--AP

Anyway, my rustic experience sounds like sheer luxury compared to what's happening now:

By ANDREW WHALEN

LIMA, Peru (AP) -- Tourists visiting Peru's famed Machu Picchu citadel said Wednesday they lack enough food, water and shelter and are at the mercy of price-gougers three days after mudslides trapped them in a nearby village.
The visitors complained that restaurants are inflating their prices, and many have slept in Machu Picchu Pueblo's train station or in the central plaza after they ran out of money or the hostels ran out of space.
"It's chaos. We don't have food, we don't have water, we don't have blankets, we can't communicate and the police lack an evacuation plan to put us at ease," Argentine tourist Alicia Casas told Lima's Canal N TV station.
Machu Picchu Pueblo city spokesman Ruben Baldeon told The Associated Press that bottles of water are selling for $3.50 in the isolated region -- five times the typical price -- and electricity to the town has been cut.
A thick cloud clover kept helicopters from flying to the village Wednesday morning, but flights resumed in the afternoon, Baldeon said.
There was no immediate word on how many people were taken out. Choppers dropped off food and water and ferried out 475 people on Tuesday.
Authorities say 1,400 travelers remain, stranded since Sunday's mudslides damaged sections of the railway to the city of Cuzco -- the only way in or out of the area.
"It's worrisome. We didn't think it would take this long," Tourism Minister Martin Perez told Lima's RPP radio. "We can evacuate 120 tourists per hour; now the only thing we need is for the climate to help us out a little bit."
Meteorologists forecast moderate rain for the rest of the week.
About 400 Americans, 700 Argentines, 300 Chileans and 215 Brazilians were among the roughly 2,000 travelers initially stranded. U.S. authorities have sent four helicopters stationed in Peru for drug interdiction and police training to join four Peruvian military and several private choppers in the rescue.
Argentina's foreign ministry said in a statement that oil company Pluspetrol sent two helicopters to deliver food and evacuate the Argentines, an operation expected to take a day or two.
Five days of torrential rains in the Cuzco region have destroyed bridges, at least 250 houses and hundreds of acres (hectares) of crops.
Mudslides have killed five people, including an Argentine tourist and her guide who were hiking the Inca trail from Cuzco to Machu Picchu.
The spectacular Inca citadel, perched on an Andean mountaintop, is Peru's top tourist destination.

