New Delhi’s ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton & Towers is battening down the hatches and upping security in preparation for Prez George Bush’s arrival on Wednesday (which apparently marks the first time in 37 years that a Republican president has visited the country). The 5-star hotel has had a busy couple of weeks. Socialite and hotelier Vikram Chatwal’s star-studded wedding festivities took place here just over a week ago. Indian news site Rediff reports in Hotel Bush that the current president may not be looking forward to the food he’ll find during his trip:

From tomorrow Bush’s entourage will take over the entire hotel including the restaurants, like the famous tandoor food eatery Bukhara where Bill Clinton dined with great gusto in 2000 on his first trip to India. Bush may not dine at the Bukhara because he is said not to be a fan of Indian food.

Now that’s a darn shame. There’s simply nuthin’ like a good korma.

ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton & Towers official site

Honeymoon with My Brother is a travel memoir about two brothers - one divorced and one dumped a week before his wedding - who take off on a round-the-world adventure that ultimately led them through 60 countries. The book has gotten rave reviews for its mixture of humor and poignant descriptions of people and places around the world. This spring, the brothers will be traveling around the U.S. doing book signings, and they’re probably coming to a city near you. You can find a schedule on their web site, linked below.

Honeymoon with My Brother official site

In The Know Traveler blog had a post up last week about the Marquis Los Cabos Surf & Turf Getaway package made especially for dudes in need of a testosterone-filled jaunt to Mexico. The package starts at $1,960/person and includes 4 nights in a junior suite or private pool casita. Surfing lessons, golf, a poker night with open bar included, cigars, beer and unlimited access to resort fitness facilities are also part of the deal.

In The Know Traveler official site
Marquis Los Cabos official site

Climbers and mountaineers with plans to strike out for Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, located in Denali National Park, next year may be in for a surprise. Authorities have decided to cap the annual number of climbers allowed on North America’s highest mountain at 1,500. No word yet on how park officials will control the numbers or how interested climbers can secure access to the mountain. The cap comes after significant increases in traffic up the mountain have caused problems - like, for example, what to do with all the waste and debris humans leave behind. Read details in Mount McKinley Getting Dangerously Crowded.

Denali National Park & Preserve official site

Where does Pam Anderson stay when she visits Sydney? LoveTripper reports that Pam recently rested her head at the 5-star Shangri-La Hotel, an upscale property offering views of the Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opra House and easy access to lots of restaurants, shops and bars. The 563-room hotel recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation project.

Shangri-La Hotel Sydney official site

The short answer to that question is YES. It’s understandably kind of frightening to hear that Bird Flu is spreading around the world and that the avian virus holds the potential to mutate into a strain harmful to humans. But official sources say that travelers shouldn’t be worried about visiting countries where Bird Flu has been confirmed. To get sick, a person would have to be in close contact with contaminated birds, and, unless your vacation is a particularly unusual one, it’s not likely for the average tourist to be handling sick or dead birds, participating in the extermination of sick birds or playing in bird feces.

That said, if the virus changes and mutates into a strain that can easily be passed from human to human, then we all have major problems. But thus far, that hasn’t happened.

For more information on Bird Flu, check out these resources:

World Health Organization Recommendations for Travelers

Bird Flu in Depth on NPR

Reuters AlertNet Crisis Profile: Bird Flu

Want to know the latest in smoking bans happening around the world? Check out Calendar Live’s More Smoking Bans in the Air for a good, quick rundown of places you can and can’t light up.

February is a short month. It’s flown by faster than I can say Jimminy Cricket. But there are still two days left. And that means there are still two days left for YOU to earn money for your upcoming travels by writing hotel reviews during TravelPost.com’s Writer Appreciation Month. We’re distributing $4,000 among hotel reviewers who’ve contributed eligible reviews of US hotels.

I hear from the TravelPost.com higher-ups that reviewers can expect between $5-10 for an average review and $20-40 for a great review. Now, call me crazy, but isn’t that a good deal? I mean, there’s no limit on how many reviews you can write. Write five excellent reviews before February ends, and you could stand to make a fast $100.

Writer Appreciation Month official rules and guidelines
Review a Hotel

Controversial? Certainly. But that isn’t stopping the Museum of Slavery and Civil Rights in Selma, Alabama from offering a new program beginning in April that will put participants through a day of discomfort and hard labor. Here, an excerpt from Selma Museum Visitors Can Be Slaves for A Day:

During the tour, guests are forced to crawl through darkened passages and mount an auction block, with We-kandodis barking commands and harassment, liberally using the N-word. She divides groups against one another and separates families.

Participants will also be given tattered clothes to wear and perform repairs on homes belonging to elderly and low income residents of the area.

I can’t for the life of me find contact information for the museum itself. But you can find more information on Selma’s attractions at the Official Website of Selma, Alabama.

The Feb. 20 issue of Celebrity Living (I know, I know) highlights some of the stars’ favorite travel items. Among them: Nota Bene travel guides. With subscribers like designer Michael Kors, the UK company delivers 10 “collectible” guides each year and allows members access to its archives and offers them personal travel advice as needed. The company’s focus is the “most glamorous cities and exotic resorts” and has a membership price to match. A one-year subscription costs around $360 USD. By filling your address and email, you can get a free 76-page PDF version of the London Guide.

Nota Bene official site