January 22, 2001 VOL. 157 NO. 3

Short Cuts

TRAVEL WATCH Bear Necessities in Ancient, Spicy Chengdu Twenty-four hundred years ago Shu kingdom Emperor Kaiming IX established his capital in a sleepy eastern market town he named Chengdu, meaning "becoming a metropolis" Detour A renaissance of naughtiness is rocking conservative Shanghai Short Cuts While border-control officers elsewhere tend to focus on drugs and weapons, the Customs and Excise squad at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta seems to be on sex alert Travel Watch Archive Browse hundreds of Asian travel tips

KINKY CARRY-ON
While border-control officers elsewhere tend to focus on drugs and weapons, the Customs and Excise squad at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta seems to be on sex alert. In a report, the department says that in the past six months the ever-vigilant unit has seized a total of 33 items of sexual paraphernalia, including vibrators, penis enlargers, dildos, plastic breasts and a life-sized inflatable doll. The items are contraband in Indonesia and violate regulations on the "importation of vice goods."

GLOBAL HOLIDAY
Ever flown on a Swiss airline from Thailand to Singapore to go on holiday in Indonesia? We thought not. Through April 30, Swissair is selling holiday packages to Club Med Ria Bintan for $366 per person for two nights, including flight from Bangkok to Singapore and ferry to Bintan. The resort is just five minutes from the Ria Bintan Golf Club, where you can play the Gary Player course. Or just chill out at Club Med. Call (66-2) 253-0108.

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