China must slow high-speed train plans until all safety concerns are met

Gulp! That was my reaction when I read the news a few days ago about China's new high-speed train derailing on a run from Hangzhou that killed 39 people.

I was supposed to be on that train from Hangzhou!

When I arrived in Beijing last week, newspapers and TV news shows were filled with horror stories concerning breakdowns involving the new high-speed trains - billed as the fastest in the world - which stopped unexpectedly in the middle of nowhere with passengers trapped inside sweltering hot cars waiting for help. In the four days I was in Beijing, the high speed train to Shanghai broke down three times.

One TV news report I watched had passengers shouting at young attendants who broke down in tears - foreign tourists actually came to the aid of the distraught railway employees and pushed the angry Chinese passengers away.

The breakdowns were the reason why I decided to take a car from Hangzhou to Shanghai instead of taking the train - a three hour journey which would have been covered in less than an hour on the rails.

When I read about the derailment, I was shocked - that could have been me.

China is racing into high-speed train travel at breakneck speed - literally - and someone in authority has to put the brakes on this expansion until all safety concerns are met. China's aim is to export its high-speed train technology around the world (it's currently building a line in Turkey and hopes to sell trains to British Rail) but this latest incident, which cost 39 innocent people their lives, may have other countries rethinking the purchases.

Slow down China and do things right!

Florida cities offer lowest tourist taxes

Travel can be taxing on tourists at the best of time so they don't need the added burden of high taxes at the destination.

So it was with interest that I read this morning a study, which I wanted to share with you, by a group called Global Business Travel Association Foundation which identifies the Top 5 U.S. cities with the lowest and highest tourism taxes.

Listed as the five lowest tax burdened cities out of 50 destinations studied, three Florida cities topped the list  - Fort Lauderdale was first, Fort Myers second and West Palm Beach in third. Following in fourth was Detroit and Portland was fifth.


According to the study, those five cities are lowest in both general sales tax and travel-related services such as car rental, hotel and meals.

On the flip side of the study, the five highest-tax imposing cities on travelers were in order: 1-Chicago, 2-New York City, 3-Seattle, 4-Boston, 5-Kansas City.

The study showed some drastic tourism tax differences between cities, in some cases 80 per cent more in comparison.

The study identified the Top 5 cities with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates or travel-related services -- not including general sales tax - as being the California cities of Orange County in first, San Diego in second, San Jose third, Burbank fourth and Ontario fifth. The five highest discriminatory travel taxing cities are 1-Portland, 2-Boston, 3-Minneapolis, 4-New York City, 5-Chicago.

Paolo's Deal of the Day

Paolo has dug up a great air deal to Australia.

Sydney Airfare

 $749

Return from Vancouver

Airline: Air New Zealand

Air Taxes: $657 (approx)

Travel Period:

July 24 - Sept. 21, 2011

Ticketing until: July 28, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Good Boy Paolo!

My China trip was a great success

I took this photo a intersection chaos in downtown Beijing from
my hotel window. Traffic in the capital is out of control.

 Now, where were we before I was interrupted by the Chinese ...

Just got back last night from an incredible 10-day tour of China, which included stops in Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai, and must apologize for not staying in touch through this blog. However, it wasn't my fault. The Chinese block all access to western-based blogs like mine and while I was able to "smuggle" some posts out - thanks to Hayson Chu for posting them - I was pretty much cut off.

I love travelling in China - the Chinese are some of the most pleasant people on the planet - but I wish their government would get over their paranoia about bloggers.

Enough said.

Some thoughts about the trip:

Beijing has to do something about its traffic gridlock and air quality control. Both are now becoming a deterrent to travelling to the capital, where the summer smog and heat are becoming a health hazard, even for short visits. There will be about 300 million cars on China's roads by next year and while the country has done an amazing job adding new super highways, officials have done little to control inner-city chaos. Red lights are regularly ignored by drivers, especially cabbies, and you literally risk getting hit just walking across a street, even though you have the green light.

Hangzhou was such a relief after four days in Beijing. The air in that eastern province city of six million is sweet thanks to beautiful West Lake and the botanical splendour that surrounds it. The lotus blossoms were in full bloom while I was visiting and that's a spectacular site. I also made my first visit to the new Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake and have one word to describe the Canadian brand's new China property - WOW! The Four Seasons at West Lake is now my favourite hotel in China and it's jumped into my Top 10 worldwide. It's actually built on the shores of West Lake and the staff there are the best in the Chinese hotel business.

Shanghai is my favourite city in China - the traffic isn't quite as bad as Beijing and I actually got three straight days of sunshine; a first after my many visits to China's biggest and most exciting city. Shanghai's nightlife is right up there with Hong Kong's and again I stayed at the Fairmont Peace Hotel on the historic Bund - just love that Art Deco beauty. I also visited a new chic hotel on the Bund called Indigo - InterContinental's new high-end brand - and the meal I had there and the nightime view I got of the Huangpu River and futuristic Pudong on the opposite side of the busy waterway from the hotel's observation deck was simply spectacular. Rooms at the Indigo are going for about $200 a night - a real bargain! I also ate at a restaurant called Ye in the city's Xin Tian Di district - the old colonial quarter which has been renovated and now features some of the city's finest dining rooms.

I can't wait to go back to China because it's the most exciting country on the planet to travel in these days - I just wish I could report back to you when I'm there.

China’s new bullet train breaks down

DATELINE BEIJING – China’s much ballyhooed high speed train between Beijing and Shanghai is being derailed by early problems.


