Bangkok at a Price That's Right

Ever since he started driving a New York City cab in 2001, David Freedenberg has asked his passengers where they like to eat--especially when he drops them off in a neighborhood he doesn't know well. He now has a list that Zagat would envy of 400 restaurants and shops, a book in the works, and a tour called Famous Fat Dave's Five-Borough Eating Tour on the Wheels of Steel. "I get a real kick out of showing someone a hand-piped cannoli," he says. The tours are private and customizable, and cost $100 per hour for up to four passengers, though there's a four-hour minimum (famousfatdave.com). The price covers samplings from about a dozen restaurants and shops in five or more neighborhoods. Pace yourself, as there's no walking it off. After all, Freedenberg's motto is "You do the gorging, I do the driving." Some of Fat Dave's Faves Ess-a-Bagel: "The perfect example of a real New York bagel, often fresh out of the oven." 359 First Ave., Manhattan, 212/260-2252, 70¢ Denino's Pizzeria Tavern: "The mozzarella sticks may actually be better than the pizza." 524 Port Richmond Ave., Staten Island, 718/442-9401, $5.50 Guss' Pickles: "They sell on the sidewalk--the way it's been done for 100 years. The 'new' pickles are where it's at. Five or six of them make a great lunch." 87 Orchard St., Manhattan, 212/334-3616, 70¢ Fratelli's Pizza Café: "The fresh broccoli rabe is just the slightest bit bitter, and so tasty it can carry an entire foot-long hero." 404 Hunts Point Ave., Bronx, 718/542-7340, from $7 Roll-n-Roaster: "Their cheesesteak is best with Cheez Whiz and onions. It rivals any from Philadelphia." 2901 Emmons Ave., Brooklyn, 718/769-6000, from $6 San Hai Jin Mi: "They only speak Korean, but who cares when the beef is marinated for two days before it hits the barbecue?" 36-24 Union St., Queens, 718/539-3274, $10

The dated Pickwick Arms Hotel in midtown Manhattan has been reinvented as the sleek Pod Hotel. Rates for a single with a shared bath start at $89 a night. Queen rooms with private baths start at $159. All have LCD TVs, iPod docking stations, and free Wi-Fi (pickwickarms.com) Norwegian Coastal Voyage has announced new itineraries for the Fram. Starting in May, the ship will cruise between Reykjavík, Iceland, and Greenland (coastalvoyage.com) Also in May, Air Greenland will offer nonstop service to the U.S. for the first time. Flights connect Kangerlussuaq and Baltimore The Walt Disney Company donated its impressive 525-piece collection of African art to the Smithsonian in 2005. Eighty of the sculptures, masks, and carvings--many of which have never been exhibited before--will be on display at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 15 to Sept. 7, 2008 (africa.si.edu, free) Famous since 1747 for its animal figurines and hand-painted tableware, Munich-based Nymphenburg Porcelain has opened a shop in Chicago's River West neighborhood. It's the company's first American outpost (nymphenburgusa.com) Good news for jetlagged visitors to Oahu: There's now a 24-hour restaurant inside the Prince Kuhio Waikiki Hotel. The menu at Mac 24-7 ("Mac" stands for modern American cooking) includes everything from pancakes to grilled salmon (mac247waikiki.com) Fans of a certain 1970s Swedish supergroup will be thrilled to know that an ABBA museum is slated to open in Stockholm in 2008. Avis car renters in 10 major U.S. cities can be supplied with a portable device that creates an instant Wi-Fi hotspot in the car, hotel, or almost anywhere else, for $11 per day. Low-fare carrier Oasis is launching service from its Hong Kong hub to Oakland, Calif., in June. Customers booking air/hotel packages through Orbitz can sign up for the free TLC Alert service that automatically warns hotels of late arrivals due to flight delays. To lower weight (and save money), JetBlue eliminated one flight attendant per flight and removed a row of seats on planes--which also increased legroom Homewood Suites is rolling out a program that lets guests who check in online look at room photos and floor plans before choosing the exact room for their stay Sidestep has a new tool for researching cruise ships, comparing prices, and booking all major cruise lines L'Avion, the newest all-business-class airline, flies between Newark airport and Orly in Paris, with promotional round trips starting at $999 British Airways' "new simpler baggage policy" means pieces over 50 pounds are no longer accepted, even with payment of an excess-weight fee; also, coach passengers who want to check a third bag are charged $233 at the airport The old $50 pass covering a year's entrance to national parks has been replaced by a new $80 parks pass that also includes forest-service and federal recreation areas.

