New stories added this month:

GoNOMAD Destination Mini Guide: Seoul
Where Seoul, the largest city, is located in the northwest corner of South Korea.   Why Go   Seoul is a vibrant East Asian city where you can experience both modern and traditional Korean culture. It is one of the world's 10 largest cities and, despite being the capital of South Korea for over 600 years, most of the city is newly rebuilt after being flattened during the Korean War (1950-1953). Continue story..

features

Exploring Toronto's Seedy Underbelly: Forget “tres cool cafes” - see the depraved and the forgotten
The October winds canvas Yonge Street like a pack of effervescent politicos on the campaign trail: toothy, insistent, and all together intrusive. The dawn is nigh, and the streets are void of any benign strain of humanity. Just the drug dealers and the homeless, with a few hookers thrown in for good measure. A dull blue hatchback pulls up to me, gives me a start. A woman—perhaps?—sits in a darkness only tempered by the glow of her speedometer.
“Do you know where Bloor Street is?”
“Up there,” I say, and point north. “Are you feeling horny?”
Christ. How did I get here? “No,” I mutter.
Continue story

Rarotonga Dreamin'
The last thing I remember was a last-minute decision to buy a cheap digital camera from the electronics store “The Good Guys” in LA, and then a frantic taxi ride through intense rush hour traffic. We made it to the airport just in time to meet the ridiculously early three hour check-in deadline for connecting flights to Rarotonga . Continue story

Muenster Germany: Watch out for Militant Cyclists
Underneath the cobblestone streets of the Old Town, a medieval Muenster has been put to rest. Fortunately the citizens and town officials have refused to let its revered history remain in the past.

During World War II, bombing leveled over ninety percent of Muenster's old town, but the town has rebuilt and takes pride in its past. A native of the city put it to me this way: "You can't toss out the ash in order to carry on the fire." Continue story

Borneo--Terrific Values, Exotic Jungles, no Headhunters
Want to ogle orangutans in the wild? Stay in a five-star hotel for fifty bucks a night? Ply your way through virgin rainforest in a motorized dugout canoe? How about spend the night in a traditional Iban longhouse quaffing rice wine with the kindly descendents of headhunters? Sound too exotic to be easy? Too costly to be convenient? Think again. Think Sarawak State in Malaysian Borneo .

Getting to Kuching, Sarawak 's capital–and one of the greenest, most user-friendly cities in all of Asia –is a breeze. Malaysian Air, in conjunction with Korean Airlines, offers daily departures from the West Coast to Kuala Lumpur (KL) at a cost of $749. Choose one of ten flights a day from KL to Kuching, and the hour and twenty minute flight will run you fifty dollars each way. Continue story

Mini-Guide: Toronto

WHY GO
Global culture vultures will find plenty to satisfy their appetites in Toronto. Canada's most populous metropolis is home to more than 110 professional theatre companies, several major museums and art galleries, annual international festivals, and a buzzing music and nightlife scene.

Recognized by the United Nations as one of the most multicultural cities in the world with over 170 different ethnic groups, Toronto – locally known as “T.O.” - has the flavor of a permanent world fair, with art, crafts, fashion, multi-language media and amazing cuisine from around the planet. Continue story

Sydney Beyond the Guidebooks

Sydney, Australia is justifiably one of the world's most popular destinations but many visitors miss the diverse neighborhoods and activities just beyond the reach of guidebooks.Visiting Sydney in 1999 clutching my heavily highlighted Lonely Planet Sydney I hit places which sounded a bit off the beaten path – Balmain, the Glebe Markets, Manly. Continue story...




Kyoto, Decades of Pleasure
Tom Cruise may have been the Last Samurai but I will certainly not be the last gaijin (outsider) to wander Kyoto's temples. This is precisely the reason Kyoto was spared the big one at the close of WWII. As I roved Kyoto 's streets I was profoundly grateful for that decision. Kyoto was once Japan 's imperial city and now is its spiritual center. Continue story...

GoNOMAD Book Excerpt:

I should have just stayed home:
Award Winning Tales of Travel Fiascoes
Roger Rapport, Bob Drews, and Kim Klewscewski have put together a conglomeration of true stories of travel fiascoes from destinations all over the globe. In I should have just stayed home travelers share their true vacation nightmares and unique touring debacles with interested and weary readers. Whether you find yourself naked on a beach in Indonesia after a
wave steals your bathing suit or you're nearly strangled over a spilled beer at the Oktoberfest, this collection of short stories will humor, enlighten, and even terrify its readers. Continue story

GoNOMAD in the news. Feature story about us in the Daily Hampshire Gazette,

Northampton, MA Feb 22, 2004.

A favorite destination on the island of Taveuni is the Maravu Plantation Resort. Maravu has everything you'd expect from an intimate Pacific Island resort - stunning beaches, a spa that offers Fijian massage, lush tropical gardens, swimming pool, waterfalls, dining, entertainment, friendly staff, and beautiful sunsets. But Maravu distinguishes itself by offering a variety of active and cultural adventures. Among the cultural courses on hand are Fijian cooking lessons, courses in natural healing, and Lovo Night where guests attend a traditional Fijian feast followed by Fijian storytelling. Activities include horseback riding, snorkeling, mountain biking, kayaking, off-roading, diving, nature walks, and deep-sea fishing. The resort is also a popular wedding destination.

Maravu Plantation & Beach Resort Fiji West Coast Road Matei Taveuni Island, NF Fiji Phone: 679 888 0555 Fax: 679 888 0600 maravu@is.com.fj www.maravu.net

Travel Desk

Airport Parking Made Easy
GoNOMAD introduces a new traveler's aid...we now publish a complete guide to finding parking at every major U.S. Airport. Search your departure city for the lowest priced lots for long term or short term parking. Find your space now




Travel Insurance:
GoNOMAD has partnered with Insuremytrip.com to offer a full range of choices for travel insurance. Whether it is a long-planned around the world trip, or just a short vacation abroad, find the right coverage at the right price at this easy to use directory guide. Price your insurance now

Read our previous newsletters, these are a cross section of new articles on destinations around the world.