Sandwiches Should NEVER Taste Like Cow Crap by Dave Lowe (published by Manta Press in 2008) is a tasty stew of stories from life on the Lowe Road.
Starting with strip searches at foreign customs, run-ins with tatami dragon ladies, rides aboard horny camels, shots fired by AK-47's, wheels breaking off taxis and more than a flightmare or two - Dave's travelogue poses a question: Are his size 13 shoes spreading mayhem and chaos with each step?
Only the Travel Gods know for sure.....
Sandwiches Should NEVER Taste Like Cow Crap's synopsis, preface, sample chapters and acclaim can be found by navigating the section below.
Dave Lowe's blog, The Lowe Road covers what's happening in travel, from zero to seven to star, hovels to hotels, donkeycarts to airlines and anything else useful that may come in handy for that future luxury resort vacation in North Korea.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 5:06PM 2012's solar storms have set the Northern Lights ablaze, visible as far south as Ireland. Over the next few days displays are set to explode over Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, Canada and Russia.
After several years of quiet, these events are entering whats known as a solar maximum, with a peak predicted in 2013.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 5:24PM 
Will your fingerprint be your boarding pass? And will your digital 'breadcrumbs' - the sites and topics you surf on the web - determine where you will go on your next holiday, fed to you by the internet's suggestions?
BBC's Fast Track estimated 100,000,000 Chinese tourists will be unleashed on the world in the next 10 years, much of how we travel - two weeks at the seaside, Grand Tour of Europe, that sort of thing - hasnt changed much in the last 200 years.
What we do know is that in the next five years or less, expect the digitilization of travel to explode, transforming everything from how you board planes to how you go through security to even how you interact with locals.
You can watch the Fast Track video here.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 4:38PM 
Formerly known as Ari Beach, then White Sands, then Diva Maldives, this 1.8 kilometer long island known to Maldivians as Diddhifinolu has certainly seen resorts both basic and luxury come and go.
Now part of the LUX* chain with sister properties in Reunion and Mauritius, the LUX* Maldives resort is focused on bringing guests into contact with the local cultures through design and experiences.
In a destination saturated with luxury resorts that rush to out do each other with underwater spas and restaurants built beneath the sea, LUX* Maldives is a breath of fresh air - do we really need another air conditioned over water villa equipped with every convenience to really enjoy ourselves?
And the local culture isnt the only reason to come to this isolated part of the Indian Ocean - whale sharks cruise this part of the South Ari atoll, and divers can often see half a dozen of these creatures on a single dive.
Check out a video of a stunning school of mobulas (A relative of the manta ray) near LUX* Maldives.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 4:20PM 
The Coral Sea is Australia's greatest marine environment, and that is saying a lot for a nation surrounded on all sides by oceans warm and cold. This tropical zone is home to whales, manta rays and a huge array of reef species fund nowhere else.
While oil and gas exploration have been banned here, the reef - the worlds largest - needs more legislation to protect it for future generations.
Click here to send Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke a letter urging action.
One of the supporter's is marine videographer, Valerie Taylor; you may remember Taylor's experimental shark suit that was bitten by blue sharks to test the chain mail's ability to ward off a shark bite.
You can watch the video of Valerie's shark suit here.
Here are a few denizens of the Coral Sea:
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 6:12PM 
$800 will buy you a lot in Cambodia (tables covered in happy pizzas, copious sticks of deep fried tarantulas, or simply, mounds of hash, for those in the know)
It wasn't that long ago that all that remained of the the country's luxury resorts were burned out shells left behind by the Khmer Rouge (remember them?) but these days the country is speeding full steam towards the boutique clogged tourist centers that have given new meaning to the flashpackers who frequent them.
$800 will now get you a slice of jaw dropping luxury on the country's southeast coast at the recently opened Song Saa Resort.
But this is not your average boutique resort - offshore from Sihanoukville, the Song Saa Resort sits atop its own private island in the Gulf of Thailand, complete with 27 rooms, some in the rainforest, some over water and others right on the beach.
