Oil, shopping malls and skyscrapers long ago upstaged the vast Arabian Desert from which the city of Dubai grows. In recent years though, a conservation movement – headed by the ruling sheikh himself – has seen the development of Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, the country’s first national park, a fragile ecosystem every bit as awe-inspiring as the towering metropolis.

Oryxes (also called Arabian gazelle) stride through the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve © alexeys / Getty Images

The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve located an hour’s drive inland from Dubai, was once a vast camel farm. Inspired by South African game reserves, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum purchased all 87 square miles (225 square kilometres) in 1997, evicted the camels and had the entire area (roughly 5% of the country) fenced off to protect indigenous species.

Since then, more than 6000 trees have been planted (camels have a habit of eating or stomping on everything), and the vital ecosystem of grasses and shrubs has regenerated. Wildlife has followed: residents of the reserve include the statuesque Arabian gazelle, its cousin the San gazelle and a plethora of other unusual fauna like the Ethiopian hedgehog, side-winding vipers, Rueppell’s fox and curious sand cats.

Sun rising over dunes of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve © alexeys / Getty Images

Invigorated by new foliage, the desert itself is returning to its natural (and remarkably varied) state. The austere beauty of rocky plains is a stark contrast to the shifting sand dunes, whose ever-changing form make it impossible for all but local Bedouin to navigate. Fortunately, a team of field guides are at hand to ensure visitors never end up as fodder for the ghoulishly named leper-faced vultures, their morbid visages surrounded by a buzzing mist of flies.

One of the guides, Jorg Shaffler, explains that while Arabian fauna may look similar to their African cousins, there are some key differences. In Dubai, temperatures routinely reach 120°F (49°C) and, as a result, the animals have evolved to be especially drought resistant. ‘The African Oryx would die if you brought it here. They’re not the same animal as the Arabian Oryx,’ Shaffler explains.

Arabian oryx wait in the sand dunes of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve © images4ever / Shutterstock

Though the national park is new, it has actually been famous for wildlife for millennia. ‘This is where Julius Caesar collected his lions to fight the Christians in the Coliseum,’ says Shaffler. ‘Arabian lions were only about the size of a St Bernard so, if you were a really big guy, you might have a had a chance at winning.’

Sadly the lion is no more, but there have been some encouraging success stories. Even before the park was built, the population of Arabian oryx was teetering on the verge of extinction. The Sheikh’s father made the drastic move of shipping the last remaining population to the US to breed them in secure conditions. When the reserve was formed a few years later, he brought them back where their numbers have now tripled. It’s an unprecedented recovery that has helped make Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve the pride of the United Arab Emirates – and even more crucially, given this ancient desert a new lease on life.

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Last updated in August 2017

Yep it looks like a train set and it runs like a cuckoo clock, but there are still some things you should know about Switzerland before you go.

• No Euros here – Switzerland is an island in middle of the Euro Zone. They haven’t joined the EU, and they like their francs, thank you. You might be able to pay with Euros at the airports, but that’s it. Get some Swiss Francs from the nearest cash machine – many restaurants, shops and smaller hotels don’t accept credit cards.

• It’s all about trains – If you’re arriving by plane at Zurich airport (Switzerland’s busiest airport for international flights) and heading to Zurich, the cheapest and easiest way to get into town is by train. A ticket from the airport (6.20 Swiss Francs) is valid for one hour. It includes the train to the main station (a 10 to 14 minute journey; trains depart every 5 to 10 minutes) AND city buses and trams.

• Cleaner than clean, greener than green – The Swiss take cleanliness and sustainable living VERY seriously. Don’t make a mess, and make sure to tidy up after yourself (or risk being told off by a local). When you finish that water bottle, do look out for recycling containers before you throw it in the regular bin. Or better yet, buy a reusable water bottle and fill it up (for free) at one of the ubiquitous water fountains.

• No shopping on sundays – Across the country, most shops close on Sundays. If you need a fix head to the main train stations in larger cities like Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and Lucerne. The stations have attached shopping centres where shops (including grocery stores) remain open on Sundays.

• Chocoholic heaven – White, dark, milk, with or without nuts – take your pick, it’s all exceptional. Yes, hit the speciality chocolate shops for fancy truffles and grand displays of the sweet stuff, but some of the best chocolate lives at the grocery store. Stock up at the chocolate aisle and you won’t break the bank, either.

Further information

Find out more about the order and austerity of Switzerland by purchasing our Switzerland guide or alternatively, downloading individual chapters.

Been to Switzerland? Got some of your own tips to add to this list? We’d love to hear them.

