JULY 17, 2000 VOL. 156 NO. 2

Short Cuts

TRAVEL WATCH Finding Rustic Charm Down on the Farm All over the world, farms and ranches are turning the curiosity of city slickers into a profitable sideline Detour The Shilla Hotel began life as a state guesthouse and remains the choice of vips from George Bush to Michael Jackson Short Cuts The most expensive cities in the world Web Crawling A directory portal for facts on airlines, hotels and destinations

PRICEY PLACES Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, followed by Osaka, Hong Kong and Beijing, according to a survey of 146 cities by William M. Mercer, a New York consultancy. The study compares the cost of more than 200 items, including food, clothing, transport and entertainment. Among the interesting findings: business travelers in Asia can expect daily costs to be 65% higher in Tokyo than in New York and five times as much as in Quito, Ecuador, the most affordable of the cities surveyed. Visit the Mercer site for more details: www.wmmercer.com.

KARACHI CONNECTION Cathay Pacific will launch a new service connecting Hong Kong to Karachi, Pakistan, via Bangkok. From September the airline will make the trip three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

DUNE WITH A VIEW Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai is open for business. The 305-m-tall hotel boasts 400 rooms and the latest high-tech amenities. The introductory rate is $149 a night. Tel. (971) 4330-0000.

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