全通翻譯/翻譯社

Ancient treasures become another casualty of Egypt's turmoil

As violent clashes roiled Egypt, looters made away with a prized 3,500-year-old limestone statue, ancient beaded jewelry and more than 1,000 other artifacts in the biggest theft to hit an Egyptian museum in living memory.

The scale of the looting of the Malawi Museum in the southern Nile River city of Minya laid bare the security vacuum that has taken hold in cities outside Cairo, where police have all but disappeared from the streets.

Mt. Fuji's new UNESCO Heritage status worries some in Japan

They trudge up the cinder paths by the thousands, headlamps glowing in the dark, and then settle in to await the sun's blazing ascent over the horizon. Climbing Mount Fuji, Japan's most iconic landmark, is a group activity: Seldom is it climbed in solitude. The recent recognition of the 3,776-meter peak as a UNESCO World Heritage site has many in Japan worried that it will draw still more people, adding to the wear and tear on the environment from the more than 300,000 people who already climb the mountain each year.

Safety is another concern. At least seven people died and 70 were hurt climbing Fuji in 2012, and traffic jams of climbers in the pre-dawn darkness can add to the risks, said Shomei Yokouchi, governor of Yamanashi, the area to the west. The official climbing season runs from July to August, and the trek — a nine-hour round trip in good weather — is especially treacherous at other times of the year.

Tourists are staying away from Egypt, two months after the start of a popular revolution that ousted long-time President Hosni Mubarak, dealing another blow to a nation already staggered by inefficiency, corruption and poverty.

Protesters compared Mubarak to the ancient Pharaohs. Their tombs, in time-worn and time-honored pyramids, rise majestically in Egypt's desert, beckoning to millions of tourists who used to admire them.

Entertainment extravaganza

London plans to entertain visitors with much more than sporting events

Biking around

Take on your own physical challenge and cycle to the sporting events

Hotel rooms are no longer just a place to shower, sleep or maybe indulge in a breakfast in bed. They're now also spots to pick up a souvenir — and no, we aren't talking about stealing the towels.

Like that painting over the bed? How about that drawing next to the TV? At hotels around the globe, guests now have the option to purchase the artwork in their rooms. For several years, hotels have invited local artists to decorate hallways, lobbies and other public spaces. It's a way they can distinguish themselves from the cookie-cutter chains and offer guests a sense of their unique city or town. Now, they are taking that partnership one step further and turning bedrooms into salesrooms.

The recently opened Omni Dallas hotel features more than 6,500 original pieces of art from 150 local artists in guest rooms and public spaces. The art is one of the reasons that the property doesn't feel like every other hotel. It also gives guests the option of taking a bit of Texas culture home with them. And the Omni Dallas is not the only one.

Experts say that traveling with your pets is worth the hassle

Travel for humans during holiday seasons such as Christmas or Chinese New Year is tough enough: long lines, crowds everywhere, chaotic traffic. Throw a pet in the mix, and it's a recipe for disaster.