Contrary to some opinions, the world’s most-watched sporting event is actually watched by some Americans. In fact, many. If you’re looking for a big screen, or beer-drinking cohorts, to watch (and drink) with, here are a few stand-out spots nationwide.

Otherwise, just find a local taquería, which is pretty much guaranteed to be playing games with Telemundo’s thrilling ‘gooooooooooooolllll’ broadcasts.

CHICAGO
Wrigleyville’s Ginger’s Ale House has 20 HD TVs and nothing but soccer in the works. The Irish pub makes a mean breakfast too, good for those early games. (Just don’t mention the Burn — the Chicago Fire and Dallas Burn, MLS teams, don’t like each other.)

DALLAS
Texas has always been more soccer-friendly than outsiders think. And certainly at Trinity Hall Pub, an Irish pub with all eyes set on the World Cup (even if Ireland were unfairly disqualified by a naughty Thierry Henry of France).

KANSAS CITY
In the so-called Light & Power District, the Living Room is an outdoor space that will play every game on a huge outdoor screen. KC is a big soccer town, with its Wizards in the MLS.

LAS VEGAS
If you can pull yourself from the casino, the British pub Crown & Anchor is the soccer HQ in Sin City. No worries about it opening in time — it never closes.

MILWAUKEE
Laverne & Shirley’s old town has enough soccer love that Nomad Pub has even made World Cup t-shirts and are having ‘block parties’ for the World Cup opening/finale June/July 11. Their Minneapolis location also will have the US/England game on the Jumbotron.

NEW YORK CITY
Legendary Nevada Smith’s in the East Village doesn’t wait for World Cups to show off world soccer — it’s the de facto New York ‘football’ bar. In Brooklyn, you can watch the first-ever African-hosted World Cup kick off at Fort Greene’s popular South African restaurant, Madiba, which also offers various South African specialties.

Or to follow Brazil, go to ‘Little Brazil’ — or 46th St between Fifth & Sixth Aves — lined with Brazilian restaurants to find a place to watch. Or just go to Queens. The world’s most diverse neighborhood will have locals cheering on essentially every team in the World Cup.

OAKLAND
Just south of Oakland in the heart of ‘Raider nation’ is San Leandro, where legendary sports bar Ricky’s has a throw-back feel, good food, plenty of tables and HD/3-D screens showing all World Cup games.

SAN DIEGO
I’ve long maintained that everyone should be a Mexico soccer fan. If/when Mexico should win the World Cup, so much joy would radiate across the globe, there’d be world peace — at least for a while. A great place to go all-out Mexico is San Diego’s (cheesy) Fiesta Hall, where things will buzz during the opening South Africa/Mexico game June 11.

SAN FRANCISCO
Where else but San Francisco would the city hoist a 13′ x 18′ screen before City Hall to broadcast every game? Really, that’s hard to beat. If you prefer sports bars (as I do), Lower Haight’s Mad Dog in the Fog is one of many places here where soccer is called ‘football.’ I watched many games with beer-fueled breakfasts at the English pub a few Cups back, and watched the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd glumly file out when Italy eliminated England.

SEATTLE
With its basketball team in Oklahoma City (and baseball and football teams generally sucking), Seattle is a surprise ‘soccer town.’ (Its Sounders play MLS ball.) And the place to watch, by far, is Fadó. It also has locations in other cities, including Austin, Denver, Philadelphia and St Louis.

TAMPA
The Irish bar/restaurant MacDinton’s will be playing all World Cup games too.

WASHINGTON, DC
Home to MLS’ United, DC has a number of soccer-oriented bars, including Lucky Bar, south of Dupont Circle, which will play games live then re-air them in the evenings. Breakfast starts at 7am.

Any great soccer bars we missed here?

–> June 12th prediction: USA 2, England 1

Hong Kong has taken an ancient ceremony in China and turned it into one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Modern dragonboat racing, with its mesmerising blend of sport and tradition, is practised in over 60 countries. But it is best experienced in Hong Kong where you can still feel the passion that once drove this city to share its culture with the world.

What are dragon boats?

Dragonboats are long slim boats with a dragon’s head protruding from the bow and a dragon’s tail affixed to the stern. They’re powered by two rows of paddlers, with a helmsman in the back, and a drummer in the front or middle. Traditionally they’re made of wood – and wooden boats are still used in 90% of Hong Kong’s races – but the fibre-glass vessels used in the West are becoming common. They come in three sizes: 22-crew vessels used in international races; small boats accommodating 12 riders; and ‘big dragons’, that interesting species.