With sunrise yoga, stargazing, seakayaking through mangroves and a restaurant run by a chef experienced in 6 star resorts, you may find it hard to pry your fingers off the speedboat as it takes you to connect to your connecting flight.
Two more resorts with the same environmental and design themes will be opened in Cambodia over the next two to three years.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:52PM 
The Maldives opposition Adhalaath Party has launched accusations that spas in the country promote 'sex tourism' and the government has responded by ordering they be immediately shut down.
The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) has sued to over turn the ban, stating the rights of investors were being infringed upon.
Virtually all resorts, however, ignored the ban and are continuing to operate as normal.
A couple of Swiss tourists last year got more than they paid for when their wedding vows included insults in Dhivehi to the tune of 'you are swine and infidels' for more on that story, click here.
Saturday, December 31, 2011 at 2:46PM Samoa and Tokelau have jumped over the international date line by completely jumping over December 30th - when the clock struck midnight on December 29th, it immediately became December 31st.
The move was an attempt to join their largest trading partners, Australia and New Zealand, by making the time zone less of an issue for contact and communications.
It's not the first time Samoa has jumped time zones - 119 years ago the island nation jumped to be closer to its former trading partner, the USA.
Thursday, December 29, 2011 at 5:24PM The world's first transsexual cabin crew were aboard PC Air's 24th of December inaugural flight to Vientiene, Laos from Bangkok, Thailand.
Utilizing Airbus A310 aircraft, PC Air serves Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and has sights set on serving China in the future.
Watch the first flight here.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 2:51AM 
Seven years after a devastating tsunami that washed across the shores of 12 countries, the Thai island of Phuket paused to remember the disaster by placing hundreds of candles in the sand to honor the victims.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:59PM Air New Zealand will start auctioning empty premium class seats in an effort to reduce them flying empty.
The OneUp programme will only be valid on long haul flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai and Vancouver.
A few days before each flight, passengers will be emailed to bid on remaining empty seats and the highest bidder will be granted an upgrade. Hoping to protect the premuim-ness of it's most comfy, coveted seats, Air New Zealand has vowed to never allow the seats to go for a song, though bargain hungry passengers will surely try to snag them for close to an Ebay steal price as they can.
Only passengers directly booked with the airline or it's holiday arm can bid, and then, only for one jump in class of service. (Air New Zealand no longer has First Class on its fleet)
Does this mean the ingratiating groveling/ear to ear grin/heavy flirting at the check in counter to swing an upgrade will go the way of the dodo?
Only time will tell.
Air New Zealand's Premium Economy
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:36PM 
Pasco County in West Florida is taking a 'crack' at some pretty bare niche marketing - it has just agreed to spend around $4,000 in print advertisements to lure European nudists to the America's un-official nudist capital.
Aimed at Germans and British nudists, tourism officials in Pandabare (representing 16 resorts in a lightly populated area north of Tampa) hope to attract some of the world's most traveled people -
Being naked travelers these days has its advantages; at least they won't have to worry about paying for excess luggage on their flight to lug all their clothes.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:32PM 
One of Africa's best carriers has just joined Star Alliance.
Ethiopian Airlines, which serves such far flung destinations as Washington DC and Beijing from its hub in Addis Ababa, will soon be flying 787's too.
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 3:42PM 
Everyones favorite character from 2004's Team America died of a heart attack Saturday. Aka Kim Jung Il, the 69 year old North Korean 'dear' leader who took power after his father's death in 1994 passed away while on a train (he was notoriously afraid to fly, taking a train to Russia rather than risk his skin in a plane).
With despots thin on the ground these days (what with Saddam Hussein and Qadaffi dead, ironically at age 69 too...) Kim Jung Il was a popular target for comedy sketches.
This is ABC's thoughts on how people views the leader depicted in Team America.
Heres a Margaret Cho's North Korean weather report for 30 Rock.
And Kim Jung Il's success of Eharmony.
And your very own insult generator.
And a rockin' 'tourism' video for North Korea.
And a spoof of a Sprite commercial.