By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan Airlines filed for bankruptcy Tuesday in one of the nation's biggest corporate failures ever, entering a restructuring that will shrink Asia's top carrier and its presence around the world.
Staggering under a $25.6 billion debt mountain, the carrier applied for protection from creditors under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law -- Japan's version of Chapter 11 -- with the Tokyo District Court.
Japan's flagship airline will slash nearly 16,000 jobs, reduce pensions for retired staff, cut routes and shift to more fuel-efficient aircraft as part of its restructuring.
Some $10 billion of government cash will keep JAL's planes in the air during the reorganization. Lenders will forgive $8 billion in debt, and JAL shares will be removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Feb. 20, wiping out investors.
There was no word on the outcome of a fierce tug-of-war between Delta Air Lines and American Airlines for a slice of JAL's business. Despite its woes, the airline's access to Asia is a mouthwatering prize for foreign airlines.
A state-backed turnaround agency pledged 900 billion yen ($10 billion) in financial support for JAL -- 600 billion yen in credit lines and a 300 billion yen cash infusion. The bankruptcy is the fourth-largest in Japan, according to figures from Teikoku Databank, which tracks corporate failures.
"This is not the end of JAL," transport minister Seiji Maehara told reporters. "Today is the beginning of a process to keep JAL alive."
JAL President Haruka Nishimatsu resigned, bowing deeply as he apologized for the company's troubles. Kazuo Inamori, a Buddhist monk and founder of Kyocera Corp. and Japan's No. 2 mobile carrier KDDI Corp., has been tapped as its next leader.
"This is our last chance," Nishimatsu said. "I believe we can be reborn as an airline that can represent Japan again."
JAL said flights will continue uninterrupted and that frequent fliers would not lose their miles. Tokyo asked foreign governments for cooperation to keep JAL flying around the world.
The day's events culminate a process that began in October when JAL -- saddled with debts of 2.32 trillion yen ($25.6 billion) -- first turned to the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan for help. Under the prepackaged reorganization, it will embark on a massive overhaul to shed the fat and inefficiency that hobbled its finances.
Maehara said the turnaround would involve 15,661 job cuts -- a third of JAL's payroll -- by March 2013.
The carrier will retire all 37 of its Boeing 747 jumbo aircraft and 16 MD-90s, which will be replaced by 50 small and regional jets. As of March, JAL's fleet consisted of 279 aircraft, mainly from Boeing Co. It served 220 airports in 35 countries and territories, including 59 domestic airports.
JAL shares, which have lost more than 90 percent of their value over the last week, tumbled another 40 percent Tuesday to 3 yen before finishing flat at 5 yen. The company is now essentially worthless, with a market capitalization of about 13.7 billion yen ($150 million) -- the price of one Boeing 787 jet.
Nevertheless, American and Delta have continued to battle over JAL.
Delta and its SkyTeam partners have offered $1 billion, including $500 million in cash to lure JAL away from American's oneworld alliance. American Airlines and its partners say they would inject $1.4 billion cash into the Japanese airline.
"Delta and SkyTeam fully support Japan airlines and stand ready to provide assistance and support in any way possible," the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement following JAL's bankruptcy filing.
Maehara declined to comment on which U.S. carrier the government preferred and said it is "not in a position to force any partners on JAL."
The bankruptcy represents a humbling outcome for Japan's once-proud flagship carrier which was founded in 1951 and came to symbolize the country's rapid economic growth. The state-owned airline expanded quickly in the decades after World War II and was privatized in 1987.
But it soon became the victim of its own ambitions.
When Japan's property and stock bubble of the 1980s burst, risky investments in foreign resorts and hotels undermined its bottom line. JAL also shouldered growing pension and payroll costs, as well as a network of unprofitable domestic routes it was politically obligated to maintain.
More recently, JAL's passenger traffic has slowed amid the global economic downturn, swine flu fears, competition from Japanese rival All Nippon Airways Co. and a spate of safety lapses that tarnished its image. It lost 131.2 billion yen ($1.4 billion) in the six months through September.
Geoffrey Tudor, a principal analyst at Japan Aviation Management Research and former JAL employee, said the airline needs to be leaner and meaner.
"It wasn't commercially brutal enough in dealing with the facts of economic life," said Tudor, who spent 38 years at the Japanese carrier and now watches its collapse with a mixture of sadness and frustration.
Its four government bailouts since 2001 only exacerbated JAL's problems, officials now say.
Passengers seemed to agree as much.
"I guess they did not work in earnest and so fell into this situation," said Isao Sasaki, 72, who waited in line Tuesday at a JAL check-in counter at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. "Weren't they spoiled as they always had protection from the government?"
------
AP Writers Jay Alabaster, Yuri Kageyama and Mari Yamaguchi, and APTN staffer Kaori Hitomi contributed to this report.

Did you cancel air travel plans -- or not make them -- because you don't think air travel is safe anymore?

Or maybe because you just don't want the headache of extra wait times and security procedures at airports in the wake of the terrorism attempt?

I'm curious to know how, if at all, this will affect the flying public. Let me know what you think...

The Associated Press is reporting that Canadian officials have banned most carry-on luggage for U.S.-bound passengers following a failed Christmas Day plot to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Transport Canada said Monday that passengers may only carry medical devices, small purses, cameras, laptop computers, canes, walkers, diaper bags, musical instruments and bags containing "life-sustaining items."

Travelers headed for the United States have been allowed to carry on only one bag since Saturday, following 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's alleged attempted to bring down a Northwest Airlines flight as it prepared to land in Detroit on Friday.

Transport Canada said it is trying to alleviate backlogs at security checkpoints, after passengers complained of chaos and long lines at Pearson International Airport in Toronto over the weekend and Monday morning.

Police are now helping with security at four of Canada's biggest airports after Transport Canada requested assistance. Police are performing a secondary search of passengers after they pass the main security check point at airports in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. About 40 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are doing searches at Pearson.

Transport Canada spokesman Patrick Charette said the measures are expected to remain in place for at least several days.

This kind of thing happened to me many moons ago in what is now the Czech Republic.

