world

Swinging Sixty: Teguh Ostenrik
He may have just turned 60, but Teguh Ostenrik is firing on all cylinders. For a while, the Indonesian painter and sculptor looked like he was being gently left behind by the country's booming arts scene, crowded with young daubers on the make. But with three solo shows scheduled this year, it now appears that Teguh is finally getting the mainstream recognition that his highly sensual, mostly figurative work deserves.

Bay Watch: Vancouver Fairmont

A New Generation of Mediterranean Wines
They boast some of the oldest vineyards on the planet, yet you'd be hard-pressed to find a bottle from the tiny Spanish isle of Formentera or Greece's Santorini in your average wine shop, let alone an exciting cuvée from Corsica or Sicily. But after decades of obscurity, lagging quality and image problems — and just as oenophiles are growing increasingly weary of the homogenized bouquets available in the global market — a new generation of Mediterranean island producers has emerged. They are offering wines far removed from the easy-quaffing profiles of many Old and New World crus, and they are breaching the wine world's most venerated bastions.

Brighton's Last Boutique Shoemaker
Tucked down a tiny street in the Bohemian British city of Brighton, Last is the workshop cum boutique of shoemaker Alex Herdman. Named both for the solid forms around which bespoke footwear is molded, and for the fact that its mostly handmade products are designed to be durable, the store stocks around 50 names — from the U.S.'s quirky Cydwoq to one-of-a-kind artisans like Emma the Shoemaker, discovered in Melbourne, Australia, by a traveling friend of Herdman's. Among the designers flying the flag for Britain are Tracey Neuls and Thomas Murphy

The Italian Job, Taiwan Style
In their mid-30s, some executives suddenly get religion. J. Ping got Italy. Thanks to this former marketer for Nike, and his longtime girlfriend Julia Lin, a onetime China Airlines stewardess, the booming Taiwan city of Taichung is now home to two of the island's most authentic showcases of Italian cuisine.

Retreat to Getty's La Posta Vecchia
To where would you retreat if you had unparalleled wealth? J. Paul Getty, whose oil empire had made him the world's richest man by the 1950s, looked just outside Rome to the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, beloved by emperors thousands of years before him.

Tour the San Andreas Fault
"Most guests ask me, 'so California will really fall off into the sea, right?'" laughs our tour guide William Blodgett as he bumps and grinds a huge Hummer over billion-year-old rocks that are so hot that I'm surprised they haven't melted under the scorching desert sun. "I explain to them that no, we will just eventually have Los Angeles end up by San Francisco one day."

Visit the Quebecois Beaver
The north Quebecois town of Tadoussac is caught between mountain and ragged shoreline, just where the fresh Saguenay Fjord runs into the warm, salty waters of the St. Lawrence River. Each year, from May to October, it swells with tourists hoping to glimpse the baleen whales that gather to gorge on the krill that thrive at this aquatic intersection.

Get Lost in Tokyo's Design Festa Gallery
Forget the teenagers near the station holding handwritten "Hug me!" placards, and ignore the hordes of tourists and young girls checking out the teenybopper boutiques along Takeshita-dori. When you next find yourself in Tokyo's Harajuku, head instead for the Design Festa gallery, designfestagallery.com. Encased in a tangle of red piping, this former apartment block turned art gallery is the focal point of Tokyo's freestyle art scene.

Hang Loose at Komune Resort and Spa
Finding a puddle in the lift of a trendy hotel would usually have you heading for the complaints desk. But at Komune, komuneresorts.com, on Australia's Gold Coast, it's perfectly acceptable. That's because the place is geared for surfers in their dripping wet suits and sodden board shorts.

Fast Track to Elite: Double Air and Rail Miles
Take a Back Seat. Despite everything you hear about those big, bad bankers, it looks like they're flying economy these days instead of business class, according to the International Air Transport Association. Global revenues from business- and first-class tickets were down by at least 25% in January 2009, compared to January 2008, suggesting that executives are trading down to cheaper tickets. Maybe this makes it easier for the rest of us to nab free upgrades.

