carriers that coordinate routes and allow passengers to earn frequent-flier miles on each other’s flights.The inclusion in the oneworld alliance ― aimed at allowing passengers to hop around the globe easier ― signals the growing importance of Persian Gulf carriers such as Doha-based Qatar. “Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today

Oct. 12, 2012