Taboos

Traditionally, dragonboat racing was an all-male activity. Women, especially when pregnant or menstruating, were forbidden to touch a dragon, the symbol of male vigour. But now with over 50 million people worldwide involved in the game, mindsets have been changing. Since 1985, races in Hong Kong have included women’s and mixed events. That said, machismo is anything but dead. Try patting the dragon’s head on a big boat (if you’re a woman), and you’ll see. ‘Big dragons’’carry 50 strapping fellows and can fit up to 120. They’re proudly paraded at races, jealously guarded off-season, and oiled, repaired and fussed over – exclusively by men – before the racing season.

History

Dragonboating originated over 2000 years ago in China as a ceremony for worshipping deities of the sea. It’s associated with the Tuen Ng Festival which is celebrated in late spring when disease and flooding were once rampant. Dragonboating was meant to dispel the ‘fog and filthy air’ and to keep the gods happy. But that’s the researcher’s version.

Ask any Chinese about the origin of dragonboat and they’ll mention Qu Yuan, a loyal statesman who drowned himself in the river. Worried that fish would consume their hero, the people unleashed their boats and threw rice dumplings (now a festive delicacy) into the water to distract them. Since then races have been held every year to honour the day of Qu’s passing – on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Lunar calendar (late-May to June). Though other figures have been commemorated by the festival, Qu’s patriotic story has prevailed.

Dragonboat spread all over China, in particular to the south, where it remained a fishermen’s game and ceremony for many years.

The modern era

Then in 1976, it all changed. Hong Kong held the world’s first international dragonboat races, and propelled the game into a new era. In the first year, boaters from Japan competed with nine local fishermen’s teams. In the next two, representatives from Malaysia and Singapore joined the event. Soon competitions were being organised in these countries as well as in Australia and Canada. In 1980, three dragonboats from Hong Kong made their debut on the River Thames.

Today, dragonboat is a mainstream sport in Hong Kong. The city has the greatest number of teams (about 400), all non-paid and voluntary, and the most races (over 20 a year) in the world per square metre. And the 10-boat wonder that started it all in 1976 is now a mega event featuring 200 teams.

What’s so fascinating about dragonboats? They’re pure heritage. Never used for transport or war, unlike canoes and sailboats, they’ve hardly changed over the centuries. Imagine then such a boat, blades plunging fast and furious, hundreds of times over to the throb of a drum. It’s the lure of the primordial, something rare in modern-day sports.

Races

The most spectacular events during Hong Kong’s racing season (March to October) are the fishermen’s races from late-April to May, especially the Tin Hau regatta held on sleepy Po Toi Island. You’ll see fishing junks moored in the harbour, decked out with flags, and people cheering, drinking and casting paper offerings into the water. Overlooking this on a cliff is a bamboo theatre where Cantonese opera is performed for the gods, and nearby is a temple where fishermen go to pay their respects. At sundown, all is quiet again as the junks leave with their dragons secured to their sides, the way they had been for years before the world knew about dragonboating.

In Hong Kong for the dragonboats, but with time on your hands? Why not get to know the city with our 24-hour itinerary.

The best places to go for the best of regional food – start with clam chowder in Boston and finish up with sweet iced tea in the Deep South.

Americans have such easy access to regional foods that once-unique specialties are now readily available everywhere: a Bostonian might just as easily have a taco for lunch as a Houstonian would eat Chesapeake Bay blue crabs for dinner. Still, there are some places you just have to go to get the real thing – so here are some of our top picks for authentic tucking in.

1. Hot Dogs in Chicago

Chicago is the home of deep-dish pizza, and many may tell you that is the not-to-miss meal, but no less iconic is the famed Chicago hot dog – a wiener and bun that have been ‘dragged through the garden’ (i.e. topped with onions, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, bell peppers, pepperoncini and sweet relish, or variations thereof – but never ketchup). Take our advice and indulge in both: a dog (or two) and a deep-dish pizza. You can always work it off walking round this friendly town.

2. Gumbo in New Orleans

Scooping out a steaming pot of gumbo is as central to New Orleans life as listening to jazz, zydeco or swamp blues, or chomping on beignets (sugary pastries). Gumbo, a Louisiana favorite, is essentially a hearty broth of seafood or smoked meats, thickened with okra or a wheat-and-fat mixture called roux before being splashed over a mountain of rice. New Orleans serves up countless variations of the basic gumbo recipe, from classic Creole to pungent Cajun. The Big Easy hasn’t had it so easy in recent times, but at least it has one of the world’s great comfort foods.