Rent This Hotel Room for $1. No Foolin'!
Ice, Ice, Baby. Icelandair  will begin nonstop service between Seattle and Reykjavik on July 22. Flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will depart Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 4:30 p.m., arriving in Reykjavik at 6:45 a.m. Get a little perspective, and some cheap deals, by visiting a nation that is undergoing a worse financial crisis than the U.S.

Hotel Freebies: Yoga Classes and Spa Treatments
Getting on the A-List. Bump up to a better airline lifestyle on Southwest: the airline's Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program will grant you "A-List" status  if you fly five round-trips before June 15. A-Listers get the coveted "A" boarding pass, which allows you to board early and claim your preferred seat, plus access to priority Fly By airport security lanes. A-List status is valid through December 31.

Celebrate! It's Spring Festival Season
They Just Keep Dropping. Delta SkyMiles and Northwest WorldPerks  members can save up to 20% when booking international economy tickets. Business and first-class flyers, who always get more, save 25% to London, Paris and other destinations. Travel must include one Saturday night and tickets must be purchased at least 14 days in advance. Book by April 20 for travel through June 15.

9 Deals to Get You Face-to-Face with Nature
Air Transfer. Short on time before your flight? You can now make it to Newark or JFK airport from Manhattan in just 8 minutes for $99 on US Helicopter. You may also clear security and, if you're booked on Delta or Continental, check in your bags before choppering over all those suckers stuck in tunnel traffic. The dual-engine Sikorsky S-76B helicopters fly daily from two locations in Manhattan between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Book through May 14 for travel through Aug 31 (except holidays). Downtown: Manhattan Heliport, 6 East River Piers; Midtown: Atlantic Metroport, 510 East 34th Street & FDR Drive; 877-262-7676.

Has Swine Flu Infected Your Travel Plans?
As swine flu cases rose on Friday — with 141 confirmed cases in the U.S., 397 in Mexico, including 16 deaths, and the first case confirmed in Asia — the strongly held consensus among health officials remains that borders should not be closed. (Americans are advised, however, to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.) Grounding travel would do nothing to stave off a full-fledged pandemic and, despite any ill-considered advice from Vice President Joe Biden, there's no risk for a healthy person in the U.S. to take mass transportation, but the truth is that many travelers these days are still feeling skittish about getting on a plane. In a recent TripAdvisor.com  poll of 2,857 users of the site, a quarter of the people who responded said they were changing their plans because of the H1N1 flu virus.

9 Remote Getaways
Aloha, by Alaska. Starting Nov. 9, Alaska Airlines  will fly four times a week between Oakland, Calif., and Kahului, Maui; starting Nov. 10, it will fly three times per week between Oakland and Kona, Hawaii. If you buy a ticket on one of these new routes before May 21, you'll score a one-way fare of just $169.

Anniversary Travel Deals, Even If It's Not Yours
The Benefits of Youth. College grads, treat yourself to a cheap present: The discount student travel agency STA Travel  is celebrating 30 years of business, offering travelers a chance to score $30 round-trip tickets to London or Paris. The first 20 customers to visit their local STA Travel branch or call 800-360-9273 on Wednesday, May 20, can get a ticket to London or Paris, departing from New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle. As with any good deal, there are caveats: You must be under 26 or a currently enrolled student to qualify. A valid ISIC or IYTC identity card (for student travel) is required to purchase the ticket; you can buy one on site for $22 if you don't have one. You must depart by June 15. If you miss out on the $30 deal, take heart: STA is also offering $30 off all flights over $300 — again, only for those under 26. 800-360-9273

Oceanside Luxury Made Affordable (Think Mexico)
Pack Light. Starting in July, US Airways  will increase its fee for the first checked bag to $20, from $15; the second-bag fee rises to $30, from $25. But if your bags exceed 50 lb., you'll be hit with a whopping $70 fee for the first checked bag and $80 for the second.

South American Way. Continental begins daily service from Houston to Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 1. Flights depart at 9:15 p.m. from Houston and arrive at 9:15 a.m. Rio time.

Summer Travel: Hotels for Under $100
Save a Benjamin. Emirates  is having a "One Day World Sale" on June 4, offering $100 off round-trip tickets booked online and originating in any U.S. gateway: New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The deal applies to all classes of travel on flights to select global destinations, including Dubai, Cape Town and Mumbai.

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