It's one of those clichés that has its roots in the truth: Many American visitors to Norway are descendants of the roughly 800,000 Norwegians who immigrated to the U.S. between 1825 and 1925. They want to go back and see what life was like for their grandparents and great-grandparents. Times have changed, of course, especially since the country became rich with oil. So the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture--in an effort to preserve the rural landscape and culture--has been subsidizing the conversion of farmhouses to inns. The program began in 1995, but it wasn't until the Norwegian Rural Tourism and Traditional Food organization (or NBG) was formed in 2004 that it took off. "We now have 550 members," says NBG director of administration Sunni Grøndahl Aamodt. "Visitors can stay in traditional cabins, converted barns, even lavvus [tepees] and fishing lodges." While the properties are spread throughout the country, the densest pocket of farmhouse inns is in a fjord-laced area 200 miles southwest of Oslo. One of the earliest examples of these conversions was Høiland Gard. When two bachelor brothers up the road died without any heirs, the Vadla family acted fast. "We thought we'd buy the property and add it to our dairy and sheep farm," says Synnøve, speaking for herself, husband Sigbjørn, and daughter Silje. But then they had a better idea. After painting the barn Venetian gold, building an addition, and refurbishing four cabins, including the original 1814 farmhouse, the Vadlas opened Høiland Gard in 1996. The five guest rooms in the main house and the cabins (which sleep 10 to 16 people) are paneled with knotty pine and furnished simply so that nothing detracts from the view--a long tumble of meadow that runs down to both a fjord and Lake Riskedal. The family organizes canoeing and kayaking excursions, as well as picnics that often include Sigbjørn's porridge studded with smoked ham. The Vadlas also run Sanitas, on Lake Riskedal. Originally a summer camp for underprivileged boys, the house stood abandoned for 30 years until the Vadlas rescued it. Opened in 2005, Sanitas overlooks a small beach and the lake beyond, where guests go swimming and boating. The nine bedrooms are divided into two apartments, each with its own kitchen and bathroom. Thirty minutes north of Høiland Gard, Fossane represents a kind of homecoming for owner Kari Egil Sørensen. "I grew up here and then moved away," she says, "but the farm is always deep inside you. When my husband, Sven, and I came back, I felt like I wanted to share my childhood and culture." The Sørensens rent three cabins (each accommodates as many as six guests), including Kari's great-grandfather's home, which the couple moved from its original site in a neighboring valley. "We're really preserving two farms in one," says Kari. The cabin she was born in is painted red and crowned with a thatched-grass roof. It's utterly authentic, with painted cupboards, hand-carved beds, and heirlooms, including a pair of clogs whittled by Kari's grandfather. "You can fish in the lake and the fjord, which is less than a mile away, or hike in the mountains," Kari says, "but what's most important is what you can't do. We don't put any televisions in the cabins, so our visitors only hear the sound of the waterfall, the birds, and the sheep bells." It's equally peaceful at Mo Feriehytter, a former dairy farm on the banks of the wide Suldalslågen River. Owner Jone Moe's three cabins sleep anywhere from four to seven. The largest is designed as a contemporary retreat, with pillowy couches and a TV, though the cabin hasn't completely lost its Nordic soul--a pair of antique skis hangs on one of the pine-paneled walls. Jone's daughter, Kjersti, inherited the farm's ancestral cabin, which the Moes don't rent out because it's full of family memorabilia. "My brother and I are the eighth generation on this farm, and it's important to care for our legacy," says Kjersti, a trained mountain guide who takes guests out hiking, canoeing, and fishing. Just across the Suldalslågen River, at Mo Laksegard, is a converted farmhouse with a heated swimming pool and a hot tub. The three apartments and three cabins (all designed to sleep up to six) have amenities that are unusual for farmstays, including satellite TV and kitchenettes