Below is a selection of pictures from the hilarious Tumblr blog, Kim Jung Il Looking at Things:
Looking at sausages
Looking at cheese
Looking at cotton
looking at pigs
http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/
http://kimjongilnolongerlookingatthings.tumblr.com/
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 7:12PM
The Aeroflot office was on one corner, the Givral bakery, the haunt of writer Graham Greene, on another. The petulant magazine guy who sold pilfered magazines off of arriving airplanes had his stall here, and the best moneychanger was right over there, next to the mini post office that accepted dollars, euros or Japanese yen.
Up above were some of central Saigon's best apartments, though shabby and run down, you couldn't beat the view over the square and the canary yellow Opera House. Air Vietnam used to have an office here, along with the top French perfumeries in the 1950's.
It was the Eden Building - and it is now history, torn down to make way for yet another soulless high rise in central Saigon. Visitors to Vietnam's pulsing economic capital may not have known the building's history, but it was central to Saigon's growth in the 1940's.
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 5:22PM Getting stared at while traveling in more remote corners of the world is something some people either take in stride or struggle with (one entire village I visited in remote Papua New Guinea thought it was appropriate to gather round the outhouse to see if the foreigner did his business the same way they did..... PLOP. Yup! he does really take a dump like we do!) while others come up with novel ways to combat the prying eyes that want to know....
Take DJ Arni Kristjannson, from Iceland, who got so tired of being stared at on the subway that he printed a fake book cover that read in Japanese: 'Why Do Japanese Stare at Foreigners? which illicited more than a few giggles in non-cronfrontational Japan (where saying no is a felony).
Turning Japanese, indeed!
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 11:45PM Raise your hand if you have ever stepped off a long haul flight without more than a curt nod or even a word exchanged with your seatmate...
In the Las Vegas style odds of seating on planes, when the spin of a wheel can seat you next to a hellish farter or a houri with a bottle of duty free hooch, you will either cringe or scream for joy now that KLM is trialing a program that allows you to use Linkedin and Facebook to choose your seatmate.
Before you think its the next match.com in the clouds, both users must agree to the seating arrangement.
Malaysia Airlines recently launched MHBuddy, where you can use your social networks to see who is traveling on your flight.
KLM's program isnt expected to be launched till 2012.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 8:51PM With a setting literally beneath Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge, the Park Hyatt Sydney has always been the city's sleekest hotel.
After a $60 million AUD renovation spread out over a year, the Park Hyatt is due to open its doors again as soon as Christmas. With 11 suites and 155 guestrooms, each is serviced by 24 hour butler service and feature sweeping views of the city's most famous bridge, the Opera House and Circular Quay.
Rooms start at $795 AUD, and rates soar up along with the curves of the Opera House to $16,000 AUD for the top-of-the-line suite.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 6:30PM 
Iguazu Falls (Dave Lowe)
The votes are in! From Argentina to Vietnam, votes have beent counted to reveal the world's new seven wonders.
Iguazu Falls - Halong Bay - Komodo National Park - Cheju Island - The Amazon Forest - Underground River - Table Mountain
While I can agree with Iguazu Falls and Komodo, I dont think riding through the underground river in Palawan where guides call bird droppings falling from the cieling of one cathedral-like cave 'Holy Shit' deserves a place here. What about Big Sur? Where's Denali?
Next up on the list of the world's New 7 Wonders? Cities. Visit the site below to cast your vote for the world's top 7 cities! The winners will be announced Jan 1, 2012.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 6:24PM What do do when cockroaches ruin your next flight? Sue!
A North Carolina couple is suing US Airways after the winged insects emerged soon after take off on a recent flight they were on. Much emotional distress and a severe case of the willies later, the couple is now suing the airline over the experience. The claim the crew didn't do enough to fix the 'situation' and now they want 100,00 dollars to 'fix' their situation.
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 2:54PM Today marks the 125th 'birthday' of New York's most iconic attraction, the Statue of Liberty.
305 feet tall from tip of her torch down to the foot of her base, she was a gift from France that was shipped over to the new world where it was placed in a position of prominence in New York harbor.
Earthcam's Statue of Liberty view.