3. Mustard Museum

It’s a teeny building in the tiny Wisconsin town of Mt Horeb (that’s OK, no one else has heard of it either), but it packs more mustard than you can shake a ballpark’s worth of hotdogs at – 4600 jars, to be exact. There’s horseradish mustard that’ll singe your nose hair, orange rind-and-espresso mustard that’ll wake up your corned beef sandwich and sweet, bubbly champagne mustard that’ll make your pork chop giggle. Antique tins and other items of great importance in the history of mustard line the shelves. ‘Condiment counselors’ spread samples at the back mustard bar.

4. Bagels in New York City

Bagels may have been invented in Europe, but they were perfected during the turn of the 19th century in New York, so it is here you must come to understand the popularity of the bagel in America. While you can get far better bagels at corner delis here than most other places around the country, go to a Jewish deli where they are still hand-rolled. Made simply from flour, water, salt and a bit of malt for sweetness, the key to these hole-in-the-middle rolls is that they should be both boiled and baked. Order yours with ‘schmear’ (a thick swipe of cream cheese) and add lox for a splurge. Bagels not your thing? Try a knish instead.

5. Ben & Jerry’s Ice-Cream Factory

You can pretend you’re on the tour to learn about the company’s socially responsible business practices (use only natural ingredients, buy them from local family farms). But let’s face it: you’re really at this factory just north of Waterbury, Vermont for the dreamy ice-cream samples swirled with fudge chunks, toffee bars, brownie batter and chocolate chip-cookie dough. Would it not be the world’s greatest job to ensure quality control of the 55-gallon fudge tank or proper blending of the peanut-butter-filled pretzels into their vanilla malt base? Ice-cream fanatics have been known to weep onsite.

6. Clam Chowder in Boston

First things first. Ask ten locals about Boston’s best chowder – or, as they say, ‘chowdah’ – and you’re likely to get ten different answers. Everyone has an opinion about what makes this combo of chopped clams, potatoes and clam juice in a base of milk and cream a sensation. Order up other New England seafood specialties like clams or oysters on the half-shell, scrod or, of course, ‘lobstah’.

7. BBQ in Kansas City

(KS not MO) Savory hickory-smoked brisket, pork, chicken or ribs at one of the 100+ BBQ joints around town is a must for any meat eater. Kansas City’s own style of BBQ is pit-smoked and slathered with heavily-seasoned vinegar-based sauces. Rib-sticking good!

8. Soul Food in the Deep South

No region is prouder of its food culture than the South. Classic dishes range from pulled pork to fried catfish, but perhaps Southern fried chicken is the most legendary dish. No matter what you pick, expect heaps of it – with traditional sides like collard greens, black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes and candied yams, to name just a few. Wash it all down with sweet iced tea and you’ll feel right at home.

9. Steak in Montana

Livestock outnumber people in Montana by 12 to 1, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Big Sky Country serves up some of the best steak to be found. All-natural Angus beef is what to look for, and if you don’t want it rare, well, you’re out of luck. Menus boast not just about steak size, but also wax poetic about the appeal of red meat – the bloodier the better. If well-done is the way you like it, they might just tell you “that’s not available here”. Really.

10. Green Chillis in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Green chilli is to New Mexicans what breath is to life – essential. Even McDonald’s offers green chilli throughout the region. This staple will be on the menu in some form at every establishment in Albuquerque. Green chilli stew, enchiladas served swimming in the spicy sauce, take your pick and prepare your taste buds for a roasting.

These recommendations are taken from Amsterdam Encounter, which is Lonely Planet’s short trip guide to the city.

Never mind the sex and drugs – Amsterdam is a children’s paradise. The small scale, the quirky buildings, the lack of car traffic and the canals all combine to make it a wondrous place for little ones. And the Dutch seem to always be dreaming up new ways to entertain children. Whether that’s a hands-on science museum like NEMO, a free puppet show on Dam Square or simply a children-oriented tour through the Rembrandthuis or Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, the goal is to keep children occupied and intrigued, so their parents can relax a little and enjoy themselves too.

Image of Rembrandthuis by Radio Nederland Wereldomroep

In fact, most of the major museums offer a children’s tour, and the Rijksmuseum is free for under-18s.

Image of Rijksmuseum by Olivier Bruchez

While you’re at the NEMO (and you have to go, if only for the building – it’s big and green and funny-looking, and the rooftop deck is a great spot for looking down on the city’s medieval centre), be sure to visit the adjacent Amsterdam ship, with all its cubbyholes and a rambunctious, piratelike crew.