with dishwashers. Traditionalists will prefer the older, more soulful cabin down by the river. Whatever the style of accommodations, visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to activities. "We take people salmon fishing and offer rafting trips to a wilderness camp where you can grill your dinner over an open fire," says owner Bjørn Moe. He's even begun to offer something he calls a "salmon safari," which involves squeezing guests into wet suits and sending them racing downriver, with the current, while the salmon swim upstream to spawn. Johanne Marie Heggebø, who has lived at Eide Gard for 40 years, is more intent on protecting the past. The four small rooms that she rents out in her farmhouse feature carved wooden beds, duvet covers embroidered with daisies, and a shared bathroom with one unexpected note of flamboyance--a tub with gilded claw-feet. Eide Gard sits on a wide curve of the Ølensfjord, a sight that's framed in each room by the lace curtains. Johanne Marie serves meals in the medieval summerhouse, which was once used as the kitchen in warmer months. Guests sit on benches, enjoying roasted salmon topped with pesto, and pudding studded with fat cloudberries. "I pick my own berries high in the mountains," Johanne Marie says. "They grow in a different place each year. You have to have a nose for cloudberries." Lodging   Høiland Gard Hjelmeland, 011-47/51-75-27-75, hoiland-gard.no, from $56 per person, includes breakfast   Sanitas Hjelmeland, book through Høiland Gard, from $56 per person   Fossane Vormedalen, 011-47/51-75-15-32, fossane.no, from $96, add $8 for linens   Mo Feriehytter Sudal, 011-47/52-79-98-50, opplevsuldal.no, from $94   Mo Laksegard Sandsbygda, 011-47/52-79-76-90, molaks.no (Norwegian only), from $142   Eide Gard Ølen, 011-47/53-76-82-23, eidegard.no, from $120, includes breakfast

SHIPPING FROM THE U.S. Scenario: You're going to London, then flying to Scotland for golf, and don't want to drag your clubs. Solution: You'll save several hundred dollars by bringing the clubs across the Atlantic yourself, because on those flights, two 50-pound checked bags are free; flights within Europe generally allow one 44-pound bag free. Ship the clubs from London to your hotel in Scotland via UPS or DHL. Contact the hotel in advance. Scenario: It's hard enough getting your family through the airport--doing it with skis seems impossible. How should you get your gear to Colorado? Solution: DHL, FedEx, and UPS will pick up everything at your house, and three-to-five-day ground service costs about $45 per pair of skis (50 to 70 percent less than overnight shipping). Specialists such as Luggage Express handle the details, but their cheapest ground service costs $89--and anyway, their shipments wind up being sent by FedEx or similar. Whichever method you use, cushion skis in ski bags with thick sweaters and socks. Scenario: After having a baby, you're off to a Caribbean resort to relax, and you want to send formula ahead. Solution: Don't even think about it. Goods that look like they might be resold are inevitably delayed on arrival, so they're too risky to ship. Instead, bring as much powdered formula as you need in your carry-on, and extra in a checked bag. Also, your resort may be able to suggest a nearby store that carries your baby's brand. Scenario: Once your flight lands in Moscow, you realize that you left your prescription blood-pressure medicine and your glasses at home. Solution: You could have a friend put your glasses in a hard-sided case and drop them off with FedEx--with "prescription eyeglasses, used personal effects" in the description box. But express shipping costs $120 and takes about five days, so consider having a pair made or going without. As for the medicine, pills are likely to sit indefinitely in customs. Throw yourself at the mercy of a local doctor for a new prescription; the U.S. Embassy can provide names of English-speaking ones. A fax of your prescription sent from a doctor back home will speed things along and ensure you'll get the correct medicine. SHIPPING TO THE U.S. Scenario: After sipping a fantastic ice wine at a vineyard in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, you just have to bring some home with you. Solution: Ask if the vineyard sells via U.S. distributors. Next, request