DECEMBER 25, 2000 - JANUARY 1, 2001 VOL. 156 NO. 25/26

Short Cuts

TRAVEL WATCH New Tricks for Buying Old Furniture in China Doreen Chan fell in love the moment she walked into the tiny furniture shop in Gongbei, a southern Chinese city just north of Macau Short Cuts Great news for squeamish travelers: Beijing is renovating 452 public toilets at 305 tourist locations, according to China Daily Web Crawling This is a great place to learn about Thailand's elephants Detour Sunbathing can be risky, sailing is too complicated to pick up in a weekend and Jetskis are loud and irritating Travel Watch Archive Browse hundreds of Asian travel tips

STRAIGHT FLUSH
Great news for squeamish travelers: Beijing is renovating 452 public toilets at 305 tourist locations, according to China Daily. The city's famously foul comfort rooms will be subjected to a ratings system similar to that used by hotels: there will be 58 check points, ranging from design to cleanliness. To earn the top four-star rating, a site must have spotless floors, snappy background music and auto-flushing urinals. A one-star joint would meet only basic standards of cleanliness. It's all part of the city's bid for the 2008 Olympics; Beijing officials fear filthy toilets could cost them the chance to host the Games. Next, the government aims to improve the air quality in the rest of the city.

PUFF JOB
Hokkaido International Airlines has revoked its ban on smoking during flights—a move it says was inspired by the success of All Nippon Airways, which has profited from delaying implementation of a non-smoking policy. According to an airline spokesperson, as a trial, one quarter of the seats on its Sapporo-Tokyo flight will be for smokers. Despite gasps of complaint from non-smokers, the airline is hoping the policy will lure in Japan's heavy smokers.

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