Have you ever been shaken down by unscrupulous authorities in a foreign country? What happened? Any advice to give others?

Megabus.com offers 100,000 free seats to stimulate travel in 2010

CHICAGO (Dec. 8, 2009) - Megabus.com, the first city-to-city, express bus service offering fares as low as $1, today announced it is offering 100,000 free seats for travel Jan. 6 to March 20, 2010. Customers can begin booking today.

The free seats will be available on megabus.com during the Jan. 6 to March 20 travel period. Travelers will need to use the promo code GETAWAY to book their free seats (subject to availability).

Megabus.com amenities include new double-decker buses with free Wi-Fi, reclining seats, on-board restrooms and more.

Visit www.megabus.com for additional information on routes, schedules, amenities and fares.

I personally have never visited Jersey Shore. Wondering if the folks who have would care to weigh in on MTV's portrayal?

Here's what the CVB had to say:

JERSEY SHORE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
RESPONDS TO MTV'S 'JERSEY SHORE' PREMIERE
AS "ONE-DIMENSIONAL" PORTRAYAL
 
Watching last week's two-hour premiere of MTV's controversial Jersey Shore reality series prompted the following response from Daniel Cappello, executive director of the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau:
 
"We're flattered that MTV thinks we're an interesting enough destination to warrant an entire reality series," said Cappello. "But the national TV audience is hardly getting the full story."
 
"MTV is providing a one-dimensional, dramatized version of a very small group of visitors' summer experiences in one Jersey Shore town. We have many spectacular ocean and bay beaches in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, from the Atlantic Highlands down to Long Beach Island, and countless choices for people of all ages and walks of life to enjoy year round.
 
"The Jersey Shore's world-renowned legacy speaks for itself. There's a reason why millions of people have made us their primary vacation destination for two centuries. People who escape to other destinations once in their lives return to the Jersey Shore for a wholesome family experience year after year, from generation to generation. We welcome visitors to come here, even during the holiday season, to enjoy a cultural diversity that in no way reflects what is seen on MTV."
 

NEW YORK (AP) -- National Geographic Adventure magazine has ceased publication of its print edition.
The magazine's December-January issue will be its last, though the brand's Web site will continue.
"Given the current advertising environment and the opportunities we see in emerging digital platforms, we think the time is right to transition the Adventure brand," John Griffin, president of National Geographic's magazine group, said in a statement.
The magazine's ad pages plummeted 44 percent in the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to data from the Publishers Information Bureau.
The National Geographic Society, based in Washington, also publishes its flagship magazine, National Geographic, as well as National Geographic Kids and National Geographic Traveler.
National Geographic Adventure, launched in 1999, was an outdoor lifestyle magazine with a mix of profiles, travel destination features and stories about trends and gear. The magazine was published eight times a year and said it had a rate base of 625,000 subscribers. Its cover always had National Geographic's trademark yellow border.
In addition to a Web site, future plans for the Adventure brand include books, mobile applications and even occasional newsstand editions.
The end of the magazine follows the demise of a number of other consumer and lifestyle publications, including magazines like Gourmet, Metropolitan Home, Modern Bride and Cookie.

I saw several guys (a couple of whom were very tall and wearing very tight jeans) get in line behind us.

I see the immigration guy approach one of them and quietly ask for his autograph. The guys are clearly in a rock band but I can't figure out who they are.

"The Keelers," the immigration guy says to me. The Killers???? Right here??? In line??? Behind us???

Some older woman in line asks the lead singer to pose for her with a photo. He smiles and does it. She later confesses to me she has no idea who the Killers are. But she's super excited about her photo.

The line isn't budging, so the immigration guy comes back and discreetly motions for one of the Killers to follow him -- he'll let them go through the line reserved for diplomats and crew (and famous rock stars, apparently).

The band slips off the back of the line and moves into the new one. As they're moving into the fast lane, my husband turns to them and says (in a joking manner), "Hey, you guys are killin' us."

One of them turns back, smiles and says, "That's what we do." Another one of them raises his hand in a wave and says, "Sorry, man." And he wasn't saying it in a jerky way.

