Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/09/2006 (6973 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Foreign Affairs Department is advising travellers to stay clear of the city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico where striking teachers and other groups have held protests since May.

“The situation remains tense,” the department said in an online advisory. There have been arson attacks, vandalism, violence and one reported fatality.

Surrounding areas have also been hit by protests, and traffic to the Oaxaca airport has been disrupted.

Canadians who live in the region should avoid places where demonstrations might occur “as onlookers can be quickly drawn in,” the advisory says.

“Canadians are reminded that the Mexican constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners (such as participating in demonstrations), and such actions may result in detention and/or deportation.”

www.voyage.gc.ca

Vancouver’s Storyeum files for bankruptcy

A Vancouver tourist attraction has sought protection from its creditors while it works out a new operating plan and looks for more money. Storyeum, which opened in the Gastown district in the summer of 2004 after major construction of a series of underground theatres, presents the history of B.C. using actors and sets. It has since added a dinosaur show.

Storyeum president and CEO Danny Guillaume said this week the attraction, which continues to operate, has been short of operating capital since it opened.

When Storyeum opened at a cost of about $22.5 million, it planned to employ about 180 people, half of them actors, and aimed to attract one million visitors a year.

Guillaume said the reality is that it employs about 90 people, including 55 performers, and has averaged about 200,000 visitors a year.

Watch football, enjoy some beer

ONE week each season there are three Premiership/Championship games played in England; here is a tour designed to take advantage of the football schedule. Fans will also spend a day in the Peak District (a gorgeous country area in the centre of England) with a guide introducing the group to some fine beers.

The tour, organized by the Great Canadian Travel Company, departs Jan. 29 for Manchester and then a transfer to Bolton to watch the home side take on Charlton Athletic. The next night it’s Derby vs. Burnley, followed Feb. 1 by the beer tour.

The group then drives to London for a Feb. 3 Charlton-vs.-Chelsea match, followed by a free day and a return to Canada Feb. 5.

Based on 20 travelling, the price will be $890 per person, double occupancy, for ground transportation, accommodations and football tickets. Airfare to England is extra.

Contact the Great Canadian Travel Company at 949-0199 for information or reservations.

Cruise World offers escorted itineraries

CRUISE World Inc. of Winnipeg is offering several escorted cruises next year, including a 12-day Mediterranean itinerary departing from Barcelona, to Marseilles, Livorno, Civitavecchia (Rome), Naples, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi and Athens, ending in Venice.

The cruise begins on May 29 on the Emerald Princess with prices starting at $2,607 per person, including taxes, double occupancy. Airfare and pre- and post-cruise stopovers are also available.

Other destinations include: the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, Australia, and Tahiti.

A Cruise showcase with Beverley Vickers of Princess Cruises will be held Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Caboto Centre, 1055 Wilkes Ave. Admission is free. To reserve a spot, call 925-2120.

Italian festival preserves ancient fruits of the past

ENVIRONMENTALISTS, foodies and travellers, unite!

You have nothing to lose but your boring supermarket produce.

The Festival of Forgotten Fruits — scheduled for Oct. 14-15 in the town of Casola Valsenio, Italy — is an event designed to bring attention to little-known and sometimes ancient varieties of wild fruit that are still cultivated locally.

The festival will feature pomegranates, vulpine pears, rose apples, jujubes (Chinese dates), quince apples, sorb apples and cornelian cherries, as well as medlars, which are used as an ingredient in desserts, jelly and wine. When ripe, medlars taste and feel a little like apple sauce.

Local farmers will display fruits and nuts, and sell jams, marmalades, pies, syrups, wines and liquors derived from them. Local restaurants will feature the fruits in recipes.

Casola Valsenio has a botanical garden that grows about 450 different types of herbs. Local dairy products are often flavoured with these herbs, such as pecorino cheese with thyme or goat’s milk with basil.

Casola Valsenio, near Faenza, is about 65 kilometres from Bologna.

www.pubblica.it/terredifaenza/uk/

Food, books, music and more in D.C. this fall

IF you’re travelling to Washington, D.C., this fall, take time out from visiting the city’s landmarks to enjoy a festival, performance or walking tour.

The Kennedy Center is holding a Prelude Festival through Oct. 1 with a sampling of symphony, theatre, opera, dance and jazz . Highlights include the Open House Arts Festival, Sept. 16, and the world premiere of Frankenstein, Sept. 14-Oct. 1.

www.kennedy-center.org.

The eclectic Adams Morgan neighbourhood, which is filled with cafés and ethnic eateries, puts its wares on display on Sept. 10, for the annual Adams Morgan Day; music and family entertainment are planned. Details at www.adamsmorgandayfestival.com.

The National Book Festival takes place Sept. 30, organized by the Library of Congress and hosted by Laura Bush, wife of the president. The event features authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers.

www.loc.gov/bookfest

Day trips feature polar bear watching

HEARTLAND International Travel and Tours of Winnipeg, Perimeter Aviation and Tundra Buggy Tours are offering two one-day polar bear viewing excursions in Churchill in October.

Set for Oct. 20 and Oct. 28, the cost is $1,099 per person, plus GST, and includes a return flight from Winnipeg, meals, ground transportation and a tundra buggy tour.

For more information call 989-9630 or 1-866-890-3377 toll free.

Curacao celebrating its 55 different nationalities

The Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao is hosting a celebration of its multicultural heritage through Nov. 15.

Island residents claim more than 55 different nationalities. Activities include storytelling every Saturday, musical performances every Friday and Sunday, and special exhibits such as the slavery heritage exhibit at Landhouse Santa Martha.

The events also include culinary walking tours, cultural and heritage tours and a botanical tour.

Museum Kura Hulanda has a Living History Show, a live production that tells the story of the slave trade in the 1700s and the events leading to rebellions in the 1800s.

The island also offers diving, golf, casinos and art galleries.

www.curacaoculture.com

Hotel of the future: download your dream room

WHAT will the hotel of the future look like?

Think robotics, customized rooms and downloadable amenities.

That’s according to a project called the Hotel of Tomorrow, organized by Gettys, a Chicago design firm, and the Hospitality Design Group.

Many of the innovations and ideas identified by the project will be showcased at the HD Boutique expo, Sept. 18-19, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Details can be viewed at www. hdexpo.com/hdexpo/3570/index.jsp.

Innovations expected to play a role in hotels in the next two decades, according to the project, will include intelligent robots that clean rooms, change beds and even act as valets.

The hotel of the future may also offer downloadable settings in which guests can choose personalized sounds, aromas and visuals. There’s even a prototype of a bathtub covered in memory fabric that conforms to your body, and the project predicts that new technologies might create products like regenerating rugs, which repair themselves after guests walk on them.

Another future trend identified by the project involves the construction of pre-fabricated modular hotels that can be embedded in jungles and even oceans, allowing travellers to experience exotic locales without using up or disturbing local resources to create buildings from the ground up.

Compass is compiled by travel editor Paul Pihichyn from wire service reports, press releases and personal contacts. Fax 204-697-7412; e-mail paul.pihichyn@freepress.mb.ca