that the vineyard ship for you. If it won't, ask for recommendations on how to package and send. Regular mail is cheapest; express courier is safer and quicker. Some states have restrictions on importing wine that are tougher than federal law, however. Packing bottles in checked bags is viable. Pad with bubble wrap or sweaters; duct tape over the cork helps prevent leaks. Scenario: Midway through a tour of Asia, you're loaded down with an old ivory-looking figurine from Kathmandu, a rug from India, and Japanese lacquerware. Solution: Send via freight, the cheapest and easiest option for bulky items. Local tourism bureaus and U.S. Embassy offices can help you find freight services. U.S. Customs has endless regulations for goods made of animal and plant materials, so to avoid hassles, find out exactly what the rug is made of and which country produced it. Ask questions before buying anything that is old or looks like ivory. Most countries have restrictions on exporting items over 100 years old or made of ivory. Scenario: There's no way all the watches, jackets, purses, jewelry, sneakers, CDs, and DVDs you bought in Seoul will fit in your checked bags. Solution: Send by regular mail, which is easy even if you can't understand a lick of Korean. If some items are gifts, put all the recipients' names on the shipping label (multiple addresses aren't necessary as long as the shipment is noted "consolidated gift package" and "unsolicited gift"); U.S. regulations allow you to send items valued up to $100 for each person listed, duty-free. Note: Many CDs and DVDs sold in Asia don't work with players in the U.S.; test them on your portable device before buying. Scenario: You're worried that the pottery you bought in Florence will be broken on the way home. Solution: Tell the shopkeeper you plan on shipping it overseas and ask him to package it accordingly. Then watch to make sure he does an adequate job. Depending on how soon you want to get the items home, ship via freight or express courier. Either way, pay extra for insurance, which costs 50¢ to $1.50 per $100 of the item's value. Scenario: In Australia, you wonder how to send home some cheese, as well as a crocodile-skin wallet and other gifts. Solution: It's always smart to buy perishables at a store that will ship the goods for you. Bigger stores in tourist areas know how to package fresh foods and get them through U.S. Customs. As for wild-animal products, check to see if the species is protected either by the U.S. government (fws.gov) or your state; California is known to have particularly tough rules. TIPS FOR SHIPPING ANYTHING, ANYWHERE Know the Rules: When returning to the U.S., American citizens may bring up to $800 of goods for personal use without paying duties and taxes. There are some tricks for going above that limit. You're allowed to ship up to $200 of goods per day to yourself at a U.S. address without a duty charge. And you can send, duty-free, gifts worth up to $100 per person per day to friends and family in the U.S. Avoid Unnecessary Fees: Anything sent from the U.S. for your trip--golf clubs, skis, etc.--should be listed as "used personal effects" to qualify for duty-free status. Otherwise, the destination country may view the items as new and try to hit you with an import charge. If you ship the items back home, note them as "American goods returned" on the green customs sticker, so they're not counted as part of your U.S. Customs duty-free allowance. Bulky or Heavy Goods: Shipping costs are based on the package's bulk or weight, whichever costs more. Too much padding can make for more-expensive shipping. To Insure or Not to Insure: Most shipping services have a limited liability of $100 per package; in some countries, the liability is about $9 per pound. Buying insurance is a no-brainer for large, valuable, and fragile items. What's OK and Not OK: Cuban cigars and absinthe are among the many items prohibited from entering the U.S. Bringing plants or seeds home is difficult, when allowed at all. Call 877/227-5511 or go to customs.gov for the specifics. Every country has its own rules on what visitors can take out: Art and handicrafts are generally fine, but cultural artifacts and antiques are often restricted. Check with local officials--not the shopkeepers--before you buy.