Our picks from this week’s travel headlines.
TOTALLY CUTE TURTLE PHOTOBOMB An adorable turtle has been making headlines all over the internet this week, thanks to its very timely photobomb. Avid traveller and diver Diuvs De Jesus and his friends were taking a group picture at Apo Island in the Philippines when a green sea turtle decided to sneak into the picture and steal the limelight. Located in the Central Visayas region of the archipelago, the small island is known as a diving haven, with more than 650 documented fish species and 400 coral species. Among its star attractions are the green sea turtles that routinely come up to the south west coast to feed and clean themselves.
GODZILLA’S NEW ROLE Japan has just named the iconic monster as its new tourism ambassador. “Godzilla is a character that is the pride of Japan,” according to Shinjuku mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi after announcing the appointment and presenting Godzilla (actually a man in a suit) with a residency certificate during the opening ceremony of the Hotel Gracery in Shinjuku. Those looking to make the most of their trip in Tokyo can choose from two options at the 30-storey hotel. Godzilla Room is adorned with Godzilla memorabilia, while the Godzilla View Room gives its occupants a view of the giant Godzilla replica head located on the 8th floor.
MARK ZUCKERBERG ON THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL “It’ll be pretty wild,” he wrote during a recent Q&A session on his Facebook page. Zuckerberg was, of course, talking about virtual travel as the up-and-coming thing in travel. It doesn’t come as a surprise, seeing how Facebook seems to be going towards that direction as evidenced by the purchase of the virtual reality technology firm Oculus. He continued, “Just like we capture photos and videos today and then share them on the Internet to let others experience them too, we’ll be able to capture whole 3D scenes and create new environments and then share those with people as well.” While it would be awesome if we can visit the elephants in Chiang Mai or see the beautiful ruins of Angkor Wat from the comfort of our bedroom, nothing beats seeing them in person, don’t you agree?