Image of NEMO and the Amsterdam ship by Neil Rickards

Teens who’ve read The Diary of Anne Frank will certainly want to visit Anne Frank Huis, but if you need to entertain children of all ages, Tropenmuseum has enough colourful stuff from all over the world to impress everyone (including adults).

Image of Tropenmuseum by amsfrank

Children often just need room to run around. That’s easily found at Vondelpark, in particular at Het Groot Melkhuis, a cafe adjoining a packed playground. Or make a day of it and head out to Amsterdamse Bos to the adorable goat farm where children can feed and pet the animals.

Image of Vondelpark by lanchutt

Dining out is a little more limited – a lot of restaurants are quite small and quiet and have a romantic atmosphere. But anywhere that calls itself an eetcafé is casual enough not to mind smaller diners, and we especially recommend Loetje, Bazar and Los Pilones. Otherwise consider combining a free ferry ride with dinner at kidfriendly IJ-kantine at NDSM-werf.

In summertime, treat children to poffertjes (minipancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar) at temporary stands (there’s a circus-themed one just off the Leidseplein near Stadhouderskade); in winter, they’re replaced with oliebollen (deep-fried proto-doughnuts). Little ones also love big Dutch-style pancakes – the tiny Pannenkoekenhuis Upstairs has a fairy-tale feel, and Pancakes! has a huge menu. High-end hotels often offer baby-sitting services. To arrange your own, contact Oppascentrale Kriterion (Roetersstraat 170), the best known in town – but you need to register ahead of time and pay a nominal joining fee.

TOP CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

• Ice skating at Museumplein
• Canal-boat rides
• Ferry across the IJ
• Eating pancakes
• TunFun

TOP CHILDREN’S SIGHTS

• Amsterdamse Bos
• Artis Zoo
• NEMO
• Tropenmuseum
• Vondelpark

Many more sights and activities can be found in Lonely Planet’s Amsterdam Encounter

In the film Due Date, Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifianakis, as an expectant father and aspiring actor, race west from Atlanta across the south to LA. It’s a great route, and even better if you take it slow. Here are some of our favorite things to do at their main stops along the way.

Atlanta

Rise early, grab some bagels at Highland Bakery in Atlanta’s Old Fourth, and head out of town for the best breakfast spot in the South. Take Ponce De Leon Ave (Hwy 78) 15 miles east to the world’s biggest chunk of exposed granite, aka Stone Mountain Park. The centerpiece of a 3200-acre park is the Confederate Memorial, a relief of Robert E Lee and the gang that dwarfs Mt Rushmore. The park starts filling up after 10am, so it pays to get there by 9am. Take the (free) trail 1-1/2 miles up the mountain and have a breakfast looking out over the Atlanta skyline.

Dallas

Dallas? Hmm. Let’s skip Dallas. Fort Worth, its drawling neighbor to the west, is more fun. Particularly if you spring for the corner ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ suite at the super Stockyards Hotel in the fun Historic Stockyards district. There’s bullet holes in the wood shutters (not as cheesy as it sounds) and one of the duo’s guns encased on the wall. Outside you can get boots and barbecue, then see longhorns parade down Exchange Avenue, and finish a night aside 6000 two-steppers at the legendary honky-tonk Billy Bob’s Texas. Drink what you want – they’re all walking distance from each other.

New Mexico

The boys head south from Santa Fe and Albuquerque to Las Cruces – good idea, particularly if you stop for the world’s greatest green-chili burger at the Owl Bar & Café, 90 miles south of Albuquerque in San Antonio. Beef comes pancake flat, piled with cheese, pickles, tomato and that green chili. It is very, very good.

Grand Canyon

Oh it’s a detour, but if you make the five-hour sweeping loop from the canyon’s famed south rim – where Chevy Chase makes that famous gaze-nod-and-go stop in Vacation – to the north rim, you’ll have much more room to yourself and the just-as-gorgeous flipside view from what you see in all the photos. You can climb down a steep 4.7 miles to the Colorado Rivers at Roaring Springs, or opt for shorter day hikes. Some cabins at the Grand Canyon Lodge have unreal views, but you’ll need to book way ahead.

Los Angeles

If you’ve made it this far by road, it’s hard to take anything seriously. Don’t. Los Angeles’ loony side is what makes it so great. Eat stir-fried Taiwanese crickets at Typhoon at the Santa Monica airport, scope out body-bag fashions at the macabre Skeletons in the Closet above a morgue in East LA, cheer on roller derby at the LA Derby Dolls, and save a few hours for the hilarious, deadpan spoof of museums at the compact Museum of Jurassic Technology, one of the most baffling attractions in the country.

