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Monthly Archives: November, 2007
Culinary tours in Italy and Spain
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Aceh invites tourists to see Sharia law in action
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Tourism authorities in Indonesia’s Aceh province hope that its practice of Sharia or Islamic law will attract visitors.
“We invite international tourists to visit Aceh to observe how an Islamic community lives and how the Islamic code of Sharia is applied,” said Cipta Hunai, an Aceh tourism official, in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).
Muslim-devout Aceh is the only province in Indonesia allowed to apply Sharia law. However observers say that the application of Sharia in the province has harmed the rights of the poor and women.
Hunai said that Sharia allowed for the development of a peaceful and secure community in Aceh which would be appreciated by tourists. He said that Sharia law in Aceh was a tourist attraction because it allowed foreigners to see a reality, that perhaps, they did not already know.
“Here the tourists can visit many mosques and see how a community lives under laws based on the Koran,” he said.
Hunai denied that public canings – which are allowed and used to punish some crimes – could shock and discourage non-Muslim tourists.
“We don’t believe that this can scare anyone. In any case, the punishments are carried out to correct Muslims who have made mistakes,” he said.
“But one must remember that these punishments are only applied to Muslims and here even the religious minority is respected,” he added.
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Jakarta Film Festival opens with ‘Persepolis’
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The ninth Jakarta Film Festival has unveiled 170 movies to unspool at its Dec. 7-16 edition. Pics come from 35 countries.
Fest opens with “Persepolis,” the animated portrayal of life in Iran directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud that preemed in Cannes and was set to open the Bangkok festival but was pulled following a protest from the Iranian Embassy.
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New Buffalo casino & new luxury resort in Costa Rica connected by a weak transition
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New Buffalo casino & new luxury resort in Costa Rica connected by a weak transition
This article says that staying in a casino / hotel is like experiencing a foreign culture. I remember a professor from my university days who hated this sort of thinking. Going to Disney’s Epcot to expereince 24 different countries or whatever they have and Las Vegas’s street where everything is enclosed and the lights make it seem to be day or night absolutely infuriated him.
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Explorer Ship in Distress in Antarctica is NOT Explorer II
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Fort Lauderdale, FL – November 23, 2007 – Regent Seven Seas Cruises today clarified that the Explorer ship currently in distress in Antarctica is NOT the same ship as Explorer II, which the line offers for season cruises in the area.
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US vacation plan: sluicing for gems with a few other diversions
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US vacation plan: sluicing for gems with a few other diversions
Here’s a US vacation plan for treasure hunters. It’s been a while since I’ve written a vacation plan for you and I may not have time to do another one for a while with final exams and then my European vacation coming up. So here goes:
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Jakarta Old Town to be car-free this Sunday
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Several streets in Central Jakarta’s Old Town area will be closed to motorists Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. to reduce air pollution at the tourist destination.
The city administration has announced the Old Town area will be a car-free zone on the fourth Sunday of every month, beginning in November. The move is in accordance with a 2005 bylaw on air pollution control.
The policy will affect Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, Jl. Cengkeh and Jl. Tongkol, which are home to Fatahillah Square, the Jakarta Museum, the Puppet Museum and Red House.
In addition to closing streets, the administration has organized a variety of programs and performances to draw visitors.
“We will collaborate with the Old Town Society to facilitate a mass aerobic exercise, a bazaar of traditional cuisine and traditional attractions such as the Chinese lion dance and performances of the West Java stringed musical instrument kecapi in the courtyard of Fatahillah Museum,” he said.
Old Town Society consists of residents and shop owners in the area, which is known for its historic buildings, which date back as far as the 17th century.
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