I'm one of those people that hates it when other people cut in line. But these guys were acting so normal and down to earth as they waited with the rest of us, I'd let them line jump any day. Posing for photos. Signing autographs. Better yet: not using their rock star clout to demand preferential treatment. The immigration guy offered; they didn't demand. And they were really humble about moving into the diplomat line, too.

Rock on, Killers.

The first SWA flight to Milwaukee is scheduled for Sunday. Snacks, games and prizes will be offered at the gates. The party then moves to McKinley Park & Marina where SWA will host a Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings tailgate party from 1-7p.m.

Would be curious to know if it's as good as it seems. Any takers out there?

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands, October 9, 2009 - The U.S. Virgin Islands is delighted to announce the minting of its very own United States quarter, introduced into circulation early this month. The quarter is imprinted with the Territory's official symbols and motto, serving simultaneously as a reminder of the Territory's unique identity and proud inclusion as a U.S. Territory.

In honor of this event, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism is unveiling a Cent-sational vacation package, offering savings for a booking window of 25 days.

The package includes a nightly rate of just 25 cents at participating hotels, for a maximum stay of three nights; a $25 per person dining credit; a $25 per person activities credit; and a Virgin Islands commemorative quarter Scotiabank coin set. The Cent-sational package is valid for bookings made from October 9 through November 2, 2009 for travel between October 9 and December 15, 2009.

"The U.S. Virgin Islands is proud to be a Territory of the United States and is excited to have its own quarter minted as a reminder of our rich heritage and cultural identity. The Cent-sational package allows travelers to explore this history while enjoying the promotion's rare discounts," said Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty.

Hotels participating in the promotion include: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, Club St. Croix, Hibiscus Beach Resort, Hotel Caravelle, Marriott Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Beach Resort, Point Pleasant Resort, Secret Harbour Beach Resort, Sapphire Beach Resort, Sapphire Village, The Palms at Pelican Cove, Windward Passage, and Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa.

The Cent-sational package applies to new bookings only. Reservations must be made through BookIt.com .

For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com . When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel - including on-line check-in - making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport for U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

Southwest Airlines recently unveiled its newest product, EarlyBird Check-in, which gives customers the option to score an early boarding position by adding an additional $10 to the price of a one-way fare. The low-cost service automatically reserves a boarding position for customers prior to general check-in, allowing EarlyBird Customers to begin boarding the plane after Southwest's Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List Customers. EarlyBird Check-in became available last week.

(Customers can purchase EarlyBird Check-in through a link in the Travel Tools section of southwest.com. They also can select EarlyBird Check-in from their southwest.com confirmation page online and from their confirmation e-mail. EarlyBird Check-in can be purchased up to 25 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of the customer's flight.)

What do you think? Would you pay an extra $10 to board early? Let me know your thoughts....

I chose the latter when my mother and I recently had five hours to kill between flights at Amsterdam's Airport Schiphol, where long layovers are common.

There are plenty of worse places to be stuck. Schiphol ranks No. 8 among the world's best airports, according to Skytrax, a research firm that surveyed nearly 9 million travelers. The airport is packed with amenities (pedicure, anyone?), including a small branch of the world-famous Rijksmuseum, with free admission. But what I appreciated most was how easy and quick it was to escape to the city.

The train ride from the airport to Amsterdam's Central Station, which puts you right downtown, takes about 15 minutes. Hear that, CTA?

We put our carry-on bags in a locker for 5 euros ($7), walked a short distance to the train station in the airport and paid about $10.50 apiece for round-trip train tickets into town. In no time we arrived at Central Station, just a couple of blocks from the myriad canal boats offering hourlong tours -- the perfect way to see the city.

Since we arrived very early Sunday morning, the canal tours hadn't started yet.

"Should we go to one of those coffee shops? Isn't that what you do here?" asked my mom. Mom doesn't drink coffee and, as far as I know, doesn't dabble in Amsterdam's more notorious coffee shop offerings. So we spent the morning walking over the canal bridges, admiring the colorful houseboats and pointing out evidence -- mostly in the form of discarded Heineken bottles -- of what must have been a rowdy Saturday night.

We meandered past Anne Frank's house, where people were lining up before the 9 a.m. opening. Canal cruises also start at 9 a.m., so we squeezed one in ($17) before grabbing one of the frequent trains headed back to the airport.

How have you made the most of an airport layover?