January 2016

When an ad in ITN for a trip to Japan piqued my interest, I immediately emailed Michie Taylor, who offers guided tours to her native country. She immediately responded, and so began a remarkable and unique journey. 

Crystal Cruises celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015, and to mark the occasion it scheduled a world cruise — not an ordinary world cruise like the ones it and other cruise lines schedule every year but a true world cruise, a circumnavigation of the globe, from Miami to Miami, for 108 days. 

The US Department of State warns of the risks of traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (aka DRC or Congo-Kinshasa). Travelers should avoid the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, Ituriz and, in particular, the new provinces of Tanganyika and Haut-Lomami (the northeastern and central parts of the former province of Katanga), where instability and sporadic violence is known to occur.

At least 87 people were killed in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, on Dec. 11 as antigovernment protesters clashed with the armed forces.

Ongoing violence in Bujumbura began in April 2015 when Burundi’s president, Pierre Nkurunziza, announced he would be running for a third term in office, an act that many considered unconstitutional but which was upheld by a Burundian court. Nkurunziza was reelected in July in a disputed election. Since April, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 200,000 have left the country.

Two hundred years ago, Prince Bagyidaw of Burma (today called Myanmar) began building the structure shown in the mystery photo in the November 2015 issue. He dedicated the white pagoda — located in Mingun on the banks of the Irrawaddy River north of Mandalay — to the memory of his first consort and cousin, Princess Hsinbyume (White Elephant), who died in childbirth.

This interactive crossword puzzle is no longer available online.

In Macau, what is being dubbed as the world’s highest figure-8 Ferris wheel, the Golden Reel, is the centerpiece of Chinese hotelier Melco Crown Entertainment’s newest resort, Studio City (Macau, China; phone +853 8865 8888, www.studiocity-macau.com/en), which opened its doors on Nov. 5.

Listing upcoming events in Australia and continually updated, the Australian Events Calendar, available at www.australia.com/en/events.html, allows you to customize event searches by date, location and type, including “Arts & Culture,” “Food & Wine,” “Nature & Wildlife” and “Sports.”

Leading to the base of Uluru, or Ayers Rock, in Australia’s Northern Territory, the installation “Field of Light,” April 1, 2016-March 31, 2017, will have more than 50,000 illuminated glass bulbs on slender glass stems designed by artist Bruce Munro.

The city of Dubai has launched an interactive online tour at www.dubai360.com. Visitors to the site can navigate the city on their Web browser, with almost 1,300 panoramic images and videos located throughout the tour.