You don’t have to race if you’re going on your own Due Date road trip across the US. Plan your next cross-country journey with free itineraries from Lonely Planet’s new USA’s Best Trips: 99 Themed Itineraries Across America and enter to win the ultimate US road trip prize package in Lonely Planet’s Date with the Open Road Sweepstakes (US residents only).

[Image stills used with permission. ©2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved]

Take a digital photo and there’s no end to the possibilities of what you can do with it: create an online album to share with family or the world, start a photo blog or even come full circle by using your digital images to create a coffee table book.

Here’s a quick look at all the possibilities, proudly brought to you by technology.

How to organise and share your photos online

Online social networking and photo sharing sites are the modern version of the photo album, the whole point being to organise and then share your photos with others. The services are generally free and offer a generous amount of storage space. Some charge for storage above the free quota and for additional premium services.

These sites offer much more than just being places to store digital files and order prints. They give everyone the chance to display their work, engage with a community of fellow picture takers from all over the world, give and receive feedback, find inspiration and join groups, or pools, of people with similar interests.

Flickr’s travel category, for example, has over 10,000 groups. You’ll also find lots of tips and techniques, including video tutorials, equipment reviews and discussion forums. Check out a few, ask friends about their experiences or go online and read what people have to say in the online forums. Check particularly what their policy is on deleting files, as some may delete if an account is left dormant for a long time. You’ll soon find one that suits you.

A screen shot of some of the travel groups on Flickr.

Anyone with a computer and internet access can be invited to look at your photos. You decide who gets to see them through privacy controls. Keep them private, share with family and friends or make them public and let the whole world see what you’re up to. Visitors can leave comments and you can interact with the other site members by browsing their public galleries, commenting, critiquing and inviting comments on your own work.

Numerous online services can help you organise, store, edit, share and print your images, including the following:

www.flickr.com
www.picasa.google.com
www.shutterfly.com
www.pixcetera.com
www.snapfish.com.au
www.fotki.com
www.phanfare.com
www.zenfolio.com
www.pikeo.com
www.snapixel.com
www.kodakgallery.com
www.smugmug.com
www.photo.net
www.mypicturetown.com
www.photobucket.com
www.photoshop.com
www.webshots.com
www.redbubble.com
www.zoomr.com
www.deviantart.com
www.apple.com/mobileme

So how do you choose between them? Most of these sites work in similar ways but there are significant differences; some will offer more functionality than others – more editing capability, more data storage, better sharing possibilities, larger audiences, etc. Here’s how to use them:

Uploading and storing images

Install free software on your computer and follow the instructions to upload, or post, photos and video from your computer, via email or from your phone. The amount of free storage offered varies, but 1 GB is enough for storing around 4,000 standard-resolution photos.

Editing possibilities

Many of the services have an image editing application that lets you perform simple enhancements such as removing red eye and cropping as well as adding creative fonts and effects to your pictures.

Organising your photos

A screen shot of sets of photos by a Flickr user

Create albums, collections or sets of images based on destinations, events or themes. You can add keywords and location information to help viewers find them using a search engine.

Blog your photos – share them with the world

The digital space allows anyone with internet access to share their thoughts, photographs, videos, music and anything else that can be digitised. One of the best ways to do this is with a blog.

Blogs can be as simple as a daily diary through to sophisticated multimedia programs, but generally are owned by individuals and updated regularly. The blog quickly became specialised as one form of content became the focus of the blog so photoblogs, also known as fotologs or fotoblogs, feature photographs; video logs, or vlogs, feature video footage. If you’re capturing still or video images on your camera phone you can upload to blog sites from wherever you are and you’ll be blogging on the go, or mobile blogging, sometimes known as moblogging.

How to start a photoblog…

Anyone can create a photoblog and setting up one has been made easy by specialist photo-sharing sites such as fotolog. They provide all the tips, techniques and tools you need to get your blog up and running. Check them out just to see what others are doing. To ensure more people than just your family and friends get to see your efforts, get your blog listed on a directory such as photoblog. Tumblr and Posterous are also good photo-friendly blogging platforms.

Moblogs

One of the great things about capturing images on your mobile phone is that you can share them from wherever you are within seconds of taking them. Sending photos to another phone as a Multimedia Service (MMS) message is just the start of what’s possible. Get yourself a blog or an account with a social networking site and you can go mobile blogging. Upload text, photos and video via email, MMS or SMS to any number of cyberdestinations.