The bullet train, which sped into service two weeks ago, encountered electrical problems three times this week and that resulted in the train breaking down in the middle of nowhere. Because there was no power supply, passengers had to sit in steaming hot cars waiting for a tow and that resulted in some confrontations with railway employees.

The 1,318-kilometre Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway was constructed to reduce the travel time between China’s two most important cities to less than five hours. It’s designed to handle a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour – the fastest in the world.

Chinese railway officials, who are already under fire for overspending on the project by billions and who are constantly defending themselves against bribery charges, were left red faced after the three breakdowns.

I was supposed to take the train to Shanghai from Beijing tomorrow, but after reading about the breakdowns, I decided instead to take a flight.

China is trying to export their train technology to other countries and is currently installing a high speed train line in Turkey. British railway officials are negotiating with the Chinese about buying the new trains but the recent incidents may have them take a wait and see policy until the bugs are worked out.

Hotels offer perks for good reviews

I’ve used this blog in the past to express my concerns about websites like TripAdvisor that post glowing reviews of hotels, knowing full well that the positive comments are usually submitted by the hotel itself or its staff.


Now comes word out of Great Britain that the government’s Office of Fair Trading is investigating allegations that hotels are offering incentives to guests in exchange for glowing online reviews of the property.

One of the properties alleged to be offering guests perks for good reviews is the Cove Cornwall in Lamorna, which reportedly encourages guests to become “brand champions” by posting “honest but positive” reviews on online review sites, including TripAdvisor, Michelin and the Good Food Guide.

Reviews of The Cove on TripAdvisor are, indeed, mostly positive. Of 87 reviews, 57 rated the hotel excellent, the highest of five categories.

Hotel management denies the allegations of bribing guests and trying to manipulate reviews. “In no way are we paying people to put positive reviews on TripAdvisor,” owner Lee Magner told the Mail Online. “We are merely rewarding their loyalty.”

TripAdvisor spokesman Kevin Carter told msnbc.com, “Property owners are welcome to encourage their guests to submit user reviews … but it is strictly against our guidelines for businesses to offer incentives, discounts, upgrades or special treatment on current or future stays in exchange for reviews.”

It comes as no surprise to me that this is happening and here’s the scary part – it’s only going to get worse folks.

So who should you trust? How about sites that are run by credible journalists like my own travelife.ca, which employs professionals to rank and rate hotels.

I'm married to Silversea's singles' offer

Silversea rules the waves with its great cruise offers.

If there's a better cruise company than Silversea, I certainly haven't found it.

And now the best cruise line on the sea is offering single travellers like me a deal that's hard to pass up - passage on five of Silversea's more popular cruises in 2012 with a single supplement that's just 10 per cent above the per-person, double occupancy fare.

Don't tell Silversea but I'd pay 20 per cent extra to sail on one of that line's luxury vessels that feature the best of everything.

With a crew-to-guest ratio that is almost one-to-one, single guests sailing on Silversea ships enjoy highly personalized service, warm hospitality, and an ambiance that makes them feel right at home. Also, exclusively for solo guests, a welcoming champagne reception is hosted aboard every Silversea voyage, and select voyages are escorted by Gentlemen Hosts. These interesting, amiable and distinguished men are available as dance partners or dinner companions for single female guests, and will often participate in other shipboard activities as well as escort shore excursions.

Okay, how about us single guys?

The following 2012 voyages offer a 10 per cent single supplement on a Vista Suite (25 per cent on a Veranda Suite), plus the added perks of: a $500 U.S. "Passport to Luxury" Onboard Spending Credit for single travellers; included round-trip economy airfare (from select gateway cities); and included transfers between airport and pier on embarkation and disembarkation days.

The five selected voyages where the 10 per cent single supplement offer applies are:

VOYAGE 1212: Fort Lauderdale to Monte Carlo, Silver Cloud, 17 Days, March 31 - April 17. Calls in Bermuda, Funchal, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Porto Mahon and Marseille. Highlights include Gentleman Hosts. Solo Traveller fares start at $7,038 (reflecting a 60 per cent Silver Savings discount).

VOYAGE 3213: Tokyo to Seward, Alaska, Silver Shadow, 15 Days, May 17 - 31. Calls in Sendai, Hakodate, Kushiro, Kamchatka, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak and Homer. Highlights include overnight stay in Tokyo, Gentleman Hosts and the 'Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs' interactive cooking school. Solo Traveler fares start at $8,050 (reflecting a 60 per cent Silver Savings discount).

VOYAGE 3227: Vancouver to Tokyo, Silver Shadow, 16 Days, September 6 - 23. Calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Kodiak, Kamchatka, Hakodate and Sendai. Highlights include the 'Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs' interactive cooking school. Solo Traveller fares start at $8,578 (reflecting a 60 per cent Silver Savings discount).

VOYAGE 4225: Southampton to New York, Silver Whisper, 14 Days, September 18 - October 2. Calls in Plymouth, Waterford, Cork, St. John's, Sydney, Halifax and Newport. Highlights include Gentleman Hosts. Solo Traveller fares start at $7,126 (reflecting a 60 per cent Silver Savings discount).

VOYAGE 1228: Las Palmas, Canary Islands to Barbados, Silver Cloud, 12 Days, November 1 - 13. Calls in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia and Bequia. Solo Traveller fares start at $4,970 (reflecting a 60 per cent Silver Savings discount).

In addition, another 42 Silversea voyages feature single supplements starting at just 25 per cent.

Go to http://www.silversea.com/ and click on Special Offers to find out more.