Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010 [antikvár]

FOREWORD The best? We've picked the brains of our authors, our staff and our travellers and come up with a collection of destinations and experiences that we rate as the stuff you really ought to consider for 2009. It's time to plan a break from the routines of the everyday, and think of the kind of travel that will sustain you through the less exciting times of the year. We think you'll find quite a few ideas in this edition of Best inTravel. Travel is two things to us: destination and experience. Well, maybe three -the journey is definitely part of the story. Flipping through this book, you'll find a mix of these. We've listed our top cities, regions and countries to explore in 2009.That's 30 great places, from the more challenging (Sierra Leone is not for the faint-hearted) to the spectacular: awesome ice anyone?Try Greenland. And there are options that include wide open spaces (try Kyrgyzstan for some nomadic wandering). For urban experiences choose from racing-to-the-future Shanghai or old-world-charm-meets-party-girl Lisbon. It's also time for Beirut, once more rising from the rubble of conflict. You might make some plans by randomly opening a page of ourTopTravel Lists and planting a finger-who knows what you might end up doing?These picks are morsels of inspiration that should get you off the beaten track and Into the eclectic and bizarre. It might be cave-diving in Mexico or catching a whiff of the startling rafflesia flower in Malaysia. How about tracking yeti in the Himalaya, stealing a kiss in Casablanca, or taking a bath in a rather large champagne glass There's an underlying current in this edition water. We've dedicated a special section to it. Water's the ultimate traveller, flowing around the globe, up into the atmosphere and back down again - and it started the ball rolling for the great travellers, from ancient voyages that settled Australia 40,000 years ago to later explorations.Today we swim in it, float on it, skate on its frozen surface, climb snowy peaks and throw snowballs at each other. But it's having its own way too, as it has over the aeons, shaping the land, and shaping the way we travel upon it. Importantly, it's telling us something about our effect on the planet. As climate change becomes more apparent, it is water - its abundance, its scarcity, its changing nature-that we tend to notice.Take a water trip in 2009 and ponder its role in your travels. 006 BEST IN TRAVEL 3009