The major mobile-phone companies have established working relationships with the popular networking sites including Flickr, Facebook and MySpace, or they allow access to a personal page on their company blog. Alternatively, you can use a third party site which converts and uploads your content to any of the popular sites or any platform that has mobile posting compatibility. (Lonely Planet travel editor Shawn Low wrote recently about how to blog by email or smartphone – it will even help you get around firewalls in countries like China!)

Vlogs

If you’ve shot some footage on your camcorder, digital camera or mobile phone and you reckon it’s worth sharing with the world, then go vlog. Video blogging, or vlogging, features video clips and are broadcast on the internet. The most popular site for sharing videos is YouTube but there are many more video sharing sites on the internet, including Metacafe, Break, Google Video, Yahoo Video and Stickam. These sites are a good place to start to access information and opinion on vlogging. They also offer the editing tools and other resources to help you create and upload your videos.

How to turn your photos into a book

A screen shot of Blurb’s homepage.

Having your name on the front of a hardcover book featuring your own images is the dream of most photographers. It’s still as difficult as ever to get published if you want to see the logo of publishers such as Aperture, Phaidon, Thames and Hudson, Tashen or even Lonely Planet on the spine.

However, it’s now possible to produce single or short-run editions of your own book using custom digital bookmaking services provided by online companies such as Blurb, Lulu, Momento, Asuka and Digital da Vinci. They provide the software, design templates and tools and you provide the images and text. Next thing you know you’ve got your own book being delivered to your door.

This is an excerpt from Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography by Lonely Planet photographer Richard I’Anson.

More great tips for Richard I’Anson in Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography

Hollywood is a gritty, vibrant, devil-may-care neighbourhood that’s survived more ups and downs than Mickey Rourke’s career. But there’s one thing this hill-flanked hamlet has always done right: movie theatres. From the spooky to the state-of-the-art, this list shares Tinseltown’s top five viewing spots for blockbusters, classics and Academy Award winners – just in time for the Oscars on 27 Debruary (full nominee list here).

1. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Camera-toting tourists arrive here by the busload, unspooling across the theatre’s concrete courtyard in search of the real Hollywood. Within seconds, most look confused. Judy Garland’s tiny footprints are here. The star maps. The wookiee impersonators. But where exactly is the glamour? The magic? Is this all there is?

Nope. Just ask any LA cinephile. Hollywood’s elusive magic is best experienced inside the Chinese Theatre – a bona fide movie palace that opened in 1927 under the direction of Sid Grauman. The renowned showman spared no expense with his darling, filling it with Asian flourishes and Chinese-crafted artefacts. On opening night, the premiere of Cecil B DeMille’s The Kings of Kings – a biblical extravaganza – drew thousands to Hollywood Boulevard for a glimpse of the stars and the spectacle.

The theatre, remodelled in 2001, is still a top pick for glitzy premieres, but it’s also a first-run theatre open to the public. From the red lacquered columns in the lobby to the hand-painted butterflies on the powder room walls to the opening-night chandelier that still hangs in the 1,162-seat auditorium, the spectacle continues. And for the price of a ticket, the “reel” magic of Hollywood awaits.

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. For prices and schedules check www.manntheatres.com/movies.

2. ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood

Ladies and gentleman, please select your film from the destinations board, reserve your desired seat, present your ticket then settle in for what’s never a bumpy ride. The 14-screen ArcLight – whose lobby resembles a cavernous airplane hangar – is a relative newbie for Hollywood, but the state-of-the-art cinema earned bragging rights the moment it opened its doors. Pre-selected seats, curved screens, black box auditoriums – the ArcLight exists for people who care about the movie-going experience.

Prices are a little higher than the norm, and lollygaggers complain about the strict no-entry policy (no admittance after a movie starts), but these are minor quibbles for those seeking full immersion. Some films screen in the groovy 1963 Cinerama Dome, a half-moon, geodesic auditorium upgraded to conform to the theatre’s high standards.

ArcLight Hollywood is located at 6360 W Sunset Blvd. For prices and schedules see www.arclightcinemas.com.

3. The Egyptian Theatre

One surefire way to see a famous actor or director in Hollywood? Attend a screening followed by a live Q&A at Sid Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre. These laid-back events are a regular occurrence, and they’re open to the public for the price of the movie. Kirk Douglas, Kathryn Bigelow, and Nicole Kidman are a just a few celluloid luminaries who have appeared to discuss their craft. Classics, retrospectives, new foreign releases, and themed weekends round out the calendar.

