Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn?...Biz Class on Sale (sort of)...Jim's deal/day
Got ya with that headline, didn't I?
I have no idea if it's any good, and I really don't like using shock words like that in a headline, but I spotted a tweet during my afternoon Twitter searching and there was a mention by a twitter user named travel_book of a, well, travel book that's titled, Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran.
It's written by a chap named Jamie Maslin and it sounds pretty hilarious.
Amazon.com calls it "a backpacker’s charming, hilarious account of the secret world of counterculture Iran."
The web site continues: "Maslin finds himself suddenly plunged into a subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are more than happy to show him the true Iran as they see it—the one where unmarried men and women mingle in Western clothes at secret parties, where alcohol (the possession of which is punishable by hand-amputation) is readily available on the black market, where Christian churches are national heritage sites, and where he discovers the real meaning of friendship, nationality, and hospitality."
HOTELIER OF THE YEAR
Hotelier Magazine has named David Mounteer, General Manager of Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City, the 2009 Hotelier of the Year.
The hotel is a stunner, blending important archaeological artefacts with wonderful rooms and an incredible restaurant, Panache (see photo)
The award is to be given out on Dec. 3 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel as part of the hospitality industry's Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.
BIZ CLASS DISCOUNTS
USA Today says business fares to Europe this fall have dropped 33% to 66% compared to a year ago.
Still, before all us ordinary travelers get TOO excited, keep in mind that they're still awfully high. The paper said Delta Air Lines' cheapest round trip, a non-stop New York-London coach ticket on Oct. 7, for example, was $716 for an Oct. 23 departure and an Oct. 30 return. The least-expensive business-class fare for the same flight was $4,634 U.S. (about $35 Canadian the way the loonie has been going).
I just checked Air Canada, and a ticket for a Toronto departure to London on Oct. 30 and a return to T.O. on Nov. 7 was priced at $6254.48 CAD for the class of "executive first lowest."
YIKES.
JIM'S DEAL OF THE DAY
A new package at the Westin Trillium House offers the best of the fall season: a scenic country drive, hot apple crumble and reduced room rates. Celebrating the launch of the Blue Mountains Apple Pie Trail, the Westin is offering special rates between $149 and $209 per night. Normally at this time of year, rates range from $189 to $229. To sweeten the deal, the Westin is also including two complimentary slices of Sour Cream Apple Crumble Tart from the Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill, located on-site at the hotel. The new year-round Apple Pie Trail winds its way from Collingwood through the
CZECH CHANGES
Czech Tourism Canada has advised that Czech Airlines will terminate its summer schedule to YYZ as planned 13OCT and will not resume its Canadian operation for the summer of 2010.
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