T A B L E_T A L K Hitting the slopes? Discuss snowboarding and other winter sports in the Wanderlust area of Table Talk ___________________ Check out barnesannoble.com's fabulous selection of travel book bargains! ___________________ R E C E N T L Y Beijing's Backingham Palace By Mary Elizabeth Williams From back rubs to bowling to B-movies, this Chinese spa has it all (01/14/99) New York serenade By Pico Iyer An ex-Gothamite returns for five days -- and finds that attitude has its charms (01/13/99) Cold front By Mona R. Washington An ugly encounter on a Viennese metro colors a winter's day (01/12/99) Behind the red curtain By Jeffrey Tayler A night at the official Communist Party hotel in China leads to everything but a good night's sleep (01/10/99) This week in travel Wanderlust's selective guide to travel-related news from across the globe (01/08/99) Browse the Wanderlust Feature archives Wanderlust's Official Travel Book Partner		- - - - - - + this week_.I N_.T R A V E L Wanderlust's selective guide to travel-related news from across the globe. - - - - - - + From ABC News Honduras' latest growth industry is a bit "macabre," but it might be just what the beleaguered country needs. Ever since Hurricane Mitch pounded Honduras in October, leaving around 5,660 people dead, the country has been experiencing an increase in visitors. While the notion of foreigners flocking to see areas where so many people died might be seen as sick, Honduras' tourism minister, Norman Garcia, sees it differently. "Honduras could benefit widely from this 'macabre tourism,'" he said. "And that is why we have already started to design plans so that foreigners who want to come could visit and help us with reconstruction." - - - - - - + From the International Herald Tribune It may soon no longer be necessary to have German blood to become a German citizen. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government is planning to push through a bill altering a 1913 law that requires Aryan blood for citizenship. The new law, which will be brought up in parliament later this year, will grant German status automatically to people born in the country, and the possibility of naturalization to others after eight years of residence. The Christian Democratic Union opposes the new bill, which will affect mainly Turks who have been living in Germany for years. - - - - - - + From CNN In a move that may signal tough times ahead for travel agents, Delta Air Lines has decided to start charging a $2 fee with every ticket not purchased through its Web site. The surcharge incensed members of the American Society of Travel Agents. "Delta is saying, in effect, we tried to get you to book on the Internet and now we are going to make it hurt to book any other way," says Joe Galloway, the society's president. "Instead of offering an inducement, they are slapping on a penalty." Delta had no comment. - - - - - - + From MSNBC They thought they could get away with it. Some would sneak out in the wee hours of the morning and light up; others would discreetly do it in the privacy of their own cabins. In total, nine passengers were kicked off Carnival Cruise Line's MS Paradise in the last month for blowing smoke in the face of its no-cigarette policy. Since the incidents, Carnival has upped the ante on defiance: As of Sunday, if caught, passengers will be charged $250. - - - - - - + From the Times of London In Milan, there has been a surge in violence in the last week and a half, leaving nine people dead. The deaths have shaken up residents in the northern Italian city, who have always prided themselves on the differences between themselves and residents in the mob-infested south. Since some of those deaths allegedly involved immigrants and mafiosi from Albania and Croatia, police are pointing to the recent influx of foreign criminals -- who are apparently joining the Mafia gangs from the south -- as the blame. - - - - - - + From the South China Morning Post The Cambodian government has decided to end international flights to Angkor Wat. Ever since a route between Bangkok and Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat is located, was opened a year ago, Cambodian officials say Phnom Penh -- where Angkor-bound travelers used to fly into -- has experienced a 30 percent drop in business. Cambodian officials will halt the flights, on Malaysian-owned Royal Air Cambodge and Thai-based Bangkok Airways, later this year. As a result, some say Cambodia's relations with neighboring Thailand and Malaysia may become strained. SALON | Jan. 15, 1998