The Egyptian was Hollywood’s first movie palace. It opened with the premiere of Douglas Fairbanks’ Robin Hood in 1922, the same year as the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. The forecourt – look for the palm trees and the murals of Egyptian gods – is a tranquil spot set back from Hollywood’s hubbub. $5 theatre tours are offered monthly.

Visit http://americancinematheque.com/mastercalendar.htm for the schedule, planned by movie-supporting non-profit American Cinematheque. The theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

4. Hollywood Forever Cemetery

For the past decade, intrepid moviegoers have carried blankets and coolers onto Fairbanks Lawn for Cinespia’s Cemetery Screenings, typically held at sunset on Saturday nights from mid-May through the end of September. The movies, which included High Noon, Midnight Cowboy and Airplane! The Movie in 2010, are splashed across Cathedral Mausoleum, the final resting place of Rudolf Valentino and Peter Lorre. Elsewhere on the grounds are the graves of Bugsy Siegel, Douglas Fairbanks, and Cecil B. DeMille.

Picnics and alcohol are welcome, pets and tall chairs are not. Admission is free but a $10 donation is requested. Cinespia, a local production company, uses the proceeds for restoration projects at the cemetery.

As spring approaches, check www.cinespia.org for the schedule. The address is 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.

5. El Capitan Theatre

Who’s vying for screen time at the majestic El Capitan in 2011? Little mermaids, rascally gnomes, African cats, and the beloved Jack Sparrow. Tucked behind a dazzling marquee, the historic El Capitan shows first-run Disney movies in an ornate, East-Indian-themed auditorium. For families, the 1000-seat theatre is a welcome respite from the touts and celebrity impersonators clogging nearby sidewalks. Step inside the lobby for an exhibit tracing the history of the 1926 theatre (originally a playhouse) and Hollywood, from citrus orchards to its legendary status today.

Daily screenings are often accompanied by a Wurlitzer organ and live-action shows. Next door, Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store serves sandwiches, sundaes, and dreams.

Birthday parties welcome; see www.elcapitan.go.com/index.html. The address is 6838 Hollywood Blvd.

In this five-part series taken from Lonely Planet Magazine (Aug 2010 issue) we show you just where to step off the tourist trail and start exploring the real Italy – from the hills harbouring the country’s finest wines to a coastline to rival the Amalfi.

Like Tuscany? Try the Langhe Valley.

The hilltop villages of the Langhe, northern Italy, have a somnolent feel, as if they’ve just completed a splendid lunch. Places such as La Morra are where you can slow down almost to a stop: sampling the region’s wines, dappled by the sun, gazing at the view. The undulating hills look as if they’ve been stitched together, with every slope pinstriped by vines. A sense of scale only becomes clear when a distant car wiggles along a narrow lane. The angles of the fields are echoed by the red roofs of the villages, each dominated by a castle resembling an oversized chess piece.

In the one-street town of Barbaresco, its houses the colour of sugared almonds, a deconsecrated church serves as an enoteca (wine shop), with tastings at the altar. Silvia Altare is as clever as a complex glass of her family’s Barolo, a wine that flashes like a garnet when it catches the light. It was her father, Elio Altare, who revolutionised their production, and they now make some of the region’s most illustrious Barolos. His daughter buzzes through the berry-scented cellars.

‘We go back generations. Grapes have been in our family from the 1800s, though the first label was in 1950. We have just 10 hectares and produce 60,000 bottles per year – it’s a small family business. It’s different from Tuscany here. In Piedmont, there are no princes, just farmers.’ Barolo is famous in Italy as the king of wines, while nearby Barbaresco produces the queen. Both come from the same grape. ‘Nebbiolo is a very floral grape, so generally you get rose petals, red fruits, cherries, plums.’ The name comes from nebbia (‘cloud’); they’re so-named, the story goes, because the grapes used to be picked in the autumn mist.

The Langhe Valley seems designed for indulgence. The region is also where the Slow Food movement was born, in nearby Bra, whose family-run shops bulge with seasonal local produce. It’s one of the region’s most food-obsessed places, along with Alba, which hauls in the discerning hoards every Saturday for its food markets. ‘It [Slow Food] was born between a couple of friends, saying, ‘Oh we should eat well and drink well,” explains Silvia. ‘It pretty much started as a joke.’ The ecogastronomic organisation now has more than 100,000 members in 132 countries, but is never stronger than at its source. ‘It’s easy here to eat vegetables from the garden, to have nice wine,’ adds Silvia. ‘For us it’s normal. We definitely have slow food, slow life, every day.’